This page is a work in progress, and will become a list of resources for writers that I am often asked for.
Many of the writers who come on retreat have stalled on the project that means most to them or find that they are unable to fit the amount of writing they feel they should do into their lives and feel constantly guilty. It's important to not start a project by setting yourself up to fail and getting into a vicious cycle, so to start the resources off here is the UWR list of top 10 tips for writers:
1. Take it seriously. Your writing is important. It doesn't matter if you're terrible or a genius, this is something that you love so treat it accordingly.
2. Be terrible. Give yourself permission to write badly, especially if fear of writing is preventing you from writing at all. Olympic athletes don't just appear in peak condition; they train every day for years. Every bit of writing you do is training, and unlike athletes writers have the huge advantage that they can go back over their bad writing and revise it!
3. Go around mountains, not over them. Do you always get stuck at the same point? Identify where your block lies and change your strategy so you sidestep the hurdle. Always plan in detail but give up when it comes to writing? Throw away your notes and write 10, 20, 30 pages not caring where you end up. Eventually you'll see new directions and options. Give up after two chapters because you're not sure where to go? Plan your story arc to at least chapter 5 using flow diagrams to see turning points in the plot lie and map out where you could go next. Write to the end of the plan or start writing on chapter 3 (or after the point you generally give up) and go back and link up the start afterwards. Find any sneaky way of you can of avoiding a problem to keep writing.
4. Stuck? Revision is one of the most important parts of writing and can also be useful if you're stuck. You may find that you have written signposts for continuing without realising it, and shaping what you've already done into writing you're proud of is inspiring.
5. It's your party. This is your writing, and it's fun. Yes, writing conventions are there for a reason but don't feel obliged to follow anybody else's rules. Work wherever/however/whenever feels right, listen to music you like, plan using spider diagrams or stick-figure drawings in felt tip and give yourself rewards and treats. Oh, and you can write about anything you like. Anything.
6. Utilise your own rhythms. Your routine should exploit or compensate for your strengths and weaknesses. If you find it hard to start but then can go for hours, set aside long blocks of time less often. Don't feel guilty if you never write outside this. If you have the attention span of a gnat, carry your notebook around and fit short bursts of writing into your day. If you only allow yourself a strict 10 minutes at a time, those 10 minutes will be super-productive.
7. Remove distractions. If you spend hours pottering in the kitchen, prepare a writing snack the day before and don't let yourself into the kitchen until you're finished. If it's the TV and you know you won't just watch one episode of Friends, DON'T TURN IT ON! Don't put yourself in the path of temptation because you're setting yourself up to fail. Avoid, avoid avoid.
8. You're a writer. Act like one. Always carry a notebook. You think you'll remember that story someone just told, but you won't. Get into the habit of noting down bits of everyday life that could form part of a story, from conversations to landscape. Encourage yourself to see life through a writer's eyes, so that everything you see is potential material.
9. People are good. Find support. Just because you write alone doesn't mean it has to be isolated. Writing with others is inspiring, sharing work is one of the best ways of improving, and even just chatting on a facebook group or with a friend over coffee can make you feel like part of a bigger writing community. All of these activities will make the experience of being a writer altogether warmer and fluffier and hey, we're generally a nice bunch.
10. Shut up and do it. Words don't write themselves. Inspiration doesn't hit from nowhere - it's usually the result of the hard work you've done so far. Unfortunately, there's no substitute for just writing. Write as often as possible, daily if you can. 5 minutes is still 5 minutes and freewriting (writing anything that comes to mind either on a subject or stream-of-consciousness) can really help you to work out story knots. Sit down and write for 10 minutes, right now, and leave feeling positive and inspired.
How does a day of writing and cups of tea without any distractions from the outside world sound? If you think your writing is important enough to dedicate your time and energy to and if you want to know how much you could really get done in the right environment, take a look at our upcoming
retreats in London.