5 Things That Help Me Write

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Hey all,

I am going to try this series of blog posts about the writing tips and tricks that I use in my journey towards being published.

Maybe something you read will help you if not you'll get a taste of the whirling mess that I call 'my mind'.

This week I'm going to look at 5 basics that help the writing process for me.

1. Music

My brother got me into Spotify nearly two years ago and I'm a massive fan. I really enjoy the choice that it gives you at the click of a button. The type of scene I'm writing has an affect on my playlist. One massive thing for me when I'm writing is I struggle to listen to music with lyrics. I'm a massive lyric devourer and it becomes too much of a distraction for me. Film soundtracks, instrumentals, jazz or acoustic rehashes of popular music is usually the way for me.

If the scene I'm writing is aggressive I sometimes try to listen to rock instrumentals or other upbeat guitar laden tracks. I've recently started to listen to The 37th Chamber by El Michels Affair. It is a Jazz album but the entire album is a homage to the Wu-Tang clan, so the beats still have that 'kick off your front door' vibe to them. For those aggressive moments I also love playing some Buddy Rich. His drum solos really hit the spot and help me add pace to scenes.

For everything else I usually play some Chet Baker or Charlie Parker.

In terms of soundtracks John Williams or Hans Zimmer are always a good shout. I do get a bit caught up in the music though, so I have to be careful or before long I'm air violining to 'Binary Sunset'

Weirdly, for any writing I do that focusses on love, as a precursor, I always seem to play "As the world Falls Down" by David Bowie, from the labyrinth. It just seems to take me into the timeless love mood.

Click Here for the video and to get in the mood :P

2. Reading other books in my genre

I'm a fantasy fiction writer and I always find that when I'm reading another fantasy themed book, it really ignites the fires in me to write. If I see an interesting way a scene is described or the way a character is introduced it makes me feel like competing.

At the moment I'm reading everything I can find by Morgan Rice. She loves to write about Kings, Queens, magic and war, which is right up my street. With every page I read it makes me re-think about my own book and it really pushes me to write the best escapism I can. That's what I see fiction books as, escapism. Moving the reader far away from reality and

dropping them in a place that is completely different and yet eerily similar.

3. Watching fantasy fiction

If I'm feeling a little lethargic about writing, I watch a film that involves magic and fantasy. When I do this it really makes me remember why I want to write. The visuals make me think about making sure the world I am creating is just as vivid and other worldly.

Fantasy fiction is what I love. It takes you far away from reality and I want my writing to do the same for my readers. My favourite films to shake away the lethargy are Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Hook. Many chapters have been written off the backs of one of those films.

4. Reading the blogs of other fiction authors

For me, this gives me that belief I sometimes need. Reading a blog and seeing the humanity in other authors makes this writing lark seem possibly.

A big thing, when writing a novel, is the daunting nature of the task. It's very personal, time consuming and scary. I am regularly faced with the thoughts of Why am I doing this? or You aren't good enough! Seeing these thoughts shared by other authors really makes that light at the end of the tunnel seem closer. Also seeing that they have lives and are just normal makes me believe that I can achieve my goal of becoming published.

I'm going to throw Instagram under the 'blog' label and say this is a great place to be involved in the writing community. The positivity amongst like-minded people has really been a great driver for me in this process.

(Hook Soundtrack is playing as I'm writing this, I've literally stopped for the last two minutes and jigged around my room. Gift and curse of music when writing :P)

5. Understanding procrastination

I always find that once my manuscript is up and open I can usually get the ball rolling. My previous four life defining bits of info are usually aids for when I can't find the desire to click open. I am lucky that I have never had writers block or sat at the screen unable to write. It might be slow going sometimes but I am never harsh on myself for only writing two sentences or procrastinating. I see it all as a part of the process. That does sound really Zen, but I think the task is hard enough without you fighting yourself because you have decided to take your lightsabre out, from your cupboard, and re-enact the entire fight between Obi-Wan and Anakin set to the exact music.

Thanks for reading guys. I hope someone can find some guidance from this. Until next time.

About Post Author

allthingsm4tt

Writer of things, meme supplier, semi-occasional six string swordist, sporadic cinema goer and smiler.