writing advice #1: there is no "perfect" time to start
you asked, I answered
I was brainstorming topics for this week’s post and wasn’t sure what to write about, largely because I am anxious about the state of the world, but also because being on vacation mode has made me sluggish. A friend of mine suggested giving people writing advice as a way to get my thoughts flowing. This ended up being super fitting because most of the inquiries were about the dreaded writer’s block. I asked my Instagram followers to send me their writing-related questions or advice they were looking for, and wanted to reply to their questions on Substack so that I could get into more detail and be more helpful (I hope). So let’s get started!
How to stop procrastinating and start writing? / What to do if I get stuck? / How do you get rid of writer’s block?
I grouped these questions together because they have a few things in common; they all tackle the idea of “writer’s block.” A lot of writers will say that writer’s block is not a real thing because you should force yourself to write no matter the circumstances. I don’t think this is true. I think that to write with discipline means to treat it like a job, and even jobs need vacation days. In some ways, these days “off” can be necessary to brainstorm and refuel and are essential to not lose the love you have for writing. However, if you feel like it is time for you to write and you can’t make any more excuses, then discipline is required. This means setting up a writing routine. I will actually say no to plans in order to write. Sometimes I do feel like doing other things. I’m human, after all. But when I cancel obligations or don’t do something else so that I can write, I feel like I need to write or else I just wasted my day. It helps to make the time you write consistent every day - if you have mornings free, for example, you can write in the mornings.
Another thing I believe is that you may just be writing the wrong thing. Maybe you’re telling the wrong story or focusing on the wrong topic. I had this issue with my novel a few months ago. I couldn’t write, I couldn’t focus, no matter how hard I stared at my screen. I realized I had to go back to the drawing board; through brainstorming, I knew the problem wasn’t my own motivation, but the topic at hand. You can explore other genres or types of written work to keep things interesting. For example, I have never written a Substack post like this before, but I did it because I couldn’t focus on writing a lengthy article this week. Think of writing like your favorite food. If you don’t mix it up every once in a while, you can’t blame yourself for getting bored. If you struggle to motivate yourself to write poetry, then you can write non-fiction for a change.
My last piece of advice would be to read. Reading always encourages me to write. It helps to read work similar to the piece you want to write. It can give you some ideas for how you would write sentences differently, present the plot, or just be creative with your own language. It helps to also browse the work of your favorite authors on Substack or in online journals if you can’t bring yourself to read a full novel just for the sake of writing.
I hope I did a good enough job at tackling writer’s block, but I know the antidote will be different for every writer. On to the next…
Do you change your reading choices when working on different writing projects?
Good question! Not always. It depends how “stuck” I feel or if I’m really suffering from “writer’s block.” But I do find that when I make that switch up, it puts me in a good headspace for writing my piece. I don’t see it being as straight forward as “I need to read a novel with an unreliable narrator because I’m writing a novel with an unreliable narrator.” The medium doesn’t matter nearly as much as the mood of the work I’m reading - does it make me feel anxious? Excited? Wistful? Longing? A good short story that captures the same mood would work just as effectively, if not even better. I will, however, switch up the music I listen to depending on what I’m writing, because music is a really important part of my daily routine and my curated playlists do a good job of putting me in that specific feeling I’m looking for to make my piece the best it can be.
How do you write natural sounding dialogue?
I hate writing dialogue. But because it’s a necessary part of most stories, I need to do it. The dialogue I write is specific to my voice as a writer, which involves a lot of the dialogue being interjected into the action, and some of it being written out conversationally and traditionally with quotations.
Look at this example:
In the present, I collected the usual suspects at the bodega: Swedish Fish, Fruit by the Foot, a ready-made Iced Americano from the cooler, the big pack of Tropicana Slim tablets. I always put two of them in the Iced Americano and shook the concoction until they dissolved and my arm was numb. When I headed to the cashier, I asked Waseem what the matter was.
“Oh, you know, Candy Girl,” he sighed. He was speaking to me in Arabic, as he always did. “So many problems back home. Problems here, too. Allah kareem. Things just never stop. What to do? How are your parents?”
I could have easily written this as more standard dialogue - “What’s the matter, Waseem?” but because my stories are usually fast-paced, a lot of dialogue at once can make it feel slow. Of course, this is not always the case. Take, for example, “Hills like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemmingway:
The man called “Listen” through the curtain. The woman came out from the bar.
“Four reales.”
“We want two Anis del Toro.”
“With water?”
“Do you want it with water?”
“I don’t know,” the girl said. “Is it good with water?”
“It’s all right.”
“You want them with water?” asked the woman.
“Yes, with water.”
Here, the dialogue feels snappy and quick because we don’t identify who is saying what or how they’re saying it (he said forlornly, she interjected, he supplied earnestly). Too much of these descriptions of how something is said can make dialogue seem forced and unnatural. I recommend trying out more styles of dialogue and seeing what works best for you.
How do you know if your writing is actually good?
I am one of those people who believes there’s no such thing as good or bad writing, especially because art is fundamentally subjective. What is good to me might be bad to you, et. cetera. I think the first critic you should try to please is yourself. Are you happy with what you’re writing? What is the goal of the writing you are putting out there? What is the mood or aesthetic you want to create for your reader? Who is your target audience, and are they engaging enough with your writing? If all of these answers are clear, then chances are your writing is accomplishing what you want it to. Sometimes, your writing might be objectively good, but you’re not putting it out there enough to get a desired response or a new readership.
If you want to develop professionally as a writer, then you need to seek professional feedback. You can submit your work to magazines and competitions and specifically look for ones that will send you feedback on the piece regardless of whether or not it’s published. Submittable is a good place to start, and you can even filter your search based on genre, length, or submission date. Again, because art is subjective, whether or not the judges or publishers like your work does not make it good or bad but doing this can identify necessary areas of growth that you may not be aware of or some techniques you could use that would make your writing stronger.
How do you manage multiple activities while writing? (teaching, organizing, reading, etc.)
I’m a nerd with nothing better to do (only slightly joking). While I’m teaching, it definitely can be harder to write and organize events and workshops, which means that reading (unfortunately) gets left on the back burner, unless it’s a book that I need to read for my book club. I also love to do these things, and I really believe that if you love something, you can make time for it. Like I said above, I will literally cancel my plans to write, because I consider it legitimate work, equal to my friends who send emails until 9 P.M. because they have to. It’s a mix of passion and discipline and some months are easier than others, but I know that writing makes me feel better when I’m stressed or overwhelmed, and thus I try not to fall behind. I think no technology also works for staying on track. I like to write on flights and train rides, wherever there’s no WiFi, or I’ll turn my phone off so I can write. I’m also motivated by seeing people enjoy the workshops I organize and ask for more, or those who ask when the next book club meeting is. Seeing people genuinely happy about the things that make me happy make me want to keep going.
That’s all for this week! Thank you to everyone who submitted a question. I want to do this again soon, so please follow me on Instagram so you can submit a question: @samirawritesstuff <3
Excellent advice, I'll try the dialogue one!!!