I have a controversial opinion. And a secret.
While drafting my first novel The Goddess & The Bee I stumbled across a tip to use Comic
Sans. Yes, the juvenile-lemonade-stand font that elicits strong heebie-jeebies from all kinds of
people–including writers and designers. I’ve seen posts online where writers absolutely refuse
to entertain the thought of doing anything so ridiculous and they will NEVER use Comic Sans
because “it’s stupid.”
For me, there’s something magical in switching fonts to something unexpected and non-serious. It takes the pressure off of creating something perfect. It feels like jotting down notes, playing with ideas. It doesn’t feel like a final draft. There’s room for experimenting. It doesn’t have to be Comic Sans, any font other than a standard like Times New Roman should work. Pro tip: don’t worry about formatting until you’re done for the day.
My other secret: writing sprints. Set a timer for 10 minutes and write as much as you can. Even
5-minute sprints can help you churn words out. You have to unhook your editor's mind
completely to do sprints. Sprints are great warm-ups and my go-to for breaking up writer’s block.
Now, I just have to take my own advice and finish my current work in progress.