Writing Advice (Part 2)

Writing Advice (Part 2)*

Writing for five minutes non-stop works better for non-fiction. You pick a topic, break it down into 10-15 chapter ideas; and then break those down into 2-3 subtopics. Research as needed; and then write non-stop for five minutes or so on each subtopic. Then go back to tweak the subtopics and unite them into chapters; and then join the chapters together to create a nonfiction book with seamless chapter transitions and an overriding flow. **

For fiction, think of the hook, the premise, and whatever else pops into your head. Consider the “Trailer Moments”: The iconic moments that stand out and would thus appear in the trailer for the movie if your story, novel, or especially your screenplay, becomes a movie. Knowing you have Trailer Moments helps you focus on what’s important. 


Figure out a basic structure to the story. Outline as needed. And then write. Write like the wind! When you really get into the writing; and everything’s flowing, you’ll find yourself writing for a lot longer than five minutes. I’ve had entire days slip by while I wrote. Woke up while it was still dark outside; and then wrote until after sunset. With minimal eating or other breaks. That’s when it’s fun. When you write and lose track of time. 


The other fun time is after you’ve finished the first draft. The write non-stop, don’t edit yourself, first draft. And then you go back to edit. But you think of something super dee duper that’s organic to the story, fits perfectly, and improves everything. Improvements that fit are fun!*** Especially funny improvements that fit; especially if you’re writing a comedy. 


Keep writing. Best to you with all your creative endeavors. 

Blessings & Joy,

Dean Burkey

* See Writing Advice for Part 1.


** Nick Daws: “Write Any Book In Under 28 Days”. 2004. An informative. engaging CD course that advocates writing in spurts of five non-stop minutes.

*** See “I Love the Tweaking Stage!”.

Writing Advice

Writing Advice

A friend asked for writing advice. I said the biggest thing is consistency. Even if it’s writing for only five minutes a day. We both made a commitment to write non-stop for at least five minutes at least six days a week for the rest of this month. So that’s what I’m doing. 

Obviously, this task proves more effective with a focus for the writing. As anything with a specific goal usually tends to be more productive. “Begin with the end in mind.” That sort of thing. 


But then again, I also like to write, more like ramble, to see where the writing (rambling) takes me. Perhaps that stems from the hope of tapping into some brilliant subconscious stream of thought. Or Jung’s collective unconscious. Or wherever happens to be the source of incredibly clever ideas. 


The trick is to write non-stop without correcting yourself until you finish. That’s difficult for me. I’ve already corrected myself twice. At least twice. But to my credit, I’ve also left a lot mistakes for me to fix once I finish this spurt of non-stop writing. 


The reasoning? The right side of the brain is the creative side. The left side the critical side. Once you start making corrections, you engage the left brain, which inhibits, maybe even cuts off, the flow from the right side. You want the flow from the right side to create new things. Afterwards, you enlist the left side to make sense of and “repair” what needs to be fixed. 


Create. Then edit. 


That’s the beauty of improv. You don’t know what you’re going to say until you say it. More or less. You want to be in the flow. If you think about it too much, you restrict yourself and cut off your access to your creative right side. 

Blessings & Joy,

Dean Burkey