Let’s face it – it’s easy to do
nothing. The label we give that is
procrastination. It’s so easy to
remember ‘other’ things that need to be done or caught-up on . . . that tomorrow
will be a better time to settle down and write.
Yet tomorrow we have the same problem . . . and so it goes. You do everything – but write.
How can you change that pattern around? Why don’t you launch a writing quota? There are several kinds; number of words a day
or a block of time each day, or even pages a day . . . or week, whichever you
feel will get your butt in the chair writing.
Make it reasonable and don’t start by setting the expectations so high –
you know you’ll never reach them. Always
tell yourself – you can do more, this is your minimum.
A habit I’ve gotten into is to review the last few pages of where
I left off the day before . . . this gets me right into the mood and flow of my
story. Don’t procrastinate by fixing it
over and over – I do correct small typos or sentences that aren’t working, but,
I move into writing as quickly as I can.
Each writer has a different style, a process that works for
them. Find yours. That starts with choosing the best time for
you to write. Some authors swear by the
four am burst of energy . . . that would kill me! I’m the late night – early morning writer –
that would kill some other writers. You
see, we all know when we’re most creative.
If you don’t, then I suggest you try writing at different times and find
out when you’re the most creative. You’d
be surprised at how much a difference this makes.
Never worry about whether the book is going to be or not be
great! Worrying about such things is
only destructive. Start your book and
write it through until you type ‘the end.’
You can worry about fixing problems later. Get the story done first . . . ignore that
inner critic.
If you don’t believe you can write a great, gripping,
compelling, moving story – who will?
Don’t create fears that will only keep you from writing or stifle your
creativity.
Believe me; every author is aware he/she might look foolish,
vulnerable, or even unsuccessful. Why
would you dwell on such things? It’ll
only keep you from writing the stories that are inside you fighting to get out.
That brings me to a pitfall I had to learn the hard way myself. You see when I started writing, like every
beginner, I knew absolutely nothing about the rules of writing. So I thought the best thing I could do was
get feedback from loveable family, trusted and objective friends, and the
oh-so-helpful and caring critique group.
There was also the endearing writer friend who reviewed, judged,
assessed, and commented on every sentence I wrote.
Can you think of a few reasons why this just doesn’t work? I can – only because I lived it. Yep, everyone had an opinion – and none of
them were the same. I finally came to the
conclusion that in order to please everyone, I’d have to write at least ten
different books. And although the
one-on-one critique was wonderful, the book became ‘our voice’ instead of
mine. This is something to consider when
writing your story. In the end the story
must be your voice and the book you want to write.
But, that’s not to say you shouldn’t listen to advice and learn
from it. Arrogance and defiance are two
things that can stop you from cultivating, refining, and absorbing the process
of writing.
Rejection is a word we often hear associated with writing. It’s not easy to get a rejection letter
saying your book isn’t ‘good enough’ for a particular publisher. Say what?
This is not a personal insult. If
you’re lucky you might find the publisher took time to tell you ‘why’ they
didn’t find your book ready for their house.
This is a great way to learn what the marketplace is looking for, and
you should pay great attention to these comments. Don’t
be insulted if you receive the ‘form letter’ either. Can you imagine the thousands of manuscripts
they must peruse in a week? Again, it’s
not personal.
Never slam your back against a wall and start bashing a
publisher for not wanting your perfect manuscript on social media. This is writer’s suicide if you ask me.
Tomorrow let’s continue talking about being serious about
writing your book and how does rejection fit into the picture?
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