A writer isn’t a writer if he or she doesn’t write.

You may find it difficult to improve as a writer. And, I believe this is very much your heart’s desire.

One of my clients asked the question, “What happens if I run out of things to say with this manuscript that I’m working on?”

Here’s my response, “You will never run out of things to say. Ideas will always come providing you’re in a space or time in your life where those ideas can flow freely.”

You may be working on a blog, article, press release or book. You’re probably doing awesome things with your writing like my client.

Writing experts, like myself, have daily goals to write a certain amount of words per day.

Are you a beginner writer finally getting into the swing of it? I highly suggest setting a goal of 1000 words per day.

Here’s where you must find your rhythm. My rhythm begins at 5 AM through 3 PM. My brain shuts down after this time. I am most creative with a clear head in the mornings.

My inspiration and ideas are best while everyone else sleeps in. However, your best writing and thinking maybe late evenings or nights.

Become sensitive to yourself to learn when writing is best for you. I remember struggling with this in grad school. It was needful for me to find this sweet spot for writing because grad school is nothing but reading and writing.

I made myself sit quietly and reflect; think about my thinking. This concept is called metacognition.

While sitting in a place that had no interruptions or distractions, I became more in tune with how my body and brain work regarding progress.

At this moment, I realized that I get extremely fatigued after 4 PM–literally to the point of no energy to extra things.

But I’d function at optimal performance during the morning, afternoon, and early evening.

As a writer, you should draw from your experiences. When you write from your experience, think of it as a life lesson. A lesson that you’ve already or recently learned.

Explain the situation. Write an explanation about the encounter. Use as many details as you can. Explain the experience.

For example, talk about the events that surrounded the situation. Was it cold outside? Did the sun shine brightly? Did a wasp creep through the window? Where did it fly? Were you able to kill it? Did the wasp distract you?

On the one hand, it’s okay to use rich narrative, beautiful and or explicit details as a writer. Don’t feel like you have to be rigid. Writing in a beautiful poetic voice is alluring. Using elaborate metaphors or similes may be your style.

On the other hand, if you write on a scholarly level, of course, it’ll be loaded with research. I had to learn the hard way writing scholarship can have a “soft” tone as well. Because I always felt like I had to prove my intellect being a writer.

Continually feeling this pressure can be stressful, too; you get caught up in the “competition” with others.

And, please understand that I get how tone and style play a significant role in different kinds of writing.

What kind of writer are you?

I’m more of a poetic writer, where I like to use metaphors and similes. I want to use hyperboles–you know those exaggerated statements. I don’t mind doing stuff like that, and then that’s my voice and my style. Hence, when I write like that, I’m able to use more details.

Take for instance a moment prepping for the Christmas holiday. One particular day my husband and I worked on the Christmas tree. I’d explain everything that happened; how he asked me to turn on some Christmas music to set a beautifully warm atmosphere.

I remember searching through the channels and thought to myself, “Why does it take forever to find the music channels for Christmas, or did the cable station move it?

These moments will get written down exactly as it happened including my thoughts. I’d also write how we started off with three strands of lights and then had to add another strand because the middle section of the tree just wasn’t popping enough.

Using the word “popping enough” is like adding a particular kind of flavor to my style.

The other things to include is how he took pictures at his job while watching coworkers decorate the area. We were able to learn and get new ideas from those pictures. I’d also add details from the photos.

These are just a few examples regarding using details and explaining your encounters, but you want to make sure those encounters connect with the context that you’re writing in.

And you want to make sure there’s a lesson that you learn.

What’s the lesson from this day that I learned? I learned where the new holiday channel was, and how to have a little more patience. When you have patience, you can find what you’re looking for, write with ease and details.

When you’re writing, write from a place of your experience. Use details and talk about a lesson that you learned in a way your readers can connect with you.

A writer will use creativity to connect him/herself to a text, encounter, society, the world, and people. After making these connections, think about what causes you to join. Reflect on why.

Essentially, you’re becoming more self and other aware. This awareness improves your writing skills and gives you more to write.

Conclusion

Finally, after you make life connections or you connect your writing to your experiences, coupled with research on the topic, your daily writing routines will get stronger.

There’s something that we are constantly learning something– that we continually experience that’s new, familiar and probably old.

Either way, your life is full of colors, flavors, and details to always have something to write daily.

Images are courtesy of Pixabay