Five Fast Writing Tips
Your mileage may vary on any (all?) of the below, but these are things that are core to my writing.
(1) Write what you know want to learn about. Sure, you can plumb the depths of your own experience, but after a while, your well will run dry. Authors have curious minds, though. It's why we eavesdrop on other people's conversations; wonder if that man yelling into his phone is a jerk or just having a bad day; squeal with glee when we encounter love letters in a thrift shop suitcase.* Use that natural curiosity to learn about other professions, cities, quirks of the law that you can weave into your stories.
*This has never happened to me, but I'm putting it into the universe because I long for it.
(2) But if you're writing outside of your lane, use caution. This seems to contradict #1 up there, doesn't it? Here's why it doesn't... I've written characters who don't fit my personal background, but their central plot point wasn't about that identity. If I have a Black character in my novels, whyyyy would I think it's OK to write about combatting anti-Blackness? I can empathize, but I can't possibly understand. That's not my story to tell. And if you have characters who don't match your identity, I highly recommend sensitivity readers, but you don't know what you don't know. (Shout-out to Salt & Sage Books).
(3) Stuck on something simple when drafting? Employ "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" lifelines. By which I mean: ’50/50′ (in reality, I flip a coin); ‘Phone a Friend’(send the thing you're struggling with to a friend and get their opinion); ‘Ask the Audience’ (post a poll on social media and get your followers to name a pet, a villain, whatever). Also, if you spend more than ten minutes fiddling around with one sentence? Delete it and start fresh.
(4) Narrow your number of feedback/critique/editorial voices. We all have writer friends, critique partners, contest judges who provide feedback, etc. It's impossible to agree with that potpourri of voices, because they very rarely align. This one is tough, because it requires you to be vulnerable enough to share your words before they aren't perfect. Over time, you'll discern whose feedback is improving your work, and whose is holding you back.
(5) Read. Oh, for the love of all that's holy, frequently read recent publications in your genre. In order to know what's selling, what's popular, evolving styles and voices, you need to read. Beware an other who says they don't have time to read, or uses comparison titles from five years ago. You must read to know what's happening in publishing, and better yet, talking to your friends about what they are reading, too.
My last tip? Brevity. Find the fewest, beautiful words to express a thought. And, with that in mind, I'll close the post because I try and follow my own advice.
