Away for the Holiday?
Are you out of town for the holiday? Here are a few tips to make sure you can keep writing!
We have become a world of technology, but we have also become a world with a horrible economy. Not all of us are able to afford the laptops, tablets, and other things that make keeping up with our technological aspirations easier. I remember a time when I was laptopless (it wasn't all that long ago!), and I know plenty of other people who are still without a laptop or other electronic device. And even if they do have one, I know these strange people who go to places that are sans technology (like the woods).
...I know. I forget those places still exist, sometimes, too.
Even if one cannot get the technology, however. Or even if the technology goes on the fritz, as it is so prone to do when we need it the most, there are ways to keep up with our writing goals. Below, I have a few ideas that you can "take with you", quite literally.
1. Take a one subject notebook and pen with you. Unless you are on a super long trip, a one subject notebook should last you through the entirety of where you are going. It has 100 pages, usually front and back so you can take that up to 200. You can even handle multiple writings in there, as you can label the top of the page as whatever you are working on, and then go from there! I even go so far as to number the pages, and keep a little "Table of Contents" in the front, so I can quickly find what I am looking for once I get back from where ever I went off to.
2. Set aside time to write. While it may not be able to be the same time you'd set aside at home, you can set aside a more generic time. Say... you're going to write for 15-30 minutes when you wake up, or before you go to bed. If you set it aside, and keep to it, then no matter what activities fill up your days, you can find a way to keep up a routine and keep going on whatever you are working on.
3. Print out your last chapter, or what you have of a story you're working on. If you're in the middle of a novel, print out your last chapter. I wouldn't suggest printing out the entirety of your book, as that might be quite a hefty thing to carry on the trip, but the last chapter should do in keeping your idea of where you are in the story line. If need be, you could even take your outline with you, depending on the length of it. Or the portion of the outline for what you intend to write while gone. Sure, you may make some mistakes if you don't exactly remember what is in previous chapters, but I find it much easier to revise than to write it down in the first place. The key is, just keep going! If it is a story you're working on, and it isn't complete, simply print out what you have and bring it with you.
4. Take a mini-notebook with you. I actually use this whether I am at home or on a trip - keep a mini-notebook with you to write down those spur of the moment ideas that slam you when inspiration hits. If you do this, you don't have to lose those ideas just because you aren't home to write them down on the actual story. Mini-notebooks are very inexpensive, and can fit in a back pocket or a purse quite nicely.
I hope you are having a wonderful summer, and I hope these are tips you can take with you on your trip, OR keep with you at home.  |
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Noticing Newbies: July 03, 2019 Issue [#9639]
