There are larks among us who strike their keyboards in the early morning. Then, there are nocturnals, for whom nightfall portends creative output. There’s also a need for different levels of caffeine, the choice of music, and other means to convene with the Muse.

As a unique being, you can pick habits and behaviors that suit you best, and then hone them until they’re automatic. This has been the case with the illustrious authors presented below. I invite you to study their daily word counts and routines to see how they would fit with your personal style.

1) Graham Greene – 500 Words

An early riser and an obsessive word counter, Greene secured his spot in literary history as one of the most beloved British authors. Over the decades he devoted to the craft, he was able to release twenty five novels by writing for only 1.5-2 hours per day. 

In The End of the Affair, he described his very own writing routine: “Over twenty years I have probably averaged five hundred words a day for five days a week. I can produce a novel in a year, and that allows time for revision and the correction of the typescript. I have always been very methodical, and when my quota of work is done I break off, even in the middle of a scene.” 

He added: “When I was young not even a love affair would alter my schedule. A love affair had to begin after lunch…” By the way, I can’t help but recommend Greene’s The End of the Affair, especially in an audiobook version narrated by Colin Firth – a masterpiece. 

2) Anne Rice – 3000 Words

The Louisiana-born author of gothic prose that includes Interview With the Vampire, has penned over thirty novels. “I plunge into the work and write an episode; I can’t just clock in at 3,000 words. I have to have time free to resolve things. I write in episodic ways. But when I’m ready to plunge in, I write from late morning through all afternoon, all evening,” she said.

Rice’s schedule varies, and she’s willing to follow bursts of inspiration, unlike authors who are more methodical in their approach. She also has a peculiar writing habit. According to an interview with the Wall Street Journal, “she sets her font to 14 point Courier and double spaces the text on her 30-inch Mac computer monitor so that her field of vision is filled with words.”

3) Charles Dickens – 2000 Words

I learned about the Dickensian routine when reading the Daily Rituals: How Artists Work. The famous author rose at 7:00, had breakfast at 8:00, and locked himself in his study by 9:00, where he stayed until 2:00 in the afternoon. 

This gave him ample time to write around 2000 words each day. He didn’t hit his quota every time, but he nevertheless adamantly stuck to his routine. After his work at the study was finished, he ate a quick lunch with his family, and then roamed the streets of London, for a couple of hours “searching for some pictures to build upon.”

4) Stephen King – 2000 Words

King has published over 60 novels, six nonfiction books, and around 200 short stories (selling over 350 million copies of his works). You can learn about his writing process in “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft,” an excellent read for any author. In it, King discusses his writing routine and how he writes around 2000 words (or six full pages) every workday. 

He claims that you must stay on it and move the story forward because otherwise, you’ll lose the grip on your fictional world. He practices what he preaches because, for example, he wrote The Running Man in a span of a single week. 

To get a better understanding of how King works, check out his interview with George R.R. Martin:

Martin: “I think, ‘Oh, I’ve had a really good six months — I’ve written three chapters!’ and you’ve finished three books in that time.”

King: “Here’s the thing, okay? There are books, and there are books. The way that I work, I try to get out there, and I try to get six pages a day. So, with a book like End of Watch, and … when I’m working, I work every day — three, four hours, and I try to get those six pages, and I try to get them fairly clean. So if the manuscript is, let’s say, 360 pages long, that’s basically two months’ work. … But that’s assuming it goes well.”

Martin: “And you do hit six pages a day?”

King: “I usually do”.

5) Sarah Waters – 1000 Words

The Welsh novelist often shares writing tips with aspiring authors. “My minimum is 1,000 words a day – which is sometimes easy to achieve, and is sometimes, frankly, like shitting a brick, but I will make myself stay at my desk until I’ve got there, because I know that by doing that I am inching the book forward,” she said in an interview with the Guardian. 

This goes on to show that as long as you stick to your numbers, you can push even the toughest project forward.

Whatever you decide to do, keep that E.B. White’s quote in mind: “A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.” So write imperfectly, but write every day, and there’s no telling what you can accomplish.

I wonder, do you have a writing quota or a set writing schedule? Leave a comment below!

Rafal Reyzer is a full-time blogger, freelance writer, digital marketer, and content manager. He started RafalReyzer.com to provide readers with tools and strategies they can use to work remotely and earn through blogging and freelance writing. His site is a one-stop-shop for writers, bloggers, publishers, content enthusiasts and freelancers who want to be independent, earn more money and create beautiful things.

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When it comes to fiction and what I write for public consumption, the subject matter is typically cathartic. A way for me to wrestle with my feelings about the human condition, how we treat each other and the consequences of that treatment. Which, in times like these, can be very hard to continue to sit in without affecting my mental health. So, I make an attempt to write outside of my comfort zone and engage with my emotions, my feelings in a different way than what I’m used to. Not only does it give me a bit of a break from my usual routine, but it also helps open me up and expand the boundaries of how I think and how I create. And that, in turn, works wonders for both my writing and for me as a whole person.

For this exercise, there are three steps that I follow to help me wade into the uncomfortable and write something outside of my usual routine:

First, I choose a genre.

To start off, think of all the genres you typically write in and even enjoy reading in. For me, that includes most things under the speculative fiction umbrella from science fiction to dystopian to horror and thriller. (See? A very “fun” headspace for the current climate.) Once you’ve done that, figure out what all of those genres have in common and how you use that in your writing. When I look at each of the genres I’ve listed, the main theme running through each of them is the giving of a social commentary of some sort. And that is exactly what I do and what I aim for in each of the pieces I write in these genres. 

After identifying the why behind what you usually write, take a moment and list out the genres that you not only don’t typically write in, but the ones you wouldn’t want to write in, for whatever reason. Genres in this category for me include Comedy and Romance, and it’s not because I don’t like these genres. They’ve just never been the ones I’ve gravitated toward as a writer and I don’t feel that I write them very well. Which means they are perfect for getting me out of my writing comfort zone.

Second, I choose a circumstance/situation.

Now that you’ve chosen your genre, try thinking of a circumstance or situation that you typically write when it comes to your stories. This could be anything from an extensive scene between multiple different characters, to a small and subtle brief moment in time between only a few characters or as little as just a single character. What do you find yourself most drawn to writing? I tend to gravitate toward scenes where two characters are essentially trapped in a room together with a decent amount of tension already present between them. Typically, the tension is due to either something having previously gone wrong for one or both of them, or the pair of them are trying to figure something out.

Once you’ve chosen your circumstance, begin fitting it into the genre you’ve chosen. So, if I choose Romance, I’ll go ahead and change my “room” from an interrogation room, for example, to an elevator in an apartment building. And I’ll change the tension in the “room” from something like trying to figure out the intricacies of a potential government conspiracy, to long-held, pining feelings for the other person they’re trapped with. Not only does this work to completely push me outside of my writing comfort zone, but it also challenges me to think of how I write in a completely different and new way.

Third, I choose my character(s) and their world.

Whether it’s something you’ve long established in previous works, or something completely new, decide on which character you’d like to see in this particular circumstance and genre, and what world you’d like them to belong to. And don’t think you have to limit yourself to keeping your character and the world they were established in together, especially if it doesn’t really work for the new genre you’ve chosen, or if it simply just doesn’t inspire you. For example, I am much more inspired by the idea of exploring romance for Abigail, the main character of my novel, in a fantasy world rather than the dystopian wasteland she hails from.

Now that you’ve got all of your elements together, it’s time to start writing or really just thinking. But take it slow. The whole point of this exercise is to inspire you and your writing to get outside of your usual spaces. To give you a chance to play with new and different ideas and to be open to them in the hopes that someday you can begin to incorporate them into your regular writing and continue expanding your ideas and the way you think. The need for that has always been and will forever be necessary both in our writing and our everyday lives. Especially to achieve any kind of the change we seek. 

As writers and as people, we must find our place amidst the current chaos, and dare to choose to be and be made to reach outside of our own comfort zones.

Jenn Walton is a writer, editor and storyteller based in Washington, D.C., whose fiction works are housed mainly in the speculative genre. She has completed her first novel project that explores, through the lens of a failing utopia, what happens when society gives in to its fear of the other. She previously wrote for a communications firm where she drafted and edited sponsored and organic content for top-tier academic institutions, Fortune 500 companies and leading philanthropic organizations that has run in The Washington Post, USA Today and the Atlantic. For more from Jenn, please visit her at her website or on Twitter.

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But getting past the writer’s block hurdle isn’t impossible. Let’s look at five ways you can beat writer’s block and get back to being the most productive version of yourself. 

1) Read More

Sometimes, the best way to start writing is to start reading. I’m talking about reading books in the genres you love–not books on craft.

When you enjoy reading, you rekindle your love for books and writing in general. And you might find that ideas come to you while reading other books. This can help you overcome obstacles in your own writing. 

That said, it’s important not to take too many notes here or focus too much on what the author is doing right or wrong. Just try to completely immerse yourself in a good book and make the enjoyment of the story your main focus. 

Beating writer’s block isn’t so much about pressuring yourself to write more, but about remembering what you love about reading and writing in the first place. 

2) Research 

Research is a great way to get inspired. After you’ve spent time reading and relaxing, you might want to seek inspiration to get yourself writing again. Understanding what other authors have done right is a great way to go about this. Once again, it’s not about pressuring yourself, but researching what works and what doesn’t and how you can improve. 

For instance, if you were writing serial killer thrillers, you’d find a great selection of bestselling books in the genre that you could use as research starting points. You can read them or just check out their covers and book descriptions for more inspiration. Write down common themes and even the similarity between their covers. This information might just spark a new idea or breathe life into an old one. 

You can also take an online class about structure or plotting to give yourself a clearer direction for your book. 

3) Free Write

This is meant to be no pressure writing that helps you unblock the parts of you that are stuck on your current work-in-progress. Just to be clear, you won’t actually be writing anything you plan on publishing. You can free write using prompts or just about your day-to-day life. Anything that gets you putting fingers to keys or pen to pad again. 

Here are a couple free-writing ideas you might use: 

1. Write a letter to your future self. Be positive! 
2. Write a poem about an event. 
3. Have a conversation with yourself. 
4. Scribble down your feelings. 
5. Write a journal page documenting your feelings. 
6. Write a private review of the books you’ve been reading. 

Remember, though, that this is no pressure writing. Nothing has to come of it, so don’t worry about it being perfect or editing it or re-writing anything. Just sit down and scribble! 

4) Interact With Other Authors 

Humans are social and it’s important to relate to others who might have the same issues as you do. If you’re unable to meet with authors in person–especially since most of us are practicing social distancing–social media is a great way to connect with writers who have the same issues with you. 

Head over to Facebook and search for groups of like-minded authors. There are plenty of support groups and author groups that will allow you to share your thoughts and feelings and sympathize with the problems other authors are having as well. 

Also, seeing how other authors handle their issues will help you solve yours too. 

5) Listen to Music 

This is all about getting in the zone to write and getting inspired. When you’re free-writing or when you’re ready to sit down and get to work on your novel again, creating a playlist that encourages you might help you overcome your fears. These songs can also be inspired by a particular character, setting, or scene you’ve envisioned in your outline. 

Also, you can find a few playlists on Spotify created by writers for writers. Here are a few you can check out: 

1. The Writer’s Playlist
2. Pensive Tunes to Break Your Writer’s Block 
3. Write Your Way Out 

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, these tips will put you on the road to mental recovery and get you in front of that keyboard again. Remember to take it slow and not to place too much pressure on yourself when writing. Have fun! 

Cheers! 

Dave Chesson is a book marketing obsessive who has consulted for various NYT Bestselling authors. He shares his latest ideas at Kindlepreneur.com, such as his recent guide to book writing software, and also hosts The Book Marketing Show podcast.

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1) Watch movies

Although screenwriting is very different from novel writing, storytelling is still storytelling. Both novels and movies employ the same core elements of fiction such as plot, setting, character, theme and conflict. So the more movies you watch, the more you continuously expose yourself to the elements of fiction that will eventually become second nature for you as you write. As with reading good fiction, when you watch good fiction, you learn by osmosis without even trying. All the while, you’ll be entertained in the process. So no need to feel too guilty the next time you binge on Netflix. 

2) Study people

Good writers are good observers. I’ve always been a people watcher. I notice body language, inflections in speech, subtle nuances in behavior. I can’t help it. There is always a part of me that is standing back, witnessing everything from an objective point of view. I’m fascinated by what motivates others. In conversations, I’ve trained myself to be a good listener, to listen more than I talk, and to listen with my heart as well as my head. If I go out to dinner and the couple at the next table is having a loud argument, I’m more likely to take mental notes than to be annoyed by their behavior. Being genuinely interested in others will help you create absorbing, relatable and realistic characters. 

3) Practice other artforms

Before I studied creative writing, I studied acting. Learning how to get inside a character’s head to find out what motivates them has really been an asset now that I am the one creating the characters. I also paint. I’m no Rembrandt, but that’s not the point. Painting relaxes me and makes me happy. More importantly, it puts me in touch with the creative realm where all the magic happens. When I paint, I lose myself and enter a zone where there are no holds barred. This is the exact same place you need to be when you are writing your first draft–before you edit and critique what you’ve written. Practicing other artforms strengthens your connection to the creative realm and stretches your imagination by allowing you to view things from a different creative angle. 

4) Read inspirational books about the writing life

You’ve no doubt already read lots of novels. And you’ve probably also read Sin and Syntax by Constance Hale and The Elements of Style by Strunk and White or other similar books. But have you read The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes? How about The Writing Life by Annie Dillard? Aside from books that teach the craft of writing, it’s helpful to read books by other writers about the life of being a writer. Reading inspirational books about the writing life will help you confirm your calling to become a writer because it validates your own similar experiences. This inspires you to stay true to the commitment you’ve made to yourself to write, and instills confidence that you have something to offer.

5) Allow time for reverie

Creative ideas flow freely during reverie. Yet so do important truths and insights. One of the primary reasons you should allow time for reverie is to catch yourself thinking. The more time you spend practicing mindfulness to become self-aware, the more you end up noticing your own thoughts. Truly unique thoughts, creative ideas and intuitions will never shout at you. They usually whisper. You stand a better chance of being aware of these thoughts and ideas when you are comfortable in solitude and practice it often. 

And when you do manage to catch some of the more unusual notions, you can apply them to your writing. As a result, your characters will have more depth, and your overall story will have more intrinsic value. Taking time for reverie enables you to come from a deeper, more profound place when you write. It will exercise your intuitive muscle, teach you to trust your instincts, and infuse your writing with authenticity.

Just remember, everyone is different and no two writers are alike. You get to choose the things that inspire you the most and the practices that work best for you. I hope these tips help, or at the very least point you in some interesting directions. Good luck!

Janet Rebhan is the author of the novel Finding Tranquility Base (2012), and Rachael’s Return (June 2020, She Writes Press), which weaves magical realism in a domestic thriller about mother-daughter soulmates. Born in Texas, she was sixteen when she moved to Los Angeles, where she pursued acting and modeling before studying creative writing at UCLA. Rebhan has two grown daughters and still resides in the Los Angeles area. For more information, visit her website at www.janetrebhan.com.

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Whoa! That’s Big.

I know, right? Like the Oxford comma, sentence spacing is another hotly debated topic that has managed to hold supporters on both sides for decades. And with everyone from Smithsonian Magazine to your local newspaper reporting on this change, Microsoft is certainly feeling the heat from their decision.

To be fair, many style guides (e.g. AP, US Gov Printing) made this same declaration years ago. But AP doesn’t have a grammar checker used by an estimated 1 billion people worldwide. So, what urged one of the biggest word processing systems to make such a drastic decision? Well, frankly, it was about time.

Early Technology

The concept of a typewriter was first imagined way back in the 1700s by Englishman Henry Mill whose patent was for “an artificial machine or method for the impressing or transcribing of letters singly or progressively one after another.” Over the next few centuries, advances in technology resulted in the standardization of the typewriter into the Underwood style of 1895. 

These typewriters used monospaced type. In a monospace typeface, each character occupies the same width on the page, which can be tricky to the eye. Therefore, to help readers clearly separate sentences in typed documents, two spaces were used after every sentence. 

Computer Processing

From the 1930s to the early 1980s, typewriters were used in high schools and grade schools across America to teach general typing skills. (Thus, why anyone in school during that era probably uses two spaces after sentences.) But with the first PC from IBM in 1981 and the first Microsoft Word program in 1983, typing went from a fun resumé filler to an absolute necessity. And it was during this time that variable-width fonts were finally introduced.

A variable-width font is one in which each letter is spaced and sized proportionally to the letters next to it. Most people find this style of type easier to read which is why the majority of fonts available and used today are variable-width fonts. The other advantage to a variable-width font is that sentences look more clearly defined, eliminating the need to place two spaces after terminal punctuation.

Hard Habits to Break

While two spaces after a period, question mark, or exclamation point may be unnecessary by today’s standards, that doesn’t mean it’s an easy habit to break. In fact, Microsoft’s Director of Program Management, Kirk Gregersen, recommends that those who disagree with the rule simply turn off that particular setting.

As an editor, I vastly prefer a single space, to the point that I complete a “find all” on any manuscript sent to me and replace all double-spaces with a single. But as with all editing, it’s a preference. The best way to “get it right” is to simply ask who you’re working with (i.e. an editor, agent, publisher, etc.) what their style guide prefers.

If you’re currently a double-spacer, it’s your choice—change your Word settings or change your typing habit. If you’re a single-spacer—congrats, your team scored a big win. At the end of the day, this editor is happy.

Jeanette the Writer is an editor, coach, and freelance writer who wants to help others demolish their editing fears and finish their manuscript. As a former scuba instructor turned entrepreneur, Jeanette knows about putting in the hard work to pursue your passions. She has worked with authors, speakers, coaches, and entrepreneurs—empowering them with the right mindset, knowledge, and tools to help them tackle their editing goals. You can learn more about Jeanette by visiting JeanetteTheWriter.com.

The post Don’t Socially Distance Your Sentences with Two Spaces, Says Microsoft Word appeared first on DIY MFA.

1) It’s all About the Impact 

Stories are told through the eyes of your protagonist or narrator. Nothing should happen in your story without your protagonist coming into contact with an object, event, or problem etc. When that interaction happens, a writer usually describes the ‘what’ of the event, character or object encountered. While that’s interesting, it’s not what makes a reader connect with the protagonist or plot.

What makes a reader connect is the emotion in the story. So how do you convey emotion when the protagonist is walking in a street, or meeting a new character, or discovering a sword?

Instead of describing the physical ‘what’ of what the interaction is, describe the impact it has on your protagonist. Here’s an example:

He smiled and thrust his palm out, shaking everyone’s hand in turn. When he gets to me, I hesitate. I swear a sneer passes over his mouth but it’s so fast I can’t be sure. I reach out and shake. He feels icy, like the blue in his eyes. The rest of the village might be taken with the new mayor, but I’ve seen under his skin, there’s something dark there, something cold and I won’t be fooled by his silky words.

Here, the mayor’s impact on every other character is a positive one. But he unnerves the protagonist and makes her wary. While the blue of his eyes is described, it’s the impact that creates the effect. They’re icy, like his hands. This shows how the protagonist feels about the character she’s meeting. 

2) Focus on Character Quirks

When introducing characters to your story, there’s a few tricks you can use to ensure your characters stand out to your reader. While you do need to describe their physical appearance, what makes a character more memorable are their quirky features.

For example, if I say Sherlock Holmes, I bet one of the first things that comes to you isn’t his hair colour or eye colour, but the fact he’s a pipe smoking genius. Or maybe you pictured his striking Deerstalker hat? Whatever came to mind, I doubt it was the minutiae of hair and eye colour, though that’s what most writers describe first.

For each of your characters, create your normal physical description, but make sure you add one or two quirks. In Sherlock’s example, he has: a pipe, Deerstalker hats, tweed, and a magnifying glass.

Keep these details in a list or table with all your other characters so you can avoid duplication. Then when you introduce your characters, instead of focusing on the normal details, mention those in passing and have your protagonist notice the unusual quirks your new character has. It makes them much more memorable. 

3) Cut the Filter Words

Filtering is when you, the author, add in unnecessary narration, causing the reader to be removed one step from the character, for example:

•   I heard

•   I saw

•   I felt

•   I thought

While there’s nothing wrong with these words, you want the reader to see your story from the eyes of your protagonist. That way they witness the action first hand as if they actually are the protagonist. However, when you filter instead of the reader looking through the eyes of the protagonist, they look at the protagonist observing the scene, for example:

With Filtering:

I heard an owl hooting in the trees and a moment later I saw the canopy leaves rustle as if replying.

The reader doesn’t need to read the word “heard” or “saw” because it’s implied in the description of the sound.

Without Filtering:

An owl hooted in the trees and a moment later the canopy leaves rustled as if replying.

4) Specificity is King

Generalities make your prose bland, and bland is boring. The more specific you are, the clearer the image you create. Choosing the level of detail you use is a stylistic tactic for creating a specific effect.

Giving a lot of specific detail means your reader will spend more time with that concept in your story. Detail—and I mean specific detail—slows the pace of your story. It’s a valid technique, if you want to create a distraction or red herring, but also it’s important to remember it does affect your story pace. In characterization terms, when something is important to your protagonist, they should spend longer describing that ‘thing’.

Let’s put this into practice.

She put her glass on the floor and walked out.

Simple enough. Doesn’t give much of an image in your mind’s eye though. Let’s try again. 

She threw the glass on the floor and marched out.

Better, a little more image because we’ve used stronger verbs. But I think we can improve it again.

She threw the glass on the floor. It shattered; crystal shards skittered over the tiles. She glared at me and marched out, sharp splinters crunching under her heels.

This creates far sharper imagery, but it’s also longer—three sentences instead of one. If you used this level of specific imagery all the time, your novel would be a thousand pages long. There’s a time and a place, which leads me nicely into the final tip. 

5) Showing and Telling

“Show, don’t tell” is one of the original debates in story history. But over time it turned into a cardinal rule, and it really isn’t. It’s a great piece of general guidance to err on the side of showing when trying to evoke imagery, but sometimes you just need to tell. So let’s clear this up.

In technical terms, telling is a second-hand report where the characters report the facts to the reader. The reason this is so often deemed as a negative is because it’s disengaging.

Showing on the other hand, means creating sentences that draw the reader in and make them feel like they’re experiencing the action for themselves. But when should you show and when should you tell?

Telling is most commonly acceptable:

•   In action scenes

•   Where there’s a need for pace

•   When shifting scenes

•   With younger protagonists

•   When it’s in character

•   When you’re doing complex worldbuilding

•   To avoid narrative repetition

When Should You Show?

•   Emotional scenes

•   Important pivotal scenes

•   Areas you want to draw your readers’ attention to

•   To slow down the pace

•   For characterization

•   For worldbuilding

•   To foreshadowing

I hope these tips give you a sound starting point for brushing up your descriptions. Ultimately, it’s about balance, a sprinkling of tell, a lashing of show, describing the impact the world and characters have on your protagonist, and keeping the prose immediate by removing filter words. If you’d like more tips on polishing your descriptions, I’ve recently released The Anatomy of Prose: 12 Steps to Sensational Sentences which is crammed full of tricks and methods like these.

Sacha Black is an author, rebel podcaster, developmental editor and speaker. She has five obsessions: words, expensive shoes, conspiracy theories, self-improvement, and breaking the rules. Sacha writes books about people with magical powers and other books about the art of writing. When she’s not writing, she can be found laughing inappropriately loud, sniffing musty old books, fangirling film and TV soundtracks, or thinking up new ways to break the rules. She lives in Hertfordshire, England, with her wife and genius, giant of a son. Visit her website, Listen to The Rebel Author Podcast, Join the Rebel Author Community and connect with her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

The post #5onFri: Five Ways to Improve Your Description appeared first on DIY MFA.

In this article, we’ll look at five writing tips–or, depending on how you operate, editing tips–to become a better author. 

1) Use Adverbs Sparingly 

One of my favorite authors, Stephen King, has a saying, “The road to hell is paved with adverbs”. While you may not be paving your road to hell by using adverbs, you’re certainly paving yourself to a boring writing style. 

Back when we took early English classes, your teachers would have told you that an adverb describes verbs and adjectives. On the surface, this sounds like a great tool to use in your writing. 

Here’s the truth: adverbs weaken your writing. Rather than carefully constructing a sentence, you’re taking the easy way out and using an “-ly” word to add a quick description. 

But there’s hope. You can do something to improve your prose. Look for the adverbs in your writing and ask yourself if they deserve to be there. In most cases, you’ll be able to add a more descriptive verb. For example, instead of the dog “barking loudly” it can “howl” or “roar.”  

Am I saying to never use an adverb? No. Here’s an example of Apple using one on a sales page, and Apple has obviously been very successful.  

I’m just saying that your writing will be better once you remove unnecessary adverbs and replace them with stronger verbs or more descriptive language. 

2) Get Rid of Crutch Words

Crutch words are those words and phrases that you rely on too much in your writing. Sometimes, you reach for your crutches when you don’t need them…

You’re probably most familiar with conversational crutch words we lean on when we’re speaking:

• Like: “I was, like, going to ask if you’d like to go to lunch.”
• Well: “Well, that was a lot better than I thought it would be.”
• You know: “It’s not up to me, you know.”
• Literally: “Today was literally the slowest workday.”
• Obviously: “I’m obviously very happy with how everything is going.”

When you’re thinking on your feet in a conversation, these crutch words are handy conversation fillers. In writing though, they’re repetitive and can annoy readers when used outside of dialogue. Here’s a list of common crutch words that authors use if you’d like some examples. 

Crutch words are usually redundant, and they’re often unique to an author. It all depends on your voice. A few examples of mine are: 

• Still 
• In fact
• Very much
• My way
• Just 
• Halt
• Eye
• Gaze
• Laugh
• Clearly

If you’re writing a conversational blog post, there is a bit of scope to use crutch words–after all, you’re trying to make the article read like you’re having a conversation. When you’re writing a novel though, you need to be aware of every word you add and consider its relevance. 

Once you know what your go-to crutch words are, make sure you aren’t using them too much. I like to ctrl+f and search for my crutch words in my first draft. Then, I can consider re-writing those sentences and using stronger word choices. 

3) Start Your Story With Action, Not Backstory 

One of the things I love about being a fiction author is creating an entire world of my own. Each character has their own individual background and story to tell. Talking about it now makes me want to start writing again! 

If you’re like me, you’re probably bursting at the seams to tell your reader about the characters you’ve created. It’s so tempting to start a story by giving the reader a huge infodump of background about the characters or the setting. However, it’s a far better strategy to start your novel with some action to hook the reader in.

The main reason you want to start your story with action is to engage your reader as soon as possible. The earlier you hook the reader in, the more likely they are to keep reading. For self-publishers, this is more important than ever for a couple of reasons. 

• For starters, all Kindle books sold on Amazon have a ‘Look Inside’ feature. This option is shown above the cover image of the book. 

When a potential reader clicks the link, they’re shown a preview of the book, which is usually around the first 10%. A compelling first page will turn browsers into readers.

With Kindle Unlimited (KU), you want to generate as many read pages as possible. There are a lot of KU subscribers that simply grab three or four books at a time and flick through a few chapters before deciding which one is worth reading. 

You don’t want to waste your first impression by giving your reader backstory that will slow the book’s pace down. If you need to get that history down on the page, write an entire chapter of it before you start your story. Then, you can intersperse parts (or all) of the background chapter throughout your story when you see fit.

Of course, the action must be related to your character’s conflict or pain point. Action for action’s sake won’t work.

4) Remove Redundant Words

Similar to your personal crutch words, when you’re writing, there are other words that should hit the cutting room floor. These are redundant words that add nothing to the novel. Removing them will make your writing sharper and easier to read. 

Diana Urban has a super list of redundant phrases to cut from your novel.

• Really, very. These are useless modifiers. Instead of these words, use stronger language choices. 
• That. “That” is a word you can delete if a sentence makes sense without it. For example “It was the best movie that I’d seen all year,” can easily read “it was the best movie I’d seen all year.”
• Then. When I see a passage that includes overuse of the word “then,” I imagine a five-year-old telling you about their day. “First I woke up then I had breakfast, then I had a bath.”
• Totally, completely, absolutely, literally. Rather than use words like these, use stronger language. Instead of saying the character was “completely sure,” you can say they were “positive.”
• Definitely, certainly, probably, actually, basically, virtually. In the same way to the last point, these words don’t add anything. Remove them or use stronger language. 
• Rather, quite, somewhat, somehow. These words make you appear less confident in your work. You don’t have to call something “rather boring,” you can just call it boring! 

Forge on Medium also has a great list of redundant phrases where two words are used when only one is needed. For example, you don’t need the phrase “end result.” When else will the result be? And unless you start falling upward, you probably don’t have to use the phrase “fall down.”

Once you’ve got a list of redundant phrases you use, run a ctrl+f search on your document and highlight the words so you can check if each one is needed or not. 

5) Avoid Cliches Phrases

We’re all familiar with cliched phrases used in writing:

• Play your cards right
• Read between the lines
• It’s an uphill battle
• The grass is always greener on the other side
• Better safe than sorry
• Ignorance is bliss
• You can’t judge a book by its cover
• Bring to the table
• Low-hanging fruit

These sayings have been used so many times over the years, they’ve kind of lost all meaning. Common cliches don’t evoke a mental image when you’re reading. Not only that, but the use of cliches is lazy writing. When I see an overuse of cliches, I notice it and so do many other readers. 

Find new ways to say things. The use of specific language and examples in your writing will add to the mental image the reader is putting together, not take away from it as a cliche does.  

There is an awesome list of cliches that you should look at from my friends at ProWritingAid. Check what phrases you use in your work, and replace them with alternatives. 

Final Thoughts

Simple changes to your writing can make a world of difference, making your book easier to read and strengthening your story. Follow these tips as a way to engage fans with your work and stand out from all those other books on Amazon. 

And remember, you don’t have to get all of these things right while you’re writing. In fact, you’ll write much faster if you don’t worry about them at first. You can always fix them while you’re editing. 

Dave Chesson is a book marketing obsessive who has consulted for various NYT Bestselling authors. He shares his latest ideas at Kindlepreneur.com, such as his recent guide to book writing software, and also hosts The Book Marketing Show podcast.

The post #5onFri: Five Writing Tips For Levelling Up Your Craft appeared first on DIY MFA.

This is the final post of my 30-day blog tour, and I can honestly say that on multiple occasions in the last month, I tried to write a post and came up with nothing past the blinking cursor. There’s no magical point you pass that allows you to write every single time you want to. You can improve your percentage over time, but every so often, you just lose your writing groove.

When I lose my groove, here are five methods I’ve used to try to get it back.

1. Take the Day Off

Between my freelance writing gigs and my creative writing career, I end up writing more than 15,000 words most weeks. If I’m working on a story, that number can climb past 25,000. I often push myself to the limit. When I sit down to write and my usual tricks of a snack, a walk around the block or a trip to my local coffee shop don’t work, I know it’s time to take the day off.

The most important part about taking the day off is not to beat myself up about it. The relaxation time is typically deserved, so I do my best to smile and let the time off do its thing.

2. Take Care of My Health

If I’ve been writing up a frenzy lately, I may be stretching the limit of certain healthy habits to the breaking point. Too many heavy snacks, a lack of sleep and a dearth of exercise-produced endorphins can seriously damage my writing mojo. Stringing together multiple healthy days of eating, sleeping and exercising in a row can be just the thing to get me back on track.

3. Do Something for Somebody Else

Even though I write for my readers, writing can feel like a selfish profession sometimes. You spend a lot of time alone, and you can’t help but talk about your work when you’re with others. Occasionally, when I’m feeling burned out, I attempt to do a 180. I comment on a few friends’ blog posts or a donate a few bucks to a well thought out Kickstarter project. I go see a show with a few friends or I ask my wife if we can cook for a dozen or so of her co-workers. Doing something that doesn’t benefit me in the slightest helps me to feel good about myself. Inner positivity is one of my keys for writing productivity.

4. Do Something for Me

Writing also involves a lot of work. You research, outline, write, publish, promote and pray that people will actually care. It can be exhausting. With more than a few failed titles under my belt, I can tell you it’s pretty demoralizing work.

If I’m feeling blue, I try to do something nice for myself. I’ll watch a movie I’ve really wanted to see in the middle of the afternoon. I’ll gather the ingredients for my favorite meal. I may even let myself indulge in a silly, time-wasting computer game. I’d rather fit in some play time now than force myself to write until I feel even more burned out.

5. Remember My Pride

Before I published anything, I had plenty to be proud of. I have even more to celebrate now, particularly after a wild 2013 that included the publication of my 32nd book, the airing of a game show appearance and my wonderful wedding! I’m proud of the decisions I’ve made and the work I’ve done to reach this point. If I feel like the groove is gone, I remind myself of how proud I am of what I’ve accomplished. This positive boost is sometimes all I need to get right back in the game.

—

I didn’t always have a groove. It took me time to find it and I considered giving up many times along the way. I believe everybody has a zone they can get into that allows them to write productively. Keep looking and try out these tricks. With these methods, you may just find your own personal formula to writing grooviness.

In honor of his new book, Cohen is hosting the “1,000 Prompts, 1,000 Dollars” Writing Contest on his website. Click the link to find out how to enter!  You can also check out the rest of Cohen’s tour here

Bryan Cohen is an author, a creativity coach and an actor. His new book, 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts, Volume 2: More Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More is now available on Amazon in digital and paperback format. His other books include 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts, The Post-College Guide to Happiness, and Ted Saves the World. He has published over 30 books, which have sold more than 20,000 copies in total. Connect with him on his website, Build Creative Writing Ideas, on Facebook or on Twitter.

The post How This Writer Gets His Groove Back appeared first on DIY MFA.

First, if you haven’t already, check out the first article in this series right here. We talked about the need to keep writing even when you’re busy, envisioning where you want to be on January 1st, and making a set of achievable, rather than ambitious goals for the next six weeks. Do you have your goals all set? Here’s a few ways to make sure you stick to them.

Set A Schedule

This is always a good habit to form, but it’s especially helpful during the holidays, when your schedule is fuller than usual. The act of putting something on a calendar makes it feel more “official” and permanent. You are much more likely to write if you’ve planned on it. Just the way that you would write down “Office Sweater Party — 5:00,” write down “Revise Chapter Six — 7:00.”

I’d advise looking at the entire month of December this week. By now, you’ll already know your travel plans, most party dates and family events. You also know your goals. So you can see the blank spots in your calendar, and make a game plan. Just remember–go for achievable, not ambitious goals–you’re much more likely to stick to your schedule if it’s a feasible one!

Plan to Plan

Okay. So you have your ideal schedule. But on Tuesday, your friends want to go ice-skating. You planned to outline the short story, but hot chocolate and cute pictures called! You couldn’t say no. Nor could you cut out early when tree decorating took longer than you anticipated. That knocked out the dialogue you were going to revise. But what were you going to? Leave your brother to do all the popcorn stringing alone?

Of course not. This is a time when family and friends might take a higher priority than writing. It’s a short season, and you don’t want to miss it. But you still need to write. So stick to your schedule, as much as you can, and, on the weekend, plan a time to revise it.

The key here is flexibility. Don’t beat yourself up if you didn’t keep all your goals and all your dates. Instead, set aside fifteen minutes to revise them. Look at what you did accomplish, and look forward to what you can accomplish. Then have some eggnog. There’s plenty of time to make massive goals come January!

Bring a Buddy

One of the best ways to stay on track is to have someone beside you. The only people who really understand what it’s like to be a writer are other writers. So, find a buddy. There are plenty of meet-up groups online. Did you make a friend during NaNoWriMo? Exchange goals. Do you have a writer friend in your hometown or family? Let them know what you plan to do, and ask them to let you know the same. The mental check of having someone check up on you can help keep you on track.

You can also plan a holiday writing meet-up. Make it a festive occasion. I write with the same group of girls weekly. We rarely get together except to write. So, on the nights when we do go out to dinner or do something fun, it feels like a real treat. We’ll write for an hour, then put it aside and do something fun. Even if it’s just going for a walk to look at Christmas lights; you’ve combined festive cheer with writing time.

You can also use each other as sounding boards, critique partners and goal-keepers. I have told my writing friends I’ll be giving them a revised version of my book on January 15th. Having a due date is helpful; having people waiting on that due date makes it imperative.

Reward Yourself Often

This is my favorite part. Normally, I try to plan on giving myself small rewards for achieving small goals, and big rewards for big goals. Check out this article for a few ideas. But for the holidays, I step it up a notch. I’m planning to pull back. I’m planning to set small, achievable goals. But since ’tis the season for celebration, I don’t skimp on the rewards.

These can be simple things — when you go write at a coffee shop, get a peppermint mocha instead of a coffee. If you meet a weekly word-count goal, buy that new book that you could have got from the library. If you get a Christmas bonus, use some of it to buy new sharpies or post-its or that notebook that’s a little too expensive, but you really want. Tell yourself it’s because you’re writing and you deserve it. Because, you know what? You do. It’s December. This is the time when people get fat, lazy and happy. And maybe you’re getting fat, lazy and happy, but you’re also writing, and that’s quite the accomplishment. Which brings me to my last piece of advice.

Look Back

If you plan on nothing else, plan on this. Sometime toward the end of December, carve out an hour to look back over 2013. And don’t make this a flexible activity you can skip to play another game of checkers with your mom. Tell yourself that this is your hour to take stock of where you’ve been.

This can be a great New Year’s Eve activity. In the morning, when it’s still quiet and everyone’s sleeping in, get your favorite morning drink–be it tea or coffee or a giant mug of hot chocolate. Shut the door. Turn off the internet. And try to remember where you were this time last year. Make a list of everything you’ve accomplished. It’s tempting, at this time of year, to look forward. To set new goals. To plan all the things you’re going to do. You should do this; goal-setting is healthy and helpful. But don’t forget to look back, too.

I’m moving out of my apartment this week, which has caused me to take a look back at the past three and a half years that I’ve spent here. I can’t believe, now, how quickly the time has gone. Sometimes, it feels like I’m still fresh out of college, stepping through the door for the first time. The other night, I was standing in our living room, surrounded by boxes. My sister was helping me pack up my desk. She remarked, “Bess, you have a lot of papers!”

“Yeah,” I replied, looking up at the wall I’ve looked at for three years. It’s all tack and nail-holes now, but it was covered in magazine clippings, outlines, maps and quotes. Then I looked back to my little sister, holding a stack of binders. “Yeah,” I repeated, “I wrote two books here.”

I knew that. Of course, I knew that. But it hadn’t occurred to me that this, too, was something to celebrate. It was a milestone every bit as important as signing my new lease. As moving to New York. As the turning of one year to another.

Our writing is part of our lives. Just like our family and our friends. So, when you’re celebrating this December, celebrate that, too.

Bess Cozby writes epic stories in expansive worlds from her tiny apartment in New York City. By day, she’s an Editor at Tor Books, and Web Editor for DIY MFA. Her work is represented by Brooks Sherman of the Bent Agency. Tweet her at @besscozby, contact her at bess@diymfa.com, or visit her website at www.besscozby.com.

The post A Writer’s Holiday Survival Guide: Part Two appeared first on DIY MFA.

And with the holidays coming, it’s about to get a lot harder.

There will be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting and caroling out in the snow. Okay. Maybe there won’t be caroling. Or snow. Maybe you don’t like marshmallows. Maybe your family, like my family, turns Christmas night into an excuse for public humiliation in a tortured cousin-wide tournament consisting of rounds of hunting for a pickle ornament on your grandma’s Christmas tree (it’s a German thing . . . I think). But, no matter how or what you celebrate, the six weeks from Thanksgiving to New Year’s are packed. Writing time is scarce. And your mom’s not going to like it when you say, “No, I can’t help baste the turkey; I need to re-work the dialogue in chapter 16.”

Do you want those to be your last words?

Of course not! You want to help your mom, or dad or sister or best friend or room-mate. You want to run the turkey trot (or . . . walk briskly). You want to go out for peppermint martinis with your co-workers. You don’t want to miss out on the most wonderful time of year because a side character went AWOL and you have to get her back on track. You’re doing a DIY MFA darn-it, and part of the beauty of Doing it Yourself is doing it on your own time. And making time for the other things that matter.

But you also want to write.

Here’s a few tips for flourishing in the most wonderful time of year without losing your writing muscles, your friends or your life.

Envision the End

The first thing we need to remember is that the holidays are going to end. In Stephen R. Covey’s incredible book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (which I recommend to any writer), the first habit, the bedrock of the other six is “Begin with the end in mind.” And we all know what the end of the holiday season is: January. Miserable, cold January, when we’re all trying to forget that we’re sad about no more ugly Christmas sweater parties by looking toward a fresh, new year.

Picture it: January 1st. You’ve got a list of writing goals. This is the year you’re going to finish the book. The year you’re going to query. The year of the agent. The year the story is going to be in a magazine. This is the year you’re going to develop the habit. This is the year you’re going to read a book a week. And start a blog. Oh, and also lose ten pounds.

And it’s seven in the morning on January 1st. You got a haircut. You’ve just been for a run. You still have an hour before work. You feel incredible. You sit down at your desk to write, because this is the year, and it starts now. 

And you realize you haven’t written in six weeks and barely remember how.

We all know the feeling, the feeling of not having written in a while. The feeling of not knowing where to start. The confusion and listlessness that turns into Twitter scrolling and long hours on YouTube. The dread of the blank page. If that’s not where you want to be, think about where you do want to be. Before Thanksgiving, take fifteen minutes and write down some goals.

Plan to Pull Back

If you’re a writer, you’ve set a goal before. It might be as simple as writing something everyday. It might be a word count. It might be finishing a novel. But if you write, you’ve pictured an accomplishment and worked toward it. If you’re just coming out of NaNoWriMo, you know the power of setting BIG goals and the joy of achieving them.

For the next six weeks, consider setting a few smaller ones.

Writers need to write and read often. Just like athletes, we can’t take long breaks without losing stamina and strength. If we take the next six weeks off, or only work in sporadic bursts, we’re going to get rusty. But if we set too big of goals, and don’t account for the inevitable busy-ness, we’re going to get discouraged. When making your list of goals, try for achievable instead of ambitious. And remember that, come January, there will be plenty of opportunity to reach for the stars.

Here’s a few ideas:

1) Cut down your word count

Shoot for 500 or even 250 words a day instead of 1,000. Getting some words on the page will keep you in the habit of writing without getting you attacked by your sister when she wants help stringing popcorn all over the house.

2) Start a small project

Novels can take up a lot of head-space. Sometimes, it can be hard to work on a book without a set schedule and a good amount of time. Consider setting your book aside and working on a short story or a poem for the next six weeks. You’ll get space away from your story (always healthy!) and yet still be working your writing muscles. Come January 1st, you’ll not only have new stuff, you’ll have a new story.

3) Carry a notebook

Often, we’re on the go during the holidays. We have parties after work or school functions before dinner. It can be hard to find time to sit quietly in your office or at your computer. Plan ahead by doing something old-fashioned (and I don’t mean caroling!). Carry a notebook and a pen. Tell yourself you’re going to fill a page a day. This is doable, even on a crunched schedule. You can fit it in anytime, even waiting in line on black Friday. And you’ll be stretching yourself by writing in a new way.

4) Outline

December is International Plot Writing Month. Writing can be all-consuming, but planning can be a little easier to manage. Have you had another story idea simmering in your head? Put it on paper, but in outline form. You can un-tangle plot problems while you untangle fifty strands of Christmas lights. If you’re naturally a pantser, this can be a good exercise. Come January, you’ll be ready to write the book.

Do you have a list of goals? Good! Preparation is half the battle. Check by next week for a few more tips and tricks to achieve your goals while still celebrating.

Bess Cozby writes epic stories in expansive worlds from her tiny apartment in New York City. By day, she’s an Editor at Tor Books, and Web Editor for DIY MFA. Her work is represented by Brooks Sherman of the Bent Agency. Tweet her at @besscozby, contact her at bess@diymfa.com, or visit her website at www.besscozby.com.

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