People are always asking me how I get words on paper.
I wish I could say that it was as simple as just sitting my arse down in a chair and dancing my fingers across a keyboard. But that would be lying.
Being a writer is a hard gig.
My brain has to be always on: I’m in a never ending cycle of finding ideas, pitching, researching, writing, editing, and sharing.
Writing is the one of the last stages and is often the easiest.
That’s why over the last month I’ve pulled together my favourite writing articles just for you.
These pieces will help you do the work needed to get words on paper.
“But I gradually noticed I was losing ideas.”
Freelance writer Danielle Corcione, shares how she uses Trello to track her ideas. I’ve been trying to come up with an effective way to track all my pitches and writing ideas but nothing I tried seemed to stick. And then I found this article.
“Falling down the rabbit hole in an intelligent way is part of what you need to do as a fiction writer.”
Writer, Alexander Chee, shares what it’s like to conduct research for his historical novels, and why it’s ok to push back on your publish date, even if it pisses people off.
“Good writing means playing four different roles.”
Bryan Garner believes there is more to writing than just writing. And I couldn’t agree more. Writing is a four step process, and if you miss one step it shows. Learn the four steps you should apply to any piece of writing.
“The dark country of no ideas.”
Erik Larson describes how he finds his next subject, and the not so nice place between finishing his book and starting another. Plus, the four criteria his ideas must meet before he develops them.
“I’ll freely admit I’m often looking for some reassurance that I’m on the right track, but it’s reassurance I find only when I’m reminded that there’s no right track at all.”
Published author Danielle Dutton, shares the only advice a writer needs: There is no ‘right’ advice. And most advice we’ve been given by famous writers is damn wrong. She encourages writers to use semicolons, describe things in detail, and write sentences using as many words as we damn well please.
Featured image from Unsplash.
