As the year comes to a rapid close, I find I tend to scramble to finish the goals I set out to accomplish. However, sometimes I have to remind myself that new goals and experiences can pop up at any time, no matter how early or late in the year it is.
Whether you’re taking part in National Novel Writing Month, the internet based project that is more commonly known as NaNoWriMo, or realizing you haven’t made much progress on (or even touched) the projects you’ve set out to do, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with setting a personal goal or starting up a new project even a month away from the start of the new year.
Now, I don’t want to make it seem like I’m an expert by any means – I’m still a struggling artist in all senses of the word! I’m constantly learning and figuring out how to better myself as a writer and creator. I still struggle with organizational skills, as I am an unorganized mess by nature, and don’t write nearly as much as I’d like to. However, I’ve found myself improving greatly through the progression of AvidBards, so I’d simply love to share these things in the aim that they might help you too! If you have any comments, advice, critiques, questions or further tips, don’t hesitate to let us know! Here are some of the most important tips I’ve learned so far:
Tip #1: Don’t be too hard on yourself
Yes, finding motivation is extremely important, as well as setting deadlines and goals for yourself. We AvidBards have found that having deadlines for our weekly posts is incredibly helpful, as it somewhat forces us to dig deep and produce readable content on a regular basis. But look, it’s not always easy – there will be some days where you’d rather do anything else other than sitting down and creating. And that’s okay. It’s completely fine to take time for yourself away from your projects, because creating anything is hard. Especially when you’re hard-pressed for inspiration, or suffering from writer’s block. However, I find the best strategy is just to sit down and let it out. Don’t be hesitant – whether the end result is good content or not the best, remember that you always have the opportunity to edit, restructure and change things afterwards. This leads me to the next:
Tip #2: Impose deadlines
I would say that in having deadlines for AvidBards, I have become much less anxious and stressed about writing overall. Through the process of having to create content on a regular basis, I continue to grow more confident as a writer (though of course, there’s still a long way to go!) However, life often gets in the way, whether it’s your day job, school, mental and physical health, or anything else that can be a major deterrent. These things make it even harder to stick to a deadline, particularly in the case of leisure writing. So my suggestion to you, if you’re up for the challenge, is to consult your friends, family, partners, or whoever else, and have them set a deadline for you. The purpose for this is, having a deadline imposed on you by someone else can put the pressure on a bit more effectively than setting them yourself, especially if your content isn’t for your job or for public. And it doesn’t even have to be that constant – consult your person and work together on creating a deadline that fits with your lifestyle and schedule. Because ultimately, it’s still going to be super helpful! If you want to take it one step further, have the person who’s setting the deadline to read the content you produce every time the deadline is met! If nothing else, writing just for the sake getting it on the page makes for wonderful practice in honing your craft. Whether it’s a 200-word rant about your day, a journal entry, or the bare bones of a story, anything will be helpful. And that brings me to my next one:
Tip #3: Don’t wait for “inspiration”
Now, this may sound harsher than perhaps intended. I don’t mean to ignore inspiration, or not to actively look for it. Simply, as someone heavily involved in the arts world, I’ve found it incredibly hard to stay “on” in terms of having constant inspiration. Yes, of course it’s an amazing feeling when you suddenly have a massive eureka-moment wave of inspiration, but those miraculous moments are hard to come by (for me, personally). Given the very nature of inspiration, it is often sporadic and unscheduled, which can be tough when you’re trying to schedule out your projects. And I know many other creators who feel the same way, especially when your livelihood is centered around your craft. This is why, again, it’s so important to practice and to start somewhere rather than let things stew too long in your mind. Waiting around for inspiration to hit you in the head before you start anything often results in little to no productivity, which is unhelpful for your process. I know that anyone with a creative mind agrees that with so many ideas in your head, it’s hard to sift through if it’s not getting onto the page, and sometimes you can even forget that amazing idea you just had a few days ago. This leads me to my next one:
Tip #4: Write your ideas down wherever you are
A lot of us these days are privileged to having technology that allows us to organize our lives better. I know that personally, I’ve been able to stay so much more organized by having everything in one place – my phone. Now, that being said, I of course realize that not everyone has access to this type of technology, and I’m in no way saying you need to have it in order to succeed. More that, it’s a great tool to use if you suddenly have a great idea and need to write it down before you forget, or before it becomes muddled in your pool of great ideas. I find even writing bullet points down in “Notes” on my phone is a wonderful way of organizing my thoughts. It’s compact, and you have a lot of leeway – you can casually build on your ideas while commuting to work or school, or you can just leave it be and have it down for future reference (just remember to back up your devices so nothing gets lost!) And if you have no such technology on hand, no problem! Bring a tiny notebook with you at all times, and do it old school by writing your ideas down there. In fact, there is something lovely and visceral about doing so, so even if you do have a phone you can write things down in, you can totally do it both ways and alternate between a physical notebook and your technology of choice.
I’m all tapped out on tips, as these four – which arguably all permeate into each other – have been the most important ones to date. Let us know if you find these tips helpful, and most importantly, remember to take things at your own pace! There’s nothing more important than to look after yourself, especially amidst stressful situations. Ultimately, creating content is all about letting your own amazing uniqueness and creativity flow through! Happy writing, everyone!
~ Z ~
