Blast from the Past

I was rearranging my bookshelves today (cleaning them, more like, because they were a mess of all sorts of things) and I came across a huge reminder of my childhood: a magazine I picked up way back in 2001 at the old grocery store in my hometown. To put it in perspective, the original iPod came out AFTER this magazine.

Needless to say, the grocery store doesn't exist anymore.

Anyway, take a look at this magazine. I did every single activity in this thing, front to back. Took every quiz inside it, still have the posters that were in it. Everything. Gah. I love my childhood.

They were so young. We all were, for that matter (I was 8 at the time...almost 9. Now I'm 22. Wut.)

Does anybody have their own blast from the past moment? Share it in the comments!

10 Motivating Things Writers Should Do

#1. WRITE BECAUSE YOU WANT TO WRITE, NO MATTER WHAT ANYBODY ELSE SAYS

And I mean anybody. Don't let anyone get you down, not your parents, not your friends, not your teachers or that stranger on the internet who probably sits around eating cheetos on a greasy keyboard and can't spell to save his life.

No, writing is about YOU and your life and desires and story. If you have something to say, say it. Never stop. That is the most important thing I have learned. NEVER STOP.

#2. SET OBTAINABLE GOALS, AND GIVE YOURSELF ROOM FOR FLEXIBILITY

On January 1, 2013, I made a New Year's Resolution: write a book by January 14, only two weeks later.

I had personal reasons.

The point is, I met my goal. I finished when I said I would because I knew I could. I had a completed 151,000-word first draft and I couldn't ask for anything else. The feeling was amazing. I was that much closer to being done. Then I set a new goal, to finish editing the second draft by April 1st.

So I took a break, collected myself, and then got back to work. I edited and edited and edited EVERY SINGLE DAY until I was done. I know most people don't have the kind of time I do, but again, the point is to MEET THE GOAL. I actually beat my goal. I finished on March 28th.

My manuscript was reduced to 122,000 words.

Set goals. Meet goals. You will feel WONDERFUL. Completing goals is such a rewarding experience.

#3. START A BLOG AND WRITE USEFUL POSTS

I'm not trying to pat myself on the back. I'm saying blog what you learn, just as you should actively use what you learn. I write from experience. I want to help people, and that is part of what keeps me motivated. If I don't learn, I can't offer advice.

#4. FIND WRITING COMMUNITIES ON FACEBOOK AND OTHER SITES

I happened upon a Facebook page called Go Teen Writers while doing a lazy Google search one day way back in January 2013. Let me tell you something: the people there are fantastic. Everyone helps each other. You'll see comment threads with 20...30...40 comments just to talk about one specific part of writing. And everyone has become, more-or-less, friends. We'll talk about random things, like Harry Potter and what our favorite fantasy land is, and you'll see us posting pictures of our writing spaces and makeshift book covers.

Go Teen Writers is great. Jill and Stephanie do an awesome job, and are always in touch when you want to talk to them. Thank you so much for being awesome!

#5.  MAKE COVER ART, OR DRAW PICTURES FROM YOUR BOOK

What is writing, really? Writing is taking pictures in your head and describing what you, as the author, see. Writing is putting together jumbles of words and creating people and worlds that live inside you.

But words don't always have to be the only way to get those visuals out. Draw. Paint. Photoshop. Whatever you have to do, bring your world to life so other people can see it. Make a cover for your book, even if you don't end up using it. I made my cover in February, and two months later it's the cover of my proof copy and everyone who sees it gives me great feedback.

This is your story. Draw a picture and show us what you see before someone else decides to see it for you.

Eddie Utherwise (click for link)
Copypright 2011 Thomas Taylor

#6.  REVISE...REVISE...EDIT...AND GET CRITIQUED

What's the difference between "revision" and "editing?"

Okay, revision is taking your story and working with the plot, adjusting scenes, changing pace, crafting the story from the first draft...or the second draft...or however many drafts it takes to tell the story how you want it to be told. I've still got lots of work to do tweaking things here and there and making Embassy juuuust right.

Editing is stuff like grammar, punctuation, spelling, finding that missing word...your basic proofreading stuff. Pay attention, and have several pairs of eyes look at your work. Seriously, once you get past the fear of people hating what you write, you'll find that comments and suggestions are the best way of editing and revising a story, and I mean THE BEST way.

If you want to publish a book, that means you want hundreds or thousands of people to see it. So start small and get a general opinion. You'll thank yourself later. And people in writing groups love to help as long as you help them.

#7. TAKE TIME TO YOURSELF...AWAY FROM WRITING

Me? I go for long bike rides alongside Pittsburgh's three rivers. The wind and trees and ducks and geese and sights and people and the Pittsburgh skyline are wonderful. Biking, or going for walks, or sitting in the middle of Market Square lets me empty my mind and just feel at ease. I don't have to think about writing. I don't have to feel stress. I can just be.

Everyone needs a break. Do yourself a favor and do something you love besides writing. Inspiration will come from the simplest places when you aren't even looking, and stick with you when you leave.

#8. TAKE TIME TO BE WITH FRIENDS...AND DON'T TALK ABOUT YOUR WRITING

Unless, of course that's what you and your friends do. But my friends and I will play soccer, or Mario Kart, or Frisbee, or walk Downtown, or grab some coffee or a bite to eat, or watch baseball. Doing this helps you because you can experience society and interaction and guess what? That will help you write better books!

#9. READ, READ, READ, READ, READ

"But I don't have time to read if I'm writing and hanging out with friends!"

Ahem. Excuse me? I think it was Stephen King who said: "If you don't have time to read, you don't have time to write." Why do you want to write? So other people can read what you wrote, and to express yourself.

Study what works. Don't look at one book, look at many. See the various forms, line structures, elements, character interactions, dialogue sequences...everything. Adapt and create your form.

Published books are published for a reason. Successful books are read for a reason. Blockbuster books are known by millions for a reason. That author wrote something that worked.

#10. DON'T EVER BE AFRAID

Yes, this is similar to #1 and is last for reason. I want to leave you thinking: What can I do, and what could I have done? The world of writing is probably the hardest job out there. Success is NEVER guaranteed. Publication is NEVER guaranteed. Writing the next blockbuster NYT Best Seller is NEVER guaranteed. But none of that will ever happen if you don't try.

Get out there and be shameless. If you are writing, make sure people know. I tell everyone I can. Random strangers I meet at the airport, people walking Downtown, my professors, friends, friends of friends....the point is to not care. You'll write better if you know people will read it. If you hide it away all the time and don't let anyone see it, no one is going to care, EVER. It's nerve-racking, telling people you wrote a book. But once they see you've actually written one, they WILL be astounded. I speak from personal experience.

And remember, if you write because you want to, and tell people about it, you'll have readers. If you have readers, they'll help you by offering suggestions and comments. If they're helping you, you're becoming a better writer. If you're becoming a better writer, people will CONTINUE to read what you write.

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Enjoy this post? Check out these others:

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Also be sure to check out my Get it Write Tonight ebooks, Characters and Edit! That! Book!

While you're at it, check out my New Adult Science-fiction novel, Embassy.

10 Effective Writing Rules

Earlier today I came across a Daily Writing Prompt that said: "Write your top 10 rules for writing fiction." I immediately sat down and did so. Perhaps you've already seen the picture of my rules floating around on Pinterest.

You can find this list
on Pinterest.

Well I want to expand on those and give detailed descriptions to each so that you can have a grounded basis for why those are my Top 10 Rules. So without further ado...

S. Alex Martin's Top 10 Rules for Writing Fiction

RULE #1. USE THE SIMPLEST WORDS POSSIBLE

When it comes to reading a book, people want it to be two things: easy and clear. Unless you are a scholar studying ancient or classical literature, you'll probably stop reading a book that has huge words that you keep opening a dictionary to figure what they mean.

Let me just lay this out for you: the other day I was browsing Facebook and came across a post on a writing group where the person was trying to sound professional and important...but done in such a ridiculous way that he lost all credibility in one paragraph. The post has since been deleted, but I've been using it for examples of what not to do. I'm copying it exactly how the person wrote it, so here it is:

"I read some stuff you guys wrote here with venerate. I joined this group for a reason, You see I have been vacuous for some time now, my mind is undulate I can't write no more. It's a bit confusing for me has anyone else here been through this feeling?

my thoughts were ubiquitous and now my mind seems numb of ideas. I think my mind transmuted. What i wish to know is as you all are writers and you all know the beautiful feeling to put down emotions on a paper, how wonderful it is."

Be honest. You brain hurts, too. Not only did he use those huge words incorrectly, but they just wouldn't make much sense to begin with even if he had used them correctly. It's a struggle to read that. Writing should be easy. Use simple words with strong meanings. Don't say, "I took the gun from him." Say, "I swiped the gun from him." It conveys so much more meaning and is still easy to read.

A good rule to follow is: when writing fiction novels, keep the writing at a fifth-grade level. It doesn't have to be complicated to be good. Don't fall into the trap. You'll just look silly if you start spouting out words you don't even know the definition of.

RULE #2. DON'T INCLUDE EVENTS OR DETAILS THAT AREN'T IMPORTANT TO CHARACTERIZATION OR PLOT

This is easier said than done. Especially when we write early drafts, we tend to stuff in as much information as possible. It might be our innate instinct toward world building. We want to stuff our readers' heads full of the world in our story. We want them to know EVERYTHING.

Well...sometimes less is more. The people critiquing my novel, Embassy, made good work of pointing out things that just weren't important. For example: is it important to learn that the home city of Arman, my MC, has two libraries? What's more, is it important to find that out more than halfway through the novel, after they've flown away from that planet? No. The fact that Cornell has two libraries doesn't matter one single bit.

Try to include details that characterize or advance the plot. When you meet Glacia Haverns, my FMC, she is described as "...Cornell's ambidextrous Hologis junkie....in fact, she's so well known that six people groan when she walks into the waiting room." That's eight pages into the book, and it's all you need to know about her for a while. You understand she gets a thrill out of Hologis (a futuristic sport in my book) and she has a reputation surrounding it. Those are the details you want to include.

(Since then, Embassy has been edited 13 times)

RULE #3. USE ACTION TO EXPLAIN EVENTS WHERE POSSIBLE

Which would you prefer to read: a paragraph explaining the climatic fight scene, or several pages showing the injuries and punches and bullets flying? The second one, right? Should be.

Action is exciting. Not just fight scenes, but seeing interaction between characters, an argument, a race, a living maze...draw these events out and make them come alive. Show us what happens as it happens. Gets our hearts pounding. Make us smile. Let us hear the angry voices.

Readers want to get as much as possible out of books, so learn what's important to show over a couple pages and what's acceptable to describe in a paragraph.

Just please don't take lessons from Michael Bay.

RULE #4. WRITE AT LEAST 90% OF THE STORY IN THE ACTIVE VOICE

I'll keep this one plain and simple: statistics show that books written somewhere between 90--95% in the active voice sell better than books written with any lower percentage. Passive voice is wordy. Say what you want to say, and be done with it. If you want to see an example of active vs. passive, it's your lucky day because I'm about to give you an example.

Example One

ACTIVE: "She carried the bucket to the barn."

PASSIVE: "The bucket was carried to the barn by her."

Example Two

ACTIVE: "I'm not selling those books."

PASSIVE: "Those books aren't for sale."

What? Wait. Why is the passive voice of the second example wrong? Okay, to be honest, this is one of those that you can be lenient about. It means exactly the same thing as its active voice equivalent--except in one way. Nothing is doing the selling in the passive voice. The books aren't being acted upon. That's what's wrong.

RULE #5. DIALOGUE IS THE STRONGEST FORM OF CHARACTERIZATION

There are so many ways to characterize through dialogue, it's not even funny. Speech patterns, quirks, stutters, slurs, screams, whispers, catch phrases, monosyllabic word choices, evil words, heroic words, funny words, sad words. All of that and more inside a pair of quotation marks. It's literally a perfectly acceptable form of telling.

Of course, don't do too much telling. You still want the speech to sound natural. But that's the beauty of it all. Get to know the ways each character talks, and the characterization possibilities are endless. Harness that power. Use it wisely.

RULE #6. MAKE SURE SOMETHING CHANGES BY THE END OF THE STORY, PREFERABLY THE MAIN CHARACTER

If you send readers on a journey with a character who learns nothing whatsoever...you're going to lose a lot of readers before the end. Something has to change. Whether it be a power struggle, a noble death, coming-of-age...doesn't matter. If readers can compare and contrast the characters as they were in the beginning of the story versus how the characters were in the end, you've done your job right.

Make the changes and transitions natural. Don't rush. People don't usually change overnight. A series of events happens and they learn things from those events. Oh, and make the change logical. Think of Star Wars. Anakin was supposed to become a Jedi, but the way events unfolded made him succumb to the Dark Side.

RULE #7. IF YOU CAN'T AVOID A CLICHE, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT WITH IT

These days, you see all these books with love triangles. The girl can't choose which guy she wants, blah blah blah. Or the MC is actually some prophecized hero who will one day save the world. Or a guy falls into a vat of radioactive acid and becomes a superhero/villain. And then what happens?

Events unfold EXACTLY as we predict they will, making the story boring.

The love triangle becomes the focus of the book. The hero develops the most powerful abilities any character in the world has ever seen. Another guy happens to develop superpowers at the exact same time as the guy who fell into the acid. Didn’t see THAT one coming, did we?

Get creative, people. If you have to recycle plots, add your own twist. Please. I beg you.

RULE #8. IF YOU CAN'T DECIDE WHETHER YOU LIKE WHAT YOU WROTE -- REWRITE IT

You're going to have days where you write a scene, maybe a few pages...heck, even a full chapter, but it just doesn't feel right. Something doesn't fit, or this stretches too far or completely deviates from the plot.

Imagine it like this: you've been looking forward to seeing a movie, but when you walk out of the theatre, you don't really have anything to say about it. You want to like it because you waited so long, but when you're honest with yourself, it just wasn't that great. THAT is the feeling I'm talking about.

If you aren't sure about what you wrote, go and rewrite it. Maybe change everything, maybe tweak a few things. Let yourself find the flow of the story. I deleted 190 pages of Embassy in the fourth draft because they didn't fit...and sometimes as I made the rewrites, I found things I still didn't like. What did I do? Scrapped them and rewrote those scenes.

I probably rewrote close to 250 pages of Embassy out of the final 300 pages (aka almost everything after page 146) by the time everything was said and done. The plot had changed and things just didn't fit like they did before. But now I like what I have and it works so much better.

RULE #9. FIND OUT WHAT TIME OF DAY YOUR IMAGINATION REACHES ITS PEAK AND MAKE SURE TO ALWAYS WRITE DURING THAT TIME

If you want to be productive as a writer--this is crucial. First off, I encourage you to write every day, and whenever you can every day. But if there's one point of the day that you MUST write, it's when your imagination reaches its peak. This is pretty easy to figure out: what time of day do the words just spill off the tips of your fingers with ease?

My imagination reaches its peak between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. So every day between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. you'll find me writing. Something. Anything. Homework. Book. Whatever. My mind is a broken dam between those hours. The ideas and words literally flood my head. I don't have to worry about being "uninspired." That's the sure-fire time for me to write. Even if I've gone all day with zero ideas, I can GUARANTEE the minute 11 p.m. rolls around, my imagination will explode.

And there goes your brain.
Sorry.

To be honest, I've reached the point where I can turn my imagination on and off at will, but 11 p.m. is my "primetime" writing hour. Which leads me to the final point....

RULE #10. KEEP A ROUTINE UNTIL YOU FINISH THE DRAFT

Keep a schedule. I repeat: KEEP A SCHEDULE. When you write a book, the best thing to do is set aside time every day to write. Try not to change the time. If two o'clock in the afternoon to three o'clock is the only available time you have, make sure you write in that hour. Maybe on the weekends you can set aside a block of four or five hours to write.

Whatever your plan, STICK TO IT. Discipline is essential. You're going to hate it some days, but who cares? That's life. Finish the draft, whether it be the first, second, or fourth, and then give yourself a well-deserved few weeks (or months, if you'd like) away from that project. Go out for a fancy dinner. Pat yourself on the back. Eat some Ben & Jerry's. Go watch a sunset.

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest.

Enjoy this post? Check out these others:

5 Creative Ways to Enhance Your Story

How to Write a Successful Query Letter

How to Create a Vile Villain

How to Create a Magnificent Main Character

5 Query Letter Mistakes You Should Avoid

6 Tips to Hook Readers in the First Chapter

Also be sure to check out my Get it Write Tonight ebooks, Characters and Edit! That! Book!

While you're at it, check out my New Adult Science-fiction novel, Embassy.

(Most) Self-Published Authors are a Bunch of Whiners

I'm sticking by that. Take as much offense as you want. Go on and rant. Get angry. Curse me from behind the screen. But you know what?

IT'S TRUE.

I've been in the writing business since 2004 and let me tell you: self-publishing was a tiny itch on the beast that is the publishing world. Over the last decade, that itch became a scratch, and that scratch, a cut, and that cut?

A FULL-BLOWN AMPUTATION.

The year 2010 saw the start of a new era, an era where "self-published" grew from a whisper...TO A SHOUT. Before 2010, self-published books were like the underground of the literary world. Sure, Indie Authors have always been the "elite" of the DIY world. Indie bookstores, Indie festivals, Indie awards, etc etc.

But self-publishing has begun to swamp out the true meaning of Indie. Strictly in terms of writing, it's becoming increasingly difficult for someone with Indie aspirations to write a book, hire an editor (or edit themselves), and gain a reputation as an Indie author who can appear at awards ceremonies solely through the mere credit of his/her work.

And here's why.

Self-publishing, more and more, is being used as an excuse. People write a book, send it to an agent or publisher, and when they're rejected, they get angry and upload their book to an online POD. Tada! Book gets printed and sells a few copies...and the author starts laughing and bad-mouthing the traditional publishing world for not recognizing their genius talent.

Oh, so those ten 5-star reviews were all complete strangers who bought your book? You mean, you didn't give a copy to close friends and family and tell them to write reviews to make you look good? (And don't they dare give you anything less than 5-stars!!!)

Now that you have all those glamorous reviews, EVERYONE who reads your quoted tweets and Facebook posts to mass-advertising writing groups will instantly buy your book, and you'll be a best-seller by this time next week, right? RIGHT???

Let's take a step back. The whole point of this post lies in the title: (Most) Self-Published Authors are a Bunch of Whiners.

You, reading this. Chances are you're a self-published author. In fact, I can almost guarantee it (unless this post goes viral and gets reblogged by "Writer's Digest," which is extremely unlikely). Answer a few questions:

1. How many rounds of editing did you do?
2. Did you submit to an agent or publisher?
3. Why did you choose to self-publish?
4. How many books have you sold?
5. Are you making a living off of writing?

I put these questions in a specific order. After you write the book, you have to edit the book. And edit the book. And edit the book. And edit the book. AND EDIT THE BOOK.

Humans today are impatient creatures. Editing, for many, is boring, and those on whom editing takes its worst tolls inevitably convince themselves their writing is as good as it can get. They let the fact that they even wrote a book become their hamartia. This leads to a lack of discipline. And what is discipline good for?

Editing books, waiting for agent responses, and moving on from rejection to try again.

If you can't edit your book more than twice by yourself, there's a problem. Don't skim through and think readers will ignore technical and structural problems. They won't. Every time there's a typo, or a missing word, or a string of identically-structured sentences, readers get tossed out of the story. They WILL judge your writing based on little things you thought they'd forgive you for.

Then you submitted to an agent and got rejected. Maybe you tried again. And again. When the tenth rejection letter comes in, many people get frustrated beyond measure. "My book is genius!" many will tell themselves. "There is NOTHING wrong with my book! The agent is stupid!" others will say.

The excuses go on, and on, and on. This is where people instantly start turning to self-publishing -- and this is why self-published authors are a bunch of whiners.

Maybe this doesn't apply to you, but a vast majority of self-published books are ATROCIOUS. I've read my fair share of excerpts and full-length books from the freebies and discounts on Amazon, and let me tell you, it amazes me that anyone would let the public read such crap.

Basic grammar mistakes, dozens per chapter. Commas in all the wrong places, misspelled words, weird italicization and fonts, horrible paragraph and sentence formatting. Parentheses inserted every five words to introduce an internal thought. Chapters upon chapters upon chapters of backstory before the plot even begins. Terrible pacing, or an incomprehensible plot.

Yet what do many of these books have? 5-star reviews saying "the best new author in town!" or "promising to be the next Stephen King!" or "best book I have ever read!"

People. Please.

Then we take another look -- and what's this? A 1-star review? "Don't listen to the 5-star reviews," he warns. "They are clearly family members and friends who don't want to hurt the author's feelings. This book needs to be looked at by a professional editor, STAT."

The review has a comment...from the author himself. "How dare you accuse me of paying off my family and friends!" he argues. "Just because you're a nobody and my books are selling doesn't mean you have to spit on my success!"

Yes, that was actually based on a real response I saw from the author to a reviewer.

I've looked up some of these authors. I've read their blog posts. And you know what I've found? They all share similar stories, how they couldn't find agents (after writing two drafts and sending out six queries), so they decided to self-publish and voila! Instant author.

Now they'll go around tooting their horn, shoving their book down the throat of anyone they catch at the library or bus station. "It was a hard process," they'll say. "Every agent told me there just wasn't a market, but look! Here's the real thing, and it's got lots of 5-star reviews! You should buy it!"

These "Instant Authors" will sell 50 books in a year, and inside, they'll be boiling with rage. But when asked about sales, they'll pluck out a vague response, saying "sales are steady now," or "I'm taking some time off from writing to catch up on work."

Many will check their sales ranking every day, or read new reviews. Any reviews less than 5-stars (yes, 4-stars isn't high enough for most people) will wound them. If the person doesn't rant about good the book was, the author hates that person.

They'll never admit it, though. "What went wrong?!" they'll ask themselves as they read another bad review condemning the terrible writing.

What went wrong is that they didn't have discipline. They weren't patient enough. They were too prideful and didn't want to taint their reputation by asking for the help of a professional editor, or even a critique group. They believed a lie they themselves created.

I read so many posts today saying "traditional publishing is corrupt and ruining the industry!" But you know what? I think anyone who says that is just whining that zero of the five agents they queried picked up their half-edited manuscript and turned them into an overnight bestseller.

"Traditional publishers take all the money from the authors!" And yet those authors are still making more than you. Besides, there are employees to pay, ink to purchase, and shipping to account for. In the end, everyone makes just about the same, because the success of the company depends on the success of the authors.

"Traditional publishers don't market! It's not fair!" And....self-publishing is different? Hmm. Who's doing the marketing? That's right: YOU. And hey, at least with a traditional publisher, you might get an advance that lets you pay for that marketing, rather than being all out of pocket.

Here's the point: self-publishing, in today's society, is being used as an excuse for why you aren't famous and making millions off the book you wrote last month. Many people -- and I mean the authors -- want to see their name on the book and give it to everyone they meet on the street. Fail-proof plan. They just expect readers to fall in love with their books, not cringe and write bad reviews.

The quality of self-published books, as I said waaaaay above, is ATROCIOUS. This trend is ruining the credibility of people who actually take their time to develop their characters and plot, tighten up the story, and weed out all those little mistakes. There are a few self-published gems, but they're so difficult to find when so many others are pathetic attempts at fame and fortune without caring for the basic principles of writing.

Sure, the traditional market has its fair share of crappy books. But you can be sure that most of them are scrutinized under a microscope to fix as many errors in content, structure, and technical, before ever seeing the light of day. Some editors read the same book 500 times before it reaches stores. That's more than most authors, the people who wrote the book.

So let this be a message to anyone who blames the traditional market: stop blaming the big publishers for your problems. Stop cursing agents for rejecting you. Stop believing you wrote the best book ever. Stop, and edit your book one more time. Send out one more query. That's all it might take to get a yes.

Because if you have to tell a story, even a bad one, at least make sure it looks good. But if you don't care enough to revise your book until it's polished to a professional level, then get off your high horse and let someone with more discipline take the reins.

CLICK HERE TO READ PART 2

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10 Creative Writing Tips

The Hobbit Airplane Safety Video

Yes, you read the title correctly. I came across this little gem and you should watch it because it's awesome. 

We need more stuff like this.

Punctuation-Induced Whiplash

10 Creative Writing Tips

#1.  DON'T WAIT FOR INSPIRATION

Yes, I'm only 21 years old, but until last year I was always one to wait for inspiration because I couldn't think of anything to write. But at the end of December, I told myself:  "Write this novel next month."

And that's what I did. I started writing and writing and writing.  The more I wrote, the easier it got.  The easier it got, the more I wanted to write.  Granted, when I say "easy,"  I mean I spent less time thinking in front of a screen, and more time typing and thinking at the same time.  At first it took me about 8-9 hours to write 4,000 words a day, but I increased to a whopping 11,000 words a day!

Because I don't wait for inspiration.  I sit and WRITE until I meet my goal.  Sometimes I blow right on by and keep going.

#2.  DON'T GET DISTRACTED

Easy enough to say...practically impossible to follow.  But by all that is good on this earth, please, please, pleeeaaase avoid distractions at all costs.  Maybe warm up by looking at some writing quotes for motivation, but get off the internet as soon as possible. Hit the "internet connection key" on your laptop (yes, you can turn Wifi off on laptops), and open your book, short story, poem...whatever.

Your brain will feel this one in the morning.

If you are writing a blog, either write it on a word processor first, or force yourself to stay away from other websites.  If you have to be on the internet, take SHORT breaks.

But preferably, don't get online.  Go for a walk, drink some coffee, make a phone call.  Anything.  Distractions are bad unless they're good.  And for most writers, the latter isn't the case.

#3.  DON'T WRITE AT HOME, IN YOUR ROOM, ETC

Why?  Because you do everything else there.  You eat, sleep, clean, use the bathroom, watch TV, cook, socialize...everything.

When I'm at my house, or in my dorm room at school, I cannot concentrate.  I get nothing done.  Ever.  I'm too distracted and end up on Youtube or Pinterest or Facebook, or watching TV, playing games, all that.  So I go to Starbucks.  And what do I do?

Write.

It has a nice view, doesn't it?

99% of the time I spend in Starbucks I spend writing. Write somewhere you can ONLY write.  Make it YOUR WRITING PLACE.  You will be so productive.  I guarantee it.  Make it routine.

Not your house, unless you lock yourself in a dusty attic.

#4.  MAKE A ROUTINE

The only way to get better at writing is to write every day.  No matter if it's a paragraph or 10 pages, GET IT DONE.

Every little bit is progress.  It's a step further than you were the day before...a.k.a. a step closer to your goal.  If it helps you reach your goal, why wouldn't you want it?

So write at the same time, every day.  Avoid switching it up.  You will train your body to settle into this and you will be every bit more productive because of it.  I promise.

Why did I go to Starbucks at the same time every day?  Because that was my routine.  That was my designated writing time. What do you do for classes?  Go to them at the same time every scheduled day.  What about work?  You go to work every day at the same time.  What about breakfast, lunch, and dinner?  They might vary, but still, almost the same time every day.

If everything else fits in so well, why should writing be any different?

#5.  WRITE SOMETHING BESIDES YOUR MAIN PROJECT

Writing in a different style and genre helps you exercise your skills.  Developing this craft is not just learning how to write your book.  It's about learning how to write several.  Blogging, classwork, communication with followers, short stories, and poetry on the side.

Do it.

Create something besides what you are primarily focused on.  Not only will you gain new skills and learn new styles that could help you with different projects, but who knows?  Maybe you'll gain a fanbase.  Followers.  People who WANT to read what you write because you put yourself out there for them.

I think you took my advice too seriously.

Put your dignity aside.  Let people read that chapter, or that poem.  Let them enjoy it and criticize it.  It will help.  You will become better because they will catch things you didn't.  The only thing that is truly impossible is editing a whole book by yourself.  You will miss something.  Guaranteed, 100%.  But other people WILL catch mistakes, and your writing will benefit.

#6.  FORGET YOUR DIGNITY

Yeah, exactly what I just said in the last tip.  Let people read your work.  Let them see your style.  Let them help.  Grow some thick skin.

Come on.  Get used to it.  If you want people to read your work later, why not start now.  Some might scoff, especially if it's a first draft (I cannot emphasize that enough).  IT'S A FIRST DRAFT FOR A REASON.  There are mistakes.  It's not pretty.  At all.  Don't even TRY to tell yourself it is.

Your first draft sucks, but you don't.  You're a writer.  Who put those words on that paper?  YOU.  Not the person who talks about writing a book one day.  They didn't write one.

YOU DID.

So give it to a lot of people who want to read your work.  Different opinions are pure gold.  Here's a trick:  ask people to read for content.  What they think of the plot and events and characters.  They'll give you an honest opinion.

#7.  DON'T EDIT LONG PORTIONS IF YOU'RE STILL WRITING THE MANUSCRIPT

Some people like editing while in progress, and some wait till they are completely finished.  It's a personal choice.  But what I've found to work best for me is this:  If I repeatedly catch myself making an error, I fix it, then go back to random points in the story and fix it.  FIVE MAXIMUM.  Then I continue with the story.

Fixing in pieces lets your mind recuperate. Keep focused on one problem at a time and you'll keep moving along at the same pace.  Sometimes I discover a plot hole, or forget some part of the story's history, and have to search for it.  When I find what I'm looking for, I edit that paragraph, then return to the bottom of the story.

Try to wait a week (or more) after you write the last word before you delve into serious editing.  Your mind will be fresh and mistakes will pop out at you.

#8.  DON'T FORGET TO SLEEP

The worst thing you can do is lose sleep to writing.  Fatigue KILLS creativity.  You'll keep daydreaming.  Yes, daydreaming is good for writers, but not when you should be writing and your mind keeps going blank because you're so tired.

Get some sleep, THEN write.  Maybe write when you first wake up.  Write your dream.  Remember how I said writing in as many different genres and mediums is beneficial?  Writing dreams is the exact same thing.  Besides, our minds tend to come up with some pretty crazy stuff.  Maybe your next novel is hidden in them?

So sleep. You'll feel better, stay productive, and your brain might decide to give you a bestseller as an act of gratitude.

#9.  OBSERVE EVERYTHING AND KEEP NOTES, AND NOT IN YOUR HEAD

Every person you see, every animal walking across the road, every leaf in the wind, dent in the car, and cut on the knee has a story.  Find it.  No, don't go up and ask someone how they got into a car accident unless you really want to, but create a story for everything.  It's there.  Find it.  Make it.  Writers create anyways, so this can help develop more stories.

Don't stalk people.  That's creepy.

Just sit down and watch society function.  Watch workers deliver supplies, or students get their coffee before heading to class.  Write it down.  Your memory doesn't count.  WRITE IT DOWN.  Put your observations in a notebook or iPod or something.  Anything that you can hold in your hands.

"Oh God, what is it like in your funny little brains.
It must be so boring."

Do you want to cut open your head and hold your brain?  No.  So stick the observations somewhere else, because no matter how good your memory is, YOU WILL FORGET someday.  And if you don't, ASSUME YOU WILL.  Got it?

Good.

#10.  DO WHAT YOU DO, AND DON'T LISTEN TO ANYONE ELSE

People will think you're crazy for writing every day.  They'll ask how you have soooo much time on your hands, or that you don't have a life, or any of the other million offensive things they don't realize they're saying (Click here to read 20 Annoying Things People Say to Writers).

Don't pay attention to them.  What do they do?  They have their own set of interests which they make time in their day for, yet they think they can dictate what we do with ours?

I know people who go to the gym at the same time every day.  Cool.  That's what they do.  We take the time to write.  We write books, and those same people might read those books.  If we didn't take the time to WRITE that book, they wouldn't have read it.  Make sense?

So do what you do.  If you enjoy writing, nobody can stop you. Even if the world stripped us bare, we could still close our eyes and think about the same exact things we were writing about.  We would still live our lives...minus the luxury.  We can still tell stories with our minds and voices.  What would other people be?  Lost, or listening to us talk.

Hmm, maybe writers can rule the world!

What else can you do to stay productive as a writer? Comment below!

Enjoy this post? Check out these others:

Why I Don't Plot My Novels

5 Awkward Things Writers Do (That We Can't Help)

6 Tips to Hook Readers in the First Chapter

8 Myths About Writing (And the Truths, Too)