How to keep writing regardless of how you feel. by PETER FREDERICK

I have discovered a system that helps me cope with my various moods I am in when sitting down and trying to write on my manuscript. Being a busy author of books, short stories and poetry, this stands me in good stead and I am very happy to pass this on to fellow writers. My new method is especially helpful when having to write about so-called boring subjects, like long descriptions or uneventful scenes. If you are like me, obsessed with writing, pouring out thoughts and ideas on paper, we have many obstacles to face �" all the way to the printed publication! Laboring under the requirements of strict discipline, this new method entails working with ‘snippets’! The first hurdle is one of motivation or writer’s block. We are not always the same person but may feel differently at various times of the day. In my case, for example, having scribbled or typed away busily, as per synopsis, character outline and chapter outline, suddenly a kind of slump set is. I may not feel inclined to deal with a certain situation right now or my mood is suddenly for writing a different encounter which may come much later in my work. However, we have a story to follow, that is, as per our chapter outline. It is sometimes difficult to concentrate on dealing with an incident whilst our mind is already racing away, far ahead of our story. Still perusing the chapter outline of the future book, I have the habit of writing in manuscript mode any detail I just feel like writing about. Whatever comes to my mind and in whatever mood I am at the moment. This is what I term the ‘creative moment’ and it should not be resisted or suppressed by forcing oneself to write about something else as we would lose what I term ‘quality’. Having finished this piece of writing, I title this paper ‘snippet number 1’, underneath, I state the subject or topic and the result of my word count. After which I file it away in a document file called ‘snippets’. These snippets do not need to be filed in any particular sequence, however, they will arraign themselves numerically in their document folder. And now, I glance at my chapter outline to select another subject I feel like writing about. Of course, I mark off my chapter outline the incident I have just put on paper and it always gives me satisfaction to see the marked sections grow and the subjects I still have to write about slowly diminish. Once every incident and chapter is dealt with, I then start with the actual manuscript. Having first established my header and footer and taken care of the page numbering, I simply paste the snippets in the correct sequence into my manuscript. This done, I read through everything and sometimes need to ‘cement’ the various snippets together with the correct words and phrases. And the total word count of all the snippets will inform you whether your publication is voluminous enough for your planned end result. This method of working with ‘snippets’ works very well for me as no precious writing time is lost and I can only recommend it to anybody who wishes to establish a kind of order or system in the creation of a very special piece of literature! PETER FREDERICK �" AUTHOR www.life-on-the-road.com peter.frederick@life-on-the-road.com


About the Author

For most of my working life I have been in Sales, either retail, wholesale or manufacturer’s representative. Because of this I have met a lot of people from different cultures and organizations and observed their psychological make-up, and how people interact with one another. This has given me a chance to observe and write about them.