How I Write Regularly with a Busy Schedule

August 18, 2018August 17, 20182 Comments

A handful of people had reached out to me in the past, inquiring how can I juggle with my work with writing, especially since I can always seem to release new content on my blog every week. And although I think this is a very farfetched exaggeration, these people seemed to view me as the epitome of productivity.

Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-typing-on-typewriter-958164/

But I feel like that is not the case. Just like everyone else, I also get lazy from time to time, and would rather watch Netflix while laying on my bed instead of jotting words on my laptop. Let’s face it; we all have the inherent ability to procrastinate indefinitely. I am no exception. Continue reading →

My Writing Rituals

February 10, 2018February 9, 20188 Comments

If you are a writer, you might have heard of the term “writing rituals”.

A writing rituals, as the name suggest, is a set of activities that writers perform before actually doing some writing sessions, in hopes that it will get them into this so-called “writing mode”.

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There are a lot of theories discussing on how this would work. The general idea is that we can actually program our brain to get to a certain mood by always doing a set of activities until it sticks as a habit.

Think of it like how your body instinctively pick up spoon & fork before you eat. You didn’t even command your hands to pick them up, but because you have been doing the same thing over and over again every day, it comes naturally that you should pick up your eating utensils before you actually eat. Continue reading →

Write Every Day: Yay or Nay?

January 27, 2018January 27, 201810 Comments

Before I start, huge shoutout to Yarii and her extraordinary guest post last week. ~~Yes, I am clearly inspired by her guest post when I was writing the title of this post.~~

One of the most popular—if not THE most popular—writing advice out there is write every day.

The idea behind this advice is simple: writing is tough, so the best way to counter that is to make it a habit by writing every day. It doesn’t matter if you only write a sentence or a whole chapter of your novel project; the fact remains that writing every day helps keeping you in the momentum.

Writing every day sounds like every writer’s dream. But is it really the best advice out there…?

I talked in my previous blog post about how keeping in the momentum would help you tremendously in finishing your manuscript faster. So as you might have expected, I agree to this legendary advice—to some extent.

But, as is the case with almost anything else, there is a catch. Continue reading →

Writer’s Block; Fight or Flee? – with Yarii

January 20, 20187 Comments

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It is an extremely common case for writers to face this semi-mythical thing called ‘writer’s block’. Some believe that it exists while some think that it is a myth.

For readers or people who do not write, it is probably difficult for you to imagine how it feels like to have writer’s block. to put it in a simple way, ‘I know what will happen but I cannot put it into words’, Get it? Continue reading →

How I Wrote a Novel in 9 Days (Unspoken Words)

January 6, 2018January 6, 201819 Comments

It is no secret that my productivity comes in waves, and an irregular one at that. Sometimes, it even bothered me enough that I had to organize a writing retreat in order to get back to writing.

However, I have to say that my experience in writing Unspoken Words was quite peculiar.

If you have been following me on Twitter, you would know that I completed the first draft of the book in just 9 days.

Yes, you did not read that wrong. Even I still find it difficult to believe at times. Sure, I completed my debut novel, 3 (Tiga), in 14 days. But never in my wildest dreams did I hope to accomplish the same feat in the near future.

Yet, in reality, I kinda… did.

And it wasn’t until months after completing the manuscript, revising the draft like crazy, and witnessing the book being displayed in bookstores, did I start taking notes of what could possibly be going on when I wrote the book.

Of how a writer with a very demanding day job could finish writing a book in just 9 days.

I hate to break this upfront, but the key to accomplishing that is discipline.

Continue reading →

How to Plot? – with Yarii

October 29, 2017January 18, 20181 Comment

With the end of October only a few days away, I really have to work on my NaNoWriMo project outline on my writer’s notebook, which I have rather abandoned last week because I went on a vacation. Problem is—plotting or outlining has never been my strong point.

This is especially a big problem when I have so little time left to prepare, despite all the bragging and announcements I made at the start of Preptober. I really need a crash course on plotting, and I need it quick. But at the same time, I have to make up somehow for not posting anything last week on this website.

I obviously couldn’t focus on both. So imagine how glad I was when my good author friend, Yarii, who writes amazing historical fiction herself, agreed to write a guest blog post on my website to talk about plotting.

With her contribution, I thought, I could post something new on my website, plus I could learn a thing or two from her. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone.

And boy, was I right.

In any case, I’m planning to start posting regularly on my blog after I finished my outline, so please feel free to follow the blog or any of my social media (Twitter, Instagram) if you’re interested in my struggles during the upcoming NaNoWriMo, or even if you just want to know what I did during my short getaway several days ago.

Okay, I’ll stop with my ramblings and get into Yarii’s guest post about plotting below. If you find the article below helpful, please check out her works. She just independently published her book, Botan, and it is now widely available for purchase through this link. If you like historical fiction, or if you like Japanese culture, you definitely have to get the book!

source: goldendome