Tuesday Tips: Get Your Writing Going

In an article published on Copyblogger yesterday, fellow writing coach James Chartrand points out that for most writers, once we get going on a writing project, we know what we’re doing and we’re confident we have the tools and strategies to put together a polished product.

(Need help on developing strategies so you know your writing is right? Contact us–we’d love to coach you to confidence!)

But we all have to face that “blank” page that often chases the best ideas out of the most seasoned writer’s brain. We all write that “shitty first draft” as Anne Lamott puts it in her essay from Bird By Bird (you can read it here). Then we revise and revise it into something we’re willing to put our name on.

(And yes, we at The Write Alley can help you develop revision strategies, too!)

The biggest hurdle is getting started, getting going. Once I’m going, stay out of my way! Until I get on a roll, I struggle with the same challenges as Chartrand discusses–and I bet you do too.

So here are three strategies that will help you get your writing going:

First, for all of us, is finding a time free of distractions. I write during the day when my son is at school and at night when everyone in the world is asleep and quiet. I also write poetry at 3:15am as part of the 3:15 Experiment. I’ve been doing this every night in August since 2001 and have created a large body of work this way that I can publish as a slice of the Middle of the Night, as a raw unedited look, or edit as desired.

Second, the article argues, you need a comfortable, well lit space. I admit it, I too sit on the couch with my feet on the table, my computer on my lap. This is NOT GOOD for my body–or yours! I keep a yoga block by my coffee table and my yoga mat nearby. Several times each day, I put my laptop on the coffee table and sit in virasana (hero pose in yoga where you sit with your knees in front together and your feet behind you). I also take time to do some down dog and other stretches and to walk around perdiodically. When you sit for long periods of time, with your mind far far far away from your body as you (at least that’s how it is for me) it is easy to get lost in what you’re doing and ignore what you’re doing to your body in the process. As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, make sure you’ve got plenty of light, too.

Third, prepare your mind to write. Research shows that you can train your mind to write on demand by writing at the same time every day and by creating rituals. Chartrand’s ritual is to make coffee, respond to email, and go for a quick walk. Making coffee or even better a pot of green tea lets my mind know that we’re going to settle down to write. I do my emails and other light writing seated in virasana. I encourage my students to find their own rituals. Doing dishes or taking a shower, Yoga or a walk, these all work to clear the mind of the mundane and to let the creative mind slip in and take hold. Often, it’s all I can do to focus on breathing and my yoga practice because I am ready to get writing!

Another great tip is to do some warm-up writing, like Natalie Goldberg style writing practice. I find observing my physical world and turning it into a well crafted tweet or facebook status update is like sharpening the pencil of my mind.

What are some of YOUR secrets to get your writing going?

Read the original article on effortless writing by James Chartrand here: http://www.copyblogger.com/effortless-writing/

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