For many of us, summer is a slow time at work, which makes it a great moment to devote some energy to a new project. And if you’ve always wanted that project to be writing, we’ve got an amazing resource right here in town to help you: the Westport Writer’s Workshop. They have incredible authors who coach aspiring writers on constructing everything from novels to personal essays to TV pilots. Westport Lifestyle asked them for their best tips on seizing the moment and sitting down to write this summer.
Keep It Short
“I'm a big fan of writing sprints--setting a timer for twenty or thirty minutes and writing as fast as I can until the timer goes off. A fantastic way to get new words down on the page.” -Libby Waterford, author of over a dozen novels, novellas, and anthologies
Leave Yourself Wanting More
“I once read that you should never wrap up a scene entirely. Leave the paragraph unfinished so you'll be itching to come back to it.” -Jessie McEntee, author of four novels and Westport’s 2022 Poet Laureate
Don’t Edit Yourself on the First Pass
“In early stages on a project I write spontaneously, meaning I don’t stop to edit, reread, or even think about what I’m writing. I find this is the best way to enter a flow state, and the work is always richer when it is generated in a flow state, when I feel like I’m just a conduit for the work.” -Julie Sarkissian, author of Dear Lucy
Write Authentically
“Everyone has a story to tell. I taught high school at Staples and Fairfield Ludlowe for many years and I still remember--now almost two decades later--some of the scenes, images, and sentences my students wrote. They wrote with an honesty that made their words resonant and surprising. That is something all of us have the capacity for, but that as adults many of us have been taught to second-guess.” -Amanda Parrish Morgan, author of STROLLER
Set Aside Reading Time
“Read books in the genre you think you want to write in and notice how books in that genre tend to be structured. Read a lot!” -Libby Waterford
Get Inspiration From What’s Around You
“I love to use writing prompts - sometimes I'll grab a book off my shelf, open to a random page, and write off of a line I love. Poets & Writers Magazine has an excellent series called the Time is Now which provides weekly prompts for poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction!” -Liz Matthews, a writer and editor whose work has appeared in Quality Women’s Fiction, Town & Country, Literary Mama, and many more
Don’t Know Where to Start?
“I start with a character questionnaire. You can find them online. They help you imagine concrete and specific details that help to illuminate who this character is at his core and what he most wants.” -Jessie McEntee
Get a Writing Partner
“Make a date to write with a friend at the library or over Zoom. Take a class; New Beginnings at the Westport Writers Workshop is a perfect class for those who are writing workshop curious.” -Julie Sarkissian
Make It Seem Fun
“I try to remind myself that writing is fun, inherently. I'm the one who makes it un-fun for myself (my expectations, my ego, etc.). When I notice myself procrastinating I try to have a tough-love internal conversation with myself along the lines of 'would you really rather be doom scrolling through the news than creating an entire world?' Almost always the answer is, no, I'd rather be writing. But it can be hard to remember that if we get too focused on the outcome and lose track of the playful nature of creating.” -Amanda Parrish Morgan
When I notice myself procrastinating I try to have a tough-love internal conversation with myself along the lines of 'would you really rather be doom scrolling through the news than creating an entire world?' Almost always the answer is, no, I'd rather be writing.