Writing is a solitary profession. Most writers, whether they’re writing a novel, or a short story, even journalists writing news articles and content writers for the Internet, have their own unique voices. This makes writers individual in their outputs and is a way to connect more to their audiences. But once in a while, there is a slump, where writing seems like a chore, and try as they might, they can’t concentrate on the matter at hand.
This is usually called in popular culture as “writer’s block.” There is no actual cause and cure for writer’s block, and if a writer has it, it will take a concoction of several tips and tricks to squash it. In this article, we’ve collated some of the best tips and tricks to improve writing flow for writers, and while there it’s no guarantee to improve writer’s block, as it least it will get to writing again:
Use character counters to motivate you
Most advice will tell you you shouldn’t use a character counter when writing something. But that’s not true at all. Using a character counter for writing will make you strive to finish it in an allotted time. This is important for people who write for a living and have quotas to reach. When you have a character counter tool, it gives you a perspective of what to finish, and this will inadvertently motivate you to write what you can.
While there is usually a default character counter on most word processing software, online character counters also do a great job of making it happen. Consider bookmarking this site, so you’ll have a reference to go to when all else fails. Plus, since these are online, you can use it anywhere in the world. That’s accessibility for you.
Stay on topic, but divide it into subtopics
One thing that most writers don’t know how to achieve consistency is staying on topic. Therefore outlining the article or the piece of literature you are doing first before anything else is key. Staying within the topic requires a level of concentration. As we advance in a society where attention span is decreasing because of technological advances, the pressure is to stay within the boundaries of what you are writing about.
A great way to dissect any topic is to divide it into small, more digestible bits. This means you make subheads for everything related to the topic at hand. Let’s say you are writing an essay for school – the 2,000 to 3,000 words requirement can be easily reached when you divide your topic into 5 or 6 subtopics. Using subheads also makes your writing and talking points clearer and more understandable.
Another trick that you can easily adopt is not overly complicating what you are saying in your article. Let the subhead dictate the information and facts you want to present or the idea or opinion you want to put forth. When you use subheads and divide the topic into more understandable sections, you give your article a chance to breathe, which means it will be better understood and digested by the reader.
Keep paragraphs short and sentences shorter
When constructing sentences, make it so they’re short and sweet. This will be better for your brain, and it will make your reader’s eyes less strained. When sentences are short, they are automatically always concise. And even when they’re in average-length, when short ones surround them, they’ll meld effectively with the rest of the paragraph.
Speaking of paragraphs, you must take it to heart that paragraphs are as short as they can be. Five to six lines are optimal, but you can go longer, depending on the width and breadth of what you are talking about. If possible, break up a paragraph that exceeds 10-15 lines at the most. The ultimate purpose of keeping sentences and paragraphs short is to make your article more digestible. Still, also, you’ll have an easier time writing when you go for precision and make your words concise.
Simple words, simple meaning, a better understanding
The age-old advice of keeping your words simple is as effective as it is now. With simple words, you convey meaning easily and effectively, without so much as breaking the reader’s rhythm. If you think you are using high falutin words, research its synonyms and find the simplest one. With simple words, you better understand what you are writing, and the reader will.
Takeaway
Heed the advice above if you’re on a writer’s slump – you don’t have to do all for it to be effective, just the ones that you think will apply to you and your workflow. The more you write, the better you’ll know how your process goes, so it’s only fitting that you know instinctively and firsthand the exact thing that you must turn your writing flow better and more fluid. And in no time, you will write with no effort at all!