#writingeveryday

On Writing, 2 Years Ago

How have we changed? May 25th, 2020: If my writing is ultimately an offering, who will receive its goodwill? I pray to some gods, but doubt permeates each piece of prose. The unsatisfying punctuation accompanying sleepless nights and anxious days.  If I were giving my body and soul through writing to someone I love, I would doubtless be gentle. But would I be honest? Could I stay true to my…

When thinking about writing, a lot of things come to mind, but one thing I see a lot of is finding a way to write every day or in other words, building a routine. Before I get started with some tips I’ve learned from other bloggers and experience, remember: do what works for you. Some of the things on here that work for me might not work for you, and that’s okay. Everyone’s different. Without further ado, I’ll list some of the tips I’ve found and learned.

Try to write around the same time every day. For some people, this might mean taking a chunk out of their mornings to work on their WIPS, for others, this might mean staying up a little later to write. I’ve found I’m more productive at night so I try to write before I go to bed.

Don’t pressure yourself to write an insanely high word count. Of course, aiming high is always good but I’m talking insane like 5K in 90 minutes or 1K in half an hour. What word count is too high is different for everyone, so make sure you don’t stress yourself out(I know I do when I give myself impossible goals).

Try to start small. I’ve learned that you learn most things by starting small and working your way up like with instruments or sports. This applies to writing. Start by writing a sentence a day. If you go past this, that’s great! If you only have time to write one sentence that’s great too! It doesn’t matter that your sentence is two words as long as you’re working on your WIP. Progress can be slow. I feel like writers tend to forget that a lot. I definitely do. Once you feel confident that you can write one sentence each day, try to write two sentences each day and so on.

Don’t panic if you break your streak. Life gets in the way. It happens. For those who always find themselves too busy to write, I would recommend carrying around a notebook(either physical or virtual) or downloading Google Docs on your phone. There’s an option that allows you to work on your novel offline, and it has seriously worked wonders for me the days I was too busy to pull out my computer and write.  

Take breaks. Drink water. Your mind will thank you. I swear there were so many times I neglected to do this, and because of it I got headaches so bad I couldn’t think let alone write. It doesn’t have to be that big of a break. Just taking the time to grab your water bottle or glass and take a sip periodically is enough.

Jika bukan karena bunda yang menceritakan kisah ini sebelum tidur. Mungkin hampir setengah abad ini akan kulalui tanpa tahu arti hadirnya. Delapan belas tahun lalu dengan lembutnya ia bercerita…

Tahukah nak, dulu usia umat Nabi Nuh pada umumnya mencapai 1000 tahun. Suatu hari Nabi Nuh berjalan melewati seorang ibu yang sedang menangisi anaknya, yang meninggal muda yakni di umur 60 tahun.

“Kasihannya anak saya ia masih kecil, belum sempat menikmati dunia.” Rengek sang ibu.

Kemudian Nabi Nuh berkata,“ Wahai ibu jangan kau tangisi anakmu, di akhir zaman nanti akan ada umat yang umur tertua mereka seperti umur anakmu ini.”

“Wahai nabi, jika diri ini hidup di zaman itu, maka tidak ada yang akan diri ini lakukan selain bersujud padaNya”.

Because I Didn’t

(Ye Olde) May 27th:

Understand disappointment as the wasted emotion, a rude proliferator of dread and fear. I would give it up first from my slew of gross tinglings, even amongst fierce competitors, jealousy, frustration, grief… The difference between grief and disappointment being not necessarily depth of feeling, or even its longevity; a person can ache of the latter all their life, just as…

And I hope they will fall in love with every extra stitch, every glued crack, every plastered hole, because they tell a story of ferocity, of versality, of rebirth, of never giving up, and of patiently waiting for them despite the storm.