Getting into the Space of Writing

Shadows gather in the margins. Listen—can you hear their cries? The screams of ideas sent to an early grave; the bones of former outlines buried alive!

Hear the unborn visions pounding on their untimely tombs. They're due to resurrect. Let them out!

That's right, the height of writing season is upon us, which means we're all facing our greatest fear: the specter of the unwritten.

The blank page is a scary sight—but the writing itself needn't be. Whether your gearing up for NaNoWriMo, or hunkering down for a cozy writing season (armed with a big pot of a tea), here are few tips to help keep your creativity flowing all the way to The End—and keep the ghouls of perfectionism banished and at bay.

(Or: why do I want to write?)

We all write (or at least I write) for all sorts of reasons: to remember; to understand (myself, or the experience of others); to preserve a beautiful experience. Sometimes, I write in rage (🤬❌🍊). Other times I just want to convey a sensation, or play around with colour (I am obsessed with the combination of red and black, and will write stories for the singular purpose of "painting" with them.) Still other times, I just want to tell a story. There are infinite reasons to write, no one better than the other.

Know why you’re writing? Great! Keep that reason close. It’ll help you carry on when the writing gets tough.

Don’t know why you’re writing? That’s OK too. The reason will come in time (or not!).

But if you're staring down a stubborn beginning, start here—conjure an image (it can be any image: a memory, a landscape, a dreamscape, a couple embracing, a still from a film or video game). Can you tell the story of this image? More specifically: can you tell the story of how this image affects or implicates you (or your characters)?

Find yourself rewriting the same line over and over again? Polishing the first paragraph, while the rest of the story gathers dust? If so, you may be the victim of over-editing.

Please, stop! The editing can wait its turn.

The reason is simple: you want to keep the ball rolling. No one writes perfectly crafted prose on the first go. There are dozens of ways to structure a sentence; thousands of directions a plot can take. The sheer abundance of choice can become overwhelming.

My advice? Get through the first draft before editing. Writing and editing at once can choke first draft before it has room to breathe. The purpose of the first draft is to get your words, your story, your passion, out onto the page. Over-editing also risk removing the pleasure of writing, and that’s something we definitely don’t want!

And anyway, you’ll do a stronger job of editing once you have a proper idea of the whole.

No one burns hot all the time, everyday. I’ll write up a storm for two days and then—crickets for a week.

If the words aren’t coming, don’t force them. Instead, spend the time replenishing your creative stock. If you find yourself blocked, frustrated, or staring at your screen, use the opportunity to flex a different muscle. Go for a walk, hang out with a friend, watch a film, listen to music; doom-scroll, if you must (it’s OK, we all do it 🥲). When all else fails, sleep.

All of the above can aid you by stimulating new ideas and directions: as every artist knows, creation requires inspiration from all sorts of places. Time away from the page can be just as fruitful as the time on it.

That being said, it’s equally crucial that I connect with the original, animating spirit of the work (the why behind the writing).

There's no one, 'right' way to connect to your work. In my case, it means going back to the books that inspire me. It means discussing the stories that set my heart aflame with people who love reading and writing as much as I do. I also find it helpful to poke around in biographies of writers and artists to understand their creative vision, to gain insight into how they overcame creative impasses in their own work.

In other words, don’t lose sight of the forest amidst the trees. It’s by ‘zooming out’ and connecting our work with the larger world that we keep it alive.

I hope these tips help to you feed your writing fire in months ahead. Remember: your words have the power spark joy in someone; a memory; a new idea. So please, as a final piece of advice: keep calm and carry on, even when (especially when) the writing gets tough. But above all, be kind to yourself.

Happy writing Ellipsurs. May your Autumn be crisp; your words razor sharp.