Cheyenne Blue

 Cheyenne Blue’s Top Five Writing Tips

(or at least the ones that work for her)

1) Find a physical space that becomes your writing space. It can be your messy desk in the corner staring at a blank wall, your favorite café that does great coffee, or a nook in the garden overlooking the roses. But it should be a place that when you’re there, you’re there to write.

2) Turn off the internet when you write. Yes, even your email. Otherwise, the need to know the plotline of that Dr Who episode from 1972 can become more important than words on the page.

3) Blocked? Oh yeah, baby, it happens. Don’t use writer’s block as an excuse.

Write through it. Refer to your notes and plod on, getting those words down. You can edit later. Often, simply getting the words down frees up your writing and you’re back on track. Dr Wicked’s Write or Die (www.writeordie.com) is my productivity tool of choice for this.

4) Don’t be precious about your writing. Accept that it’s not perfect, take feedback, particularly from editors. If you have a first reader or critique group that you trust, listen to them and take their suggestions on board. Don’t be the sort of writer who scares away honest critique by your reaction.

5) Edit. Edit. Editediteditedit. It’s important to leave enough time for this, especially if you have a looming deadline. Ideally, set your story aside for at least a week before your final edit. Otherwise, your brain sees what it expects to see, rather than what is actually there, and all sorts of errors can slip through. I find reading aloud helps too.

Over the past ten years Cheyenne Blue’s erotica has appeared in over 70 anthologies including Best Women's Erotica, Mammoth Best New Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, Best Lesbian Romance, Girl Crazy, Cowboy Lust and Girls Who Score. Visit her website at http://www.cheyenneblue.com.