Thinking Of Taking A Gap Year To Become A Writer? Here Are 8 Tips I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Took Mine.
Leap of Faith: Part 4 of 4
Avoid Information Overload
Don't try to devour everything there is to know about the art and craft of writing. You'll crush yourself as I did.
Instead, look for a specific question, find the answer and then put it to practice.
Let's say you want to learn how to write a great first line that will hook your readers. Look for answers from good sources, and then try your hand at it. Once you feel you have cracked the code for yourself, move on to the next question.
Read Books About Writing (Over Reading Blogs Or Watching Videos)
Unless the blogs and videos are made by writers and editors who have been in the profession for more than ten years.
Several blogs and channels made by young writers (including me) talk and/or teach the craft of writing. But the problem here is that they are figuring out what works and doesn't work for them. And if you religiously follow what they say, you might find yourself more confused than before. I learnt this lesson the hard way.
Instead, it's better to read books by writers and editors who, after years of trial and error, figured out what works for them and are in a position to share some concrete advice.
Deep Dive Into Your Favourite Writer's Repertoire
I wish I had started this assignment back in 2016 instead of this year, but better late than never.
I am doing a deep reading assignment where I am reading all the Hercule Poirot books by Agatha Christie chronologically.
When I started out on my writing journey, I knew I wanted to write crime-mystery novels like Christie. But instead of reading her books and figuring out how she wrote her stories, I dived into blogs about general fiction writing.
Sitting on my bookshelf, I had the best teacher to teach me the craft, and I looked the other way.🤦♀️ Not anymore.
Your favourite writer and their books can teach you way more than any blog, video, or course.
Figure Out Your Writing Time Sweet Spot
When it comes to writing, you need silence and solitude. You need a space and time to work on your work-in-progress without getting disturbed. So it would be best to figure out when you can indulge in your creative work.
Keep two things in mind for this.
One - Figure out when are you your most creative self. When do you feel energised enough - physically and mentally - to work on your writing during the day?
Two - Figure out when you will be least disturbed by others during the day.
The overlapping time between these two is your writing time sweet spot.
For me, it's post-lunch. I may not be the most creatively charged at that moment, but I am least disturbed during this time. So my writing happens smoothly.
Pomodoro Your Way Through Your Writing Session
Post-lunch does make me lie around. My brain is not charged to the max at this time of the day. But this is the only time when the muggles around me don't disturb me. So these three hours post-lunch is the only time I get to write peacefully.
The question then became how I could make the most of this time. The answer came in the form of Pomodoro.
Pomodoro is a productivity technique many use to get work done. You can choose whatever time range feels comfortable for you, but it is a 25-5 minutes session for me. I work for 25 minutes, and then I take a break for 5 minutes.
I have noticed that taking this regular break has upped my output and keeps me focused on the work.
Therefore I end up writing words that do make sense to me.
Have A Hobby That Gives Your Mind A Break
This is very important for writers.
As writers, we are constantly thinking, wondering, pondering, analysing, and imagining. So we need a hobby that gives us a break from all that.
Currently, it's cross-stitch for me. But one could indulge in any hobby - playing some sport, going for a walk, playing a musical instrument, painting.
Avoid hobbies like - crossword or scrabble - which require thinking hard, unless that's what helps you. Try different hobbies and see what works for you.
Reading can do the trick as well. But as writers, reading is part of our job, so we need to tread carefully here.
For The Love Of God, Write! (And Write Somewhere Where Readers Flock)
No matter how many books you read or how many courses you join. No amount of planning or organising will do the trick. Nor will having the best productivity hack will help. It doesn't even matter how many writing memes you relate to.
If you don't write, you don't write.
If you don't write, you don't learn.
If you don't write, you are not a writer.
You have to write, even if it's crap. And, mind you, you will write crap in the first rounds. Think of it as the messy, sticky gunk coming out of your mental pipelines before freshwater starts flowing.
Also, while the act of writing needs to be a lone process, the execution of the writing is a public activity. You need to share your writing (yes, even the gunk initially) to see how others react to your work - what's working or isn't working - and what more they would like to read about.
I wish someone had slapped me on the back of my head and made me realise this at least five years back.
Have Faith
Writing, or any creative profession is not a human endeavour. Yes, as human beings, we are doing the work, but being a creative and creating art is not a human profession. It's a spiritual profession.
Writing can't be dealt with the mathematical precision of engineering, business or chemicals. Though there is an art and science, Writing is not a scientific work. It's art.
What do I mean by Art? Art makes you feel. Therefore, Writing should make you and the reader feel.
This means you can't compare your career as a writer to that of your best friend, an IT professional. There is no comparison because -
they are two different professions
the impact they will have is different
their thoughts, beliefs, values, standards and execution are different.
So don't feel bad if you feel left behind in life.
Human life works according to the Life's timetable, not the other way around. Have the belief that your hard work is leading you somewhere good and that somewhere or something will show up when the time is right.
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