Stick to a Writing Routine During Summer

If it's summer where you live, you may be experiencing the craziness that seems to happen. It's warm and sunny, kids are out of school, people take vacation from work. And you don't want to miss any of it. Where I live, summer lasts about three months (if we're fortunate) and everyone gets a fever to be out of the house or office and onto the beach or at least out shopping. I'm not immune and I find summer a difficult time to keep up with all the essentials, including writing. Here are a few tips that may help you to keep those words coming during the crazy months of summer.

Rearrange Your Writing Schedule
Between vacations, maybe having your children home every day, and just the irresistible weather, your writing routine may suffer. So rethink it. Is there a time of day that would work better during summer? Maybe first thing before other responsibilities or the sun beckons? Or perhaps later, after you've done everything else and things quiet down? Work with your lifestyle, not against it, and you're guaranteed to get more writing done.

Take Your Notebook With You
Bring your notebook when headed to the beach or going away for the weekend. Plop under your umbrella and take advantage of the relaxed environment. If you want a break from your work-in-progress, use a writing prompt or exercise instead. Use the change of pace to fuel current ideas or spark new ones. You may find you not only can but want to squeeze in more time for writing when you're away.

Don't Stress
Summer can be filled with a lot of extras - vacations, weekend getaways, beach or pool days. As a result, you may miss some writing sessions here and there. Stick to your schedule as best you can but don't be too hard on yourself. Make goals you can reach during this time of year. And don't feel endlessly guilty over missing a session once in a while. You can still stay on track, you just may slow down a bit. Eventually, life will shift again and you'll return to your old schedule.

So enjoy the summer months while they last. Benefit from the time you may have off and away. Let it bolster your enthusiasm for your writing projects and help you generate new ideas. Most of all, work with your summer routine and keep writing!

4 Reasons Brainstorming is Essential to Good Writing

As writers we hear a lot about brainstorming - how and when to do it especially. But there are many reasons it's emphasized. I didn't used to give my writing the brainstorming it deserved. But over time I discovered how much even a little enhances the depth and quality of my work. Here are four prime ways constant brainstorming will improve your fiction as well.

1. Stronger Characters
There is nothing like weak character development to ruin a story. Prevent yourself from falling prey to it and learn everything you can about your characters. It doesn't matter if most of those details go unrecorded in the finished story. What matters is that you needed to know them to portray your characters faithfully. Remember, your readers can't know your characters unless you know them.

2. Original Plotlines
The more brainstorming you do, the more original your writing will become. Many times our ideas start off very simply - and obviously. But the more you think about it and explore options and alternatives, the more likely that you'll stumble across that "aha!" moment.

3. Clearly Defined Conflicts
Conflict is necessary to any story but without enough brainstorming the external and internal conflicts may get muddled down. You need to know what your characters are contending with. And again, brainstorming will help you get down to the heart of the conflicts. You'll produce intriguing ones instead of the stock conflict that we've all seen before.

4. Perfect Details
Life is in the details and so is good fiction. Characters, settings, plots - they all improve with attention to detail. But the details don't usually come unless you search for them. Brainstorming will take your writing from a lot of vague descriptions to specific character traits and setting details that will make both live on the page.

You don't have to sit down and make a formal session of brainstorming every time. Muse on your story and characters when doing mindless activities like dish washing. Think about it before you fall asleep at night. Play "what if?" while you run errands. There are lots of little moments like this that can become productive brainstorming times. When you do sit down to work, you'll have much more to work with. So don't underestimate the benefits of brainstorming.

Try This >>
Take one character and write down everything you know about him or her. Then, focus your brainstorming efforts on what you don't know. Spend 20 minutes listing or clustering the possibilities. You may be surprised and delighted by what you discover!

Tips for Organizing Your Ideas

If you're like me, you have several story ideas bubbling at once. In some shape or form, it's a good idea to organize those ideas. You don't want to lose those precious character tidbits, the brief scene you scribbled on a sticky note, or that brilliant plot twist you wrote down in your main writing notebook. There are just as many organizational methods as ideas so work with what works for you. Here are a few ways to keep your writing free from chaos.

Create separate files. Create a file for each idea, keep it somewhere handy, and prevent those scraps of paper from disappearing.

Create separate computer folders. Same idea as above, just digital. You may want to organize further and create a new file for each subject (e.g. setting, plot, dialogue).

Keep separate notebooks. Get a notebook for each idea and use it only for that concept.

Use binders. Either get one binder for each idea or use just one and separate ideas with tabs.

Use accordian files. Get one for each idea and use the tabs to categorize further (e.g. setting, plot, dialogue).

Combine two or more of the above. I have about four ideas right now that are in some stage of development. My primary idea has its own notebook. The other ideas have file folders that I keep in easy reach. Then, I have my main miscellaneous writing notebook that I use for writing exercises, general brainstorming, and stray ideas. When another concept starts forming into something more solid, it will get its own file.

Try This >>
Spend a few minutes examining your writing organization system. Is it working for you? Do you know where ideas from brainstorming sessions, focused exercises, and moments of inspiration are when you need them? Do you have trouble sticking to the system you have in place? Taking a little time out to tweak or even overhaul your system can make a big difference in productivity when it comes time to write.

Writing Tip: Incubating Ideas

Sometimes before you start writing or outlining a new idea, give it time to incubate. Brainstorm, whether in your head or on paper, letting the idea mature. Now, at other times, you just need to dig in and start working for the idea to grow. But if you feel that it's not time for that yet, wait. Listen to your gut. Dwell on the idea, letting your mind wander over the possibilities. A single idea that's rather plain can sprout into an exciting concept if given the chance. So be patient and let that good idea become an awesome one.

30 Ways to Fill Your Creative Tank

We all eventually feel bereft of ideas. Life becomes routine at times and that may seep into our writing. So what can you do about it? You don't necessarily need to do anything drastic. Simply switching up your daily routine or trying new things may be all your creative self needs. I've listed 30 ideas that may help you escape from routine writing.

1. Visit an art museum.
2. Take a walk (or run).
3. Learn to cook or bake something new.
4. Read a book that's an unusual choice for you.
5. Take a different route to a familiar place (like work or school).
6. Rearrange or redecorate one room in your house.
7. Take a day trip to a place you've never been before.
8. Drop everything and do something completely frivolous.
9. Watch a TV show or movie on a subject you know nothing about.
10. Get together with a friend (or friends) you don't know as well.
11. Eat something you've never had before.
12. Do your morning or night routine backwards.
13. Listen to a radio station that plays music you don't normally listen to.
14. Learn some basic words in a different language.
15. Do one routine errand at a different location.
16. Play a sport or game (if this is routine, play one you've never tried).
17. Watch a movie or TV show you have no interest in (you might be surprised!).
18. Eat lunch or dinner somewhere new.
19. Learn one new word and use it as much as possible.
20. Do a crossword or word find (if that's normal, go for riddles or sudoku).
21. Research a mythical or legendery character you don't know the history of.
22. Pick up your favorite magazine that's unrelated to writing or work (I love Fitness and InStyle).
23. Try a new flavor of coffee.
24. Play with your cat or dog (or with someone else's cat or dog).
25. Indulge in a guilty pleasure.
26. Go outside - to the park, the beach, a sidewalk cafe.
27. Do one thing you've had on your list for ages.
28. Pick an activity that interests you and learn how to do it.
29. Ride a bike.
30. Go to a concert or another live performance.

Those are my 30 ideas for rejuvenating your life and writing. What are your ideas?

Writing Prompt

Imagine an ice skating rink that appears in your backyard every night, regardless of the season, then disappears at dawn. Write about when you discovered it and what happened next.

Writing Prompt

In 300-500 words, write about a young gymnast representing her country in the Olympics. What is her life like behind-the-scenes? What does she think and feel? How does she act once the cameras are gone?