Life of E's

Writers love to have techniques that will support their writing. What are your favorite ones? Here are seven of mine.

1. Read about writing. Many writers write eloquently and inspiringly about writing. Runners read about running. Gardeners read about gardening. Teachers read about teaching. Why shouldn’t you read about writing?

2. Put yourself in the most positive space possible.This entails both a positive mental space and a positive physical space. You know what those spaces look and feel like. Get thee to those places and write.

3. Take classes about writing. Regardless of how much you’ve written or how successful you have been in your writing career, you don’t know everything there is to know about writing. Real writers know this. Take a class and learn more.

4. Have a log that is just for you (or – it can al for others). You can record how many words you’ve written each day, how many consecutive days you’ve written without fail, what your current writing passions are, what your next project will be, what you’ve learned each time you write, new words you’ve learned or what to try out in your writing…there is no limit to the possibilities. If you’re part of a writing group, you might share your log with others, but if it’s just for you, review it periodically and see what your growth has been and what your future holds. Mine your log for gems.

5. Teach others about writing. Since no one learns more than the teacher, if you have something you really want to learn about, teach someone else about it. I’m sure you can find willing students. Nearly everyone wants to know more about writing.

6. Keep a list of writing projects that are waiting in the wings. Just sit down and generate all the topics that you would love to write about – and all the formats you would love to write in. Keep this list somewhere that it is easy for you to access and add to. Having a scrumptious master list like this allows you always to have some project to work on – no matter what mood or frame of mind you’re in.

7. Start a folder system for your writing projects. Whenever you get started on an article, book, chapter, series, information product, or any other format, create a physical and digital folder where you keep ideas, quotes, citations, related pieces, and so forth. Having all of this information handy when you get ready to work on this project will allow you to delve in and write instead of roaming around looking for information.

At the beginning of the article, I asked you what your favorite technique was – and I hope you’ll let me know because we’re all in this together, right? And if you would like to join me for inspiration, direction, and structure for your life, visit Staying Positive in a Freaked-Out World.