Writing Tips from Tamera Alexander | Craft & Encouragement

5 Writing Tips

Ready for some transparency? I recently needed to revisit—and recommit to—5 truths that have proven enormously helpful in my 20-plus year writing career. Commitments are essential to accomplishing our goals, but commitments can wane over time due to overcommitment or simply to life crowding in and devouring our time. Revisiting these 5 truths has helped me to stay focused on the goal. Hopefully they'll be of help to you, too.

1. Disconnect . . . and be disciplined about it

Easy to say, so hard to do. In my early years of writing, there weren't nearly as many distractions as there are today. The number of ways to communicate with each other has increased exponentially, which has contributed to a general lack of concentration and ability to focus. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, podcasts, blogs—an author could easily spend the majority of her time fielding social media and never write. Or at least never finish a novel.

The best way—and really, the only way—I've found that works for me is to turn it off. Literally. Close your email. Silence your phone. Turn off notifications. Turn off the wifi connection on your laptop. Set aside a block of time when you're not multitasking. Give yourself permission to do that (and gain agreement from family members, if needed, to respect that time, too). It's transformative!

Something else helpful is to set a timer for 30-45 minutes. For that block of time, all you do is write. Just. Write. If you come across a question you need to research, write it down on a pad of paper beside you—and move on. Don't allow distractions. Inevitably, disruptive thoughts will come to mind—people you need to reach out to, an errand you need to run, that quick email you intended to write yesterday. But don't! Make a note of it and move on! Writing those things down (instead of simply trying to dismiss them) really helps to let go, clear the deck, and keep powering forward.

Instrumental music also helps me get into—and stay within—the flow. I have a playlist entitled Music to Write By, and for whatever science there may be behind the therapeutic aid of music, this works for me.

2. Read

The old adage "If you want to be a great writer, you must be a great reader" still holds true. Read broadly. Read books outside your normal go-to zone. Stretch yourself! Join a neighborhood book club and LISTEN to what your neighbors are saying about the novels. Talk about a learning experience.

3. Set realistic deadlines

Deadlines are great motivators, but unrealistic deadlines are utterly defeating. Been there, lived through that. Too many times. If you're writing for a publisher, be communicative and honest with your editor about needing more time on a manuscript. Don't wait until the last minute to tell them that. It messes with their schedule and chips away at your integrity. Be honest with them—and yourself.

4. Write what enthralls you

If you don't feel passionate about the story you're writing, neither will your readers as they read it. When writing A Million Little Choices, I routinely found myself immersed in that dual timeline world even when I wasn't at my laptop. I adore Southern fiction—both writing and reading it—and first had the idea for this story almost fifteen years ago. I'm so grateful the right time finally came to tell it!

5. Remember Who you're writing for

As a follower of Christ, everything I do—my writing included—is a form of worship to him. Spending time in the Word of God is essential. Remember, if God calls you to write, he'll also equip you to write. Lean into the eternal confidence of the One who's called you, not in your own ability to complete the task. He'll see you through.

Thanks for sharing your time. It's a gift I never take for granted.

Tamera Alexander

Writing Tips