By Molly Arabella Kirk
When writing, we all struggle with a place to start especially in the winter months when the cold air starts circling and the brain fog sets in, it gets darker earlier, the temperatures fall and all you want to do is wrap up warm, crawl into bed and watch a Christmas classic on Netflix. Even after years of writing and working as an editor I still massively struggle with starting on new creative projects. I often feel frozen in place, stuck in the limbo of having an idea but being too afraid to put my fingers to the keyboard and dive right in. What if my writing isn’t good enough? Is it too predictable? Will I find the right words to convey my vision? I bet someone else has written something similar but a million times better!
Be it nagging self-doubt, pure procrastination or simply writer’s block, at times it can honestly feel impossible to know where to start and the barriers seem to magnify in the sluggish twilight months. But good news! Writer’s block and hesitation are natural for any aspiring writer who cares enough about how their work might read! So, after years of struggling, here are five top tips that have significantly helped me on my own writing journey, particularly in the tricky first days of getting a new piece of fiction, poetry or nonfiction underway!
- Use your notes app when inspiration suddenly strikes!
The amount of times I have been out with family or just about to fall asleep and suddenly the idea of a poem or short story hits me like a bolt of lightning and I just need to write the idea down before I forget everything.
I grab my phone and pour my thoughts and feelings down into my notes app and come back to it within the next few days to turn my jumbled words into a cohesive narrative. Every. Single. Time. This immediate download, capturing the moment as it hits, is a powerful tool for capturing spontaneous creativity and inspiration. The trick to this is in allowing all your thoughts (no matter how disorganised) to flow out of you; do not try to write down organised ideas or formulate a plot, all you need is a general idea of the themes, tones and feelings you are exploring and then just trust the process – pour it all out onto a blank page and enjoy taking the risk of creation without overthinking! You can always add precision, plot points and streamline your ideas later on. This also helps remove that nagging sense of having something to do that keeps us restless and awake at night.
- Set yourself “writing time” and WRITE!
It sounds simple and it is. Allocate yourself some specific time once a day (or once a week depending on how busy your schedule is), grab a cup of tea or coffee, put on your cosiest sweatpants and fluffy socks and just write! After a long day at work, I typically allocate myself from 7pm-8pm or 8pm-9pm to write what I can. This approach is really good for people like me who need routine and scheduling (I’m a bit of a control freak). Eventually your brain will settle into a familiar routine, recognising and identifying those allocated periods as a time when you naturally, and increasingly subconsciously, put on your writer’s cap. A good habit forms and promotes good writing!
- Don’t write with the intention of publishing.
By far the most useful advice I can give is to write for YOURSELF and YOURSELF only. When you write with an expectation of pitching to a certain audience, not only does it put way more pressure on you, but you also start filtering your authorial voice. The pressure of writing for others warps what can be an enjoyable period of creative catharsis into something far more burdensome. These self-imposed boundaries can steal your spontaneity and cause your piece to lose its flow and authenticity. Always write your work as though you are the only one who will ever read it.
- Take it one word at a time!
Take each passage completed as a personal triumph in its own right; celebrate each word, each sentence, each paragraph, each stanza. The principle that ‘small steps lead to great destinations’ is never truer than in the creative journey. Embrace the unknown and observe each victory no matter how small, and you will find that the piece steadily writes itself.
- Don’t compare your writing to others’.
This factor is my biggest struggle by far, and I still consistently fall foul of it. It is so, so hard sometimes to put all the swirling negative thoughts to rest, especially when I see others my age publishing their own work and writing incredible pieces. Additionally, in this hyper-connected age it feels like every trope and plot point has already been explored, which can be petrifying at times. Yet, no matter what, I believe that every person in this world has a unique story and voice, we each have distinctive lived experiences and different perspectives to offer, and a degree of individualism in all that we think and write. Even when we feel that we are treading a well-worn path, we each have something new to say. So, when negative thoughts are stifling my momentum and self-belief, I just revert to my third point and seek to write for myself – judging only against my own expectations (although, admittedly, I am my own worst critic). Try it and have faith that you are completely capable of creating something amazing that you can be proud of. Trust in yourself and you will eventually overcome the mental blockages and release the wonders within; the right reader will absorb your words on bated breath regardless. I know it. Remember to fall in love with YOUR words too!
The first days of writing are always a daunting experience for me but, with these tips, I am better able to control the pessimistic inner whispers and anxiety I feel when staring at a blank page, with pen aquiver or keyboard at the ready. I hope they provide some benefit for those of you presently looking to break through your own doubts and barriers to deliver the masterpiece within, particularly as the long nights draw in and the festive calendar hits a peak.
Stay tuned for more articles written by me on A Blog For Days!