Writing Time, Part 81. In the Mood for Writing

Self-discipline rarely goes amiss, but what if a writer examines a great writing mood and figures out how to encourage it? For example, planning not only a time for writing but getting in the mood for writing as well. Everybody is different, of course. I’ve heard good writing moods encouraged by:

1. Spending time alone in a cafe, a huge hot drink to hand, with instrumentals playing
2. Drafting an individual project in good company, (with writing friends, my personal favourite), using the Dale Segal’s The Hour Stories
3. Leading into writing time by writing out a favourite poem or paragraph
4. Going for a walk to the library, taking just the next step, and finishing the walk after that bit is written
5. Phoning a writing friend to encourage and be encouraged, having set a date to do so
6. Placing stickers on a calendar
7. Setting a timer for 30 minutes, and pressing the start button at the moment we begin typing
8. Chunking down the next step in a work-in-progress to its next step, so that it appears perfectly easy and pleasant

Each of these have in common the feeling that we are in complete control of our days and our moods. Not a bad way to live our writing lives.

I hope you’ll have another great week in your writing career. Cheers Mel

If you enjoy Mel Anastasiou’s writing tips, you might try her pocket-sized writing guide The Writer’s Boon Companion: Thirty Days Towards an Extraordinary Volume. Motivates, organizes, encourages, inspires.

From Pulp Literature Press