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8 Tips to Stay Motivated to Write over the Summer

By Sara Aziz

Hey writers, readers! Summer is coming up, those beautiful months of sunshine and relaxation and long trips to the beach! But wait…. what about your writing? I know its hard to stay motivated to write in those long months, and you often question why you would want to stay inside for hours just writing a story, or poem, or essay? Well, I have 8 tips to help you want to write over these long months, so enjoy!

Tip #1- Give yourself a writing goal!

If you set yourself a goal, like you want to write 30 minutes a day, you might be more motivated to complete those 30 minutes, then just relax! If 30 minutes sounds like too much, or you don’t want to set a time goal, just promise yourself that you will write 250 words that day, or 100 words! Just know that you are going to write!

Tip #2- Get Inspired!

Maybe you might want to get in your writing minutes by being outside. Just explore your surroundings! Look around and see what you can find! Maybe your neighbors have a cat that likes to sneak away all day and only returns for mealtime! What does it do all day?…. Maybe its a superhero that has to battle evil bunnies, or maybe its reporting to its bosses about the whereabouts of humans for there cat takeover! There’s always inspiration, even in things that look boring! You just have to find it!

Tip #3- Try new things!

Maybe just sitting around and writing is getting boring, and you want a change of pace! You could go sit outside in a restaurant, or just sit down at Starbucks, and write! You don’t have to write the same thing all the time. Maybe this time, you could write about the barista who keeps checking her phone. She might be a billionaire in disguise, just having some fun pretending to be a barista while she waits for her old college friends to come visit! Or you could just write about your day, and the people around you! It doesn’t have to be wacky, or crazy, you just have to write!

Tip #4- Rewrite an old story!

Maybe you don’t want to come up with brand new content, or a brand new universe. If that’s the case, rewrite an old story! Rewriting old stories not only gives them room to improve, but it gives you a freedom to change old characters, and make new ones without having to come up with a brand new world and its rules first!

Tip #5- Write other peoples stories!

No, I’m not suggesting plagiarism! I mean, write the stories other people tell you, like your grandma gossiping about the people who live 3 houses down who just got a divorce. Write that down! You can give them backstories, and reasons that may or may not be true! Just have fun, and write!

Tip #6- Travel Writing!

Say you and your family are going on a road trip, and you see the most bizarre landmark! Write that down! Or, say your just driving past the most boring landscape EVER. No way you could write anything about that, right? WRONG! You could write a story about why it became like that! Maybe aliens tried to invade and the heat from their spaceships burned the ground so that it was impossible for anything to grow. Or maybe, if your flying past some forests, write about dryads that live in the trees and dance when the sun goes down! You can find something to write about anywhere!

Tip #7- First line writing!

If your on your vacation, most writer bring some of their favorite books! So why don’t you use them? Do you love the first line of one of your books? Is it dramatic, and bold, yet beautiful? Or is it boring, and drab? Pick the first line of one of your books and write a story or poem based on that first line! There are so many choices, there’s no way you could get bored!

Tip #8- Movie writing!

Say your a writer, but reading isn’t something you enjoy that much. Take your favorite movie, and put yourself in it! Write about your experiences meeting all of these movie characters, and how do you change the plot? Did the main character meet you and fall in love with you instead of who he was supposed to fall in love with? Did the villain meet you and you decide to work for him, and you help him defeat the hero? Go crazy with it, and have fun! There is no pressure in writing! Just enjoy it.

Conclusion

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Great Writing Advice from 5 Authors

By Sara

#1-Rick Riordan

#1- Dont Write the Parts Readers will Skip Anyway!

Many readers skip over the long paragraphs to get to the “good stuff”, and often don’t like long paragraphs full of description. Most beginner writers make the mistake of writing too much about things the reader will skip anyway.

#2- J.K Rowling

#1- Write with Whatever time you have!

You often like to imagine that authors spend their whole day sitting in their chairs, typing paragraph after paragraph, but most writers can’t work like that. We all have responsibilities, like work, school, or family, and often, we just have to write in whatever spare time we have.

#3- Shannon Messenger

#1- You have to be prepared for failure

It took Shannon Messenger over 15 drafts of her book and years of work before she published it, and she was constantly building on the world she created in later books, so you have to be prepared for rejection, or failure, because writing is hard and not for the easily discouraged.

#4- Neil Gaiman

#1- “This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy, and that hard.”

Neil Gaiman’s advice for writing just goes one step in front of the other till it’s done! You have to just start and write and write and write till you reach the end, then, go back and fix what you think needs fixing till its done.

#5- John Steinbeck

#1-“If you’re using dialogue, say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the sound of speech.”

John Steinbeck has written various award winners, and his advice is that you write, and then later, read it aloud to make sure everything flows together, and ensure the dialogue sounds realistic.

Conclusion

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10 Great Poetry Books and Resources for Writers and Readers

By Sara

#1- Poetry Foundation (Website)

Poetry Foundation allows you to read any poem for free, and you can always read book reviews as well! Have fun poets!

#2- Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

The poetry book for kids was a great read, and I loved laughing at Mr. Silverstein’s humourous take on poetry. I would recommend this book to anyone, and reading Mr. Silverstein’s type of poetry inspired me to write poems, and hopefully, you as well!

#3- Bennington College Young Writers Awards (Competetition)

This competition is open to teen writers from 9th grade to 12th who want to write anything from fiction, to non-fiction, to poetry! The Deadline this year is November 1st, 2022, and the top prize is $1,000. If this competition sounds fun to you, sign up, and have fun!

#4- Quotidian Writer (Youtube Channel)

A great channel for writers, they give tips and tricks on a variety of writing topics, from adding emotion to your writing, to how to get over writers block! Great for writers who need a little help in certain topics of their writing, or beginner writers who want to know where to start.

#5- The Spiritual Poems of Rumi Translated by Nader Kalili

Great for readers and writers interested in making – or reading- more philosophical works! I enjoyed reading, and trying to imitate, Rumi’s work, and hopefully you will too!

#6- Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

A novel told in verse, it’s a beautiful story of a girl’s life that was turned upside down by the Vietnam War. Forced to leave her home, now she must travel to America, a completely new land for her family, and she must learn to harness her own inner strength to survive here.

#7- SNHU 2022 Fall Fiction Contest

A fiction writing contest for writers who want to test their skill, there is no fee for this contest and the top prize is $3,000. The deadline is October 31st, 2022. So you better get writing, writers!

#8- Kanopy (Video Service)

Kanopy is a great resource for writers. Just search up videos on writing tips, and there will be lectures and videos that really help you understand your writing. I was recently listening to a lecture on Kanopy myself, and I think you will enjoy these lectures too!

#9- 365 Creative Writing Propmts by TMedia Publishing

A great collection of writing prompts, it’s perfect for travel and writing on the go! Writing with prompts helps you work on writing ideas you might not have explored before and you might find you like writing with a new style more! Have fun with these 365 Creative Writing Prompts!

#10- So, You Want to be a Writer? By Vicki Hambleton and Cathleen Greenwood

Great for kids who want to improve and maybe even publish their writing, it’s a fun and easy to understand how-to book with tips and tricks on how to,

How to fight writers block
Exercise’s to improve storytelling
How to find and agent and get published
How to promote your unique work

And more! I would recommend this to parents everywhere who want to help their kids writing.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading my post on 10 Great Books and Resources for Writers and Readers,

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Resources for Young Writers

By Sara

#1-The Writers Portable Mentor by Priscilla Long (Non-Fiction)

This is a great read for young writers who aren’t sure what kind of writing they want to do. Collage, Drama, or something else? It gives an overview of things you might want to do as you progress into the world of writing, along with tips and tricks of the trade you might find useful.

#2- NaNoWriMo (Website)

This is a great website for teen writers who want to see how they’re doing. You can set goals, and see how many words you’ve written, and how close to your goal you are. I found it a fun, cool website for kids that I would recommend to parents everywhere.

#3- The Elements of Style by William Strunk (Non-Fiction)

A great read for understanding the art of writing and the many styles and ways to write the same idea, and a great read for aspiring authors.

#4- How to Not Write Bad by Ben Yagoda (Non-Fiction)

While most writers don’t notice them, the readers definitely do! This book educates you on the common writing mistakes of authors, and how to avoid them! A great read for young writers who are dedicated to writing and can’t wait to get started.

#5-Keys to Great Writing by Stephen Wilbers (Non-Fiction)

Easy to understand, and fairly straightforward, they give you crucial information on writing including

Four Myths of Great Writing
The Elements of Style Checklist
The Elements of Composition Checklist
The Four-Step Writing Process
Five ways to Bring Music to your Writing

And more! Have fun writing in your own way, with guidance to make it great!

Conclusion

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy these resources and have fun writing! Please like and subscribe!