#WriterWednesday - January 30th 2019

Up until this past weekend, I'd only managed to write two poems all month. However, I was able to take advantage of a bit of free time this weekend to get a few hundred words written - some on a short poem, the rest on a story. It's not much, but it's better than I had been managing. I've not been making my writing the priority it should be lately, mainly because it's the thing most people seem to want me to let slide whenever I just can't do it all, so it's just easier to let it be the thing I don't get to. But also a little because I've been procrastinating. Mainly the former, but I'll admit I'm guilty of the latter sometimes too. I'm hoping, after I've had surgery and recovered from it, I can change that. I could have started trying now, but decided to let things remain as they are for the time being. I will fix things though, because I have to write, and I'm missing it.

Sticking with the theme of the above paragraph: this is why it's so hard to sit down and get your writing done. Also, procrastination is a self-perpetuating cycle, so if you're as guilty of it as I have been over the past couple of weeks, check out the tips in the post I just linked to. Maybe they can help you make your writing the priority it should be. After all, there are reasons why your writing matters - even if you aren't making any money from it. So, how do you keep the passion for writing going?

However you do it, here's a reminder to always write down your 'shower thoughts' and those random thoughts and ideas from other times and places too. After all, one of those ideas might have the potential to be something great one day, and it would be a shame if they were lost forever.

Struggling with writers' block? Here are some more tips for where to find ideas for writing a story. Just don't wait around for ideas.

Remember: when you have your list of ideas, or random thoughts and observations, you can always recycle them when you're ready to write your next story or poem. Or, if you're not sure which to work with, you can go on a speed date with your stories.

OK, let's assume you're managing to avoid procrastinating, have your ideas, know which you're ready to work with right now, and are writing away. With that being the case, you might want to think about how you can write large.

Do you have any geologists in your story? Then you might like to take a look at this guide to being a geologist, so you can make sure you're making your geologist character believable.

Are you writing flash fiction? Is it set in a world you created yourself? Then read this post for some tips on how to build a fantasy world in flash fiction.

Now you have a first draft, it's time to do some revising, and tackle those plot holes.

Rewrites and edits are important. However, you need to avoid getting up in that vicious cycle of rewrites and edits, where your book is never quite finished in your opinion, even if it really is. With that in mind, here are some signs you're afraid of finishing your manuscript.

So... Here's how to write better: a quick guide.

Finally, if you're a writer too, how's your writing going? If you're doing any kind of writing challenge - like STORYSTORM or the 85k90 Challenge, just to give two examples of writing challenges I know have been going on during January - how are you doing with it? I'd love to know, so tell me in the comments.