Ksenia Anske

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Think of writing as stitching

A very simple idea that can drag you out of indecision. Or hesitation. Or doubt.

When unsure how to proceed or what to write next, jump ahead into a scene or a part of the scene that excites you, and write out the best part of it. Just a paragraph or two. Then think about what comes next or what comes before. And then think of the stitching between those parts, like in sewing.

“Stitch” your words right after the exciting part as a transition to the next exciting part, or to the exciting part that happened right before. 

This way you can jump around and still write even if you feel like you’re unsure of the whole thing. Your story becomes a tapestry. It helps to have it plotted, but even if you don’t plot of have only a vague idea about it, you can continue writing in this fashion, slightly out of order, but keep moving forward.

Sometimes simply moving forward is the best you can do, until you gain enough experience and confidence to feel like you know where you’re going with your story. Until that happens, simply write. And stitch. Write and stitch. Write and stitch. 

Illustration by Popmarleo