by
Alexis Ulrich
A common bit of advice given to
writers is that in order to improve, you should try to write something every
day. Oftentimes, that’s easier said than done. Whether you’re writing a blog, a
short story, an essay, or something else, your environment is often full of
distractions. Maybe you’re distracted by the Internet, maybe you’ve been
staring at a blank document for twenty minutes. Maybe you’re just letting your
mind wander. No matter what’s stopping you, getting started is the hardest
part. My personal experience has told me that sometimes, you just have to break
the mold a bit to get started. If nothing’s coming to you for your current
project, take a break from the norm for a few minutes and try pushing the
limits of your skill to see what you can do.
1. Write outside your
genre: Do you normally write nonfiction? Try writing a short story. Do you
write slice of life novels? Try your hand at fantasy. Have you never written a
poem? Give it a try. No matter what you normally write, find out what your
comfort zone is and push at its edges to write something you’ve never written
much of. Practicing by trying something novel can sometimes keep you focused
better, in addition to expanding your horizons as to what you can do.
2. Write something
completely insane: Not everything you write has to be shared. Another way to
push boundaries is to come up with the wildest idea you can think of and
stretch your imagination to its limits. After
all, one of the best ways to relieve the stress of feeling stuck is to let down
your boundaries and make yourself laugh a bit.
3. Write fanfiction:
Fanfiction isn’t just a pastime for teenagers, it’s a genuine way to practice
your writing skills with a story you already love as a platform. Take your
favorite fictional characters as you know them and put them in a new setting. Not
that into fiction? Write a nonfiction parody. Have fun with it, as it’s a great
low-pressure way to exercise your creativity when you’re feeling stuck.
4. Likewise, mess with
your own work: If you get stuck in the middle of a piece, go to a separate
space and stay on that task, but incorporate some of that wild, mind-wandering
creativity into your project. Of course you might not want to keep that in your
final draft, but if you let yourself go off on a tangent while keeping the
subject matter in mind, you can get all the benefits of my previous suggestions
without taking your mind too far off task!
Even
if you want to write a bit every day, sometimes you just aren’t feeling it. But
if you push your own limits and write outside the box, you can still exercise
those writing skills. Take a break from thinking about one thing and try some
fun, low-pressure writing activities. You may find that when you get back on
task, the ideas flow much more easily.
No comments:
Post a Comment