Writing Advice

Another repeat of a blogpost at Poetic License on writing.ie. Applies to all forms.


I really don't like resolutions. I don't like the touchy feely How to Be Really Great! US-style guru books. I don't like being told what to do so here am I telling you what to do!

Write

Make time to write. There is no more and no less time than last year, despite what it may feel like some days. But there is always time to write a little.

Many people say write something everyday. That's wonderfully optimistic but doesn't take account of days when there's no water or the heating blew or the car won't start and you have to jump start in the dark and get to a garage or you are languishing in bed with strep throat and your brain's gone to mush or your child is in a pre-exam panic or ...fill in your own blank there. And these are the type of days where you don't get to write. That's fine. Don't beat yourself up.

But don't let one bad day slide into the next and get to the end of the week, the end of the month and the sole page of writing you've done is a shopping list.

Here it is. This year's sage advice.

Write everyday for 10 minutes. Everyone can find 10 minutes. Cut down on your TV. Stop ironing. Write on the train. Bring a notebook with you everywhere. And a pen. Write waiting in the car. Jot down ideas, overheard conversations, thoughts provoked by radio features, good lines of dialogue from the TV.

Write for 10 minutes everyday and at the end of the 10 minutes, maybe you have to go and put a wash on, chop some onions, bathe your baby, mow the lawn, ring your mother. But maybe you're on a roll, maybe today you have a little more time, you'll keep writing, editing, pruning, wordsmithing. Keep writing. Just 10 minutes.

And this year I'll be doing the same. Honest.