By Elaine L. Orr
I usually pound away at books throughout the year. In 2022, I had a bigger mix of other responsibilities, and I finished one and started another. Not good if you count on book income.
However, the slower writing year has reminded me of what I tell aspiring authors.
Except during times of dire emergency, you can find 15 minutes to write each day.
2) To make that 15 minutes productive, jot notes as you think of ideas. Otherwise, you'll forget them.
3) Think in terms of scenes rather than chapters.
4) Think of scenes as building blocks. You can add the transition glue later.
5) You don't initially need to write a story or book in order.
6) Keep paper and pencil in your glove compartment, backpack, or purse. Most people write faster on a keyboard, but you can write parts of scenes as you wait to pick up kids from soccer practice or in line at the driver's license bureau. (Why a pencil? Pens don't write in the cold.)
7) This is the hardest thing. Tell people you will be unavailable at certain times of the day or week. During that time, turn off your phone.
These suggestions may not be useful if you spend a lot of time worrying about what's going on in your life. If you can't get troubles out of your head, write them down. They're still problems, but it may help your mind move to other things (like writing) at least temporarily.
To follow my own advice, I'm using a special calendar in 2023. Each day, I must write one thing I've done to write a new book and one thing I've done to market my 30 books. Why a separate calendar? Because if I see the other things scheduled I won't concentrate on writing.
I'll let you know if it helps.
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