[Aliventures newsletter] Three tips for getting your writing session off to a great start

Published: Thu, 02/25/16

   
Image
Hello!
I'm deep in the messy middle of my novel-in-progress right now but (thanks to a long brainstorming conversation with my ever-patient husband), I think I finally have the missing bits of the plot that I need. Hurrah!

Whatever you're working on right now, I hope it's going well. If you're at a tricky stage with it, hang on in there! Talk things through with a writing friend, if you can, or work through your thoughts on paper: definitely better than going round and round in circles in your head.

As always, don't forget to check out the Aliventures blog too. This week's post went up on Monday:

 
Three Tips for Getting Your Writing Session Off to a Great Start
How often do you sit down intending to write ... only to end up replying to emails, seeing what's new on Twitter, or reading that funny article on Buzzfeed that your friend linked to on Facebook?

Or, if you're a slightly less techy-minded procrastinator, how often do you find yourself tidying your desk, making a fresh cup of coffee, or fastening all your paperclips together into a long chain?

If a few minutes' warm-up works for you, great! But if you find yourself distracted, with your writing time ticking away, then make some conscious changes.

Here are three ways to get your writing session off to a great start:

#1: Open Up Your Document Straight Away

Whether you write in Word, Scrivener, WordPress, Evernote ... get it ready the moment you sit down at your desk. It sounds silly, but sometimes the simple act of opening the document is enough to get you moving with your writing.

(If you write by hand, just use this with your notebook or pad of paper instead.)

#2: Take a Moment to Clear Your Head

With two little ones at home, my brain often feels pretty frazzled by the time I get to sit down at my desk. The first thing I do is sit quietly for 3 minutes, trying to concentrate on my breathing.

Could you do the same? If 3 minutes is too long (maybe you have very short writing sessions), then even just sitting and taking ten slow breaths could be enough to help you feel calmer and more focused.

#3: Set a Timer for 15 Minutes

Set a timer going for 15 minutes, and promise yourself you'll do nothing but write till the time is up. For most people, even newer writers, 15 minutes is an achievable goal. (If you're really struggling, try 5 or 10.) 

Once you're 15 minutes in, though, chances are you've made some progress and you're starting to get into flow – making it much easier to keep going.


These are all little, simple things: opening the document, taking a minute or two to clear your head, and setting a timer won't take you long at all. But they could make a huge difference to how the next half-hour or hour of writing goes for you.

Commit to just one of these habits this week, then add in one more each week ... and feel free to drop me an email any time to let me know how you're getting on.
 
Q&A: Fundamentals of Short Fiction
Image
Oluwatoyin emailed me:

"I'm a young budding writer from Nigeria, struggling with writing short fiction stories. I'd like to know what it entails and also I'd be grateful for any tips you have. Thanks."

I think a lot of writers start off with short stories. They're a useful way to learn about character, plot, setting, and the rest of the craft of writing in a small space.

Personally, I find short stories tough going (and I know a lot of other novelists do too). It's hard to come up with good ideas that fit into a small space – and tough to quickly establish characters and the plot.

So if you're struggling, please don't think there's anything wrong! With that in mind, here's what you need to know about short stories.

A short story should include:
  • A beginning, middle and end. It needs to feel complete, rather than feeling like an excerpt from a novel.
  • One or more characters. Unless you're writing quite a long story, I'd suggest no more than three major characters (you can have walk-on parts, if they're needed).
  • A plot! Something needs to happen. It needn't be a dramatic or complicated plot, but by the end of the story, something should have changed.
  • Dialogue. This isn't absolutely necessary, but you'll probably struggle to write an engaging story without any dialogue at all.
A short story MIGHT involve:
  • A very short time period. Perhaps the whole story takes place during a half-hour piano lesson, or even during a five minute phone call.
  • An unusual perspective. Perhaps it's written in the second person ("you"), or the narrator is a cat or an inanimate object.
  • An experimental format. You could tell the story through a series of text messages, or with dialogue alone, or through shopping lists or Christmas cards or almost anything you can imagine.
  • A twist near the end. The "twist" short story works by misleading the reader – perhaps we have completely the wrong idea about a character, due to some cleverly placed or worded hints, only to then realise we didn't have the full story.
All of these would get tiring or irritating over the course of a whole novel, but could work brilliantly in a short space. 

If you're writing short stories with the hope of getting them published, you're probably aiming for magazines or competitions. If so, it's well worth doing a bit of research about your target market.

Read back issues of the magazine you'll be submitting to. What sort of stories do they feature? Think about the length, the characters, the writing style, the plots, the settings. Obviously enough, a literary magazine will feature different types of stories from a women's magazine aimed at over-60s. 

With competitions, read past winners and runners-up. If the judge's comments are included, pay attention to those. If the judge clearly enjoys character-driven stories, or loves unusual perspectives, then tailor your story accordingly.

Short stories can be a lot of fun to write and a great way to hone your skills. Few writers make a living from short stories alone (though some do make decent money!) but even if you plan to eventually write novels, having a few published short stories can give you a big confidence and credibility boost.

Best of luck with your stories, Oluwatoyin ... and best of luck to everyone else too.

If you'd like more tips on short story writing, check out these posts by Ryan Lanz – thanks to Sean in Writers' Huddle (www.writershuddle.com) for pointing me towards them:
 
Next week, I'll be revealing the most important element for a great blog post.

Till then, happy writing,

Ali

P.S. Don't forget to check out the blog at www.aliventures.com, especially this week's post, Practical Ways to Handle the Passage of Time in Fiction.
Blog     |     Twitter    |   Facebook  |    Goodreads