Writers' Hotline

How to Write and Update ~ @booohh

An amazing writer — who is no longer consistently active on Wattpad. But thankfully, her stories are still here, check them out at booohh.

❣

Before I start to give my advice, I just want to note that everyone works differently when it comes to writing. What method works for me might not work for you and vice versa. So just be open-minded and remember to take the approach that best suits your needs and goals.

1. Planning

The first step to any potential story being written is the planning stage. Now for many people, this word can mean different things. To some, planning means vigorous thought put into the ideas that you want to recreate. You might like to write down crucial questions like:

· What is the story about?

· Have I outlined an introduction, climax, and end?

· Who are the characters?

· Do I have a protagonist (main character)?

· Will the story be from multiple point of views?

· Will I be writing in first, second or third person (most writers will use first or third as second is quite difficult to navigate)?

· Where is the story set?

· What is my intention for the story (for example, some people write for educational purposes rather than just entertainment)?

These are just a few of the questions that you might like to think about before you actually begin writing. For many people, this method of preparation is great practice, as when it comes to sitting down in front of the laptop to write, they know exactly what needs to go into each chapter and there's no stalling or delay.

Other people, however (like me), don't like to outline and plan rigorously. Now personally the above-mentioned method is too organised for me (lol).

I'm one of those writers who opens up the laptop and decides on the spot what is going to be written and where the story will go from there. Of course, you will still have to have some idea of what you want to write about.

In this method, you let things come naturally and I've observed that it depends a lot upon your mood. It will be better if you're actively motivated to sit down and write, when the juices in the brain are flowing and you know that nothing can stop you from filling up that blank white screen.

Like I said before, one way might work better for you in comparison to another. Choose what best suits your personality and way of functioning.

2. Writing

Now for many people, this is the hard part of the story. Sometimes, no matter how much planning or thought you've put into your work, when it comes to letting it all out, it's not that easy. Sometimes it's because you have so much to write / so many ideas that you don't know where to start (this is where the planning method might help).

Other times it's because you just can't seem to string two words together eloquently in a way that seems to make sense and flow nicely.

Like I just mentioned, mood is key. I don't know if many of you have realised this, but your emotions at the time of writing can either positively or negatively influence your writing. If you just, say, had a fight with your sibling and you're fuming inside with anger, you're not going to write a successful chapter about your protagonist's wedding day.

Whereas, if you're sad and have pent up frustration inside, it might help to write about a character who is feeling stress and the burden of the world upon their shoulders. Why? Because your emotions direct your writing. They heighten it when you can match your emotion to the characters and vice versa.