5 Quick Writing Hacks

It's the weekend. You finally decide to start writing the story that you always wanted to write or that write-up which you have been meaning to post in your blog. You get super excited at the prospect of doing something productive. You rub your palms against each other, sport a goofy grin on your face, switch on your laptop/take a pen and then Boom!

Your mind somehow empties itself, leaving you with nothing to write about.
Ever experienced that feeling? Yes? I'm sure many of us(writers) would've felt that way. It's not something to feel bad about nor it means that you aren't "creative" enough. It happens with everyone. We must not let it deter us from writing.

So how do you overcome this Mental Block a.k.a Writer's Block?
There isn't a Universal solution which you can adapt to prevent the barriers from propping up. However, there are a couple of tips and tricks which you can make a mental note of. I hope that these little hacks let your creative juices flowing.

​1) SET A DAILY GOAL

​The key to success in life is Consistency. Whatever job/work you do, if you aren't consistent, you are bound to fail. It's not something you can achieve or develop overnight. It is a long term process but the most effective one.

Every day, we have 24 hours at our disposal. Okay, technically its 16 (supposing we sleep for 8 hours a day).

In those sixteen hours, we have 960 minutes. (Both are same. But psychologically, 960 minutes at hand sounds more positive and relaxing than '16 hours at hand')

Your success depends upon how you spend those 960 minutes. You don't need that much time to develop the consistency you wish for. Just 30 minutes is enough.

Write 'Something' for 30 minutes every day.
That something can be a chapter of your story, a blog post, a write-up, or even a book review. Experts say that if you could do 'something' for 20 days straight, Viola! You have then cultivated a habit. And once you get that habit, you won't have to pull your hairs out in exasperation again.

​2) IDLE MIND IS CREATOR'S WORKSHOP

Something about this side heading seems off right? It's nothing. I've simply rephrased the older saying - 'Idle mind is a devil's workshop' with the one that very well suits the modern era.

When we feel bored, what do we normally do?
Netflix, Smartphone, TV - there are so many options at our disposal. But have we ever spent at least 5 minutes by doing 'NOTHING' ?

When was the last time you lazed around the house doing nothing?
Coming to the point, try to revel in the emptiness which you feel. Don't try to get yourself occupied with anything. Sit/lie/walk around doing nothing. Observe your surroundings, daydream/fantasize about your career/love life/social life etc. Allow your thoughts to flow freely/wriggle inside your mind. Or simply stand in your balcony and observe the life outside.

The more you drown yourself into this empty state, the more creative your mind gets. Your mind becomes this garden laden with so many different and distinct thoughts. It's from here 'IDEAS' emerge or rather 'germinate'. Creativity is nothing but the resultant of thinking outside the box. How can you think outside the box when you keep your brain engaged all the time? You are restricting your brain to attain a relaxed state. If you keep feeding it with tasks and work, it loses steam, your productivity level drops.

So how exactly does this aid in writing?
Writing is the process of getting your flow of thoughts into a paper in the form of words. How do you expect to get that flow if you never let them into your mind in the first place?

​3) BE A ROMAN WHEN IN ROME

​There are Writers who could write a full fledged novel just by conforming themselves within the four walls of their room. And then there are writers like us, who fail to come up with a decent write-up even after spending an entire day sitting at our desks.

If you think you are not able to find any source inspiration, it means that you are searching for it in the wrong place.

If you are writing a blog post about the 'Types of people in Theater" , get yourself a ticket for a movie at the nearest cinema hall and Observe your surroundings. Take a small note of the diverse set of characters who are seated around you. Or if you are writing a story about an IT hacker or something of that sort, go and stand in front of an IT park and watch the hoards of people who roam around the buildings like how bees buzz around the honeycomb. Notice their demeanor, attitude, dressing style, postures etc.

Get yourself in a place which you have fixed as the setting of your story and then assume the role of that character. Lose yourself in that 'madness' before you. Walk alongside them, eavesdrop on the kind of conversations they have, etc.

Now try to incorporate these observations into your blog post or story. Once you are done with it, you will definitely be pleased with your work. Because, there will be a great sense of realism and originality in your work.

So, if you ever need an inspiration for the story your'e working on, step out of your house and go to a place which you think is relevant to the story/post you are writing, observe and jot down your inferences.

​4) FALL DOWN 7 TIMES. RISE UP 8

Most people view upon 'Writing' as something which can be done with ease. But, only writers like us know that it is one of the most mentally taxing one can do.

You spend a long time working on that write-up which you intend to post it on your blog or send it to your client. After hours or even days of laboring hard, you send it to your client/publishing house .etc for validation. Let's just say that their response/feedback wasn't positive.

You feel so frustrated, feeling of dejection engulfs you, and you feel like crying your hearts out.
Now don't think that I'm going to ask you not to cry. In fact, I'd rather ask you to cry and vent your pented up feelings rather than keep it all within yourself.

It's not the crying that matters. What matters is your next move once you wipe away those tears.
Especially in the field of writing, there are numerous times you are going to be dismissed by the clients who label your hard work as 'Not Good enough'. Not everyone gets it on the first try do they?

But every time you fail, you should Fail Better.
There is a difference between failing in an exam by 30 marks and by 2 marks. Both may fall under the category 'failure'. But its obvious that the one who failed by 2 marks has higher chance of passing the exam next time if he manages to pump in a little more effort.

So it doesn't matter if your work isn't received well with your intended audience. What's important is that, you should try to eliminate the possibilities of committing mistakes every time you fail.

​5) BE YOUR OWN CRITIC

​No writer can arrive at an impeccable draft in the first attempt. It takes numerous revisions, corrections, improvisations, and deletions to furnish a good output. Be it Leigh Bardugo or Marissa Meyer. Every writer's work goes through the above processes before it turns into the book which you hold in your hand. So, as amateur writers, we really shouldn't expect our finished work to be perfect and error free.

There are 2 ways of getting your work validated.

a. Approach an Editor
b. Assume yourself the role of an Editor

If you ask me, I would rather take the other way around. I'll first critique and scrutinize my work a hundred times, make the corrections and then hand it over to the editor for suggestions and further corrections that could be made in it.

Your work is an art in your eyes. But not in the eyes of an Editor. It's just one among the million drafts he handles. It's really hard to get an Editor who shares the same perspective as yours. What might be 'Magical Verses' to you might seem absurd for the editor.

It all depends on your mindset. If you want an expert's opinion on your work (To get the grammatical nuances correct, proper structuring, etc, ) you can very well go for it. But i'm also letting you know that there are persons who have written, edited and published novels on their own. So it's totally okay if you don't want your artistic work to be validated by a third person.