Writing a book is hard work. When you’re in the thick of things, everything feels like a challenge. You’re constantly doubting yourself. Thought like “This sucks!” “People won’t understand this” and “I don’t think I’ll ever finish” constantly creep into your head. And it’s not like you can just tell yourself to get out of your own head because that’s where you have to go to access your idea.
When I write, I try to do little things to constantly frame my mindset so that I’ve got a positive focus during the process. Spending months outlining so that I’ve got a clear vision for the idea before I start page one is the first thing I do. Not going back to do rewrites while I’m still completing the first draft was another.
Another key is my use of time allotment when I write.
I only write one page at a time, and I allot myself an hour to get it done. So, in a given day, if I have to write four pages, I’ve blocked out four hours during the day to do so.
But, as I mentioned in recent posts, with rare exceptions, only the first page takes me anywhere near that long. As I start chugging along putting the idea down on paper, the average time it takes me to write a page is roughly a half an hour. And when I really hit my stride, the average dips even further.
This is such a psychological boost for me. On a given day, if I’m only writing one page, and I do my writing first thing in the morning, it’s an AMAZING feeling to know that I’ve already met my goal and still have the whole day ahead of me. As for days in which I write my max, four pages, having these four victories throughout the day in which I’ve finished them with half the time I allotted myself to spare fuels my confidence and keeps me hungry to want to do it again.
Each time I write a page using this method, my mind gets positive reinforcement not just from meeting my goal for that hour, but in seeing how much time remains in the hour I budgeted. When that happens again and again, my mindset starts to become overwhelming positively. After all, I keep writing a page in half the time, which is my average on any project, but because I budgeted an hour for it, my mind can’t help but think the writing is going very well.
Success breeds success.
Every time I earn these little victories, I get a little rush, and am eagerly looking forward to the next hour I’ve blocked out for writing. Each day I meet my writing goal reminds me that I can do this, and encourages me to keep at it until I’ve seen it through.
Every writer has doubts about their work. You’re not alone. So if you’ve ever thought about writing a story yourself but haven’t been able to see an idea through, try this method to keep yourself in the right mindset to keep going until you’re done.
Finishing a book is a major accomplishment that no one can ever take away from you. If this trick helps you achieve that goal, that I’m thrilled I was able to lend a helping hand in your triumph.