Add TK
These two letters saved my butt too many times. Instead of jumping over to Google or pickin’ up my phone to look up a name, location, or how-to that’d make me clear my browser’s history, I put TK in my manuscript.
What you can do:
- Instead of stopping your writing flow, pause and add TK.
- During editing, look for all the TKs and replace ’em.
Do sprints
I learned this simple trick during Nanowrimo, where you’re challenged to write a 50,000-word novel in a month. Sounds wild, but it’s very doable.
10 minutes, 1,000 words. GO!
I learned to… let it suck. Let myself suck. Greatness and order don’t matter here. They’ll come later.
What you can do:
- Set an alarm.
- Write without pausing.
- Repeat, and learn to turn off your editor.
Split up writing and editing
This was a big one.
My inner editor, so sneaky, would jump in uninvited. Red marker, stern look, pursed lips. And sloooow me down.
Fix that typo.
Is his name Jason or Jerome? Check that now.
Awful. I’d pause every couple of sentences.
What you can do:
- Write the manuscript, the entire thing.
- Edit it. Let your scratching, screaming editor out of their cage.
Get lost in the scene
Often, I’d be thinkin’ about later scenes or possible reviews. Focusing way ahead of writing the book. Too much future.
I’d forget to immerse myself in the scene. Let the movie play out. Feel the emotions.
What you can do:
- Ground yourself in the character.
- Close your eyes and write.
Write an outline
I didn’t use to plan anything. I was a hardcore pantser. But one day, I thought, let’s try planning first.
It helped, and I researched less cuz I knew the next step. Also, instead of feeling constrained, I felt free to enjoy each scene.
Now, I write my book’s outline on a grocery list sticky note. One sentence for each chapter.
That’s it.
What you can do:
- Write a quick outline.
- Try summing up each chapter in one sentence.
Don’t run for the thesaurus
I didn’t have the thesaurus out much, but I checked my grammar obsessively.
Wanna write quicker? Don’t look for the best word while writing.
Do that during editing.
And don’t thesaurusize. Don’t rely too much on a thesaurus. Instead of making you look smarter, it ruins your book’s voice.
Often, the writing sounds stuffy, rigid, and lacking in humanness.
Fight against this urge. You want your book to sound like you, not a thesaurus.
What you can do:
- Trust your voice. It’s magnificent.
- Use a thesaurus during editing to find the best word. Sometimes.
Be patient with your writing style
It can’t be rushed. Your style’s gonna develop the more you write.
Don’t research yours away or copy someone else’s. That’s theirs. You have yours.
What you can do:
- Keep writing, and listen for your style.
- Be confident in it. Your style is your signature.
