What's your go to technique or ritual for better writing?

David Nash · Post by **David Nash** » 05 Dec 2016, 08:04

Everybody has one thing they do as a writer that helps make their writing easier. It might be anything from starting early in the morning before the kids get up, to a ritual of turning off all social media before they start. So, what's the one thing you do to make your writing process better that you think would help everyone?

And to be fair here's mine.

One of the most difficult things for me as a writer is to keep things in first person. To keep your reader engaged you need to maintain first person perspective as much as possible. To do this I always envision each chapter as a scene from a movie - and then I just write the dialog for the scene. I keep all the descriptions to an absolute minimum. I push through the chapter focusing on the active events that happen and what the characters have to say about it.

Then I read the chapter out loud to make sure my dialog is clear, concise, and sounds like different people.

When that's done I fill in the scene, describing the characters, the location, and the details - sight, smell, taste, feelings. This technique keeps my writing in active tense and focuses my mind specifically on making each chapter look, sound, and feel the way I want it to.

So what's your go to technique or ritual?

Randomgold · Post by **Randomgold** » 05 Dec 2016, 10:12

For me, I suppose it would be going into my bedroom, closing the internet windows I have open, and then just writing. I find I get more done there at any rate. It's probably more of getting rid of distractions than anything, but it works. Now I just need to do that more often.

llbond84 · Post by **llbond84** » 06 Dec 2016, 15:44

These are all good techniques, my question to you guys is what do you do to overcome a writer block when you have one?

KS Crooks · Post by **KS Crooks** » 17 Dec 2016, 18:42

I play with my kids or play sports with friends, but always keep a note pad on hand. When I need new ideas or simply want a way to make a part of my story more interesting I do something else and let my brain deal with the problem on its own with my conscious efforts getting in the way. It may take only ten minutes or two hours, but an idea or several always arise. I may not even go with them in the end but even the ideas that don't fit my story free my mind to discover the one that do.

clint_csperry-org · Post by **clint_csperry-org** » 20 Jul 2019, 22:14

my ritual? Hmm, write and write often. Every day. Share what I write with others who will offer critiques. Read a lot. Every day.

Inkroverts · Post by **Inkroverts** » 28 Sep 2019, 20:02

Keep a small notebook for good ideas. I sometimes have ideas when I'm walking or taking a shower, but the ideas slipped away within an hour later. I think writing them down can also be useful for writing exercises even when I can't insert them into my story.

naomisorge · Post by **naomisorge** » 10 Nov 2019, 09:14

I second the person who said write every day! At least 20 minutes, even if you are writing "I don't know what to write"--eventually the good stuff will start to flow.

Tjbarn86 · Post by **Tjbarn86** » 16 Jul 2020, 04:05

clint_csperry-org wrote: ↑20 Jul 2019, 22:14 my ritual? Hmm, write and write often. Every day. Share what I write with others who will offer critiques. Read a lot. Every day.

Wow, this struck me as something that sure could go a long way to stretch a writer's capability. It is something I'd sure pass off as advice to any other person that might need such a tip. Sure sounds like a very useful thing to be doing in the expanse of writing.

Rodel Barnachea · Post by **Rodel Barnachea** » 26 Jul 2020, 03:49

I don't really have a ritual, but I guess my technique is to take advantage of the time when inspiration strikes. I usually write a lot during this time since I am focused and motivated.