Timed Writing

Timed writing is probably one of my favorite ways to get over writer's block. It can be used in various ways and you get to set the time limit. My personal favorite for trying to get over writer's block is 10 minutes.

The method is pretty self-explanatory. Set a timer and write. Don't allow your brain to stop you. Some people may think that it's not worth your time to force inspiration but I don't think it's really forcing inspiration as much as it is figuring out how to get over your writer's block.

Some people get writer's block because they have too many issues going on in their life and it's uninspiring them. For some people, it's motivation. There are various ways to get writer's block and there isn't a way to list them all here without this post being too damn long.

Timed writing is one way that helps me get over writer's block or just to get me over my lack of motivation.

Here are some of the ways I use timed writing:

•  Writing a scene that I am stuck on. Usually, after this point, I can write again. I'll have to change it later but I've figured out what exactly it was I was stuck on and revising it won't be a problem.

• Writing Prompts. For those times when you are just feeling so uninspired, use a writing prompt. There is no shame in using them.

• Brain dump. Sometimes, your life is what's holding you back and you just need to vent. Use that in your timed writing. Just release it onto a document that you can delete later. It's a good way to relax as well. 

• Writing anything about my novel. It doesn't have to be the novel itself. It could be a backstory for a minor character or something about the world I'm creating. That can help.

• Start something new. It happens. Sometimes, there is an idea just stuck in your head that you can't write anything else. You'll be able to write down what you need and either continue it or you'll find a reason to start and finish your other story.

There are various other ways you could use this method but this one is one of my most used writing tools.

Writing Update: A Free Semester

I'm finally getting back into the swing of things. I'm typing up my outline and changes on my computer and I'm getting everything ready for when I actually start editing again (tomorrow). I fell behind a lot since the beginning of the year. I'm not even close to being finished. School and work kind of took over my life. I do work full time and I have to maintain my grades for the scholarship I got. I'm 27 and still in school...but I did switch my major. Now I'm working on my degree in Early Childhood Education rather than English (though, sometimes I miss it).

After a really terrible winter/spring semester, I decided to take the summer off of school. It will give me more time to work on my revisions and push toward my end goal. Since I fell behind, I decided to push my deadlines back to sometimes more reasonable. I want to be finished with the revisions by the end of the summer. That is the absolute latest.  I know when the Fall semester rolls around, I'm going to struggled with balancing my time again. Some of my classes are demanding and I have to give them priority.

So, other than that, I'm also going to be working on getting the next chapter of Spliced up and possibly work on the next installment of District Pluto. I don't plan on publishing these professionally. These are just stories that I wrote for a challenge or for experimental purposes. They are still stories I would want to share. Maybe one day I'll take them down and fix them up for publishing but not any time soon.

Progress Update: Discovering New Things

I started editing the first novel of my Radley series since the first of January. Well, technically, it was the first of March. Between then and now, I realized that my novel didn't flow, so I changed it a bit and added the flow. I moved around scenes and let everything come together like it should. Though, now I realize that the process is going to take a bit longer. That, or I'm going to have to work double time on this.

So, even though it's been a few days into the new year, I've discovered a few things that help me with the "dissection" of my first draft. I don't think I need to use these all of the time, for every draft. This is just for me getting back into editing and changing certain scene significantly without rewriting the whole darn novel.

The one thing that really helps me is taking notes on my scenes so I know what needs to be added and where it needs to be added. Also, keeping my workspace distraction free is key to getting things done.

Thanks to my brother, Lee, I'm not obsessed with Pentatonix. I've been avoiding listening to their music for a while but now I have a few of their albums. I have to keep my phone and my headphones off my desk if I want to get any work done.

For now, I don't really have a set method for editing but I'm hoping to discover something that works for me as I continue to edit novels and short stories throughout the year.