Thursday, October 8, 2015

5 Simple Ways to Make the Best of Writing in a Virtual World




1. Stick to a writing schedule. A writing routine prompts you to become more efficient without having to constantly motivate yourself. Inworld writing sessions are a great way to focus.

2. Choose the events you attend wisely. A word of caution is needed here. The temptation to attend as many write-ins as possible is huge. After all, you want to write a lot and fast (yes, I mean you, Wrimos!). My experience taught me that it is more productive to choose one and try not to miss a session.

3. Take your time. Some days will be incredibly productive while others will be awfully discouraging. Allow yourself time to think, to research, to take a break. Above all, don’t stress over it. 

4. Make good use of writing prompts and time rules. Some write-ins are quite casual; there are no rules. However, I find the ones providing a prompt and defining some sort of time constraint rather interesting. The prompt will trigger new ideas and the length of time you’re given will motivate you to increase your writing pace. Some people are not comfortable with time restraints though. But think of it as exercising your writing muscles and exorcizing your anguish.

5. Never feel you have to share what you’ve just written. Sharing is wonderful, don’t get me wrong! Sharing rough (very rough!) drafts of texts with spelling and grammar mistakes, typos and all sorts of inconsistencies is a waste of time, in my opinion. One thing I’m adamant about is that you should never feel you must share what you’ve just written only because everyone else is doing it. No! Share your writing when and if you have a specific goal for doing so – getting feedback on a bit of dialogue, on the description of a setting or on a particular character.


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