Back to basics

It's time to cover some basics of good writing habits that occur before you ever put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. It has to do with being comfortable and uninterrupted so you can focus. FIND A TIME OF DAY that works best for you. I'm an early morning person. I am much more alert and attentive at 5 in the morning than I am at 11 at night. Maybe noon works best for you. Whatever tine you choose, it is best to pick one when you are not likely to be disturbed by telephones or noisy kids or other distractions. FIND A PLACE that works for you. Make it a place where you're not only comfortable but where you're close to resources you might need, like books, magazines, a dictionary. IF YOU WORK BETTER with background music, make sure it is continuous so you don't have to stop and change it frequently and adjust the volume to your liking before you begin. IF YOU WANT FOOD OR BEVERAGE, get them before you sit down to work. And no Cheetos! If you have to ask why, you've never had Cheetos! PUT YOURSELF ON A SCHEDULE. Write for two hours a day. Or one hour. Or a half-hour. Whatever works. But remember, writing is a discipline and discipline takes structure and commitment.

Telling the story

"Know the story before you fall in love with your first sentence. If you don't know the story before you begin the story, what kind of storyteller are you? Just an ordinary kind, just a mediocre kind, making it up as you go along, like a common liar." -- Novelist John Irving

Hemingway's five tips to writers

1. Use short sentences. Hemingway is credited with demonstrating how an entire story can be told in six words: For sale: baby shoes, never used. 2. Use short paragraphs. (Refer to point #1.) 3. Use vigorous English, words that evoke passion, focus, sweat. 4. Hemingway said you will write one page of masterpiece to oodles of pages of S#&%. His advice: Throw out the S#&%! 5. Eschew obfuscation and instead write clearly.

The broader look

If you are working on a writing project that has several chapters or phases, try this organizational technique. In your office or work space, set up several flip chart pads, one after another in a row - or, if space is of a premium, do the same thing with legal pads. Map out your story as you envision it, almost as if it was an outline. Take a marker and make notes to yourself on the first pad about what you want to write about first. On the second pad, write what you think should come in your next chaper or segment. Do this for as many pads as you can. Then, step back and take a look at your work. How does it flow? Should you do some rearranging? If you have a better idea, tear a sheet off and start over. You are giving yourself the opportunity to look at the broad picture of what you are trying to accomplish. Another advantage to this: When you are actually doing your writing and decide to call it quits for the day, you can jot notes on the next pad of where you want to pick it up tomorrow. What you've created are story boards - and they work.