As I’m sure you know just getting writing done is a challenge in the middle of lives that are so full of other things! For blog posts, books and stories and all sorts of other things this is an easy trick I use to get myself scribbling…

I set a timer for five minutes, and write as much as I can in that time. I’m fiercely competitive, even with myself, so the challenge to try to write more words, or finish a scene or a chapter in such a short amount of time really helps. And it cuts out the need to try to write really well (which is what editing is all about) and just gets you going!

I tend to do it when I’m in the middle of other tasks that are less interesting, like cleaning: 25 min cleaning then 5 min writing works a treat, and gets a lot more done (for both!) than you’d expect.

Plus, even if you literally only do five minutes in a day it means your mind has tuned in to what you are writing, and I’ll often find that I have useful thoughts about it during the rest of the day.

(My other writing tip was write with pals! Also you can check out some of my stories etc here).