So\u2026you promised yourself you\u2019d finish your novel this year. Congratulations!<\/p>\n
Uh\u2026it\u2019s the same promise you made last year? And the year before? You are far, far, from alone\u2026and it\u2019s nothing to be ashamed of. Trying to make it as a writer before full-time income flows is basically having a part-time job forever, and not many of us have time for that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The question isn\u2019t whether you should be embarrassed. You shouldn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The question isn\u2019t whether you should be discouraged. You probably are.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The question surely isn\u2019t whether or not you\u2019re cut out for this. We believe in you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The question is: what will you do differently this year<\/em>, so you make it happen?<\/p>\n In our experience, there are three areas that fail when authors don\u2019t quite meet their goals. There\u2019s their tools: the hardware, software, and skillset they bring to their writing tasks. There\u2019s their team: the people in their lives who help or hinder their writing process. There\u2019s their time: what hours they have available, and how they use those hours.<\/p>\n Today, we\u2019ll take a quick look at all three. If you find this article helpful, let us know and we\u2019ll do a deep dive on each of the three Ts to give you even better chances of getting that novel finished.\u00a0<\/p>\n Every professional has good tools. They\u2019re not usually the most expensive tools on the market, but they are high-quality and reliably get the job done. For writers, those tools fall into three categories: Hardware, Software, and Skills.<\/p>\n This is any physical object you need to get your writing done. Some of the most common examples include a reliable computer, a desk, a workspace, notepad, pens, and a decent chair. (Even if you write from a standing desk like I do, it\u2019s still nice to have a comfortable place to sit and think when you need to.) Although it\u2019s not technically physical, I\u2019m counting an internet connection here since it stems from physical objects.\u00a0<\/p>\n Whether you have a well-kitted-out private office at home, a laptop and a favorite seat at your local Starbucks, or something in between, think about your hardware situation.<\/p>\n If you answer those, and related questions, with a \u201cyes\u201d, figure out how to change your hardware. This is not an invitation to spend too much money on the perfect setup, and it absolutely is not permission to procrastinate from your writing while arranging your workspace. But do check your hardware to see if it\u2019s creating any blockage to your writing process.<\/p>\n This is the program you use to produce your books. For most of us, it\u2019s where we write the books, but for some it includes layout, design, editing, etc. You can find countless blog posts out there analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the dozens of writing software options available, but here\u2019s the thing:<\/p>\n Unless there is a specific problem new software will solve, you are almost always better off with the software you already know how to use.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n So ask yourself if your writing software is causing productivity issues. If so, consider a new option. If not, stick with what you know.<\/p>\n The most common problem with software is the stuff that\u2019s not your writing software. Do you need one of those nanny programs that won\u2019t let you use social media until you\u2019ve written for an hour? Is it time to delete your favorite video game from your writing laptop so you focus more? Do you need speech to text so your hands don\u2019t fall off?<\/p>\n As before, don\u2019t take this as a reason to spend a lot of time or money making a change. Just assess your software situation. If there\u2019s a problem, solve it. If not, don\u2019t.<\/p>\n Now we\u2019re going to get personal. You already know how to write, but sadly that\u2019s not the only skill people need to finish a novel. A (very<\/i>) incomplete list of other skills that go into this project includes:<\/p>\n Is there a part of your writing that either takes much longer than it should (because you don\u2019t know how), or that you keep procrastinating about (because you don\u2019t think you know how)? If so, there\u2019s a skill gap you might want to fill.\u00a0<\/p>\n Though writing is often viewed as a solitary profession, you\u2019re not alone in this process. The people in your writing team include Friends and Family, <\/i>(ideally) a Writing Group<\/i>, and (hopefully) some Conferences and Events<\/i>. Understanding and mastering your relationship with all three can definitely help you get your book written on schedule this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n This is often the biggest challenge facing the schedules of would-be professional writers. You like<\/i> your friends and family, and enjoy spending time with them\u2026but it seems they don\u2019t take your writing time seriously. They think nothing of asking you to come help with a chore, or just drop in to spend time with you. Because (as previously stated), you like<\/i> them and you feel bad about saying no.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sound familiar?<\/p>\n There is no easy way to fix this, but there is a mindset that seems to help the most reliably. Convince yourself, and announce to your friends and family, that this writing thing is a part-time job. If you took a part-time internship in a career you wanted, nobody would call you up mid-shift and ask you to help them move some lumber. Your kids, much as you love them, wouldn\u2019t run into the office for you to resolve a dispute.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bonus: you also wouldn\u2019t skip a shift because you\u2019d had a rough day, or had \u201cintern\u2019s block\u201d.<\/p>\n Start by taking this mindset on yourself, then communicate it to the people you love. I\u2019m not promising this will be easy, but it\u2019s the best solution I\u2019ve seen so far.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you do not have a writing group \u2014 a gang of 3-5 fellow writers who show each other early drafts and get advice from \u2014 you should probably get one. Being a member of a writer\u2019s group provides accountability because you promise them you\u2019ll write a certain amount by a certain time. It also provides valuable feedback and help.\u00a0<\/p>\n We\u2019ll be doing another post next month about the pros, cons, and pitfalls of writing groups, but here are a few basic rules of thumb:<\/p>\n If you can\u2019t get a writing group together, at least get an accountability buddy \u2014 somebody you chat with quickly once a week, where you both promise certain productivity goals and help motivate each other to keep them.\u00a0<\/p>\n On one hand, writing conferences and events take time and money \u2014 both resources you could instead put into your writing. On the other hand, they are immensely useful.<\/p>\n Going to a writing conference will energize and motivate you like few other things. You\u2019ll spend time with your people and leave more fired up than you\u2019ve been in a long time. You\u2019ll meet successful writers from a broad spectrum of careers and genres, who can remind you that it\u2019s possible to move forward. You\u2019ll have a chance to take classes that help you solve whatever problems you\u2019re facing in your writing.\u00a0<\/p>\n But only if you do it right. We\u2019ll also<\/i> be doing a post this spring about how to best use conferences. For now, though, just remember to come to the conference with set goals, to leave the conference with those goals fulfilled, and to act on one thing you learned each week for the next three months.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the exception of \u201cFriends and Family keep getting in my way\u201d, this is the thing would-be authors most commonly tell me is in the way of getting that novel written in a year. And when you think about it, that thing about friends and family is also about time.\u00a0<\/p>\n What I\u2019m going to suggest here is a proven method for reaching productivity goals in your writing. It will work. You might know a method that works better for you, or you might not like this method and opt for another option. That\u2019s fine. But this will work, so I encourage you to consider it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Start your year with an understanding of what \u201cwrite a book\u201d means. Do you mean finish a first draft? Do you mean take your batch of scenes, write the connective tissue, and edit that into a manuscript? Do you mean complete all the changes suggested by your beta readers? There\u2019s no right or wrong answer so long as it\u2019s accurate.<\/p>\n Once you have that definition, define it in numbers. If your goal is to finish a first draft, and you figure that draft will be 75,000 words long, then you know you need to write 1,500 words a week to get it done. It\u2019s okay to fudge and guess. Just be close enough that you can make reasonable adjustments as circumstances change.\u00a0<\/p>\n Once you have your game plan, it\u2019s pretty easy to see how that slots into your working weeks and days. Continuing the above example, by now you know about how quickly you can write 1,000 words. If it takes you two hours, then you can make your game plan happen with three writing sessions per week, each of one hour.\u00a0<\/p>\n From there, it\u2019s just a matter of figuring out which days of the week you can put that hour into. It\u2019s a good idea to add an extra session per week in case you have to miss one, or you have a bad writing day and fall behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n This is another mindset shift, and it has to do with maintaining the day-to-day, week-to-week consistency you will need to finish this process. Start thinking about goals as promises you make to yourself.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, think about what happens with solemn promises you make to people you love. Would a bad day, or a bad mood, or a daunting challenge prevent you from keeping those promises? No! Would having a \u201cpromise-keeping block\u201d? Absolutely not!<\/p>\n It\u2019s time for you to keep the promises you make to yourself just as passionately and unrelentingly as you keep the promises you\u2019ve made to the other people you love. If you combine this with a solid plan for finishing your book in a year, nothing can stop you.\u00a0<\/p>\n After reading this, you\u2019re probably in one of three mindsets:<\/p>\n Here\u2019s our advice for each of those mindsets.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019re in zone one, there\u2019s one of two things going on. There might be some other roadblock in your way, and it\u2019s your job to identify and overcome it. More often, in my experience, it\u2019s something on this list and you just didn\u2019t see it. Go over it again and look unflinchingly at why you keep not meeting this goal. Once you\u2019ve done either, you\u2019re in zone 2 instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019re in zone 2, there\u2019s not much else to do here. You have a plan \u2014 now go work the plan until it works for you.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019re in zone 3, you\u2019re far from alone. A lot of writers feel that way at one point or another. The trick is to pick one thing \u2014 either the one you think will help most, or the one that will be easiest to change. Focus on just that (plus your writing) until it\u2019s in working order. Then move on to the next. Repeat until everything is ship shape.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The First T: Tools<\/h2>\n
Hardware<\/h3>\n
\n
Software<\/h3>\n
Skills<\/h3>\n
\n
The Second T: Team<\/h2>\n
Friends and Family<\/h3>\n
Writing Group<\/h3>\n
\n
Conferences and Events<\/h3>\n
The Third T: Time<\/h2>\n
Your Game Plan<\/h3>\n
Your Day to Day<\/h3>\n
Promises to Yourself<\/h3>\n
Okay, So Now What?<\/h2>\n
\n