We’re just over three weeks into the new year and the world has already learned so much since the ball dropped. Along with learning even more details about the dumpster fire that is the current American government, we have learned that we need to actually write out 2020, not just abbreviate ’20, and we have learned that these days more people are going to the libraries than movie theaters.
Personally, I have learned a lot in the past three weeks about how to be a better author. A lot has changed in my writing life that has given me the opportunity to pick up on three very helpful strategies. Also, my cat is slowly learning something that has been helping us both out.
1) Meditate Before You Write: It’s a common fact that many writers don’t immediately start to write when they sit down at their computers. It’s almost as if we need some buffer time in which we are at our screens but not actually writing. Instead, we find ourselves falling down the eternal wormhole that is E-mail, Facebook, Twitter, CNN articles and on Sundays Post Secret. While (some of) these things are important, they are not what we are setting out to do during our writing time. They are distractions that pull us away from the stories we are telling. So my first bit of advice is instead of checking the latest Ghostbusters trailer again (although that does look like a lot of fun), take a few minutes to meditate.
Since the beginning of 2020 I have given myself the following routine before sitting down to write.
Step 1. Gather everything I need (laptop, tea, etc.) and open all the files I will be using on my computer. Get myself situated as if I’m about to start writing at this exact second.
Step 2: Spend about five minutes with my eyes shut focusing on my breathing. At this point I don’t think about what I’m going to write. I just concentrate on the air entering and leaving my body. When my mind wanders I gently return my attention to breathing.
Step 3: After approximately five minutes have passed I turn my attention from my breathing to the chapter or short story I am working on and focus on what I am hoping to accomplish. I spend just a few seconds considering where I left off and what was about to happen to the characters.
Step 4: I open my eyes. The laptop is already on my lap and the programs are already open so I just fall into typing with minimal distractions.
Obviously devoting five minutes to meditation only makes sense if you have a half hour or more to devote to writing. It may seem like a lot of time, but it is considerably less than a trip down the YouTube rabbit hole and it puts you in a much more focused state of mind.
2) Work on More Than One Thing At Once: I feel like it’s pretty typical for writers to say that they can only work on one project at a time. However, if you’re working on something major like a novel you’ll find that you’re putting off all your other projects for months or even years.
Typically I work on my primary writing project first thing in the morning (yeah, they should all be primary, but my novels are more primary than my short stories). When I’ve reached my goal for the day I save, close out of the window and then do something else. If it’s a work day I go to work. If it’s a day off I do some mindless chore like laundry, cooking, errands etc. Then, in the early afternoon usually right after lunch (if I’m at work I will do this during my lunch break), I spend some time on a short story.
This helps in a couple of ways:
-It gives the creative side of my brain some variety so I’m not just “stuck” with the same cast of characters and genre.
-Completing short stories are great motivators while you are working on a longer project. It reminds you that you really can finish stories and someday soon, you will reach the end of your novel.
3. You Don’t Have To Write Your Novel In Linear Order: One of the biggest changes I have faced in 2020 is I have gone from editing a novel I’ve been working on for years, where I know all the characters and plot lines, to a novel that is (mostly) brand new to me. This was something of a shock. I’m not used to working with a rough draft these days, and I often find myself wondering if my new project will ever be as polished as my old one.
When I started this new project I knew exactly what was going to happen in the first three or four chapters but after that (as with most rough drafts) I got lost. However there was a scene that would take place several chapters on that was so clear to me. Rather than trying to force out some sub par chapters just to get there, I simply jumped ahead and within an hour of writing my mind was already starting to fill the blanks.
I have done that a few times now, focusing less on writing the novel out in linear order and more on sticking with the chapters that are already vivid to me and in doing so the novel is filling itself in, in a way that feels natural and organic rather than forced. I have even done this to a certain extent with some of my short stories.
One thing my cat has learned: Usually when I sit down to write I’m thinking, Good, some time to finish another chapter! But my cat, Chewie, is thinking Good, the male food giver is sitting still, now I can sit on his face and claw at his nipples!
This is often my point of view while writing:
Now, I want to make one thing clear: I love my cat. I love petting him and I (usually) love it when he tries to snuggle. But I have been trying to teach him that he will receive more affection if he sits beside me while I’m writing than if he treats me like a jungle gym. When he climbs on me I generally shift my weight, encouraging him to climb off. Then, once he’s settled on the sofa beside me I pet his shoulders (his favorite spot). If he tries to climb back on me I immediately stop until he climbs off. He has slowly but surely been figuring it out. These days it doesn’t take him long to just hunker down on the sofa beside me, pressed up against my leg. I pet him for a few seconds and then get back to work. He gets affection, I get to write, we’re both happy.
So there it is, what I have learned and what my cat has learned so far in 2020. What strategies and tips have you picked up?
