Welcome to the Wattpad Block Party - Winter Edition IV!
Round SEVEN of this popular event is coming your way the entire month of February 2018 and it's going to be epic! The invites have started to roll out and everyone from your all time favorite W...
Not ready for something long: Writing flash fiction, short stories and novelettes are great ways to learn basic story and plot structure and character development. They also give a major dose of motivation because you're more likely to finish them, and nothing pushes you on to finish another story like finishing one in the first place.
Getting caught up in editing while writing: Biggest motivation killer? Getting into the endless circle of editing and rewriting, yet never moving forward. Been there, done that. This is one reason why I recommend writing your story offline, because you won't have to go back and edit every time you want to post to Wattpad---legit wishing right now I'd followed my own advice for my book, Saving Armarodi. Don't be me!
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Also, sometimes it's nice to write without someone looking over your shoulder and telling you what needs to be fixed before you even know where you going with it. Let your draft suck. It's okay if it's all tell or nothing is spelled right. All first drafts suck to some extent, no matter how skilled the writer is. For me, there's always so much that changes in the second draft, like I never have anywhere enough description and detail. G.A.L.E. Force has almost doubled in word count since I finshed it, and I'm still nitpicking that book.
Remember: you can almost always fix something, but you can't fix what isn't there.
Sometimes going back while writing is okay, though. When I get blocked, I take a step back for a day or two and then re-read things. I've found I get stuck because something isn't clicking and it needs adjustment before I can move forward. Once I find and fix that thing, it's usually smooth sailing.
Just grin and bear it: This is the tough love bit. We've established writing is hard. It's not always fun; it's plain work. Any art takes work and dedication if the artist wants to produce something of worth and improve their skill level. An author might need to force themself if they want to stick with a manuscript and finish it, even if they only write for fun.
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I write for fun, but I've accepted it's not always smooth sailing. Sometimes a story I adore becomes arduous to write, and I have to force myself to get down those last six chapters. It's not new and shiny anymore, I've got three ideas screaming at me to write them, and there's five loose ends I've yet to tie up and it's killing me. But I grit my teeth and bear it because I know I can finish, and the sooner I do, the sooner I get to start one of those other, more shiny ideas. I focus on the light at the end of the tunnel and the accomplishment I'll feel when I do finish.
