Writing

There is no future, there is only now.

It has always been now for years and years and will continue to be now for centuries later.

The way we look at time as humans is in a linear direction where you travel along the line and are thus further or behind in time compared to another marker.

But this isn’t quite all true.

The thing is no one really understands what time is, it can be measured but not accurately perceived.

A memory of a time 12 years in the past can be felt in the same strength as the present time.

Which one is more real then?

The Future Myth

You must understand time from the lens of the human brain.

The brain doesn’t experience time about past time, although it does in remembering things it doesn’t in real-time.

It’s always experiencing time as the now.

The here, what’s happening presently in front of you.

If your brain only experiences time in the present, the now then all there is is the now.

The future and the past were never really the future or the past for those experiencing it, it was the now.

This is why it’s so silly to put off your writing or something you love until you feel like doing it.

It’s silly because you are relying on the fact that the future is a different thing to the present, therefore if you don’t feel like writing in the present you surely will in the future.

This is not the case.

The REAL Future You

The only person you can ever be is you.

If you’re not a person that does hard things you won’t be a person that does hard things, unless you actively try to be.

If you are procrastinating taking action now you WILL procrastinate taking action in the future, nothing changes when nothing changes.

Luckily, understanding this we can come up with ways to ensure your ‘future you’ will act in the way you would prefer yourself to.

You have to take action in the now because that’s all you have.

Apply the Rule

Imagine you procrastinating about writing your book because you’re not prepared enough so you say you will start it in a year.

There are 2 ways you can go about this.

Way number 1 is if you continue to put off writing not changing your behaviors for a year then you will put it off for another year.

Way 2, the better way, is you understand the golden rule “The ONLY person you can ever be is you”. This means that if you are to be someone who can write this book you have to be someone that writes frequently, to be someone that writes frequently you have to write every day, to achieve this you have to write a sentence every day, a word, a letter.

You keep breaking down your goal, the person you want to be to the minute details that make that person. The smaller and more relatable the identity the more you become that version of you.

Now you understand what it means to be someone who writes books you can do the little habits like writing every day that build you up to the type of person that can and does finish a book.

You are now, you ‘in the future’.

Not by chance.

Not by coincidence.

And certainly not by fluke.

You’ve applied the golden rule and are now the you you’ve always wanted to be.

May your words flow effortlessly and let procrastination cower in your shadow.

Happy Writing 🙂

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I post writing tips every day if you enjoy that content check out this post;

Simple Non-Writing Things to Make You Better at Writing

My best works of writing have been done under a challenge or constriction.

In this post, I wanted to explore some challenges I find useful for my writing and hopefully, you will too.

The 50-Word Story Challenge

There is an art to concise and meaningful stories, flash fiction is your best bet here.

The 50-word story challenge is simply creating a story out of 50 words or less.

It is a tough thing to start but you can come up with some creative ideas.

Another form of this I love is the two-sentence horror trend.

On r/twosentencehorror there are countless stories of horror confined to two sentences, and they are awesome.

Flash Fiction Dash

Another method of challenge is a time challenge.

Confine yourself to 10 minutes, 5 minutes, or even 1 minute to write a story. 

Timed writing is especially useful for me as it turns off the monkey mind, the constant mental buzz of whether I’m using the right words in the right way. 

None of that. 

You don’t have time to think about these challenges. 

Just write. 

What you come up with can be terrible but there are often more gems than stinkers. 

You can then use a prompt for writing in a normal environment. 

Genre-Bending

Another writing challenge I find useful is writing in genres I otherwise wouldn’t. 

I’m mainly a horror writer so writing things such as romance or comedy doesn’t come easy to me. 

However, through studying and appreciating other genres your genre becomes stronger. 

Writing is writing and writing is good for your writing. 

It’s how it goes. 

Overcoming Writers Block

If you ever looking for some way to come out of your writer’s block picking one of these challenges can be so beneficial. 

Often writer’s block is due to high expectations of your work that you don’t feel you hitting. 

Writing challenges are designed to challenge you so you know your writing isn’t always going to be spot on. 

These challenges permit you to write terrible stories. 

Once you’re permitted to write anything you WILL WRITE. 

That’s why I can’t recommend these writing challenges anymore. 

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I post writing tips every day so if you enjoyed check out my most recent post;

But Eamon I just don’t have time!

I get this a lot when I ask people about what they like to do and how much they do it.

The answer everyone puts forward is that they just don’t have the time.

This is true for everyone but you’d be surprised at how much time you actually have.

The Myth of Lengthy Sessions

There is a tendency for writers to procrastinate their tasks because of the time.

I’ll start on the hour

I only have 10 minutes so its hardly worth it

Nothing meaningful will get done in 20 minutes

This is a lie.

These are lies we tell ourselves to comfort our monkey brain that wants to avoid work.

The notion that effective writing needs lengthy and uninterrupted periods is completely false.

You can do just as much good writing in 10 minutes and an hour it’s just the quantity that’s different.

Harnessing the Micro-Moment

Short intervals are often the best for creative outbursts.

The time you wait for your friend to arrive, some dead time between tasks, or some free time before you go to work are all minute spaces of time that have the potential for creativity.

The goal is to notice when you don’t have time and act in that time.

If you have time to scroll your phone you have time to write.

Have time to game? You have time to write

I’m not saying you should be writing every second of the day but the small inputs over a long time add up quickly.

Tips for Micro-Writing Success

In the fast-paced world of busy creatives, mastering the art of micro-writing can significantly amplify your productivity and creative output.

1. Deconstruct Larger Projects:

• Instead of feeling overwhelmed by a grand project, break it down into bite-sized tasks. Identify components that can be tackled in short sessions. This not only makes the workload more manageable but also allows for a sense of accomplishment with each completed micro-task.

2. Carry a Portable Writing Tool:

• Creativity strikes when you least expect it, often amid your bustling day. Equip yourself with a portable writing tool, be it a sleek notebook or a handy writing app on your smartphone. This ensures you can capture fleeting ideas, snippets of dialogue, or profound thoughts wherever you are.

3. Embrace Writing Prompts:

• When time is of the essence, writing prompts act as instant catalysts for your creativity. Keep a curated list of prompts or use online resources to spark ideas in those short writing windows. Prompts serve as quick triggers for your imagination, making the most of every micro-writing opportunity.

Incorporating these tips into your micro-writing routine will not only enhance your creative process but also transform those seemingly insignificant moments into bursts of inspiration and progress.

Progress Over Perfection

All we are looking for with our micro-writing is pushing the needle. We want to be making progress and pumping out the quantity before we worry about the quality.

In the world of micro-writing, where time is fragmented yet valuable, embracing progress over perfection not only frees you from the shackles of unrealistic expectations but also propels you forward on your creative journey.

Celebrate the small victories and let them pave the way for greater accomplishments ahead.

In Conclusion . . .

In the intricate dance of a busy creative’s life, micro-writing emerges as a powerful partner, offering a melody of benefits that harmonize with the cadence of your daily routine.

Micro-writing becomes a quiet rebellion against the notion that creativity requires grand, uninterrupted periods.

Instead, it invites you to explore the untapped potential in the margins of your day, transforming mundane interludes into opportunities for profound expression.

Consider it a liberation ceremony from the chains of writer’s block. By breaking down your larger projects into manageable micro-tasks, you dismantle the formidable walls that stifle creativity.

Each brief session becomes a step toward reclaiming your creative voice.

Here’s to the beauty of the brief, the power of the small, and the profound impact of your words, even in the most fleeting moments.

Happy writing!

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I post writing tips every day if you enjoyed check out my most recent post;

The 1 Principle That Destroys Uncertainty in your Writing

If you’ve ever had any satisfaction, motivation, or pleasure in your writing it’s because of dopamine.

Dopamine, a chemical substance, is responsible for motivation and reward.

Whether you understand it or not your life satisfaction is largely due to this chemical.

Thus, when writers like yourself are looking for ways to boost productivity in their writing you need look no further than the natural process occurring in your body.

To harness the power of dopamine is similar to teaching an ape to use a chainsaw; things start getting done quickly.

The Science of Dopamine

Dopamine’s role in the body is to motivate you toward achieving a goal and reward you with feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation.

The best way to describe the dopamine reward system is to think about using a slot machine.

Unfortunately, dopamine can result in addictive behaviors.

The use of a slot machine is so addictive because it releases a substantial amount of dopamine in the process.

When you press the button on a slot machine your brain fires on all cylinders with the potential of gaining a reward for not much effort. It’s important to note that dopamine’s presence is large at this point.

Pressing the button results in receiving a reward, which triggers an increase in dopamine. However, the potential for additional rewards and more dopamine compels you to press that button.

This vicious cycle has people all around the world sitting at slot machines for hours on hours every day.

That’s how powerful and dangerous the dopamine reward system is.

When you have large amounts of dopamine, your mental screen for ideas is lowered, allowing more creative ideas to flow.

This is why getting in the zone or the flow state is so creatively freeing because of the amount of dopamine released.

Just as easily as you can benefit from dopamine you can also be consumed by it.

Addictive tendencies such as gambling or more relevantly scrolling social media become a real problem.

You’re fighting against an enemy you don’t understand.

Know the enemy and know yourself in a hundred battles you will never be in peril

-Sun Tzu

Creating a Dopamine Friendly Environment

Now we understand what we are optimizing for we can control it.

We want to create an environment where writing is an incredibly satisfying procedure.

Step 1. Eliminate Distractions

Your environment shapes your mental state. Where you are is who you are.

If you have a space full of distractions your brain will default to the activity that releases the most dopamine, social media.

Social media is specifically designed to be engaging for the longest period eliciting dopamine release in your brain.

Anything with such high levels of dopamine IS defaulted to.

The easiest thing to do is remove your phone, video games, books, and other activities that distract you from doing the writing you actually want to be doing.

Step 2. Make the Writing Process Incredibly Enjoyable

This is the fun step.

Step two is based on aesthetics really. You want to be infatuated with your writing space.

If you don’t enjoy sitting down to write you’ll NEVER default to sitting down to write.

So put on some music, decorate your space, clean it up a bit, and do whatever makes you excited to sit down and write.

Both these steps take dopamine into consideration for your writing habit to grow.

Creating a Distraction-Free Writing Space: Boosting Focus and Productivity

Goals and Dopamine Release

It’s important to have a goal, in life in general but specifically each time you write.

Dopamine is associated with making progress toward a meaningful goal.

Your aim is to have a goal for each time you sit down to write. If you have a goal for each session, specifically a measurable one you can see yourself make progress towards it.

You NEED to be aware of the progress you make. Knowing you are 25%, 50%, and 100% complete in terms of your goal will contribute massively to the satisfaction you feel in your time writing.

Celebrating Progress

As dopamine is triggered when you achieve something, a benefit it’s important you take time to celebrate your wins.

Taking time to acknowledge when you have achieved some sort of goal will create great satisfaction in the habit of writing because you can see yourself making progress.

It’s too easy to fall into the trap of single-minded goals, where you only celebrate when the big goal is done.

Say you want to write a novel.

Your goal is ‘I want to write an 80,000-word novel’.

If you only celebrate when you get to your 80,000-word manuscript you will have hours and hours where you aren’t motivated, you’re burnt out, and don’t see any value in your writing.

Celebrate sparingly but regularly and motivation WILL flow.

Motivation in the Journey: Celebrate the Small Wins!

Balance Dopamine Release

While dopamine serves as a powerful ally in boosting motivation, an overreliance on its effects can lead to burnout.

If you rely on the feeling you get from dopamine you will search for more and more of it until eventually nothing you do will ever be good enough because it just doesn’t give you the same feeling.

Understanding the subtle cues of overstimulation and impending burnout is pivotal. We’ll discuss how constant high-intensity writing sessions may lead to diminishing returns and the importance of staying attuned to mental and emotional signals that signify the need for a break.

Constant high-intensity writing sessions may lead to diminishing returns.

You must stay in touch with your mental and emotional signals that signify the need for a break.

Unless you are treading water in the middle of the ocean if your body tells you to stop you should listen. This is not to say to not push yourself but too much pushing can do more harm than good.

To counterbalance the dynamic productivity spurred by dopamine, intentional rest becomes a crucial component.

Remember to rest.

In Conclusion . . .

In our quest to harness the potential of dopamine, we’ve uncovered a treasure trove of strategies.

Whether through goal setting, celebrating progress, or infusing novelty into our writing routines, these strategies form the foundation for a more productive and engaging creative process.

Understanding the alchemy of dopamine isn’t just a tool; it’s the magic wand that transforms the mundane into the extraordinary.

By delving into its nuances, we’ve opened a gateway to a realm where creativity flourishes, motivation becomes a constant companion, and the writing process evolves into a dynamic and fulfilling endeavor.

So, fellow writers, armed with the knowledge of dopamine’s secrets, venture forth into your creative landscapes.

May your words flow effortlessly, your goals be met with joy, and your writing journey be a tapestry woven with the transformative threads of dopamine wisdom.

Happy writing, and may every stroke of your pen be a celebration of creativity!

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I post writing tips every day. Here’s my most recent post if you enjoyed this one;

The Easiest Way to 3x Your Word Count: Writing Sprints