Initiating the Creative Writing Process
Okay, great. You want to write, but where do you even begin? Are you guilty of constantly saying or thinking, “I don’t even know what I would write about?” Fear not. You don’t have to know what your best-selling novel is going to be about in order to put pen to paper. Start with small nuggets of ideas and build from there.
1. Carry a notebook with you wherever you go. It doesn’t have to be something massive that you’re awkwardly carrying with you and inevitably drop into a public toilet. A small, pocket-sized notebook works great.
2. Write in this notebook each and every day. A random idea, a joke, a fleshed-out story, your to-do list – anything. Whatever gets you in the habit of writing something down every day is good.
3. This can’t be stressed enough: Do your initial writing by hand. It can be messy and essentially incoherent, but writing it down allows you to marinate on what you’re writing as you’re doing it, which helps spur even more creative paths to go down.
4. Whenever the motivation or inspiration to write strikes, don’t ignore it. Sometimes it might feel like an eternity to get it back, so take full advantage when the time comes.
5. Don’t censor yourself when these moments come to you. Capture every curse word and misspelling and worry about editing later.
6. Make sure to revisit your old notes/ideas/barely fleshed-out pieces.
7. Create dedicated time in your schedule towards writing in addition to your random moments of inspiration. Forcing yourself to work your creative “muscle” is key in overcoming writing blocks and fatigue.
8. Don’t be too hard on yourself about it, though. Yeah, writing is work, but it only gets harder if you beat yourself up over not writing every single day or you don’t write as much as you thought you would in one sitting.
9. Bounce between ideas and different forms of creating content when you feel like you’re hitting a wall with one. You can revisit it with a fresh eye later.
10. Never delete ideas. You may not know how to develop them yet or if you even want to, but keep a running document that you can always come back to later for further inspiration and new direction.
Writing Doesn’t Have to Be Isolating
Really, it doesn’t! Don’t get us wrong, people look really cool sipping a coffee while quizzically frowning at their Word doc as they occupy a solitary corner of a well-lit cafe. You will have your fair share of that, but tapping into (or creating) a community of peers with similar interests can help keep you invested in your work in numerous ways.
11. Get with the times. Social media platforms like Facebook make it really easy to join online interest groups. Ask fellow writer pals if they’re involved in any, search for public ones you can join, or put it out to the cyber world that you’d like to start one. You’ll probably be surprised by how many people take you up on it.
12. Be an active online participant. While you can’t expect to engage with every post in an interest group, nor can you expect that of others, the more you mindfully respond and begin conversations, the more likely it will remain active. Don’t be weird though. No asking for breakup advice in a writing group.
13. But you CAN ask for advice on a piece you wrote about breakups. Angles, it’s all about angles.
14. Breakup articles aside, groups are a great way to trade pieces or half-fleshed ideas for feedback. With a common interest, you’re bound to get your best, honest feedback from this kind of peer group.
15. Here’s another chance for you to set loose accountability goals. Have an idea of how many times you’d like to provide and solicit feedback every week or two weeks. It’s okay if you fall short, but it can help keep you invested in your community as well as your writing.
16. Ensure that there is some equity in that accountability goal. Don’t seek feedback five times for every one time you offer it. Not only will people stop giving their feedback in return, editing others’ pieces can help with your own writing process.
17. Share about working, networking, and educational opportunities that others in your group may be in. Perhaps you run across a workshop or a publication that is now accepting submissions. It sets a collaborative and team-like tone to the whole group and others are sure to offer opportunities they hear about in turn.
18. Meet in person! Strange concept, we know. Depending on the residency of your cybergroup, maybe you could suggest an in-person meetup to those that live nearby. It’s nice to switch up the format sometimes and give and receive feedback in a more conversational style. You guys could even all go to that cool cafe and frown over your Word docs together as you sip coffees together. Such cool.
19. Do you live in the Midwest while all your cyber-pals live in New York making that meetup impossible? We’ve been there. Exert your inner introvert even further by joining or forming ANOTHER group. It sounds difficult, but apps like Meetup make it easy to unapologetically meet strangers who love the same things you do.
20. These tips are easier said than done, and we get that initiating some of these steps can feel awkward. Above all, keep an open mind and push yourself out of your comfort zone. You’ll make new relationships, gain constructive feedback, and learn new things from new people.
Educating Yourself
Lean into your writing interests and grow your skills. The following are a few suggestions on how. Just a side note: Robot Butt is a humor website, and that is the lens through which we will present most of these examples to give you an idea of real-world resources out there. Even if humor and satire isn’t your end goal, we hope you can use our experiences to help you succeed in your own world of writing.
21. Did one of your cyber-friends or *gasp* real-life friends tell you about a writing workshop they were going to? Go with them and learn something! Do you feel awkward and unsure about whether you should go or worry you wouldn’t even like it? Go anyway! Learn about a broad or narrow writing topic, and network with even more people.
One of our writers recently attended a workshop on writing packets for late-night comedy, organized by Nicole Silverberg, a writer at Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, after hearing about it from a Facebook group.
22. Read a book on your discipline of choice. Scott Dikkers’ How To Write Funny is a great one for starting out or honing your writing approach to humor. You’ll find that some of our tips have been influenced by this great read! But did HE warn you against carrying a huge notebook that might fall in the toilet? No. That was all us.
23. Listen to podcasts. These are great because you can listen to them wherever you are (barring funerals) and they’ll typically invite new voices on to share unique perspectives and background stories.
One tip later, and we’re bringing Scott Dikkers back. Check out The How to Write Funny Podcast. We like Dikkers (clearly) because he seriously approaches these conversations about being funny. It’s not an hour of him making jokes. Leave that to all the relationship podcasts.
The On Comedy Writing podcast is another great one with host Alan Johnson.
24. Take a class! Look up local or online classes. Browse and see what fits your schedule best in terms of time commitment, cost, collaboration and whatever else is important to you.
Here’s an example: Second City offers a number of online classes, including the “Writing Satire For The Internet” series. The first class is four weeks long and there’s usually one piece due at the end of it as well as smaller discussion board assignments. Its cost is $175. You get feedback on all of your pieces from the instructor as well as from your classmates since providing feedback is also one of your weekly assignments. For the length of the course and level of interaction, we feel this course is a good price and is easily manageable with work schedules.
25. Take another class. Yes, duh, you will continue to learn more new things, but you are also expanding your network of smart, like-minded individuals who you can rely on and encourage as you develop together. Maybe you’ll even collaborate with one or two of them.
26. Break out that smallish notebook for active note-taking. In addition to your own creative ideas and pieces, write down the concepts and tips you ingest while reading, listening to podcasts, taking online courses, or simply attending workshops and interest groups.
27. Just like you did with your nuggets of new ideas, revisit these notes regularly to cement new concepts as well as help you approach your writing.
28. Attend performance events. If you’re into satire writing, go to a humorous readings event. Hear for yourself what works and what doesn’t. Obviously, this goes for a multitude of other genres, such as playwriting.
29. Study. This can mean something different for everyone. Go back over notes, read pieces on the websites you want to submit to, research different workshops you can attend and whatever else you can think of.
30. Give and solicit feedback in your groups and other platforms of communication. Yes, we’ve stated this before. Yes, we’re emphasizing it. Learn from others’ insight and learn what you like and can do better by reading others’ pieces.
Writing the Piece
Do the damn thing. Everyone’s process is different so we’ve kept the following tips brief and general.
31. Work out some kind of outline. Have an idea of where your piece is going with a definite beginning, middle, and end. This will help ensure you are presenting a clear premise and not just rambling and putting out disconnected jokes or thoughts.
32. Depending on how much you find prep work helpful, you can then start filling in the different sections of your outline and/or creating supplemental outlines about more specific details, such as the characters in your piece or the location(s) it will take place.
33. Start writing. We suppose this is probably the most important and obvious thing to do.
34. If you’re not sure how to start the first paragraph then start on the second paragraph or even the last. Write what you know, and revisit the rest later.
35. Fine-comb over what you have written for correct structure and grammar as you go. These little elements speak volumes to editors when they’re looking at polished versus unpolished submissions.
36. It can be helpful to do these little periods of self-editing when you’re in a rut about what to actually write.
37. Take breaks to ease off your brain a little. It gets tired too!
38. Drink coffee. (Recall earlier imagery of you looking oh-so-cool at a cafe by your lonesome)
39. Turn off your phone notifications and keep yourself from checking it. Try the Pomodoro Technique or some variation of it. It’s a common technique for concentration and can be used for a myriad of activities.
40. Finish it… or don’t. Maybe you haven’t fully fleshed out your idea, and you’re left with half a piece. Either trudge through it and get it done or simply save and close out. Keep all of your saved unfinished docs in case you’re inspired to finish it later or develop it into something new.
Revising Your Piece
You wrote it, you feel good about it, and you’re just happy to be finished. You are not finished, and that’s good. Revisions are the chance to keep perfecting your project and make it its best version.
41. Your first editor is you. You’ve been going over it while writing it – or maybe you haven’t. That’s cool. After you finish writing it in its entirety though, do read over it and correct small, easy-on-the-brain things such as grammar and simple word choice issues.
42. One easy edit trick is to simply read it out loud. What sounds awkward? What doesn’t flow correctly? Why is that sentence ten lines long?
43. Take an actual break. For some people, this can mean a few hours but don’t feel like you can’t take a few days off from looking at your document. Your mind is tired of looking at the same words over and over again, and you need to give it time to refresh.
44. Welcome back! Time to dive back into your piece that we’ve spent 44 tips talking about in some way. But first, more coffee!
45. Get critical. Are there areas in the piece where the jokes could be heightened? Do you have a clear premise? Who is this piece geared towards?
46. One big point of revision is making sure you’re not making assumptions about what your reader will understand. Make sure the context of your piece is extremely clear as well as your narrator’s point of view.
47. Send it to peers for feedback! Utilize any in-person or online groups you are part of because after all the emphasis we placed on being involved in an interest group, you are most definitely a part of one or two.
48. Ask your friends specific questions you want them to answer, like, “Does the title go with the actual piece?”; “Did that one bit go too far?”; “Do you see any places where I might be able to heighten?” That way, if you’re having doubts about part of your piece, you can draw friendly eyes to it.
49. When you get that constructive criticism back, don’t get defensive. If your mental comeback is “They just don’t get it,” then you’ve missed the mark. This is talked about a bit in one of the “Writing Satire for the Internet” courses. If your piece is supposed to be funny, and people don’t find it funny… well. It is okay, however, to disagree with suggestions. Just know that these people are trying to help you succeed and want to help you make that piece as good as possible.
50. Rinse and repeat this cycle of hell until you feel good. If you’re feeling daring (aka you love judgment) also send it to a non-humor dork to see if they find it funny. This forces you to seek feedback outside your bubble of love. Caitlin Kunkel chats in a podcast episode about designating her sister as her go-to ear.
Submitting and Sending It Off Into the World
You are either so confident in your piece or so sick of looking at it that you’re ready to relinquish it from your desktop and out into the critical world. Let’s look at that best way of going about that!
51. Don’t just submit it five places at once. It doesn’t look good if you’re pulling submissions from review when it gets accepted elsewhere. Be respectful of the time that editors are spending considering your piece.
52. So where to submit it? Take the time to read the published content on the outlets you’re submitting to and determine which ones are the best fit for your piece. Think about the subject matter, the formats used, tone, length – trust your Spidey senses on deciding if your piece aligns.
53. Review the submission guidelines of your chosen outline at least three times before submitting. Each outlet is different in how they want to receive your piece. Make their lives easier and make sure your piece is read by following them.
54. Follow up per their submission guidelines. Some outlets let you know they will get back to you within two or three weeks. Do not follow up before their given timeline. If they do not promise they will get back to you, give them 2-3 weeks before reaching out.
55. Keep your follow-up brief and polite by replying on your original submission, let them know you’re checking in, and then tell them you will check back in another week or two (be specific) before assuming it’s a pass.
56. Still haven’t heard back? Send that additional follow-up. Nothing about the submission process is “personal.” There could be a myriad of reasons you haven’t heard back, and some editors just choose to not send rejections on principle. It has nothing to do with you so keep your correspondence polite. Don’t burn bridges. At this point you can just thank them for their review and say you assume it’s a pass and just wanted to properly retract your piece so that you can submit elsewhere. Some people choose to give another week deadline before officially moving on in their correspondence.
57. If they decide to pass, some editors offer feedback on your piece. Those that do are absolute angels because they’re telling you how to have a better shot at getting accepted into their publication next time. Take careful note of what they say for the piece at hand as well as how you can improve overall.
58. Rejections don’t mean your piece isn’t funny or good. It means it didn’t fit the vibe of where you were submitting. Choose another to submit to after going back through to see if your piece needs any revisions.
59. If another website/publication passes, this may be a bigger indicator that your piece needs more substantive changes. Pass it off to another pleb or trusted ear to see just what isn’t landing before submitting it elsewhere. Whatever you do, don’t delete it.
60. Notice how much of this section was focused on rejections? That’s because they’re so common. Most pieces are rejected, and that just means you’re one more rejection down before another acceptance. Here’s a really cool piece by Emily Winter on 101 rejections in a year.
How to Promote Your Work
Let’s get self-serving! Again, rejections are way more predominant than acceptances, so when you DO get an acceptance, shout it from the rooftops. In like, a really cool, non-forced, organic way.
61. First and foremost, make sure it gets published. Depending on the timeliness of the piece, yours may not go up for weeks or even a month. That’s to be expected, but that’s also a lot for editors to keep track of. If the date you were told it would go up passes, or it’s been a month or more, go ahead and politely reach out to the editor. Thank them again for their acceptance and ask when you might expect to see your piece go live.
62. Once some websites accept your work, they will ask you to provide them with a bio. Definitely give one! Include one of your social media handles so your new #fans can find you.
63. Share, share, share on all your social media platforms.
64. If the website you’re published on posts it on their own social media, share directly from them. That way you’re sharing someone else’s words about your own work. It makes it look more official, and you’re being a team player by promoting the website’s social media, like @thisisrobotbutt 😉
65. When you do share the different posts, let your excitement shine through. Type a bit about what led you to write this piece, say if it’s your first published piece, make a joke about why your mom may or may not want to read it. This lets your followers and friends know you’re sharing something YOU wrote, not something you just found online. This will make it more likely for them to click and engage with your post.
66. Make a website. Instead of dropping people different links of your work, you can send them to one spot.
67. Sound like an investment you’re not ready to take on and manage? Try a free version just to have all your pieces in one place you can direct people to. Hosting sites such as Wix have free options.
68. Put time and energy into the website. Wix has analytic and SEO tools that can help you optimize your website and make you more visible. Upload high-quality images, fill out a bio, and add a contact form.
69. Keep the ball rolling. The more you publish and share your work and link back to your website, the more you drive traffic to your other works.
70. Perform your pieces in some capacity. Hopefully you’ve attended some comedy readings or stand up. Read your previous work or try something new to garner attention for yourself in the community. Yay, we’re networking again!
Writing Tips for Moving Forward
Hopefully you’ve found some of these nuggets helpful. Here are just a few more things to keep in mind as you keep honing your craft and staying engaged.
71. In addition to your peer groups, follow all the publications that accept your work and or the editors. They were fans of your work, and you should be fans of theirs!
72. When one of your colleagues posts a piece they got published, engage with them and be genuine. Tell them what you loved about their work. Regularly writing and churning out new product can be tiring. Be encouraging and celebratory of your friends that do this as well as yourself.
73. Set monthly and or weekly goals. Where have you been trying to get accepted? How many pieces do you want to write in the month?
74. Take up another genre or format of writing to help combat fatigue. For example, if you’ve solely been writing satirical news, try your hand at sketch writing.
75. Never stop. Not everything you write has to be publishable. Remember to always write for yourself first.