Writers have so much on their minds—all the time—sometimes things can get missed.
I totally get it. My brain is spinning 24/7/365. Whether I’m chatting (silently, of course) with a new character to see what motivates them or checking out an original setting in which to put a story—it never stops.
I keep my phone close by to take notes. It’s not beyond me to wake at 3 am to make notes. Siri on my phone is used to me shouting from the shower as a new idea strikes.
Gone are the days when I think—meh, don’t worry, I’ll remember. Grrr… I never do. So lesson learned. Either write it down or record it or it will be lost.
Sometimes, I can be laser focused and get everything done in a timely manner. Other times, my mind wanders through other people’s conversations, up and away with the fluffy clouds, or into the plot of a thriller novel.
But, as writers…
There are a few things we need to keep in mind. So Don’t Forget…
Don’t be a perfectionist. Do the best you can. Use grammar checking sites (such as Grammarly or ProWritingAid), beta readers, and editors to assist with making your work better and then try to step back. Perfectionists don’t get things finished.
Remember “anyways” is not a word. It is slang for “anyway”. An agent once said that if she sees “anyways” on a manuscript it goes directly to the garbage. Be warned.
Make sure you follow another writer’s blog and share it to support the writing community. This helps the blogger build an audience, which is helpful.
Correct your posture. One way to do it is: raise your shoulders to your ears and then relax them all the way down. Move the first shoulder blade back into its home and then the other. This is an excellent way to ensure you’re not hunched over the keyboard. I don’t want to sound like your mommy so just do it…oh and make sure you stretch and move around some too.
Remember to put the pen on paper or the fingertips to the keyboard and keep going. Writers Write and need to keep going. Words and pages add up on their own.
Totally guilty of being a perfectionist and having bad posture. Anyways (heh), I enjoyed this piece. Thanks for writing!
Thanks for dropping by the blog Stuart. It is very much appreciated. Hope to see you again.
Love this! I’ve just been writing about perfectionism holding me back. But you’re right, we’ve got to keep on!
thanks Claudia! yes, we all have some of that perfectionist in us, don’t we?
I love your writing advice, Faye. So encouraging and helpful. Thank you for taking the time to give the rest of us a “leg up”.