Sitting and chilling this week, I came across a video that detailed the journaling advice of Ernest Hemingway, and I was drawn to how many of the tips can be used within our general writing.
Many of these especially stuck with me as I am currently taking part in a reboot of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The lessons on overcoming the blank page and maintaining momentum are invaluable for any large writing project.
Write One True Sentence
All writers have a phobia of the blank page. To overcome this, Hemingway advised simply writing one true sentence. What is the truth of your characters? If you set yourself the task of writing just one sentence a day, the blank page will evaporate, and you will then continue writing. Crucially, don’t spoil this initial impetus by editing—just write.
Just Write It
This is similar to the “one true sentence” piece of advice: just write it. It doesn’t matter if you edit everything you have written out at a later date; the important thing is simply to get the words down. I have been rigorously applying this during November. My main focus is to just write the first draft; everything else can be sorted later.
Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself
With projects such as NaNoWriMo, you can set yourself a daily word goal or chapter goal, but the important part is to stop when you reach this. Many famous writers talk about stopping their writing in the middle of a sentence. If you are stopping at the end of a chapter, write the first sentence of the new chapter. The key is to give yourself a starting place for the next day. Stop writing when you still have something left to say.
If you could share just one piece of writing advice what would it be?
Until next Sunday: Find the time, find the words, find the way.
Sam 😊
The first draft of anything is shit. - Hemingway
Sam, when I write a novel, I edit the chapter I wrote the day before, which propels me into writing the next chapter.
When the last chapter is finished, I read from the beginning, editing again.
Works for me.
Hugs
Linda