Writing is a job and just like any other job, it may cause stress, even if you do enjoy writing (like I do). It can be physicall as well as mental and there's ways to decrease that stress that comes with the territory. Join a gym. Get a massage. Take a walk. Read a book you enjoy. Gardening. What ever you do normally to help with normal stress, do that for your writing stress as well! And eat right!

Now that you have a healthy mind and body, it's time to get writing! Here are some tips!

When you're writing your stories, take notes to keep your characters and settings straight. It saves you time and energy from going back to find something you wrote in an earlier page! When you take notes, write down the characters, a brief discription, and what pages they can be found on. The same thing goes for settings.

Research is a must, no matter what genre you write, yes even fiction. The more realistic the story is, the more believable it is! Even if the story is futuristic, learn about the city in your story. Streets don't move. Make sure when you go down 4th street, it really runs parallel with 5th street and don't cross like your story has. People who live in that town may not finish your story because of something as simple as that.

When you're writing, don't worry about making mistakes at this point. It's going to happen to the best of us. Work on the draft first. Just produce pages right now and worry about editing when you get to that point, not earlier! Stay in one mode at a time. Writer-Reader-Editor.

Always keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy! As a writer, you should have your own "library" nearby for whatever genre you write in to aide in your work. Those two books should always be in that library. If money is an issue, use the Internet or city branch library.

Work in your own speed, space. Don't let anyone tell you, you have to work in this time span, in this area of your home, etc. Work in the area at the time you're comfortable in. Set your own schedule and stick to it! If you can work in an extra time and place, go for it!

Reading and research counts as writing so use your writing time for them as well!

Take your time, never rush the process and trust yourself! If you don't get it right the first time, you always have the editing process to get everything perfect. Don't dwelve on the specifics now, just let the story flow. That is what editing is for. You know the saying, "A great book isn't written, it is rewritten." Take that to heart and just write your story. Then you can edit.

Due to the exciting news of being added to another writer's book, I have dedicated my blog  to a series of giving writing tips! Be sure to check that out! The first installment has been added!

More tips coming soon!!!