Chris Ord asked Chris Ord:

What do you find helps (and hinders) your writing?

Chris Ord Discipline is the most important quality I bring to the writing process. I try to write as much as I can and when I’m working on a novel I set daily word targets. I record everything on a spreadsheet and give myself rewards when I hit key milestones. I approach each piece of writing as I would a project. The momentum this discipline brings means I can get a first draft completed relatively quickly. These drafts are raw and need a lot of subsequent work, but the energy and drive comes through in the writing. For me this momentum is vital.  In terms of hinderance, self doubt is the most crippling part of the creative process. This and the fear that someday you may have to share your work with readers. We all have these anxieties and every writer I have met talks about this. At the beginning of every session I write on a post it note ‘No-one needs to read this.’ I place it on the desk next to me. Once I remind myself I am writing for me then I feel liberated from the fear and doubt. If other people enjoy what I write it’s a bonus, the main thing is that I enjoy the process and all the challenges it brings.

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