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Our Most Effective Writing Habits
The editors on the Writer’s Digest staff are often asked what their favorite habits are for overcoming writer’s block and finding inspiration. Following are the ones they’ve found to be the most effective:
- “When I have trouble focusing, I listen to white noise — like the whir of a fan. It helps me calm myself and step away from “busy work,” be that cleaning the house or talking on Twitter. White noise settles me, and I can get more good writing done when I’m settled.”
Chuck Sambuchino, Editor
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- “When I’m stuck, I always read over what I wrote the day before. It jogs my memory and gets me excited about the scene I’m about to write. Researching is also really good for writer’s block. I’ll learn something small but fascinating and think, ‘I have to find a way to put that into the story.’ And then I do.”
Rachel Randall, Managing Editor
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- “What inspires me to write the most is to read the writing of new voices. Also, getting out into the world and finding new experiences and listening to stories from other folks.”
Robert Brewer, Senior Editor
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- “My writing habit is being virtually in complete silence, with (sometimes) only instrumental jazz playing softly in the background. Oftentimes, though, I’ll have the TV on and my laptop Internet open but both of them are on mute. Visual stuff doesn’t bother me, but sound is too distracting when I’m trying to write seriously — especially when I’m dealing with writer’s block. Weird, but it works for me!”
Tiffany Luckey, Associate Editor
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- “I find if I write in one spot for too long, I get into bad habits and lose my drive. Even just moving from my desk in my bedroom to the kitchen table can kick things back into gear, and getting out of the house in a new space with the right balance of privacy and low/moderate white noise can sometimes get me through a lull. Change is good.”
James Duncan, Editor
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- “Whenever I’m in a writing rut, I’ve found the cure tends to be reading. The more I read by other writers whom I admire and respect, the more inspired I get. And if that doesn’t work, try eavesdropping on others’ conversations at the local coffee shop. Not even your imagination can prepare you for some of the things people say.”
Brian Klems, Online Editor
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Let us know what works for you! Share your own writing habits in the comments below.
I don’t believe in writer’s block, but if I’m sitting there unsure of what to write next, I’ll just keep pressing forward, writing anything, keeping my pen moving. I might switch from writing a bit of dialogue, to outline notes, back to a scene, anything, just keeping my heartbrain going forward along with my pen and the words. Coffee always helps.
I tend to write a fair number of “period pieces” so if I stall, I’ll listen to rock music from that particular period to get my mind going again. Sometimes, a random line from a favorite song can be enough to spark the next idea that gets me writing again.
My cat, who purrs non-stop and very loudly, is a big help as well.
I take a walk. Somehow it frees my mind to create, work out issues, and move forward. Or if pressed for time, I keep writing … and then I edit.
If I get stuck, I begin reading my story from the previous chapter, edit it and by the time I get back to where I was stuck, I have a ‘flow going’ it seems to work. Sylvia
I have a ritual. I’m almost superstitious about my playlist of “writing” tracks that help me slide into the zone. Mostly ambient electronica – background music that doesn’t demand focused attention. I’m constantly gardening the list, planting new tracks and weeds out any that pull me out of my concentration. The headphones have to be top of the line, Sony 7506 or similar. Then wherever I am, home or away, with a cup of green tea, laptop and headphones, as soon as the music starts I’m in my writing bubble.
When I’m stuck, I look for something that would boost my creativity, as well as confidence. So I pluck one of my own novels from a bookshelf and leaf through it. I read some paragraphs or whole chapters, and think about the times when I couldn’t write at all—for whatever reason. But the novel IS in my hands! Finished and published. If I could do it then, why can’t I do it now? I sure can! It helps.
Couple of shots of whisky loosen up the ol’ creative juices for me.