Tips to Stay Focused
by Sylvia Hubbard
Today’s article is brought to you today by a reader/writer who wrote me a note and I just had to share it with you. I loved the note and I loved the questions. So if you want to ask me one, just hit the contact button at the end of this post.
Writer Question: "i have started a book of my own, i started in 2008 or 2009 i dont have a title for it yet and i’m only on the 11th or 12th chapter. I’m not really sure if i want to finish because my vocabulary is far from good and i know you have to be a wordy person to write books. What do i do?"
AUTHOR’S RESPONSE
I have had the grace of God on my side literally and an insane mother who made me write my lies down that have help trained me to write full length novels before my time ( When I was six and seven, but please if you ever meet my mother, tell her I called her insane. I'll never hear the end of it ). Yet, the majority of writers who are trying to write novel length stories for the first time find it very difficult to just write. They look at 75,000 words and just want to faint at the site of even trying to get to that with a fear of boring the reader to death.
I know writers that have outlined for years and will not put words on paper because they don't feel they can write enough. They'll read all the articles on story plotting, research until it's pouring out of their ears, go to every workshop, class and conference and still not write enough or feel all the time under confident about their writing.
I'd love to invent a placebo pill that's called JUST WRITE. I'd say the results would be to write until your hearts content. I could make millions off of those pills, but since I don't have anything like that, I will suggest two things:
1) Just write and stop worrying about the way you write.
2) Join a writing group in your area and your genre
I can't explain the first one anymore plainly as it's write. Just get a sheet of paper and pen, just get to putting your fingers on the keyboard and typing random words until something comes to you, but JUST WRITE.
We are our own worst enemies and critiques and the greatest challenge is if we get over ourselves and just do what we need to do. I've learned even though I can write full length novels, I still will find ways to stop myself from getting the writing I need done by the criticism and excuses.
I defeat myself and win by concentrating on what good things can happen if I finish up a chapter or a project or even starting the story itself.
So I hope I've given you a "how-to" and some inspiration on writing and getting it done. If I haven't, see me in a couple of years and hopefully, I will have that placebo for you to order.
What do you do to encourage yourself to keep writing, start writing and getting through the hard criticism you give yourself?
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