A writing career is basic maths – you write 1000 words a day, you have a book in 100 days. 500 words a day means a book in 200 days. If you break the big task into smaller, more manageable bites, it doesn’t seem so insurmountable.
You cannot let the need to be good stop you from trying. A lot of my content is garbage when it first comes out, but I am willing to stare the garbage in the face and make it better.
Hold your nose and write. When you start to write, your work will be terrible. Everyone’s is. And you’ll know it because you’re a reader. Keep at it. Save everything. Trust me: today’s crap is tomorrow’s compost.
Writing was something I’ve always loved in theory, but it felt like a pipe dream. Beyond the shaky economics of the profession, writing meant putting myself out there in ways that can be really, really uncomfortable. Writing a story and sending it out into the world is a humbling, unnerving, terrifying thing. Did I really want to roll over and show the world my underbelly? Did I dare?
I don’t outline at all. I feel like outlining is one of the biggest mistakes writers make. Typically, when people follow outlines and formulas, they write boxy, predictable stories, so I usually start with a moral dilemma and an interesting character and I stick them into a difficult situation and see how they respond.
Persist and accept that your first draft will probably be awful. And maybe your second draft (mine are!) By the time you are reading a published book, it has been through so many edits and so many hands that it can be unrecognizable in comparison to the first draft.
Only write what you are passionate about not what you think can sell. By the time it is finished and submitted the trend will have moved on anyway.
I try not to focus on trends...because things are subject to change in an instant. So it’s very much, for me, about how good the book is and if I know I can sell it.
I have learnt to sit down and write, anytime and anywhere. It’s an important lesson: I see too many writers who wait for inspiration instead of just sitting down writing. You can always rewrite and improve a story. You can’t do that with a blank page.
Reframe in your mind how you can have a productive writing session, rather than waiting until you have a whole day... When I finally changed my mindset to ‘a little and often’ approach everything immediately began to come together.
There is no magic- Sit in the chair and write... You can always fix what you've written, but you cannot repair a blank page. For me, it also helps to set up rewards- things I can look forward to after I've written a certain number of words.
The primary practice of a successful author is treating writing like a job, meaning you discipline yourself to keep at it even when it feels hard and the inspiration isn't coming.
If you love writing don’t give up on it. The people who rise to the top in this industry are not necessarily the most talented; they are the ones who work their butts off and don’t give up. They see obstacles not as dead ends, but as challenges.
You can’t edit a blank page. It can be terrifying staring at a blank page, especially when starting a new book, but if you don’t put something on that page, how can you go back later and polish it into a literary gem?
I find myself incredibly inspired after finishing a good book. There's a spark that comes with wanting to become a better, funnier writer.
Guard your creative time and space. If you aren’t writing no other advice matters.
Some of my best writing days have been days where I just wasn’t feeling it. I put my butt in the chair, powered up the computer and hit it. If you do that every day, your productivity will astound you.
What you publish has got to be more compelling to readers than a TV show, a night out with friends, or a nap. Why should someone choose your writing over everything else in their lives?
There’s always something to take me away from writing—a flight, a mission, or artwork for a new product. Sitting down at the computer to write takes a daily commitment to fight the distractions. It’s anything but routine.
Don’t do what I did. In other words, don’t give up. The only way to guarantee failure is to stop trying.