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"A writer, I think, is someone who pays attention to the world." - Susan Sontag
My tried-and-true suggestions:
Free write. Let yourself be messy. Embrace stream-of-consciousness style. Can even set a 5-minute timer for this. Then, pick out your favorite words or lines and see if you can elaborate on them.
Goals are important, but tailor them to what works for you, and don’t stress out too much. Set a word count goal or a daily time commitment: 300 words/day or perhaps 30 minutes of writing time. For me, word count goals really worked because I could write past them if I felt inspired. If not, I simply reached my 300-word goal, and left my desk for the day.
Writing friends: Do you have people you can write with? Who can keep you accountable? If not, let this be your sign to go write! And there are tons of online spaces to find community, too (noted below).
Experiment with both genres and reading material! Everything is interconnected, even if you feel strongly about only pursuing fiction. And of course, reading is just practice for writing. Take notes on your favorite and least favorite books. What did you admire about them? What had you shaking in your boots with annoyance?
General Suggestions:
*I have tried to feature websites, especially for writing/drafting, that have explicit anti-AI policies. I recommend double-checking yourself, though, just to be sure.
For getting ideas down: Do Not Stop Writing (or it will erase your work!!) (https://www.donotstopwriting.com/)
For staying consistent: 4theWords (4thewords - Fight Monsters by Writing | Gamified Writing App )
For community: The Young Writers Initiative (tywi.org); Roomie Cafe (focus with a buddy) (Focus Together)
For drafting or collaborative writing: Ellipsus (https://ellipsus.com/).
For outlining, drafting, prompts, and more: Reedsy Studio (reedsy.com)
For inspiration: Create your own Pinterest mood board, character playlist, junk journal, or swipe file (How to Create a Swipe File: A Guide for Bloggers & Writers )
For intense focus: Pomodoro (25:00 - Time to focus!) ; Forest App (Forest — The #1 Focus App for Time Well Spent) ; Leechblock (LeechBlock NG - Microsoft Edge Addons); and JustWrite (JustWrite | Distraction-free writing tool for deep focus)
For trying something new: physical journaling or traveling to a new location
For submitting to literary magazines: ChillSubs (Chill Subs - The place for writers)
For writing diversely: Writing with Color (WritingWithColor)
More to come!
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