{"id":5917,"date":"2011-04-11T23:11:52","date_gmt":"2011-04-12T07:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=5917"},"modified":"2013-09-09T07:56:33","modified_gmt":"2013-09-09T15:56:33","slug":"6-ways-to-make-writing-easier-and-more-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/6-ways-to-make-writing-easier-and-more-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Ways to Make Writing Easier (And More Fun)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Do you enjoy writing \u2013 or dread it?<\/p>\n

I write for a living, and I also coach writers and would-be writers, so I know just how tough it can be to get up the motivation and the courage to write.<\/p>\n

But in almost every job, you\u2019re going to have to do some<\/em> writing. You might also want to write for personal reasons: perhaps you\u2019d like to write your memoir for your grandchildren, or you\u2019re keen to write fiction or a blog.<\/p>\n

How can you make writing seem less terrifying \u2013 and more fun?<\/p>\n

#1: Write About What\u2019s On Your Mind<\/h2>\n

This is something which I still do from time to time, even though writing\u2019s usually pretty effortless for me \u2013 and I know a lot of other people find it useful too.<\/p>\n

Write for ten minutes without stopping (set a timer) about any topic you like. You could write about your day, your worries, your workload … anything. You don\u2019t even need to write in whole sentences. The idea is just to get the words flowing: get used to typing onto a blank page and filling it with your thoughts.<\/p>\n

No one will ever see these getting-going pieces that you write.<\/strong> You can delete them if you like, or you can save them so you can look back at them in future.<\/p>\n

#2: Try a Writing Challenge<\/h2>\n

Writing can seem like a big, serious thing to do. It doesn\u2019t need to be that way at all \u2013 in fact, writing is an act of creativity and it can be a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a way into writing, try out a writing challenge which gives you a prompt of some sort<\/strong>. You could give Creative Copy Challenge<\/a> a go \u2013 the idea is to create a short, coherent piece by using all the words supplied, and you can make it as crazy as you want!<\/p>\n

#3: Come Up With Ideas Separately<\/h2>\n

One of the biggest struggles that I hear from the writers I coach is getting started<\/em>. Often, they end up staring at a blank page for ages, because they\u2019re not sure what to write about. I know just how daunting this can be … but thankfully, it\u2019s also pretty easy to fix.<\/p>\n

Instead of sitting down and trying to come up with something to write about, make sure you\u2019ve already got a stock of ideas.<\/strong> You can jot these in a notebook whenever you think of them, or even set aside time to deliberately come up with a list of ideas to write about \u2013 challenge yourself to get to 50, and don\u2019t worry whether they\u2019re \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad\u201d.<\/p>\n

#4: Write an Outline First<\/h2>\n

Even if you\u2019ve got an idea, it can be really tough to write the first few words (and I often advise struggling writers to work on their introduction last). Instead of trying to fill a blank page from top to bottom, write an outline first. <\/strong>It doesn\u2019t need to be in depth \u2013 it just needs to give you a framework to hang your writing from.<\/p>\n

Your outline might be as simple as:<\/p>\n