Change your thoughts

to change your life

Today is Friday, July 25th, 2008

10 Ways to get into the writing zone

February 14th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

10 Ways to get into the zone of writing

Writing can be a very frustrating endeavour and yet it is an activity, which can produce a whole range of emotions. There are days when I have felt utterly stupid, you know the days when you can’t even spell the word ‘the’ and there are other days when I feel I could write a book as I am totally in the zone.

Whether it be writing an article for a blog or writing a book, the process of writing will drain the brain or set it on fire.

Here are 10 ways to get into the zone of writing and set your brain on fire every time you sit down to write.

How to get in the zone of writing

Most people are different and they have their own ways when it comes to writing. I have found 10 ways, which help me to get in the zone of writing.

Always carry a notebook with you wherever you go in order to capture even the silliest ideas for an article, or chapter or paragraph.
Get into the habit of writing every day. If the only time you can write is for half an hour per day in the morning then the flow will start to come to you for that half hour.
Concentration is obviously a key factor in your ability to get into the zone. If you practice concentration then you will become better at it. Concentrating on anything everyday will help you in your writing. Use the process of writing to improve your concentration. This has the advantage of training your brain whilst developing your writing skills.
Write in your head whenever you can. This might sound a bit strange. Before I write an article, I have been thinking about it for a few days and have started the process of writing the article in my head. The heading has already been written, the first few paragraphs have been written and the whole point of the article is clear in my head. I have even got to the stage of writing the keywords in my head and where they will go in the article.
Getting into the zone of writing will speed up the process of writing itself. Before you become proficient you can practice speed writing just to get your brain thinking along at a fast pace. If you are thinking and typing very quickly, you are apt to concentrate that bit more, if you concentrate that it more you will speed up your writing, it’s a circle thing.
Read! To become a better writer you have to read better writing. To read better writing you may follow a particular style of writing you like and then go with that. When I say read better writing I am not being snobbish and saying you should read ‘The classics’ I am saying read the type of writing you like reading, and read more of it. There is no bad writing if one other person likes the style, so don’t listen to literary critics, read what you want not what you think you should.
Practice extending your vocabulary. One word a day will extend your vocabulary by 365 words per year, over 10 years this is an extension of 3650 words. It’s hard to say what the average vocabulary is but estimates vary between 10,000 – 30,000 words. Therefore, if you can increase this by 3650 you will have increased your overall vocabulary by 12 – 36%.
Learn correct grammar.
Listen to the way other people speak. Language is evolving all the time so don’t feel the need to stick to proper use of language if it doesn’t suit your style.
Write, write and write some more. The more you write the better you become the better you become the more you write.

Popularity: 12% [?]

CYT Guide to Lucid Dreaming	CYT Guide to making true friends

There Are 13 Responses So Far. »

Pingback by Media Districts Entertainment Blog » 10 Ways to get into the writing zone on 14 February 2008:

[...] Personal Development - Change your thoughts put an intriguing blog post on 10 Ways to get into the writing zoneHere’s a quick excerpt [...]

Comment by Truthteller on 14 February 2008:

I have an idea bank, which is actually just a small box. I throw in ideas on a piece of paper, articles I saved and sometimes just a phrase that sticks in my head. These become my primers when my well of ideas has gone dry.

Comment by Naples on 14 February 2008:

An excellent article. Writing is practice, practice. Some other items individuals may want to consider - is dictating notes (some cell phones have the ability to record notes), list some thoughts about what you want to write about - the high points. Lastly, ask someone that you don’t mind constructive criticism from to read your writings.

PS - I was very poor at English and still remain challenged in this area. It is a struggle, but I force myself.

Comment by Steven Aitchison on 15 February 2008:

Edward (Truthteller) thats a brilliant idea. That’ll be number 11. on the list

Glenn (Nales), Number 12 and 13, thanks for your comments on this, always appreciated.

Comment by Personal Development for the Book Smart on 15 February 2008:

I think freeing yourself of all distractions is key. Trying to write with your gmail page on the background and multiple tabs on your firefox is a real test.

SJ
http://RichGrad.com
Personal Development for the Book Smart

Comment by Marenda on 15 February 2008:

These are great tips. I was shocked to see that I do most of them already. #4, #6, and #10 are golden for me :)Thanks for sharing these.

Comment by Lodewijkvdb on 15 February 2008:

One advice: Writing your head is a great idea, just not in the 10 minutes before you go to sleep I never remember what I created, only that I created it. Very annoying.

That’s why I have a notepad next to my bed, so I can scribble something down (even in the dark) and reconstruct the next day. If only my handwriting wasn’t so awful in the dark…

Comment by Mike on 15 February 2008:

Steven: I spent years stumbling over silly obstacles to writing. If I didn’t know the title of the piece, I couldn’t move forward until I found it. Until I wrote the first paragraph, I couldn’t do anything else. Although I do depend on knowing the overall organization of an article, I now often write parts in the middle first. In many cases, I find it easier to write the first paragraph later in the process. At that point, I might have a better idea of what the first paragraph should convey.

In the end, though, I don’t have any formula for approaching any article. Well, except that I do need that overview to get any place. Without it, I tend to just make a mess.

Comment by Kacper on 16 February 2008:

Thanks for great tips. Very useful for me, as I’ve just started my personal blog.

Cheers

Comment by mariana on 16 February 2008:

Strong advise! Thank’s

Comment by etavitom on 17 February 2008:

Great post! Thanks for the wisdom….

Comment by PassionBasedLearning on 22 February 2008:

Writing itself has never been much of a challenge to me but getting into that zone where words flow like magic is the real one. Great stuff!

Regards,
Amir

Comment by Anne Lyken-Garner on 1 March 2008:

You’re right about reading, not only does it widen your ability to attempt new and different styles. It gives you ideas and inspirations you may not have thought about before you read that particular piece.