Ten Hacks for Non-Writers To Get Started WRITING A BOOK.
Did you read PART 1 yet? If not here’s the link — You don’t want to miss out on steps 1 to 5 on how to GET STARTED Writing a Book.
https://www.sallylotz.com/post/writing_coach_writing_tips
6. Sit butt in chair and WRITE. Oh boy, that’s a hard one not the butt or the chair, but finding time to WRITE. Here are a few creative ways to carve out time to write. Turn off the TV (no brainer). Get up earlier when the house is quiet and spend 20 minutes writing. Use your phone and dictate to the notes app when you’re on a walk. Take a pen and paper to places you have to wait and write. I use a REMARKABLE. It’ lets me write like I am using pen and paper, and then converts to text. VOILA. Get creative.
7. This tags along with 6 because it’s about TIME. Put time on your calendar to write. Set an appointment with yourself and go somewhere not your sofa or corner of a room. I go to coffee shops. I am much more productive, and I don’t become a recluse.
8. Getting stuck? Experiencing WRITER’S BLOCK? When this happens to me, I don’t fight it or force the words. I will do something mindless, such as take a walk or go to the gym. Or, I will work on a different writing project. I call it FREE WRITING. 10 minutes of writing from a prompt. No thinking required. You have ten minutes to spill the words on the page. And they will be crappy. Also, I find sometimes, that using a pen and paper helps me get through being blocked, and not using the keyboard. Try a few things and see what works. But the best tip is — DON’T PANIC.
9. Remember I said, don’t edit while you’re writing? Don’t do that. But, there are a few things you’ll want to do to set yourself up so you’re not doing major overhaul. Use your spell checker. If you use something like Grammarly, fine — but don’t use all the functions. Keep it simple to spelling. I am a terrible speller, mostly because I am dyslexic — I have to use auto correct or I’ll spend years fixing my words.
10. Dig DEEP. This is your time to WRITE TOO MUCH. Get that shovel out and DIG. I want you to go deep into emotions and feelings so that you’re crying, laughing, or angry when you write. DEEP into descriptions and settings. Create the world you’re in. You can always take it out. But one thing I found, is that when you are transparent in your writing, when you go deep with your emotions you will make a connection with your READER. Afterall, that’s who you’re writing for.
THAT’s 10 TIPS from the PRO-WRITER. I have so many more!
My ten tips are an extension of the 6 HABITS OF a SUCCESSFUL WRITER that I teach my clients.