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4
Writing Strategies
Before we get stuck into the nuts and bolts of writing, letâs just pause and consider the act of writing for a moment. The process. Every writer is different, every book is different, but at some point we all have to sit down and write the bloody thing. Here are some strategies and suggestions that might help get you into the zone.
Just get on with it
If you insist on waiting till conditions are perfect for writing then youâll probably never type a word. It is great if you can find the right desk, the ideal time of day, clear all other jobs, turn off your phone, create the right mood or whatever, but the truth is youâll need to find a way to write despite lots of other things getting in the way. At some point you just need to start writing so try not to put that off for too long.
Little and often
I once had breakfast with the novelist David Mitchell. This was many years ago, before Cloud Atlas had become a global hit. He and I are a similar age and I think we both had young kids at the time. He asked me if I wrote at all and I told him that I used to but had got out of the habit, what with a full-time job and parenting, etc. What he said next has stayed with me ever since:
Just write a little bit every day. Even a line or a paragraph. It all adds up in the end.
Or something like that. I was busy scoffing bacon and eggs at the time so I may not remember it word for word. The gist has stayed with me, though. If real life keeps you busy, you can always make time to write something, even if it is just a little something. And then, over an extended period, those little somethings grow into something bigger.
Stick to a routine
This method definitely isnât for everyone but it is something that a lot of writers swear by, so it is worth considering even if your initial response is negative. Creating a writing routine, and one that you are disciplined about and follow as closely as possible, can yield great results.
You might be like Haruki Murakami, who gets up at 4am and writes for five or six hours before going for a run in the afternoon, relaxing in the evening and tucking himself up in bed by 9pm. He does this every day when he is writing and he finds the repetition is the key to producing good work.
Of course, few people have the luxury of being able to do that. You could well have a full-time job which only gives you a small window of time in which to write, but by committing to using that window to write on a regular basis you are creating your own routine. You might get up early and write for an hour before your commute, or write on the train in to work, or after dinner on weekdays, or in long shifts at weekends. Whatever works for you, it is the structure that can really help. You know when youâll be writing and how youâll fit it into your day, you get used to the system and you could well find yourself automatically slipping into writing mode when your routine kicks in.
Set a word-count
Many writers like to set themselves the target of writing a certain amount of words each day, or each week. This can certainly boost your sense of achievement and help you make tangible progress towards completing your book. I worry slightly that it can lead to disappointment if you donât hit your target but on balance it does seem like a good way to just, well, keep at it and get nearer to your goal.
Use a spreadsheet
My friend Sarah Franklin is now a successful novelist and university lecturer, but when she was writing her first book she was juggling freelance work with some teaching and also raising two young kids. Her approach to writing was to create a list of tasks, whether they be writing certain scenes, or doing some research, or working on the plot, and allocate an amount of time to each. She would enter them on a spreadsheet, colour coded according to type of job â writing, research, revising â and ranked based on time. She would then plan her week with this in mind. If she knew sheâd be spending 60 minutes sitting in a car park while her boys had a swimming lesson then sheâd find a piece of work she could complete in that time. It is a great system if you know youâll only have short periods in which you can work, or if you are trying to manage lots of other jobs alongside your writing.
Create a writing plan
Even if you donât want to go into full spreadsheet mode, it does make sense to have a plan in place. Research suggests that we get more work completed when we create a To Do list, or some similar written plan. You can plan the book itself and you can plan the writing of it. Introducing structure to your writing can reap dividends.
Take a break
Sometimes 30 minutes away from the computer screen or writing pad can be as useful as two hours in front of them. Give yourself permission to do something else. Once you have done a decent stint of writing, go for a walk, bake a cake, watch an episode of a TV show, play some music and dance around the house, have a nap. Do something that isnât writing. Give your brain and creativity a rest and you will more often than not come back to your book energised and ready for another burst of genius. You may even have solved that plot problem without realising it.
You donât have to start at the beginning
It isnât compulsory to sit down and start writing your book with Chapter One. You may have a complete idea of the final scene of your book but are not yet sure how to get there. Well, write that final scene first. Write any content that excites you, that you are eager to get down on paper. You can write the entire book out of sequence if that works for you, and then piece it together at the end. When you are getting started it is the writing that matters, not the order in which you do it.
Avoid distractions
I write and edit for a living so most days I am sitting at a computer screen with the need to work, uninterrupted, for a period of time. None of my electronic devices have notifications switched on. If I receive a text, tweet, email or any other communication I donât know anything about it until I look for it. Now, I realise the mere idea of this puts The Fear into many people but I find it allows me to do the job I am supposed to be doing without too many distractions. To be fair, that doesnât stop the postman knocking at the door with a delivery, but it does block out the majority of beeps, pings and pop-ups that can divert my attention away from writing. Try doing the same while you are writing. I have actually carried the discipline on into my non-writing time too: I never receive notifications, and I am convinced my life is better as a result. Deal with that sort of stuff when you want to, not when it first appears. Having said all that, I nearly always have music playing while I write and I donât find that a distraction at all.
Shit happens
Most of us are not able to write full-time. We have to pay the bills, raise a family, walk the dog, cook dinner or any number of chores, and these real-life things can sometimes get in the way of our writing progress. Or some days you are just not in the mood. It happens. Donât beat yourself up over it. You need to give yourself permission to not write occasionally.
Find out what works
You probably wonât get it right first time so feel free to adjust your writing strategy as you learn more about what works and what doesnât. You might start out by getting up early and trying to write for a few hours in the morning but discover that you are not very productive at that time and, actually, a concerted effort after lunch or in the evening delivers the best results. You may be great at writing for long periods, several hours at a time, or you may write better in fits and starts. If you are new to this, and if this is your first book, you probably donât know the best way to write it just yet. Donât be afraid of trying different things.
You can leave stuff out
If you are unsure how to tackle a scene, or quite what to write at a particular point, then just put in a note or a piece of holding text [Scott, remember to write a bit more here later] and you can come back to it another time, perhaps leaving it till your next draft. Donât wade through a section of your book that isnât working for you â flag it and move on.
Remember, you are already a writer
If you are finding the idea of writing 1,000+ words a day a little bit daunting then perhaps just remind yourself that you already write loads of stuff every single day, whether that be emails, text, tweets, Facebook posts, or memos and reports at work. Most of us write hundreds, if not thousands of words, on a daily basis without really giving it too much thought.
The difference with writing a book is that you are giving it thought, a lot of thought, but step back a second and you may realise that the physical act of writing is something you have already mastered. You can do this.
These are just some ideas and suggestions to consider. You may need to try a few of them, or combine some, before you find a system that works for you. It may be that you end up trying something completely different or creating your own strategy. How you do it is far less important than actually doing it. This book wonât write itself, so find a way to get it written.
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5
Dialogue
Letâs start with a simple truth that may surprise you.
Writing realistic dialogue is a waste of time.
There you go. Iâve said it now and canât take it back. While I will, on these pages, advocate the need for authentic characters, believable plots and realistic world-building, I will not be urging you to be quite so honest and truthful with the words that come out of your charactersâ mouths. And hereâs why.
In real life, the conversations most of us have, the majority of the time, are really fucking bori...
