Train Yourself to Think Like a Writer

Most of us have heard that to be a successful author, we must write everyday… and it’s true.

Even if all you can manage is thirty minutes of writing – or 250 words – most of us can get up a little earlier to begin a daily writing practice.

But, something that’s just as important as the practice of daily writing, is to train yourself to think like a writer… everyday.

You might be wondering… what does that mean?

Thinking like a writer means to open your eyes and ears to the sights and sounds around you everyday. Take in all that you see happening in your home, on your street, in your town – including your own inner world… your imagination.

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5 Ways You can Train Yourself to Think Like a Writer

So how do we train ourselves to think like a writer?

Here are a few ideas that will help you to open up those sensory details all around you in everyday life.

The best part is that you can do this even when you don’t have a lot of writing time – in your everyday life 🙂

1.Carry a Small Notebook or use an App on your Smartphone. I keep a small notebook in my purse that I use when I’m waiting for our daughter to finish dance lessons. I write details of just about anything that interests me. I write down the way the insecure young dancer hangs her head down and mumbles when she talks to her overly aggressive mom; I write down details of the hoar frost on the many trees that surround the houses. So for example, as you’re standing in line at the post office, library or grocery store, dig out your Smartphone, and start typing short phrases of details. The Evernote App works well for this too.

2.Keep Your Eyes Open. It’s too easy – and can become a habit – to check email or Social Media when we’re going about our days. Try instead to make it a habit when you are running your errands and going about your day, to observe what’s happening around you. For example, instead of looking at social media, write down what the person standing in the line ahead of you might be like as a character in your next book.

3.Listen to sounds around you. Many times we turn off the sounds of the world around us – and sometimes we need to – but there’s also times when we need to listen. When you open your ears to sounds around you, you can get great ideas to add to your next book. For example, when you listen to conversations of people, you hear accents. Just the other day at the grocery store I heard an accent from a guy I thought was from Ireland and it turns out he was from Newfoundland. Also, I often hear the laughter of children, or at night sometimes the eerie cry of a coyote(we live on the edge of town). Whatever you hear, write it down. You never know when it will be useful in your writing.

4. Have a picture in your mind of where you want to be. In the writing game, each of us come across bad reviews, rejections of our work, and just simple self-doubt. Sometimes it helps to just imagine where you’re going with this next book, or this blog post or whatever else you’re writing. When you see in your minds eye – the finished product of your book; your mini-course or whatever you’re writing, then also write down what you envision. For example, you could write a review of the book you’re working on right now – and make it an amazing review – exactly like a review you’d like to get from a reader. It will inspire your writing and keep you focussed on your goal.

5.Embrace the process. A big part of the life of a writer is about accepting that you can’t do it all. Focus on the vision you have for your writing(see #4), and do that. In the middle of all that – and of life in general – there will be chaos. Sometimes we need to just accept it and realize that this often is what brings the best material in our writing. For example, it helps if you write down what your goals are this week or month and then check in with yourself at the end to see how you did. If things didn’t go as you wanted, you can always tweak your process or your goals.

I hope that gives you some helpful ideas on how to think like a writer everyday.

What do you do that helps you think like a writer everyday? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments.

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