Hi, you guys! My name's Jess, but you may know me as Treblehearts here on Wattpad. If you've been following me on my writing journey lately, you would know that I've been in the biggest writing funk ever. In 2015, I posted about every week. In 2016, I started to slow. And in 2017, I didn't write a single word for my stories. Life truly just got in the way. I had, and still am, dealing with a lot of self confidence issues, in myself and in my writing. As life continued to raise my anxiety and sadness levels, I told myself, "no, I need to take charge of my happiness again."

And what made me the most happy? Writing.

Although I'm still struggling to write now, nothing makes me happier than finishing a chapter and sharing it with you all. The support and patience my readers show me each and everyday is the greatest blessing, and I'm forever grateful for their love. I'm still working on navigating between life, college, and writing. I often end up staring at the word document when writing; however, I've written more than I have in over a year, and I'm so proud of myself.

I wanted to share with you my top tips that helped me continue on with my writing journey again. Take a look:

#1: Surround yourself with fiction and imagination

I stopped writing during my senior year of high school. Not on purpose, but because life got in the way. I had a severe confidence drop because of my AP Lang class, and I got carried away with other life commitments. In college, my anxiety and depression went on the rise and distracted me from writing as well. By this point, I'd been so distant from anything creative. Surrounding myself with fiction again, whether it be finding that little time to read that book or, in my case, listen to a book (thanks to my long commute rides to school), allowed me to slip into the world of imagination again. Reading is a very vital part of writing because it stirs the pot of imagination. So get reading, whether it's with your eyes or your ears. 

#2: Allow yourself to daydream

Now, I've always said that my stories were born from the little films playing inside my head. My daydreams became my stories. When I went to bed, I would imagine what would happen next in my story. In the shower, I would brainstorm ideas. Most of "A Thousand Words" was planned in the shower, I swear. But once senior year started, I got carried away by distractions/had to focus on other things. I always had music or videos playing in the background that I never allowed myself to daydream, and that hurt my writing. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, daydreaming is defined as "a pleasant visionary, usually wishful creation of the imagination." Writing is exactly that: a mix of imagination and a desire to write a story you want to tell. So turn off the sound, sit in the silence, and allow yourself to get lost in your daydreams again. Your next best idea may come out of it.

#3: Connect with the community

The absolute number one thing that I love about Wattpad is the community. You'll always see me in my message board, comment sections, and inbox messages talking to people because I love it! We're all human, and we've been brought together by the power of storytelling. It's really quite something. Within my little corner of the internet, I have a very sweet and loving community who's kept patient and supportive despite my struggles. They uplift me to heights I couldn't imagine. Forget about numbers, though, because Wattpad itself is one big community! So reach out to other people – message them, read each other's stories, talk to one another on the forums. I think the forums don't get enough credit; it's such a great place to interact with people on so many different things. If you don't know where it is: on the actual website, click on the community tab, then click on clubs! It's great fun.

#4: Set a writing time and environment

Between the hours of midnight and three in the morning, you'll find me writing (if I haven't fallen asleep yet). At that time, the world has gone to bed and I'm less likely to be pulled away from my writing. I found that those three hours at night were my writing grind time, and it's important you find yours, too. When and where do you feel the most productive? Are you like me, lying in bed late at night, writing until your eyelids are struggling to stay open? Or maybe it's early in the morning at your desk? Maybe in the library between classes? On the train or other transportation? You want to set aside that time to write and find the working conditions that work best for you.

#5: Write on paper (or something else)

This has been an old tactic of mine for a very long time now. As a matter of fact, I have an old notebook that contain many pieces and parts of "A Thousand Words" chapters and other story chapters. There's just something about putting pencil to paper that really helps me when I'm struggling with a scene. I think it's because it allows me to slow down – literally, I can't write as fast as I can type – so I can really think and mull over ideas and syntax. Working on your phone or tablet, I found, works as well, since it has the same slowing effect. It all messy and raw thought that can be refined when you transfer it to your word document later. It works for me and maybe it'll work for you, too. It's also an excuse to get pretty stationary ;)

#6: Hold yourself accountable

Listen, there's lots of distractions. And sometimes, those distractions may be more tempting than sitting and writing. But holding yourself accountable, such as holding yourself to a writing schedule, will help keep you on track so that you can accomplish your goals. That's a general tip for life, not just writing.

#7: Read over your past work

Simple but necessary. We're all growing and learning. By reading your past work, you get a sense of what you want to continue doing and what you want to change. Plus, when you've taken such a long break like I did, it kinda refreshes you on how to even write again!

#8: Find your passion project

You want to be passionate and excited when you begin to write, so write what you wanna write! If there's a story no longer sparking you joy, why continue it? For me, the world of my story "Memory Documentation" felt so familiar, it felt like home. And yet, I've recently scrapped all my past progress to start over again, knowing it'll make me happier in the long run to revise. So re-evaluate your current projects. Maybe even take a risk and try something new. How about a different genre or theme?

#9: Just write

While writing, strive for progress, not perfection. Put it down even if you think it's terrible. At least something will be there, and you'll have an easier time working with something rather than nothing. Struggling with a scene? Re-reading/editing/fussing only stalls you from working further. Highlight it, leave a note to come back, then keep chugging. You can't go forward if you keep looking back!

#10: Do it for the passion, above all else

I go by the mantra "passion over popularity," and I tend to preach it a lot. Comparison is the thief of joy, as Theodore Roosevelt put it. So write because you have a story to tell, a life you wanna live, a message you want to put out into the world. When you're doing it for the wrong reasons, that's when writing becomes a chore.

That's all from me! I hope this was beneficial to you in some way. If you'd like to support me and my writing journey, you can head over to my Wattpad profile, treblehearts! Please feel free to reach out and say hi, I love hearing from you. And don't forget to stay tuned for more wonderful content by the amazing authors here on the Wattpad Block Party! I'm also participating in a giveaway. I'm offering a three chapter read/critique to three of you. More information about how to enter will be located down below!

Thank you guys so much for reading, and happy writing!

Love,

Jess xx 

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