WRITING TIPS
writing is a task and art form that tends to cause great anxiety because it can be quite technical. but i’m here to let you know that if you haven't started yet, you are overthinking it. the whole point of writing is to express yourself and when we overthink we tend to delay that expressive process.
JUST WRITE
literally. just write. edit later. give yourself the space to just let it allllll out whether it's by hand or digitally. JUST DO IT.
WRITE LIKE YOU SPEAK
write like you speak aloud. don’t worry about grammar during your early drafts. like the above tip, just let it allll out. when you write like you speak you allow the words to flow out of you more fluidly and the stay you are telling is authentically you.
as we delve deeper into the digital age and realms of social media, “text talk” has become normalized in less mainstream communication. there are even published authors who have published books with “grammatical errors” and ebonics and other slang terms. i think it’s a tale to the future of creative writing and the doors that will soon open for writers from black and brown urban communities. those of us who don’t have access to the best education and editors and publishers to proofread for us along the way.
WRITE DRUNK, EDIT SOBER
- ernest hemmingway
write when you’re drunk on the passion. allow yourself to be filled belligerently with the emotions you feel while telling your story. a drunk mind speaks a sober heart. when we drink we are truly expressive of those unconscious emotions and feelings, so when we write under these circumstances whether literally or metaphorically we create space for the truest of truths to emerge from within us even if we are writing a fictional work.
editing sober is the act of creating a bit of space between the date you finished the draft and the moment you begin to read it with fresh eyes. typically we want to separate ourselves from the work for a few weeks and sometimes even a couple of months. when we come back with fresh eyes, we truly SEE the story. we see what works, we see what doesn’t and we have a thorough understanding of how to move forward with the next draft.
