Once you have generated a suitable topic and some ideas related to that topic, you are ready to get down to the job of actually writing.

Setting Up Circumstances

If you can write only with your shoes off or with a can of soda nearby, set yourself up that way. Some writers need to hear blaring rap music; others need quiet. Create an environment that puts you in the mood for writing.

Devote One Special Place to Writing. Your place should have good lighting and space to spread out. It may be a desk in your room, the dining room table, or a quiet library cubicle—someplace where no one will bother you, where your mind and body will settle in, and preferably where you can leave projects and keep handy your computer and materials.

Establish a Ritual. Some writers find that a ritual relaxes them and helps them get started. You might open a soda, straighten your desk, turn music on (or off), and create a new file on the computer.

Relocate. If you’re stuck, try moving from library to home or from kitchen to bedroom. Try an unfamiliar place—a restaurant, an airport, a park.

Reduce Distractions. Most of us can’t prevent interruptions, but we can reduce them. If you expect your boyfriend to call, call him before you start writing. If you have small children, write when they are asleep or at school. Turn off your phone, and concentrate hard. Let others know you are serious about writing; allow yourself to give it full attention.

Write at Your Best Time. Some think best early in the morning; others favor the small hours when their stern self-critic might be asleep, too. Either time can also reduce distractions from others.

Write on a Schedule. Writing at a predictable time of day worked marvels for English novelist Anthony Trollope, who would start at 5:30 A.M., write 2,500 words before 8:30 A.M., and then go to his job at the post office. (He wrote more than sixty books.) Even if you can’t set aside the same time every day, it may help to decide, “Today from four to five, I’ll write.”

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Preparing Your Mind

Ideas, images, or powerful urges to write may arrive like sudden miracles. Even if you are taking a shower or heading to a movie, yield to impulse and write. Encourage such moments by opening your mind to inspiration.

Talk about Your Writing. Discuss ideas in person, by phone, or online with a classmate or friend, encouraging questions, comments, and suggestions. Or talk to yourself, recording your thoughts on your phone while you walk your dog or wait for your laundry to dry.

Lay Out Your Plans. Tell a nearby listener—your next-door neighbor, spouse, parent, friend—why you want to write this paper, what you’ll put in it, how you’ll lay it out. If you hear “That sounds good,” you’ll be encouraged. If you see a yawn, you’ll still have ideas in motion.

Keep a Notebook or Journal Handy. Always keep some paper in your pocket or backpack or on the night table to write down good ideas that pop into your mind. Imagination may strike in the grocery checkout line, in the doctor’s waiting room, or during a lull on the job.

Read. The step from reading to writing is a short one. Even when you’re reading for fun, you’re involved with words. You might hit on something for your paper. Or read purposefully: set out to read and take notes.