- Write every day even if it’s only one or two sentences. When you make a habit of doing it your mind gets accustomed to it and puts you into writing mode when you sit down to write. If you only write 250 words a day in a year you will have written 91,250 words (a good sized novel)
Write at a scheduled time if you can. Like #1 your mind gets accustomed to it and puts you into writing mode when you sit down to write.
Set goal: Determine a set number of words/pages you will write every day. I personally set two goals. One is to write a set number of words/pages a day and the other is for a set number of per week. If something occurs that disrupts me in my daily writing having a set goal for the week lets me know I need to catch up to make my weekly goal. With all my ten novels I have had days I didn’t make my daily goal, but there has never been a week I didn’t meet or exceed my weekly goal. Having weekly goals helps to keep your writing on track and encourages you with your progress. It fosters an “I can do this,” attitude In
Have set places to write. It need not be just one place, it can be several if you like or need, it may be at a coffee shop, your bedroom or in my case either my balcony or my side patio.
Let your friends and family know your scheduled writing time. It may take them a while to remember that you write at a certain time and not to bother you, but eventually, most of them will a
If you write for long periods at a time, two to three hours or more, stop and take a break every hour and just walk around a few minutes, have a snack, visit the bathroom. Doing this will get your blood flowing and the movement of your body will help to prevent cramps.
- Don’t argue with success. I see too many writers who ask for advice from successful authors and then want to argue with the advice they were given because it doesn’t suit their “lifestyle.” What they often fail to realize is that it is their “lifestyle” that is holding them back. While it is true that not everyone does things the same to achieve success, and doing things the same as someone else doesn’t guarantee success, mimicking patterns that have demonstrated a better than average success will increase the probability of your success also.
Good luck and keep writing.