5 Tricks Writers Use to Make Writing a Child’s Play
Do you hate the blank page?
You’re not alone if you do. That’s because it is a villain for numerous writers worldwide. You, me and every other writer hates the blank page.
It is a humongous monster who just, doesn’t want you to write.
It has been haunting writers since ages (like 100 years or something) and like a virus, it doesn’t give up.
But you’re lucky. Why?
Because you’ve stumbled across this article. In this article, I will lay out the exact steps how you can overcome this large monster and make writing a child’s play.
Are you ready? Let’s begin:
(I must thank Henneke for motivating me to use metaphors through her post. You will see plenty of metaphors working in this one.)
Read, Read, and Read
Reading gives you the foundation to work on new ideas. Don’t take my word for it; take the word of Stephen King.
He says in his book ‘On Writing’ that reading is critical to writing with effectiveness.
You’re living in the digital age reading shouldn’t be a problem for you. You can read scientific journals, papers, blog posts, articles and what not.
The objective of reading regularly is to get familiar with the words. It helps you:
- Develop new ideas
- Find missing connections between two existing ideas
- Understand the writing style of other writers
- Finding out what makes a writer special
- Perform factual research
If you’re not an avid reader, this task might seem a little tricky to you. But you know what? Reading is much easier than writing.
It’s like learning from watching.
Read the works of successful writers and you will surely learn a thing or two.
Why do I recommend reading?
Personally, I’ve felt whenever I read a lot before working on a project, I get high-quality ideas. Most of the times, the ideas pop up in my mind all of a sudden. Reading is like watering a seed. You know it’ll help you grow, but you need to do it regularly.
Start with ‘The’
How do you defeat the gigantic writing block? By working on its weaknesses.
What is the weakness of the writer’s block, Aditya?
Its weakness is writing. The more words you write, the weaker it gets.
You can compare the writer’s block to a boss at the end of a video game. It has a fixed number of health bars. The more punches you can deliver, the more health bars you can deplete.
So, start with anything. It’s your first draft. There is a 99% chance that no one will read your first draft apart from you.
(If you’re wondering where I found that number, let me tell you, it is my estimate)
You can write any kind of nonsense you want. The goal here is to weaken the writer’s block.
Once, you have depleted all of its health bars, you’d have passed the level and voila! You are no longer afraid to work on your copy.
What is my personal experience?
I’ve found this trick to be very useful. Whenever I feel like I can’t write anything, I start writing gibberish. I’m an ardent believer in the power of editing. I revise and edit every copy and I recommend you do the same.
Ignore the universe
The writer’s block is a tyrant but it’s not your only enemy.
Your next enemy is the whole world.
Yes, they all are the enemies of your love of writing. When you sit in front of your laptop (or the typewriter), don’t let anything else distract you.
All the distractions will hinder your progress. Did I tell you a secret about writer’s block?
It gets right back up if you neglect your article for too long. And the distractions are a great reason for you to neglect your copy.
Don’t fall into this trap.
Focus on your article and concentrate your forces. Throw your phone away, close the door, open the document and start writing.
If you have other people present in the premises, tell them you don’t want to be disturbed.
My Personal Experience:
I hate it when anything else distracts me from my writing. In fact, I make it clear to anyone else that I don’t want any disturbance when I’m working (writing). I know that if I leave my article mid-way, I’ll have to deal with the writer’s block again.
Enjoy the Ride
You’ve defeated writer’s block, gotten rid of all the distractions and started writing anything. Now is your time to enjoy the ride.
Write what you want to. You have a lot of ideas to share so start with one.
While you’re writing, don’t question your skill. Everything takes its time. Focus on writing and don’t let any negative thoughts come in your way.
As you’ll finish your copy, those negative thoughts will fade away.
Return without Mercy
You’ve completed your first draft. Now leave it.
Don’t come back to it any sooner unless it is essential. The reason is, you want to make your mind forget your copy.
This way when you will come back to the copy, you will be refreshed and ready to edit it.
Remember to edit it without mercy. You’ll want to get rid of any kind of wasteful words, filler and fluff.
I know how hard it can get to delete 2–3 sentences because they seemed meaningless. But you’re doing it for your copy’s own good.
You’re rectifying its errors and removing its weaknesses. As a result, your copy comes out to be stronger, more compelling and more engaging.
Summary
I know writing is tricky. Trust me, I’m a writer.
But you don’t have to give in to its fears. As you will write your copy, you will see how easy it is to overcome its difficulties.
With practice, you too will become a prolific writer.
