LEFT MENU

Creative Writing Tips

rocks in the sea illustrating an article about creative writing tips1. WRITE REGULARLY

The best creative writing tips are the simple ones.

One of the best tips I have received was given to me by the late Maeve Binchy.

Maeve was a very kind woman and I met her during a difficult period in my own life.

At the time I was a single mum and very broke.

I had returned to education and was studying Film and Television, specializing in script writing.

I was wondering and worrying about whether I could ever make it through the course. Maeve kindly wrote me some very encouraging letters which included some great writing advice and tips.

GET UP EARLY OR STAY UP LATE

The most important thing she told me was to write regularly.

In the earlier part of her career she was a newspaper journalist and didn’t have much free time.

She used to get up one hour earlier each day and spent the full hour writing. She did this every single day before going to work.

This is very simple but great advice.

You don’t have to take this literally. Some people are better suited to staying up late and writing in the early hours – it is the regularity that matters – not the time of day.

If you write regularly you will soon find the best time of day for you.

Writing regularly also helps you to establish a routine.

New habits generally take about three weeks to begin to feel natural.

Once you have established this routine it will suddenly begin to become easier and you feel guilty on the days you miss it.

This little bit of guilt that reminds you that you are wasting your time and talent is a good thing.

The human mind is never more efficient than when it is throwing up excuses for us to procrastinate.

TO KEEP FLOWING – KEEP GOING

In addition to writing regularly it is important not to judge your work until you have finished or you risk demotivating yourself.

So, do not stop to criticize your own work. If you keep going – you keep flowing!

2. MAKE TIME

If you have difficulty managing time, or find yourself being interrupted by the demands of family or friends, you need to find ways to claim your time.

It is your time and don’t forget it.

If you need a bit of help or advice with this there are loads of great tips on how to cope with interruptions and how to make more time to write here.

Leafy lane illustrating an article about creative writing tips3. PLAN YOUR STORY

The more work you put into your creative writing, the more it will improve.

Another great writing tip is to plan your story. I personally always plan. I know there are people who swear they never plan.

Some say they are too creative, or too much of a genius to plan, or that their creativity must spill unheeded onto the page like little pearls.

Well…good luck to them. I on the other hand need a plan.

I say this because in the past, I have written huge amounts without a clear idea where the story was going and I have got very, very lost and disheartened.

I write a lot and don’t have time to waste getting lost in my story so now, I always begin by planning my story.

By the time I’m finished the plan I am absolutely itching to write it.

The plan itself acts as a motivator and a clear view of the story ahead adds to the excitement of writing.

You may feel differently and decide to go ahead without planning. I know some writers do succeed without any form of planning.

But, I also know that if you blindfolded a hundred people and made them run across the motorway some of them would survive – but I wouldn’t risk it. Up to you!

4. TAKE YOUR TIME

Most writers work hard for years before they achieve success.

Creative writing is a process and it takes work and time. Don’t be put off by the idea of work and time.

What else would you have been doing? Watching television? If you enjoy what you are doing it doesn’t feel like work – it feels like fun!

Think about getting to your deathbed and looking back. Would you be wishing you’d watched a few more episodes of a soap, or would you be wishing you’d written that book?

5. STAY MOTIVATED

Most of us are used to having jobs and a boss or a supervisor of some sort to keep us motivated and working hard.

But when you are writing you need to motivate yourself and some people find that difficult.

It does take time to get used to being your own boss – which is exactly what you are if you a writer.

So, if you want to learn how to stay motivated so that you continue to work regularly and productively there’s a great motivation exercise here.

6. KEEP IT SIMPLE

A lot of people spend too much time struggling to do more work – to get more money – to buy more stuff.

Do we need all this stuff? Or are we just filling in the gaps in life. There are better ways to fill in gaps than stuff.

Sometimes all it takes to get our creativity flowing, is an attitude change.

When we begin to keep life simple – we get more time to do the things we want to do.

If you have any questions, or comments, or if you would like to contribute some creative writing tips of your own – please do.

Best of luck with your writing.

Grace

‘It’s good to have an end to work towards but it is the journey that matters in the end.’

 Ursula K. LeGuin

white owl with daffodils illustrating an article about creative writing tipsP.S. All the creative writing tips and information are provided here free for you. All I ask is that you leave a comment in the box and like, or share so that others may learn too.

Save

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
I agree to have my personal information transfered to MailChimp ( more information )
Join over 3.000 visitors who are receiving our newsletter and get your free creative writing tracker.
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.

8 Responses to Creative Writing Tips

  1. Ice Tigress January 5, 2015 at 10:48 am #

    Thank you for such good advice. I completely agree when you talk about planning – same here, I have written so much, all gone to waste when I finally realise that my story is lost and now useless. I also love the quote at the end! Thanks ~

    • Grace January 9, 2015 at 11:55 am #

      You are welcome – keep writing!

  2. Jill Petrou February 24, 2015 at 3:18 am #

    I have learned a lot from this site. I have been writing poems
    for ten years and wanted to learn how to write short stories. I
    had no idea how to begin until I came upon this site. I truly love
    all the instruction you and others share with us hopefuls.
    Sincerely,
    Jill Lawyer-Petrou

    • Grace February 24, 2015 at 5:19 pm #

      HI Jill,
      Thank you for your comments. I am so glad it is helping you. Keep going and don’t forget to write regularly.
      Best wishes
      Grace

  3. The Poet March 11, 2020 at 3:54 pm #

    Yes! I completely agree with most of these, make time, stay up late, take your time. Writing is not a sprint, think of it as art or running a marathon. A great write up for all levels of creatives looking for a little inspiration on a new adventure. Thanks!

    • Grace March 11, 2020 at 9:44 pm #

      Thank you for your comments. So glad you approve and best wishes with your writing.
      Grace

    • Grace March 16, 2020 at 3:59 pm #

      Love it – writing’s not a sprint! Thanks for your comments.
      Best Wishes

      Grace

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Scholar’s Project Resources | elizascholarproject2016 - April 12, 2016

    […] https://www.practicalcreativewriting.com/creative-writing-tips/ […]

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.