Papa Brunstetter has decided it’s time for him to write a book, and I whole-heartedly agree. He’s always wanted to write, and has quite the affinity for it (he gets it from me. Heh.)I think there’s tons of possibility with my Dad – him being a self-made man, the things he’s witnessed and experienced in the Senate, him being an interesting breed of republican, how he got there, how pretty his Daughter is – heck, I’d read the book for sure. So, over Christmas, we’re going to sit down, organize thoughts – and I’m meant to share some writing tips, which I’ve never really done before in a real way. So I thought I’d start brainstorming via my blogthing to get the ball rolling, as it were.So, with no further ado, a few writing tips from Bekah. Let’s hope they are super profound. They will most likely be rambly.1. Don’t write yourself into a wall. I think someone important said something of this nature in an interview – I think it was Hemmingway, or Eugene O’Neill? But I’ve never forgotten it. And that is – when writing, stop just before you’re finished. Leave yourself hanging, so that when you come back to it, you know just where to begin, and re-entering the work is that much easier. When I know I’ve got to stop writing for the evening (and the stopping, oftentimes, is hard -) I usually make notes for myself of what’s going to come next.  That way, the whole next day or days, until I come back to it, I’m thinking about what I’m working on next – sort of courting it in my mind.2. Above all, amuse yourself. If you’re not enjoying it, what’s the point? Maybe this is totally narcissistic and wrong, but I love writing because love to make myself laugh and make things happen that I’ve always wished would, or something. So, in a way, it’s self-serving – or at least part of it should be. This is what will keep you addicted to it. You know, in that good productive way.3. Relish in what you’ve written.After an awesome ‘sesh’ if you will – I love love love to print off what I’ve written, have it in my hands, and take a moment and read through it. Granted, I’ve got a pen in hand for changes but – I love, more than anything, to take a minute to absorb what I’ve just done. Stopping periodically to do this allows you to briefly reward you for your labors. It also keeps you from constantly going back and re-reading WHILE you’re writing, which can really slow you down.4. Don’t think too much.Your own negative thoughts about what you’re working on your own enemy. Granted, you’ll never be able to banish them completely – but, it’s possible to ignore them. It’s more important to finish the thing, than to judge it while you’re doing it. If negative thoughts arise (ie, this totally sucks, this has been done before, I sound like a D bag, etc) – do your best to focus on what you LIKE about what you’re doing – or seriously, you will never finish.5. Absorb the World.When I was little I started paying attention to EVERYTHING. It was painful. Every detail of everything, mainly of every person and the things they said. I think the best writing is specific. Specifity, in my opinion, is the stealing the real-life words and nuances of actual people – or least, the bending of these events to serve your story. You can’t make that shit up, as they say in France. It’s true. You can’t.  Train yourself to constantly absorb what’s going on around you – funny things, sad things – trust me, it’ll end up informing what you’re working on.