By BookBaby author Steven Spatz
Having great ideas and good intentions might be the baseline of your writing efforts, but having a writing strategy can help you get your book written.
When I wrote my first book, I didn’t have any kind of plan or blueprint to guide my journey to completing my project. I pretty much just relied on my homegrown “ation” strategy.
What’s an “ation” strategy? I’m glad you asked.
- It starts with inspiration. Creating content that interests me, and hopefully my potential readers.
- The job of writing takes perspiration. It’s work — damn hard work at times.
- I’m prepared for those inevitable periods of exasperation when I’m sick and tired of the whole endeavor and I take (brief) breaks from the process.
- Ultimately it requires determination. Keep your eyes on the prize and get across the finish line.
Following this strategy produced a 50,000-word nonfiction book cranked out in fits and starts over an eight-month period. I learned a lot about the book-writing process during that experience. I’ve learned even more from talking to BookBaby authors about how they covered their own journeys. Next time around I’ll be better equipped to do the job, whether its putting C. Hope Clark’s advice to work, or establishing a routine that makes the most of my available time.
Here are some of the writing tips and ideas I’ve collected since my first attempt at writing a book
Location, location, location
Find your writing place. Sure it’s possible to be creative anywhere — sitting on a park bench or standing in a line — but for the long haul and more consistent creativity, your best work will come out in a space where you regularly write. That primes you to get into the right frame of mind as soon as you sit down. Or maybe it’s more than one place. I have three: a secluded corner in a local library, a local coffeeshop, and a home writing nook. Set aside a particular place where you do nothing but write or create and you can jump-start your creativity.
What time is good for you?
Perhaps more important than “where” is “when.” For me it’s probably going to involve getting up 45 minutes earlier and writing a few paragraphs before work. Forcing yourself to write at 5 am isn’t the solution for everyone. It works for me because I have nothing else to divert my attention in those early dawn hours. There are all types of writers — after-hours writers, lunch-break writers, mini-block writers… Track your time and energy for a week or two to find what’s best for you — and then block out that time on your calendar as an appointment with yourself.
Add interval training to your writing
Some writers I know incorporate short sprints into their writing routine. Here’s how: Use a simple kitchen timer to force yourself to just flat-out write. Set it for ten minutes to write as much as you can. You’ll censor yourself less if you just write whatever comes naturally and edit later. It’s not about quality during this brief burst of keystrokes. Give yourself permission to write a few lousy paragraphs or pages. You’ll have plenty of time to go back and edit later.
Read if you’re not writing
Like many writers, I feel inspired when I’m playing the part of reader. Instead of turning on the TV when you’re on a break from writing, spend your time reading the work of others. The more “I wish I had written that” pieces you come across, the better your work will be and the more motivated you may be to produce something worthwhile. Some authors find other art to be inspiring — paintings, movies, photography, etc. Soak up all the creativity you can when you’re not actively writing.
Don’t break the chain
His television show was “about nothing,” yet legendary comic Jerry Seinfeld’s method for success is very much something — and visual. Each January, he hung a large year-at-a-glance calendar on his wall and, for every day he wrote new material, he earned the right to draw a big red “X” over that day. Drawing those Xs got to be pretty fun and rewarding. Eventually, he created a chain of red Xs. The idea was to never break that chain. This simple pleasure can turn into a surprisingly powerful motivator.
Never miss twice
You can give yourself a very small cushion and still be successful. Let’s say you have your new routines and habits in place, your alarm set to signal your writing time… But one day you wake up and simply don’t feel like writing.
Take the morning off. Don’t beat yourself up about it, but don’t do it two days in a row. It’s inevitable you’re going to miss a writing session, but use the “never miss twice” mindset to get back on track.
Be flexible
Your writing schedule might change. Life events will throw wrenches in your plans, but you can plan a new schedule. Once that’s done, stick to it.
Get your strategy together and get writing. Remember, November is NaNoWriMo — National Novel Writing Month — maybe a 30-day challenge is what you need to jump-start your writing efforts.
Related Posts
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Establishing A Writing Routine: 10 Tips For Aspiring Authors
When Is The Right Time To Write?
Walking Is The Best Writing Exercise
Can You Trigger Creativity?
This BookBaby blog article Do You Have A Writing Strategy? appeared first on and was stolen from BookBaby Blog .