I recently came across a writer who had been sitting on an outline for years. He wanted to lock himself in a cabin to make himself write, but I argued that locking oneself in a cabin will be ineffective if the underlying issue is fear.
Are you afraid to write?
If so, tell yourself the following:
1. I am allowed to write badly. Everybody writes garbage.
2. I can’t edit a blank page. It’s better to have something there.
3. I am going to write without editing. I can do that later.
4. I will refrain from judging anything I write. I can do that later.
5. If I don’t do well enough the first time, I’ll just try again.
6. My desire to write a book comes from something that is greater than my mind. I am going to trust whatever that is to also grant me the ability to do it.
Once you’ve solved this problem, feel free to go lock yourself in a cabin. 🙂
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My first book, Halfway There: Lessons at Midlife, was released on August 18, 2020 by Warren Publishing and was re-released on February 16, 2021 by White Ocean Press. To read an excerpt, check out reviews, see the author Q&A, or find links to buy, click the Learn More button.
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I’m working on my first novel. I’m struggling to get up to 2k words a day. I find that just writing a scene gives me a better sense of how far I’ve gotten today than the number of words I’ve written.
Hi Larry! I find that doing what you describe is the best way to keep momentum going. I often don’t write more than 1,000 words/day. In fact, today, I wrote about 700. Making small bits of progress is still progress! I think sometimes writers focus too much on quantity. 🙂 Kudos to you!