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Description
I recently solicited my watchers to ask me writing questions that I would then attempt to answer in a writing guide such as this. This article is my first response, and there will be many more to come.

I've been asked to give advice on ways a writer can begin to put words on a page. The bottom line is as simple as this: sit your butt down and write.

Duh, right? It's the only way I know to actually write.

Sure, sitting your butt in a chair is easy, but getting your fingers to move and stay moving is a challenge. Here are three things that have helped me.

1) Have a goal.

Your goal can be as simple as "describe the person in this picture" or as ambitious as "write 1,000 words of my novel." Having a goal will drive you forward and motivate you to keep writing. Whatever you do, don't move your butt from your chair until you accomplish your goal.

Other practical goals include setting a timer, writing to the end of a chapter or scene, and completing a particular section of an outline or number of pages. Goals vary from person to person. Find one that works for you and just do it.

2) Get in the mood.

I don't know about you, but it's hard for me to write if I don't "feel" like it. Having a goal helps motivate me, but it's still a drag if I'm not feeling it.

Some simple ways to get in the mood include listening to music, reading a book or manga, reading nonfiction on how to write, listing to writing podcasts, browsing image galleries, and watching TV shows and movies that are particularly good. A favorite pen and notebook can be a turn-on, too. I also get a lot of great ideas while taking a walk or showering. And right before I go to bed. Take the time to write down your ideas or even write the scene that just popped into your head if you don't have obligations the next morning.

If you're writing something you've already started, it can sometimes help to go back and read over your previous work. A word of caution: don't edit it! Trust me, I've done this enough to know that it can seriously ruin the mood of moving forward.

3) Know what you're going to write next.

No matter how badly you want to start writing something new and put words on a page, you can't if you don't know what to write next. Maybe you excel at seat-of-your-pants writing, but I can't write a sentence without having some sort of destination. I'm definitely a proponent of outlining, and I always develop an ending first because I have to have something to work toward.

If you have an outline--even if it's just a mental one--you will have a road map of where to go with your story and will always know what to write next. Even if you don't know the end, know the next scene. If you don't, you will get stuck and will not be able to form new words.

If you're starting a new story, the same thing applies. You'll have a hard time starting if you don't have at least some idea of where you're going and a mental outline at the bare minimum.

Maybe you do know what to write next, but you don't know how to write it. Maybe it's a court scene, and you have no idea how trials and lawyers work. Now what? Research. Google it, watch a documentary, ask someone who knows, visit your local library. Find out.

Not knowing something is not an excuse for not writing. We live in the age of information where the answer to anything is one click away. We as writers can no longer say, "Write what you know." It's time to start saying, "Write what you can know."

So maybe you've done all of this and still aren't feeling it. You've got the dreaded "writer's block." Now what?

First of all, if you've tried all of the above, you can be sure your writer's block is not due to laziness. It's mostly likely caused by a problem in your story that you need to identify and fix before you can move forward.

What in the plot doesn't make sense and is preventing story progression? Are you forcing a character to do something he or she really wouldn't do? Do the characters lack a third dimension, and are they stagnant instead of changing and working toward a goal? Does your story lack conflict and forward momentum?

If so, you've got a problem. Once you identify what it is, take the time to figure out what you need to do differently in order to make the story work again. You don't have to go back and fix what you've already written before you can move on with the story. Just figure it out and keep writing as if the story had been that way all along. Finish it first, then go back and fix everything. I've done it before, and it works. Remember, going back is the enemy of moving forward and putting new words on paper.

Now sit your butt down and write. Stop procrastinating, close your internet browser, turn off the TV, and just write. Have a goal, get in the mood, know what to write, and do it.

Simple as that.

Description
I recently solicited my watchers to ask me writing questions that I would then attempt to answer in a writing guide such as this. This article is my first response, and there will be many more to come.

I've been asked to give advice on ways a writer can begin to put words on a page. The bottom line is as simple as this: sit your butt down and write.

Duh, right? It's the only way I know to actually write.

Sure, sitting your butt in a chair is easy, but getting your fingers to move and stay moving is a challenge. Here are three things that have helped me.

1) Have a goal.

Your goal can be as simple as "describe the person in this picture" or as ambitious as "write 1,000 words of my novel." Having a goal will drive you forward and motivate you to keep writing. Whatever you do, don't move your butt from your chair until you accomplish your goal.

Other practical goals include setting a timer, writing to the end of a chapter or scene, and completing a particular section of an outline or number of pages. Goals vary from person to person. Find one that works for you and just do it.

2) Get in the mood.

I don't know about you, but it's hard for me to write if I don't "feel" like it. Having a goal helps motivate me, but it's still a drag if I'm not feeling it.

Some simple ways to get in the mood include listening to music, reading a book or manga, reading nonfiction on how to write, listing to writing podcasts, browsing image galleries, and watching TV shows and movies that are particularly good. A favorite pen and notebook can be a turn-on, too. I also get a lot of great ideas while taking a walk or showering. And right before I go to bed. Take the time to write down your ideas or even write the scene that just popped into your head if you don't have obligations the next morning.

If you're writing something you've already started, it can sometimes help to go back and read over your previous work. A word of caution: don't edit it! Trust me, I've done this enough to know that it can seriously ruin the mood of moving forward.

3) Know what you're going to write next.

No matter how badly you want to start writing something new and put words on a page, you can't if you don't know what to write next. Maybe you excel at seat-of-your-pants writing, but I can't write a sentence without having some sort of destination. I'm definitely a proponent of outlining, and I always develop an ending first because I have to have something to work toward.

If you have an outline--even if it's just a mental one--you will have a road map of where to go with your story and will always know what to write next. Even if you don't know the end, know the next scene. If you don't, you will get stuck and will not be able to form new words.

If you're starting a new story, the same thing applies. You'll have a hard time starting if you don't have at least some idea of where you're going and a mental outline at the bare minimum.

Maybe you do know what to write next, but you don't know how to write it. Maybe it's a court scene, and you have no idea how trials and lawyers work. Now what? Research. Google it, watch a documentary, ask someone who knows, visit your local library. Find out.

Not knowing something is not an excuse for not writing. We live in the age of information where the answer to anything is one click away. We as writers can no longer say, "Write what you know." It's time to start saying, "Write what you can know."

So maybe you've done all of this and still aren't feeling it. You've got the dreaded "writer's block." Now what?

First of all, if you've tried all of the above, you can be sure your writer's block is not due to laziness. It's mostly likely caused by a problem in your story that you need to identify and fix before you can move forward.

What in the plot doesn't make sense and is preventing story progression? Are you forcing a character to do something he or she really wouldn't do? Do the characters lack a third dimension, and are they stagnant instead of changing and working toward a goal? Does your story lack conflict and forward momentum?

If so, you've got a problem. Once you identify what it is, take the time to figure out what you need to do differently in order to make the story work again. You don't have to go back and fix what you've already written before you can move on with the story. Just figure it out and keep writing as if the story had been that way all along. Finish it first, then go back and fix everything. I've done it before, and it works. Remember, going back is the enemy of moving forward and putting new words on paper.

Now sit your butt down and write. Stop procrastinating, close your internet browser, turn off the TV, and just write. Have a goal, get in the mood, know what to write, and do it.

Simple as that.