#writingtime

 I think it’s no secret that your stories not only depend on your skills, but also on other aspects. You could be as skilled as King or Rowling, but if the conditions don’t match to your personal liking, then your stories won’t turn out as good as they could be. But what conditions am I referring to? In this post, I’ll list 3 important aspects that you may need to keep in mind, while you write.

Keep in mind, the following tips are based on my personal opinion. They don’t have to work for every writer and if another method works better for you, feel free to apply that to your writing procedure. I just hope that my tips can help some struggling writers out.

In any case, let’s begin!

1. Time of day

When is the best time to write? That depends on the person. Some write, the moment they wake up, others do so in the afternoon and the rest are night owls, such as myself.

I write during the night, as it’s usually very calm and peaceful around that time, and it does not distract me from my writing. During the day, I am usually busy with other activities, so nighttime is the only way for me, to write to the best of my abilities.

Always make sure that you’ll pick a time to write, where you’re the most comfortable. That’s mandatory, if you want to become a skilled writer.

2. Consistency

Of course, you’re not always motivated to write. Even I have times when I feel completely fed up and simply don’t want to touch the story project at all. Believe me, I get that.

But sometimes you have to force yourself a bit. If you just write whenever you want, then you’re not going to make it very far. If you want to take writing seriously, you have to be consistent about it.

The principle is similar as to visiting the gym. If you don’t stick to an exercise routine, then you won’t get to see the results. If you write every day, then this activity feel as natural to you, as breathing air or drinking a cup of water. Indeed, it has to feel that natural to you.

Even if you’ll just write 10 words, then that’s already enough to develop a routine. And that’s what matters in the long run.

(Though please write a bit more than 10 words a day, as you won’t get very far otherwise, when it comes to your stories.)

3. Music

Another important aspect, is music. Music can influence our mood, that’s a fact. So why not use music, to improve your writing?

For example, if you want to write a tragic story for example, then it’s best to put up a sad and slow song. That way, you can actually feel the pain that the characters are going through and can implement it into the story, very well.

But don’t listen to the same song over and over again. Have a playlist with similar songs, in order to not get bored and to give you fresh, new ideas. It works pretty well, as it helped me in the past.

For example, when I first wrote my novel “6.49 PM: Peaceful Amends”, I wanted to give it a more apocalyptic atmosphere and therefore, looked for dystopian songs. In the end, I found a song in a YouTube video from the movie, “Oblivion”. It fit perfectly to the tone of my story and so, I listened to its OST over and over again, while writing the chapters of my novel. I don’t regret that decision whatsoever, as I managed to create quite a remarkable story, to say the least.

There are other things you need to keep in mind though. For one, don’t listen to the music too long, while you’re writing, as you may get exhausted from listening to the music, while also staring at the screen. Small breaks are necessary, in order to keep your mind sharp and focused.

Oh and, don’t play the music at such a loud volume, as it may not only damage your ears, but may also distract you.

(I can’t count the times, when I suddenly stopped writing and began to dance, much to my chagrin.)

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And we reached the end! If you made it, till this part of the post then first of, thanks mate! I really appreciate that you took some time out of your schedule and spent in on myself.

If you loved this post, please leave a like and maybe a repost! It doesn’t cost you a dime, and you’ll not lose anything from it. Make sure to follow me too, for more tips and tricks, regarding writing.

Cheers!

Ok peeps, what has two thumbs and the day off work? This mutha right here!

Who wants fic? Feel free to throw quick little requests at me, or let me know if you want a continuation of either Rush or April’s End.

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🥥 goals

think of a realistic goal you want to achieve with your writing. this can be a daily, weekly, or monthly goal. make sure it's realistic and achievable! your goal could be word count, time spent writing, or by chapters. create a goal that fits your needs personally. everyone's writing journey is unique, so remember what you actually want to achieve and not comparing your schedule to others. everyone writes at a different pace.

☕ plan ahead

plan ahead! maybe set your word count goal a little higher for the weekends, or if you're going somewhere and won't be able to write on one day, you can divide the goal between the days around it and work to stay on track even if you can't write for a day. it would also be a good idea to let your family or whoever you live with know that you're writing at a certain time each day so that you'll be interrupted less.

🎞️ reward yourself

reward yourself when you achieve your goal! this keeps you motivated to achieve it and lets you relax a little bit after working so hard. give yourself breaks as much as you need and practice selfcare. a few ideas for reward: when you reach your daily word count you get your favorite snack, or if it's weekly then go out with your friends and have fun. be nice to yourself :)

🕰️ balance with life

writing probably isn't the main purpose of your life. most of you have school/uni or a job, and that takes up most of our time. my advice is: don't set your goal too high and take advantage of the weekends and days off. personally i become really lazy on the weekends but i try to push myself to sit down and crank out a few hundred words, until i get into the flow and i'm glad i have hours of time to write for two days. use your time wisely, you'll thank yourself later!

📜 routine

i suggest setting aside a certain time to write. you can split it up, for example 15 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening, or you can set aside an hour before bed (that's what i do). make sure you actually try to keep this schedule! put reminders in your phone. i always have the nanowrimo tab open so i'm constantly reminded that i need to meet my nano goal (nanowrimo website is also great for setting goals and keeping track of word count!!) make it a habit to write every day!

He kissed you sweetly and he kissed you breathless, like your lips held the cure to the ache that burrowed in his muscles.

Gerik’s breath mingled with yours as he sought respite in your embrace post-battle.

He wasn’t a man who feared death, not with all he has experienced, not with his blood attuned with the rush of battle.

But being in Askr has softened him, he reckoned. Getting involved with this foreign world’s tactician had made him a bit more wary of the dance of steel that dictates the life of a mercenary.

What a contradiction he lives here, between the fear of being deprived of your touch permanently, and his loyalty to your command.

He would never die under your order, and a part of him knew that. Though he would gladly let his blood fill any enemy’s fuller if you asked.

Ah, but what’s the use in poignancy while in the moment with his lover.

He was pulled away, admiring your kiss swollen lips. All the while, his hair was mussed lovingly by your wandering hands.

“You know just the way to ward off a merc’s pains, don’t you?” Gerik sighed, voice laced with fondness.

To his amusement your eyebrows quirked and those lips that had claimed his so passionately moments earlier grew into a heart stopping grin.

“Tis a summoner’s job to ease the worries of their soldiers.”

“Is that all there is to us?”

“But of course not.” You hummed. Your hand rested on his broad chest before you leaned in to plant a kiss at the corner of his mouth teasingly.

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A few of you have been asking me how I write character development, and as someone who primarily writes about angst and grief, here's me trying my best to explain an arc I call "the sky and the sea."

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Let's say you have a character who loves the night sky. They are enchanted by its beauty and it's something that keeps them going. When they're having a tough time, they drive alone at night or step out onto their balcony to stargaze, yearning for this distant paradise. It's something so far--so unattainable but they're willing to build a mountain stone by stone just to touch the stars.  

And perhaps they might.

Daedalus and Icarus: a father and son who longed to escape from the island of Crete and thus constructed wings held together by wax. It's a famous tale, one that many know results in Icarus' fall after flying too close to the sun.

After yearning for so long, your character acts. They reach for the heavens--for the stars. Time slows and while the earth may turn for others, they alone stand still.

There's a warmth that stretches across the infinite horizon as their anticipation grows, ever so close to being able to feel its pulse--to being able to hear the universe breathe.

Then you take it all away.

How do you hurt someone? Death hurts. Destruction hurts. But what's truly being lost? A life? A place that was once called home? Or is the thing that truly hurts the most the fact that you will never ever see something again no matter what you do and no matter how hard you try?

So don't take away the stars. Don't just make the universe cease to exist. Let them never see it again. Make them know that it's there. It's there the same as ever, as lovely as ever, but it's not for them.

Make them blind.

And as Icarus fell, wings burning and crying from agony and regret, the waves reached up and he crashed into the sea.

It's dark. It's heavy and they don't know if what's covering them is a consoling blanket or the weight of the entire sky. They drift aimlessly, sightless eyes burning from the occasional, pointless struggle against the churning saline.

But there are different nights. There are nights when the sea is still-- when it feels like more of a cradle and less of a rollercoaster. And these are the nights when they truly feel what it is to be human. When they truly understand that passion and perseverance are things that are not only present at the peaks of mountains, but also at the deepest of trenches.

It may be different. It may feel hopeless but no matter what, there this always another way. They may not be able to see, but they can feel. They can feel the wind as it courses through their tangled hair. They can feel the warmth of the sun against their scarring skin. They can hear the overlapping cries of seagulls reminding them that they are not alone and that they are getting closer to shore.

And one day, it may be in days, weeks, or even months, they will touch the sand--they will land ashore. The grains will trickle down their legs as they slowly stand and some may stick to their cheek after attempting to wipe the tears from their eyes.

They've learned something. Yes, the sky is no longer theirs to see, but there is something just as beautiful. There is something beautiful in the way the sea breathes. There is something safe in the steady, constant beating of the waves against the shore. And perhaps the uncountable grains of sand are enough to make up for the infinite amount of stars because how much can a human count in their lifetime?

Yes, the sand will hurt a bit when it first rubs against their uncallused feet, but the pain will go away. It'll fade in time as the scars form and as your character runs towards the warmth, against the wind, to the sea, or simply wherever they please.

Life hurts. Existing hurts and things may not always work out for us, but as we grow, we keep pushing. We'll keep growing and perhaps one day we'll realize that there was something different, but just as beautiful as what we wanted all along--and all we had to do was close our eyes.

Author’s Note: 

And how it affects us young authors.

So, what inspired me to do this? I was having a conversation with my brother about the lack of poc people in a book, and he said that he wasn't mad about it because it changed nothing. But it does, it does changes things, we just don't realize it.

I grew up with books like Beautiful Disaster, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, etc. In this books (they are just an example, there are many more books out there with this exact problem) the majority of the characters are white, and I had no problem with this until recently when I started to take more seriously my WIPs.

When I began my writing I started to picture and describe my characters, soon I realized that the majority were white or with fair skin. I don't want to write books that don't include other people or just targets a single group of people, and most of all I don't want readers not connecting with characters because of their skin tone, I want books were everyone can feel at home, were everyone can see themselves represented. Then, I wondered why exactly was I writing characters as white, even when I am a non-white person myself. This, comes from the books I've read, the books I surrounded myself with, where almost every character is white, and fair skin is the default. It comes from being raised with overly white books, and don't get me wrong, being white is okey but when you target towards different groups of people, being overly white can bring problems.

Anyways, I noticed that being accustomed with all-white books made me unfamiliar with characters of other races (to this day it is a little difficult picturing characters as other than white, because is so drilled in my head that it is almost like a setup to make white the default). I started researching to familiarize myself with other race's features so I could picture them correctly, like, I learned what shrinkage in type 4 hair is, I learned what monolids were (I was unaware of monolids for the majority of my life, yes, it is insane), I learned how hijabi girls do their hijabs. There is so much that books never thought me because of this racial exclusivity that we are now trying to dismantle, and it amazes me, every time. And on top of all, I learned why is important to include other races (and cultures! If you are going to include a group of people DO YOUR RESEARCH), It is important to make the reader feel like they can be the protagonist to the story you are telling, it is important to make them comfortable with the people they are rooting for, it is important to make THEM a part of your works.