Not writing everyday is one thing that will surely kill your novel, but you may be shocked at how many people are still doing it.
If you use the seven tips in this post, it’s guaranteed to help you build a daily writing process - one that will help you consistently write on your blog or your novel.
I don’t have time to write is the one excuse that most kills a novel.
The truth is, we will never really have enough time to write. The key here is to make time to do it. Like all things we care about, we have to make sacrifices. Here are some easy-to-implement methods to make time and finally meet your writing goals.
- Examine your appointments and activities now. Identify the wants that you can sacrifice, i.e. a movie with friends, a trip to the mall or something similar. You would be surprised at the number of things you can turn into time to write.
- Alternatively, write at the off-times in a day. For most writers, this is either early in the morning or late at night. For me, I use early morning to write, and then late afternoon and evening to brainstorm ideas for my novel/blog post the next day. This helps create the routine writing process I was talking about earlier.
- Carry a notebook around. If you always have it handy, any bit of time that’s available becomes writing time. It will also help create a constant list of ideas for your next works. Making this listing a habit will keep you topped up on inspirations for your writing.
- Escape. This is my most radical method sometimes. When other places get hectic, I take my laptop, money for Starbucks and go to the café. You’d be surprised at how a change in environment can change your writing process.
I feel blocked – that’s the second killer excuse.
Writer’s block is the second thing that kills a novel. Even so, I feel like it has more to do with the wish to edit more than actually being blocked. The problem with a lot of writers is that they edit when they’re supposed to write. This is something writers will have to let go of if they want to let go of writer’s block.
If you feel free enough to write badly, you will always have something to write – this is the end of the block. Here are some tips to help you adjust your attitude to writing and to change your writing process.
- Internalize the phrase shitty first draft. Be ready to write badly and embrace that – it’s the sign that you’re writing and allowing yourself to create your work with an open mind. If you can do that, everything you write is just another step to greater goals.
- This is a practical tip that you may want to copy. I name my work-in-progress as Title + First Draft. For example, when I was writing Dark Redemption, I called it Dark Redemption – First Draft. Every look at the top of my MS Word document reminded me that it was the first draft. I could write freely, and that was a liberating experience.
- Another practical tip, you may want to set yourself a timer. I have a timer on my laptop that plays a sound once time is up. I only set myself one hour of work at a time, which can remind you to just keep writing. I’ve found that this timer helps enormously with ending the want to edit.
Well, that’s it. There are the two things that kill your novel, and some tips to change your writing process. Do you guys have your own tips? Share in the comments.
My fiance writes too, and we always time ourselves for 30 minute intervals then compare word counts. It’s fun and we feel productive because there’s a little element of competition there. =D
Oh, that’s a nice addition to the timer rule. It really does stop you from editing because you want to rack up your word count. Thanks for the comment, Zen!
That was an excellent post today. Thank you so much for sharing it. I
really enjoyed reading it very much. Have a great day!
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Some really good points.
A bunch of Twitter folks do #1k1hr, or 1,000 words in an hour. Everyone picks a time, starts writing when the hour begins, stops writing when the hour ends, and then compares word count. It’s a nice way to do the “timer” at a community level, because it forces you to just get words on the page.
As for the Escape idea, it’s not that radical at all. In a lot of cities, there are what’re known as “co-working spaces” where you can basically rent a cubicle for the day or what have you. Great for people who just can’t seem to get work done at home. I find that there are rare days when I can be productive, but usually if I go some place, even a busy Starbucks, I can block everything out and focus on getting the job done.
One trick I’ve found, and it’s not for everyone, it to write drunk. Well, maybe not drunk, but have a couple of beers, or glasses of wine, or a tumbler of whiskey. It loosens you up and puts you in a nice “screw it, I’m gonna write” sort of mood. Yeah, you might get a few more fumbled key errors, but I’ve cranked out whole chapters with a good buzz going on.
Wow. First off, I want to say thank you for putting in such a thought-out and helpful comment. I do appreciate the time you took. I will check out the #1k1hr hashtag and also – writing drunk eh? My personal vote is still out on that one. For losening up though, it could work.
Yeah, I’m not talking flat-on-your-face drunk, but loosened up definitely helps. Just as alcohol has been valued for so long as a “social lubricant”, I think it is a creative lubricant as well. As stated, the biggest problem when people write is you write while you edit – I tend to find having a couple of drinks first makes you less concerned with the micro-management of every sentence, and help just get words on the page.
Erm, I mean edit while you write. I’m sober as a judge right now, I swear!
No doubt you are. As for social lubricants, I prefer caffeine. And I just don’t edit while writing anymore because I’ve found that it just sucks my time. Not editing is a personal lesson I’ve learned through bitter, time-sucked experiences.