3 effective writing habits that work for me

effective writing habits / a thousand threads
I don’t write nearly as often as I’d like to. Life always seems to get in the way. But I’m always fascinated by the writing habits of others. James Joyce apparently wrote just a few sentences a day, while Ernest Hemingway made it a point to get in 500 words… and Stephen King goes all the way to 10 pages, even on holidays. Truman Capote wrote lying down, and Alexandre Dumas wrote for decades only on one particular shade of blue paper. Some wrote in between errands, some during (Gertrude Stein wrote while her wife drove them around in their Model T Ford.)

Some habits make sense, some not so much.

Here are a few of my own that I’ve found to help…

1 // If you can’t write something good, write nonsense.

Lately I’ve started using 750words.com to get out the bugs on the days I’m feeling less than inspired. The idea is that once you’ve written 750 words of nonsense, your head is all limbered up and the ideas will flow. So far I’ve found it to be really effective!

2 // Read

An hour or so with David Sedaris and my brain is buzzing with ideas. Of course, my storytelling ability doesn’t hold a candle to his… but at least I can try. Practice makes perfect, right?

It’s all about reading the folks that inspire you.

3 // Walk

When all else fails, take a walk. Sitting (I sit – anyone here stand or lie down?) for too long in front of a computer will fry anyone’s brain. Moving around gets things going again, and for me, it usually works to break the block.

What are some of your writing habits? Do you use any tricks to break you out of a slump?

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