During the final rewrite phase of my novel, Misfit McCabe, leading up to publication, I worked with a class of young readers to preview the manuscript and provide feedback. This is the thirteenth in a series of articles about fiction writing aimed at young writers. This article focuses on a few tips to keep in mind while writing.

While you are working on your story, there are a few things to keep in mind to help you write your best. You don't have to write the WHOLE thing all in one sitting.  Even if working on a short story, it is a good idea to take some rest breaks, even when your ideas are flowing well.  A regular break from your story will allow your brain to take a breather and keep you energized and refreshed, which ultimately allows you to write even better. Don't try to keep plowing through when you are getting sleepy.  When you are tired, call it quits for the day and pick things up again the next day.  The worst mistakes start creeping in when you are tired, and your ideas start to become muddled. While you are working through the creative process, just write.  Don't stop and edit as you go, just keep writing.  You will have plenty of opportunity to go back and edit the work once you have reached the end.  By stopping and changing gears from creative mode to critical thinking mode, you can end up stifling the very creativity that you need to finish your story. You know yourself better than anyone else, so if you need something, like food or music, or even a pair of drumsticks by your side as your work, then make sure that you have that with you.  The more you can do to help yourself get the creative juices flowing the better.  I like to have music playing, but the only songs that I want to play are ones that I know all the words to so I can sing along without thinking about the song itself.  What this does is occupy the part of my mind that gets easily distracted, and allows me to focus on what is important - getting the words down on the page. Hopefully these few tips will assist you while creating your masterpiece. They are also good for studying as well.