Experience Tumblr Like Never Before
Writing (at least for me) is all about momentum. If you stop, you crash and burn. So, here are some hacks I use to keep myself writing.
-Instead of stopping to google information, like “How long does it take for trees to grow,” or “how many different species of birds of paradise are there, simply put "TK" in the spot where the units or information would be and move on. After you are done writing, you can go back and google for the needed information.
-In scenes where you simply cannot think of what to put, simply write something in brackets like, “[The characters reminisce with each other around the fire. This leads into the next topic.]” or something similar. Oftentimes, later writing will give you inspiration for what to put in those spots.
-If you can’t remember the word, or need a synonym, DON’T stop to google. Simply put the word (or “placeholder”) in brackets and come back later. If you are still having trouble finding out or remembering the word when going back through, I would recommend Onelook Reverse Dictionary as a very good source for finding words and synonyms.
-When plotting something out, don’t feel the need to put everything that happens. If you want to, cool! For me, I find I quickly lose disinterest in actually writing when I have every little thing already planned out. It has become boring to me. To combat this, I simply write the main ideas of what I want to happen and things I want to mention (symbolism/foreshadowing) and move on, giving myself room to continue to explore and discover as you write.
-To avoid burnout, If I’m working on a bigger project, I’ll usually also have something that I’m writing on the side that I can switch back and forth so I don’t lose interest.
-Don’t be afraid to use generators! Character names, places, powers, etc. can all be created using a generator. You don’t have to worry about every little thing. Also, if you can’t think of a name or something else at the moment that you could use a generator for, just mark it in brackets (ex: [Name]) and move on.
Lastly, remember that everything you write is for yourself. Having others validate you is always great, but they are the ones who have the privilege of reading your works. You don't owe them anything.