Try applying ‘living in the moment’ to your writing.
Sounds easy, right? Well, not for me. But the more I thought about the idea, the more I began to realize that is how I write. I write as my characters interact in their moments. Mindfulness is not just for day-to-day living, but for writing too.
Stay with me. Don’t let your mind wander.
Did you ever try to cram more and more into your day? And at the end feel as though you’d accomplished nothing? Me too.
After reading Writing By the Seat of Your Pants by Karen Bell-Brege, I began to understand how pansters are like improv artists.
Pansters let the characters improvise the flow of their story. We do not hold them to an outline.
What it means to write ‘live in the moment’?
- Improv is storytelling. Weave the bold, weird and unusual into the story.
- Focus. Focus on the immediate action in the story. Don’t think about anything else but what is happening on your screen.
- Say yes. I loved this tip. Stuck? Start the next sentence with yes…
- Even the darkest story has humorous moments. Add a little laughter to the tears.
- Remember objects, everyday objects and even imaginary objects, add realism to the story. Look around the area your character is in at the moment. Show the reader what you see.
- Show movement. Characters move, show your readers what they are doing.
- Listen. Listen not just to what your characters are saying, but to the noises around them. Is there a radio, tv, diners, birds, etc.?
These are just a few of the tips I gleaned from Karen’s article. Head over to her post and tell me what you think.
Have you ever wanted to add humor to your story?
Do you stay in the moment with your characters?
Have you ever thought of writing as improv?
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