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jane's avatar

This newsletter came at the right time! I am the master of not writer's block but writer's traffic jam, when I want to write but just can't get it going. Recently I made this list on ways I can and do "productively procrastinate" on physically writing.

- “Do this right now (now!): figure out in two sentences how to explain what you write about” (from marie-helene bertino)

- make pinterest boards — about whole works, about characters, about certain outfits

- make spotify playlists

- draw a character. draw two characters

- read through the CFF’s advice masterlist

- go read a past story that you never finished

- make memes about your story

- find a picrew or sims-like character builder to make your characters with

- fill out character sheets— trying to assign blood types to everyone is often pointless, but in all the weird little throwaway questions you haven’t considered yet there is a plot point

- if you have a ton of characters, especially little throwaway ones, build a doc or spreadsheet glossary of names and who they are

- go to sleep

- GO TO SLEEP

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Sonal Champsee's avatar

I think Margaret Atwood's ten rules for writing has as rule one: "Protect you back. Pain is distracting."

Anything that fills the creative well counts as writing to me: reading, eavesdropping, getting outside, experiencing art....

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