Do you Lack the Discipline to Make it as a Writer?

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Most of us have heard the stats… just 3% of people who set out to write a novel, actually finish it. As far as I’m concerned, the difference between those who want to write a book, and those who have completed an 80,000 word first draft, is discipline.

A common complaint I hear from people wishing to write is, I just can’t find the time. My answer to them is, if you want to write, you’ll find the time. Thankfully, as a freelancer who works from home, finding time to write is not a problem for me, but I wasn’t always so privileged. Back in the day, I worked in an incredibly stressful job in crisis communications, that involved a daily three hour commute, while handling media queries on a press phone that rang from 6am to 12pm and at least 10 times every weekend. I still managed to write two novels. 

How did I do this? I wrote on the bus, I went to the pub beside my office and spent my lunch hour writing, I gave up my weekend activities, bye-bye cinema, exercise, and lazy Sundays. I’m not saying this was the right thing to do, but the point I’m making is, if you want to write, you will find the time. If you don’t believe me, set the notification on your phone, the one that tells you how many hours a day you give away to your screen, perhaps there you’ll find a pocket of time you didn’t even know you had.

Simple ideas that can be easily incorporated into life to make the time to write:

• Figure out if you’re a morning person or an evening person, or a middle of the day person. I’m a 9.30 am person. That’s my best time to write, my brain is clear and I’m much more likely to lose myself and get a decent flow going if I can carve out time to write at that time of the day. The best way to figure out your writing time is to write at different times of the day and make note of how successful you feel afterwards. If the words are flowing at midnight, maybe that’s your time, if you try to write at 5am and nothing is happening, then maybe the 5am Club is not for you. But I suggest you read this very funny article about it!

• Commit to the amount of time you’ll write for. The truth is we’re all time starved and 15 minutes of writing is better than no writing at all. 15 minutes doesn’t sound like much and you won’t hit a state of flow, but a nice little trick is, if you know you’ll only have 15 minutes to write tomorrow, end today’s writing session with a half-finished sentence. That way, when you pick up tomorrow, it will be easier to get straight back into where you left off.

• Forget about location. If you fantasise about sitting in a dedicated writing room with a view of the sea, or being the woman sitting in a trendy café, giving off cool, writer vibes… Forget about the fantasy. Write on the bus, write in the car when you’re waiting to collect the kids, write once you have the dinner in the oven, using the time until it cooks.

• Don’t wait for inspiration. This is one of the worst mistakes writers make. I’m sorry to say but most days the inspiration won’t come and that’s just how it is. But the good news is, you’ll appreciate it all the more the days it does show up.In the meantime, sit down and write, even if you feel it’s terrible. If you’re writing, you’re improving your craft – sometimes that’s the best you’re going to get. Don’t feel bad about it and remember, there’ll be plenty of time to fix… that’s exactly what editing is for.

• One final tip, and this is a tough one. Try to write at least five days a week. I know that’s easier said than done, but believe me, it’s worth it. Consistency will speed you up, you won’t have to waste time reminding yourself where in the story you are, trying to figure out where to pick up and how to proceed. The flow that I frequently refer to, that state of mind where the words and ideas are pouring out of you onto the page and the rest of the world is blocked out, achieving that state needs a build-up of pressure to be unleashed, and that pressure comes from consistency.

Hope that helps and in case you’re approaching the end of a first draft, there’s an excellent blog by Polly Watt at Written Word Media, including a step-by-step guide on performing your own Developmental Edit. I find the Story Arc graphic particularly useful.

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