Lucid Writing Advice

There are countless things that can keep you from writing, and the sad reality of it all is that we allow it to happen. I’m sure that half the people reading this are already writing comfortably and just want a few minutes of relaxation. The other half I’m sure will swallow these words like candy. Whatever you do, however, be willing to acknowledge that writing is something that takes time, and if you rush time, you can create hideous creations.

Don’t fret, your not the only one. I used to have the problem of waking up everyday and challenging myself to sit at the keyboard. Typing for hours on end seemed a daunting dream. But there are ways to conquer your mood swings:

Don’t listen to yourself, if your mind says don’t write, then write. If you are in an excellent mood to write, steady yourself for a few hours, and then sit at the keyboard.

Don’t exercise on a full stomach. Just because it is your mind and not your body doing the work, it can function badly if you have not eaten a good breakfast or lunch. To a writer, the mind is of high importance. So feed it.

After you’ve typed for hours, and you have realized that the sun is long gone, go to bed. You’ll probably end up dreaming or formulating plans for your story. This is a good thing. Its shows that your mind is still active. Wake up the next morning, devour every food in sight, and sit at your keyboard to type. Thoughts from the previous night will flow through your fingers and into the manuscript.

Last, but not least, dare yourself to do the impossible. If you get into the habit of creating 5 or 6 pages a day, then you soon loose the feeling of not being in the mood. Setting goals, and living up to them, will forces you to do almost anything.

No one, unless your a character in a poorly written novel, can always prevent what happens to them. Being sick is a fact of life. If your seriously sick however, you should certainly follow the doctor’s orders.

A common cold, tooth ache, or even a sprain ankle, is no detriment to a determined writer.

If all you could do was to type 1 or 2 pages a day when your sick, you have made a great accomplishment. Just think, if your sick twenty or ten days out of a year you could manage 20 pages, not counting the days when your healthy.

But be careful. Typing when sick can cause you to lose interest, and thus hurt your manuscript. Like medicine, type when needed and don’t overdose.

This is very reminiscent of what I described above, but this is sometimes done on purpose. Like me, you probably have every blind and light cut off when you sit down to type. The only source of discernible light in the entire house is the computer monitor.

You sit for hours, trapped in the dance of creating your characters. Ignoring the ringing of the phone. Lost in the essence of your inner self.