What type of writer are you?

It’s important as a writer to know what kind of writer you are. (I mean this in terms of a story writer but it might be applicable to other types of writers, too). It can help you to optimise your writing process, set appropriate goals and expectations, and find your groove.

Night, day, morning, all

Knowing what time of the day you work best as a writer helps you to know when to schedule in your writing sessions. I work best in the mornings and so I know I need to wake up earlier so I can get my writing done before work or before my husband wakes up on the weekends.

If you’re a night writer, you know you need to go to bed a little later to get it done.

HOWEVER!!! Do not get rigid about this. Don’t decide “I’m a morning writer so unless I can write in the morning, I can’t write at all!” That’s silly, isn’t it! That rhetoric just holds you back from writing. Instead, treat this knowledge as you OPTIMAL time to write, not your ONLY time to write.

Sprints or marathons

Do you write better with a timer counting down or with as much time in the world? Some people need that visual timer and time constraints to push them to get going. Others feel panicked by this and need long stretches instead. Some people thrive on having a full day where they can set a routine and romanticise the process.

Lots of YouTubers have trialed the writing routines of famous authors from Neil Gaiman to Hemingway. What I got from watching some of these is that we are all so different, it’s just about trying many things m, experimenting, and seeing what works best for you.

HOWEVER!!! Once again, don’t get rigid about this. Just because something works with one story you write, doesn’t mean it will work in the same way with another story or at another time. People change. Energy levels change. Commitments change. Ideas change. Learn to adapt and be flexible and try new ways of working to optimise your writing habits.

Mood

Are you a mood writer? Someone who only writes when the muse takes you? Someone without a goal or a deadline but just likes to slip into other minds and other worlds when the fancy takes you? Awesome!

Are you someone who needs to set and manipulate the “mood” to be able to write? Setting the scene is a great way to get into the right headspace to write. I definitely benefit from setting the right vibe at times before writing.

Here are some ideas to set the mood for writing:

Playlist of music: find the genre or emotion you’re looking for to set the scene you’re writing eg sad music, whimsical music, battle scene music…Pinterest board for your story so you have the visuals of your characters and setting right there for inspiration Light a candle or use essential oils Wear an outfit that would fit the aesthetic of your story or world

Multiple projects

Are you a writer that can (and maybe must) write multiple stories at once? Some people benefit from having the ability to flick between characters, worlds, or even genre to keep them going with each story.

It would benefit you to have a routine with this, perhaps. Monday-Wednesday is one novel, Thursday-Sunday is the other? Mornings you could write one, evenings another? Or perhaps you just let the muse take you! See which takes your fancy each day!

HOWEVER!!! Warning, don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. Don’t keep flicking between them so much that you actually never finish any of them or they both come out poorly written because you didn’t concentrate enough. Some authors can manage this but others warn against it. Careful of “shiny new idea” syndrome where your attention is pulled by a new idea and you start on that one instead of finishing the one you’re on. Finish first maybe and then engage (of course take notes on the new idea so you don’t forget!).

Retreat for a while

You might be the kind of writer who needs to retreat for a while in order to get things done. You need space from the influence and distractions of the external world. This could mean booking time off work. Booking a hotel or Airbnb somewhere to write in for a few days (whatever you can afford). Maybe you delete social media until the novel is written. Tell your friends you can’t go out until it’s written. Be a hermit! This can help you to focus so in one way or another, if you’re struggling to write and finish I would suggest some of these. I’ve benefited from a writing retreat with my friends, no social media and the like.

Notebook or computer?

Some people love to write on paper only. I love writing on paper but my wrist/hand can’t take it! I do find a certain creative flow from paper and it’s very romantic and old school. If this works better for you, do it! Yes it doubles the work a bit, having to type it up afterwards but that’s an issue for later and if you write better sound it that way, who cares?

Genre hopper or stickler?

Some writers like to write in multiple genres or blend genres. A fantasy, then a literary novel, then a thriller, then a romance. That’s fine! It keeps them interesting and fun. And if you don’t yet know what you love to write, writing in multiple genres and to multiple audiences (children’s, young adult, adult) will help you to know the answer. It may keep you writing for longer, too, as sometimes people get tired of the formula expected for a certain genre and crave a change of pace. That’s fine! Do what works for you.

Hobbyist

Some writers just do it as a hobby. Do it for fun. They dip in and out and don’t worry about “taking it seriously” or trying to make any money. I think it’s sad that people tend to think everything you spend your time doing you just monetise and turn into a side hustle! No! If you enjoy writing stories as a hobby and just want to keep them for yourself and a few friends, then do that. Don’t let anyone make you take it more seriously than you want to. It is a great outlet, a fun hobby, and something we all could benefit from at some point.

HOWEVER!!! Maybe you need to get honest with yourself and ask yourself whether it’s a hobby because you genuinely want to just do it for fun, or because you’re scared to take it seriously and try to become published/ share online. You don’t HAVE TO publish or share, but please don’t let fear of sharing stop you from getting out there.

Wannabe famous

It’s okay if your goal as a writer is to be rich and famous. However, forewarning, this is incredibly difficult and out of your control. Everything else on the list we can manipulate and curate to suit us, but we can’t make commercial success happen. All we have control over is how we write, and writing. Then submitting it or self-publishing. We can’t make people buy it (we can market well but no one can force someone to buy). So this goal is good to keep you motivated to write and try harder and get going, but be careful that you don’t lose hope from a goal that’s out of your control.

If you want to be an international best-selling author then you need to take your writing seriously, it’s as simple as that. No laziness. No excuses.

Want to change the world

This one is an incredible goal for a writer to have but perhaps still outside of our control. However, it is a great one to influence what you write. You shouldn’t really be writing surface level, silly, unimportant stories if you want to change the world (that being said, we have no idea what the power of even stories like these can have on a reader!). You may instead want to ask yourself two questions to help you decide the theme and focus of your stories:

What do I care about/ what am I passionate about?

What does the world need/ what problems are there in our world?

When you know the answers to these, you can begin to understand what social, political, economic, environmental issues you have a passion for and insight into that you could put into your story either implicitly or explicitly.

Climate change Homophobia TransphobiaPovertyColonialism RacismClassismWarCorruption Wealth gapFeminism

Want voice heard

Maybe you just want to be heard for once. Maybe you think you have a unique perspective of the world and you need to share it. Maybe you’ve spend all of your life feeling unheard and unappreciated and through your writing, you feel able to speak. That’s wonderful. Whether you share your stories or not, become published or not, keep that power. Let your writing always be a beautiful outlet of expression for you.

The publishing industry is trying to diversify and so it is trying to take more OWN Voices stories. This means stories written by people of colour with characters who are people of colour; or disability representation; lgbtq+ representation. We need your voices, so please write and share your work so people hear about our experiences from us directly, but someone outside of our community/group assuming they know who we are or how we live.

Fill a specific gap

Writing to fill a gap in the market is admirable. But I feel like this is a lot of us even without knowing it. We each probably want to write something we wish to read. The advice goes that you should write the book you can’t find on the shelves. So you’re writing to fill a gap anyway, even if it’s just for you.

But if you see a gap in publishing, stories for a certain audience, a new genre mix, a topic unexplored, a character unwritten, or other, fill it! It might mean your story is unappreciated at first because publishing don’t know if they can sell it for a profit yet; but it might also take the world by storm! You never know.

Whatever writer you are, I hope you write with joy in your heart. With passion and purpose. If you know what type of writer you are, it can help you to focus, write the right stories, and get yourself out there.

Good luck!

Sincerely,

S. xx