After talking to other writers, attending a writing workshop, or reading a book on literary agents and markets, most wordsmiths find themselves overflowing with ideas and inspiration for writing their next project. However, as family, friends, work, chores, health, exercise, and other inevitable aspects of daily existence intrude upon the writer’s life, enthusiasm and energy can swiftly evaporate.
Following the advice below can help writers keep their eyes on the prize: a published book (or produced play, movie, or instructional video, etc.) and an advance check/royalty payment.
Accomplish Small Writing Goals Each Day
Doing the research first before the writing begins means that it won’t slow things down later. Research can be compiled on note cards, on chalkboards, taped to the wall on sheets of paper, or neatly filed into computer files. Whatever system works best for the individual writer is the system to be implemented. Outlines, character sketches, summaries, maps, sketches, and other assorted notes should be compiled and organized before the writing begins for the most efficient use of time.
As French mathematician and philosopher Rene Descartes once said, “Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it.” For a writer, this means if writing a book seems too overwhelming, break it down into a certain amount of chapters to be tackled one at a time. If writing a chapter seems too overwhelming, break it down into sections within a chapter to be tackled one at a time. Keep breaking the work down into smaller parts until the workload seems manageable and challenging, without being overwhelming.
Work on the book every single day, even if it’s only briefly. Although longer time commitments will produce work faster, even short bursts of time can be used wisely. If writers only have time to edit one page (or even one paragraph) on certain days, then they can still go to bed at night knowing they reached one step closer to their goal that day.
Stay Focused on Writing the Book
Planned breaks can be helpful, such as walking the dog for an hour or scheduling a couple of days off for a vacation. The unscheduled breaks, however, prove to be the most disruptive. It’s the distracting telephone calls, visitors, health emergencies, and other job responsibilities that derail most writers. Whether stealing time as a weekend novelist, working full-time and writing only at night, or working full-time on the book or other writing project, other intrusions always lurk outside the office door. Setting boundaries for these unscheduled breaks helps solve the problem: Decide what is and isn’t important enough to interrupt the work.
Attach a message to the computer monitor, wall, or desk that serves as motivation and will be seen everyday. This message can be a thesis statement for a nonfiction book, a central theme for a novel, an inspirational mantra or self-affirmation, or even the last sentence of the work. This message helps keep the mind focused on the matter at hand.
For more information about the writing life, read Preparing for Writer’s Conferences.
 |
