Battle-Tested

Have you found any hints or shortcuts to speed up your writing process? Energize your creativity? Minimize distractions? Do tell.

by Dietrich

Shortcuts and ways to spark inspiration keep the process flowing and save me from staring at a blank page.

First off I should confess, I learned to blind type way back in school, but those 40 to 50 wpm days are far behind me now and my skills have devolved into more of a hunt-and-peck technique involving mainly my index and middle fingers. I’m about half as fast, but on the upside I'm still fast enough to keep up with the speed of my thoughts. Oh well.

Anyway, believable stories thrive on details, so early on I carried a pocket notebook. Now I use an app like Evernote or voice memos to snag ideas on the go. Overheard dialogue at a cafe or a bus stop can be gold. Jotting them down ensures I don’t lose something that might fuel a twist or deepen a scene.

And I people-watch — observing body language, tics, tone and subtle conflicts in everyday settings like a coffee shop, subway or grocery store. Noticing how the barista fidgets when dealing with a rude customer, how a commuter avoids eye contact, or listening to the way coworkers talk to each other can inspire realistic reaction and dialog.

Writing detailed backstories for my characters, including quirks, fears, and past traumas ensures their actions seem real and their words sounds authentic. I read their lines out loud and sometimes I talk to them—yes, it may sound odd, but vocalizing their thoughts helps me nail their motivations and makes their arcs more compelling.

When a reader spots an error—a wrong gun caliber or a shaky forensic detail—it kills immersion. I cross-check any research found online, verifying for historical and technical accuracy. Online research and AI assist is fast and leaves more time for creative output, but I need to be sure I get it right.  

During the messy draft, I keep the momentum by ending each writing day mid-scene, where I know what’s coming next. This lets me dive back in the next morning and minimizes the time spent staring at that blank page. 

I’ve found the approach that worked for one novel might flop for the next. So, I’ve tried various ways — working to an outline, reverse outlining, juggling two novels at the same time, alternating between drafts. Most of the time I prefer starting with a single image and letting the story unfold organically. After the first draft, I step back for a breather and write a timeline. After a week or so, I start the second draft in passes, improving the plot and subplots, character arcs and dialogue. The final polish is for prose. Three drafts usually does the job—any more and I might risk overcooking the story’s tension.