You could be a student trying to finish a written report, you could be an aspiring author, or even an officially published author who’s trying to write your next book. Whatever it may be, at times, you may catch yourself having the writer’s block, being unable to put your thoughts together in coherent sentences, or even feel uninspired to write.
There may be many reasons to your unproductivity in writing and it is important to realise what they are and rectify them as soon as possible before you reach a point of frustration and give up. To be a productive writer, there are many tactics to follow that can be of tremendous help and could be a possible game-changer for you on many levels.
So, let’s take a look at the 8 tactics that you can utilise to become a productive writer.
#1: Reading
The only way you can be an effective writer is to be a bookworm. You have to have a constant hunger for reading and always be on the lookout for new terms, concepts or words that you are unaware of, so that you can find out what they mean afterwards. A good writer should read all sorts of literature to get a sense of how grippingly stories can be told and how rich the language is. You can read books of the genre that you are interested in and explore that in and out so that you get ideas and inspiration to write something by yourself on that genre of your interest.
#2: Watch movies
This might sound like a bizarre advice but try it out and you’ll see that it works magic. Let’s just clarify what I mean by this; it’s not about lounging back, chewing on popcorn and watching a movie ‘leisurely’. This is part of work, whereby you watch the movie attentively: pay attention to details, think about the plot structure, the character arcs, the effectiveness of the dialogues, the imageries, etc. Being critical will become second nature to you and when you write, you will be subconsciously forced to view your work with a critical lens.
#3: Get the creative juices flowing
It is essential to train the creative muscles in your brain so that you continue to generate ideas and be excited about them. There is no exact way to do this, you just have to commit yourself to brainstorming. Dedicate a few hours in a day for you to just think about ideas, maybe write down your thoughts, and all this will culminate into something else one day, and you will not even realise how that happened. Afterall, writing is just an expression of your inner thoughts, feelings and experience.
#4: Practice writing
As cliché as it sounds, yes, practicing is important. Though you may have tonnes of great ideas and thoughts, if you don’t know how to express them creatively on paper, there is no point to it at all. Reading great authors’ (ex. Anita Desai, George Orwell, Orhan Pamuk) books will make you realise that great writing does not come from rich and ornate prose, but from the succinct and incredibly value-adding details (which enhance the story’s plot and setting).
Grab a pen and write what you want without hesitation. Read through what you have written and create a new draft each time, and every draft should be better than the one preceding it. You should be your own best critic!
#5: Travel
Travelling is an amazing way to widen your horizon. Your perspectives will change, pre-conceived notions will be shattered, and you will so much more refreshed and rejuvenated. Cultural experiences, unforgettable incidents and unexpected spontaneous events that took place during your travel experience will be great basis for you to build your story-writing on. If you are a student writing an essay, travel experiences are equally as useful, especially if you are someone who does lots of narrative writing.
#6: Remove mental barriers
Having a restricted mindset and the fear of getting things ‘wrong’ will never help you as a writer. You will be staring at your computer screen for hours, beating yourself up for not being ‘perfect’ in your writing when there’s actually no such thing as perfection. You are never fully prepared for anything in life and if you wait for that moment, you will always be waiting, without ever getting the work done. The key is to just start and see where your creativity and passion takes you.
#7: Tenacity
Writing is laborious process and it can be extremely exhausting. You need to keep yourself motivated throughout the process and never give up. Persistence is essential and just keep in mind that nobody else will be more excited about your ideas and opinions as much as you are. So, be tenacious and complete what you have set out for.
#8: Take breaks
Being creative is difficult and it is impossible to do that continuously for many hours at one sitting. Never force yourself to meet creative deadlines. It is good to have deadlines and a to-do list to keep yourself on track but do not be too strict about it. Have the discipline to follow your schedule but the moment your pre-planned to-do list starts inhibiting your creative flow, you need to stop and re-evaluate. Take breaks, rejuvenate yourself and get back to your writing.
Writing is not easy, and we have established that. However, following these tactics may alleviate the pressures and challenges that come with writing. Nonetheless, it is one of the most rewarding experiences ever!
This article was written by Robert Wilson. Robert was born and raised in Malaysia. He is working as a tutor and a part time blogger for ChampionTutor. He’s hardworking, competent and trustworthy. His role within the company is to manage a team of tutors. In his spare time, he loves to read, write and watch movies.
