Write with other people

When I say this, I don’t mean co-writing in the sense of sharing the authorship of an article or book. I mean communal writing: writing in the same room, library or café. Make writing dates with colleagues or friends. For a start, it helps you to organise and delineate your time. It helps you focus and mentally prepare to write. You are answerable to others; if you don’t turn up, you may get a phone call. Of course, you need to set ground rules about talking only during breaks, otherwise the chatting might take over precious writing time. You can even decide you’re only going to talk about your assignments during breaks. Above all, working communally breaks the isolation of writing and changes the perception that it has to be a solitary pursuit.

Amanda Swift15 November 2017