I, Writer: Level Up Writers

Level Up Writers

I am willfully stretching myself. Work, write, write, write, sleep. Then start again. Why 3 writes? Because I have 3 major projects demanding my attention (aside from little issues demanding my attention).

Writing is my life but it's doesn't get first dibs on my time. It gets dibs on every spare minute. The spare minutes become fleeting when my nephew comes over and wants to sit on my lap so he can watch me play Lego Batman.

When everything is too hard and the world is absolutely effed, I write. Here are some things that have been helping me level up with my writing.

Things Helping Me

1. Twitter #hashtag games

For me, a hashtag game is a healthier goal than a word count. I find the game of the day and work until I have a sentence I feel is worth posting. This can be achieved by writing or editing preexisting text.

I used to be a firm word count person but for me the word counts were more compulsive. With a twitter hashtag game (@WriteEvents), I earn a sense of accomplishment even if I don't have the time to reach the word count that day.

2. Reach a Save Point

Finish a project and move on. A single blog article is an attainable goal. Finishing a project is the hardest thing for me. I'll own that. But I can get an article done. Every piece of writing makes me a better a writer.

3. Reach the Next Level

I'm not a terribly confident person but I have people who are confident in me. And yes, I know how lucky I am to have people around me who believe in me. This gives me the confidence to strive to create things so far outside my skill set. This is the best way to become a better writer. You can do it. It doesn't matter if the people around you believe it, I know it. You can write and you can become a better writer. You just have to work.

4. Extra Lives

This part is not a commentary on reincarnation although I do have many thoughts on the subject. We writers have a million lives inside of us if we're willing to explore them. Just don't lose sight of the life outside. Yes, I want to write my damn book but I wouldn't trade having that kid sitting on my lap cheering my on while I smash Legos inside the game for it.