Productive writing - Ten tips to help you write more and write better

The following 10 tips will help you focus on your writing output. When you startwriting - especially if you've done very little - it's hard. Does that mean you can't be successful? No, it just means you need to practice. Like any new situation, you'll feel awkward at first but, with time, you'll learn to like it. The only way to overcome your fear is to work through it.1. Beat BoredomSometimes you get stuck in your writing. I'm not talking about writer's block. I'm talking about the times when you can't get an idea from your brain to paper. So, naturally, you tend to get discouraged, which leads to boredom. You're in a rut.2. Get StructuredOne good method to help you structure your writing is 'bulleting. To do this, start writing about your topic in bullet statements. Just write down everything that comes to mind. This method works because it helps you break down the psychological barriers that keep you from writing.3. Break it upYour writing isn't one, long piece. Try breaking into sections that you can work through piece by piece.4. Write when it strikesYou're on your way home from work. Or, you just finished loading groceries in the back of your car. All the sudden, it hits you. A flood of words starts filling your head. Do you wait until you get home to get it written down? No, it's too late by then. Write it down immediately.5. Get QuietFind a way to quiet your 'inner voices' by performing a non-writing, quiet activity during your writing sessions. If you plan for it, you won't think of it as a distraction but, rather, a welcome break.6. Practice your ritualsDo you like to wake early and write for 30 minutes before the house gets filled with tiny voices? Then write early. The premise behind this technique is to stay with what you already know. Don't write late at night because you think that's what professional writers do.7. Lose the perfectionismThe fear of being imperfect keeps many would be successful writers from ever completing any work. Rest assured that even the best writers go through numerous drafts and toss out page after page of inferior work. When you remove paragraphs or sentences from your work, save them in a file. You'll never know when they might come in handy in another project.8. Invest in your passionAll first time entrepreneurs fall into the trap of doing whatever it takes to make money. Even if it falls out of their interest 'radar'. But, when you're excited or genuinely amused about what you're writing, your attention is naturally more focused.9. Be noisy, or quietSome writers prefer absolute silence while others can work amid the hissing of a coffee shop. Play several types of music and see if one of them is more conducive to your writing focus.10. Don't try to please everyoneThis is why it's important to focus your subject. You aren't trying to please everyone. So, the next time you're tempted to think that mom or grandma might not like what you're writing, don't worry. Mom and grandma might offer moral support but they won't be buying your product - that's what your targeted customers are for.