Writing To The Finish

Struggling to put words on the page are what every writer goes through. It doesn’t matter if you have an idea of what you want to write, getting the words in the precise order is sometimes a problem. It’s what keeps some of us up at night. Over at The Blood Red Pencil, I discovered some interesting tips on helping writers get through the first draft and to the finish line.

English: Delfo Cabrera is winning marathon at 1948 Olympic Summer Games (London). The photo was front page of Clarín, main Argentine newspaper, on August 14th, 1948. Español: Delfo Cabrera gana la maratón en los Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1948 (London). La foto fue tapa de Clarín, principal periódico argentino, el 14 de agosto de 1948. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Writer’s Marathon

If you’re a fan of the Olympics like I am, writing during this time comes with its own set of challenges. I am also lucky enough this summer to be only an hour and a half outside of London. Now add to this mix that I am straining to run the writer’s version of the marathon – finish a first draft before I return home to family responsibilities in two weeks.Exciting times. Let me share with you ten things which I have learned to help you complete your first draft.10. Stop fixating on your word count. Just write your story. Easy to say; tricky to do.9. Resist the urge to hit that shiny delete button.

8. Remind yourself it’s your decision when to put your story in front of someone else’s eyes. Until then, it’s just you. But really …

7.5 Don’t show anyone your first draft. Trust me on this one.

7. Have a daily goal. It’s up to you how ambitious it is, but aim low. The glow of passing that goal could keep you warm on a frozen winter’s night.

6. Don’t compare your output to anyone else’s. There’s no win here. Again, trust me. Read more here.

Related articles

• Stick with it! (thehorrificallyhorrifyinghorrorblog.com)
• My Year of Writing Dangerously – Guest Post by Russell Blake (ebarnes23.wordpress.com)