Writers are business owners who work for themselves. If you allow idleness to slow your pen, i.e. your production, your business suffers. Following are five tips to stay productive and prevent idleness.
Keep a Journal of Thoughts and Ideas
Keeping a journal is something every writer needs to do. Every idea that comes to mind needs to end up in your journal. Sometimes, a writer’s mind can take a vacation from creating. When this happens, your journal entries can work as a memory jogger to get your writing restarted.
Your journal can consist of things you read. Ideas from other writers as to how they developed their character or plot. Noting how their book was laid out, and words they used which you may not have known or have forgotten to use.
Perhaps the primary reason for using your journal is to keep writing. Whenever you are writing, you are moving towards your goal.
Set a Writing Goal and Time
How many words do you want to write each day? Some set 5,000 words as their goal. Writing 5,000 words in a day is easy to achieve unless there are distractions: a job, young children, housework and a spouse who doesn’t understand.
If there are distractions from which you can’t remove yourself, your goal may simply be to write one or two hours after everyone is in bed. Either way, you can determine the number of words you can write in the timeframe for which you can work.
Since your novel needs to be around 80,000 plus words, you then can determine how long it will take you to write your novel. However, if there is research to be done, this eats into the number of words you can write in your writing session. However, you need to set a timeline and a date to finish your novel. Otherwise, you could be writing on it forever.
Keep Two or Three Projects Going
Having two or three novels going at the same time keeps you from being idle. If you find you are stalled on one, switch to another. This stimulates the mind so that you can quickly be back on track with your word count.
Some personalities simply will not allow you to work on two or three projects at a time. That’s okay! If you have a concrete/sequential personality, most likely you cannot do two or more projects at the same time. You must get finished with the one on which you are working.
However, if you can do this, most likely you will finish two or three books in less than a year. I published two books this past year and wrote two more.
Treat Your Writing as a Job
Writing is your job even if you have a job. Your writing is what will eventually get you into your own office working for yourself. Even though you may only be writing part time right now, believe it is your job. Soon it will be.
I dabbled with writing for years. I published articles in different genres to keep me motivated and writing. However, writing didn’t become my job until after I retired from my day job. Since then, I have written several novels.
Make writing your job. Quit treating it as a hobby. Soon it won’t be!
Don’t be Fooled Thinking It Isn’t Worth It
Writing can become a lucrative business. Yes, writing is worth the effort. When you see your first novel published, you won’t be able to contain your excitement. Holding your first novel in your hands and looking at your name on the cover brings cold chills to your body. It’s like a mother looking at her baby lying in her arms. All the pain of childbirth is suddenly forgotten.
Really get serious about your writing. It is worth it even if you never make a single penny from it. There’s nothing compared to the satisfaction of knowing this is something you created. Not many other people in the world can accomplish the thing you just finished.
Yes, there are ways to prevent idleness. Journaling is one of the best methods. Also, writing goals keep you pushing your pen along. Add to these the idea of keeping two or three projects going at the same time also prevents you from becoming idle. Writing must become your job because it is worth your effort. Work consistently at your writing everyday. Soon you will reach your ultimate goal–a completed novel.
From Howard
I love to write. I think I was born to write. I’m here to offer my assistance if you need anything. Leave a comment or question below. Or you may contact us by ==> clicking here and hit “contact.” I’ll get back real soon.
Regardless, Always Write Right! Writing Right Is Your Perception!
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