Writing Tips – by Ripple

Are you struggling to write? Been struck with writer’s block and don’t know how to escape? Try out these few writing tips the RiPPLE team have thought up and see the difference to your writing.

being creative can be difficult sometimes

Change your environment

Having a set place where you write can be beneficial, but sometimes it can feel pressurising to write on your laptop in a set place.

Changing your environment can help motivate and inspire you, so you could potentially try moving rooms where you live. Or perhaps you can try writing on something other than your laptop, such as on your phone or in a notebook.

So many fonts out there

Change the font you’re writing in

I’ve certainly noticed when I write in a Microsoft Word document and I copy and paste the document into WordPress, which uses a set font, I notice the mistakes I would’ve missed otherwise.

Using the same font all the time means you’re more likely to just skip over any errors because you’ve adjusted to the font.

Try to not pressure yourself

Write when you can

Finding the time to write can seem impossible with everyday responsibilities, but even if you only write 100 words or for ten minutes a day, that’s still more words than you started with.
Writing is a marathon, not a sprint, so take as long as you need to write it. So long as you’re putting down words, what does it matter how long it takes?

Find your happy space

Eliminate distractions

It’s so easy to just pop onto YouTube, convincing yourself it’ll only be for five minutes, but then three hours have passed and you don’t know how or where the time went.

If you are going to sit down and write, make sure you turn your phone onto ‘do not disturb mode’ or install an extension on your browser to temporarily block the internet. Make sure you’re also not likely to be distracted by loved ones or impromptu meetings or anything else

Its feels great to share

Share your work with someone else

It’s easy to miss your own mistakes or think you’re making perfect sense, but sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can help. They can point out where you could be clearer or where you’ve made some grammatical errors.

Sharing with someone else can be useful too if you’re stuck because they can offer you ideas for where to go next or give you suggestions for how to change a particular scene if it’s not working properly.

Take time to enjoy yourself

Take a day off

We all need to take a step back and do something else from time to time. Whether it’s watching a TV show, meeting up with friends or exploring somewhere new, it can give you a much-needed break. It might even inspire you when you come back to it.

RiPPLE is a Kingston University anthology, run by Creative Writing and Publishing MA students. You can find us on Twitter Facebook and Instagram

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.