They say that for a writer the longest walk is from the chair to the computer and that the scariest thing is a blank page.
I've found that setting small goals is a good way to get writing. A novel needn't feel so daunting if you tell yourself that you are just going to write five hundred words a day. Because everyone can manage five hundred words, right? And it's amazing how they add up and the milestones pass. Five thousand words become ten thousand and pretty soon you've written fifty thousand and you think - how did that happen? As long as you keep plugging away, as long as you stick to it even when you would rather stab yourself in the eyes with needles that write, then you'll get there. It isn't a matter of waiting for the creative muse to strike, because let's face it, that could be a long wait.
So just set your daily goal, sit down and write. Don't be distracted by cleaning the bath plughole, hoovering the cat, de-bobbling your sweater or any of those other suddenly essential tasks that beg to be done before you can even think about writing. Don't correct as you go, don't agonise. Just write your five hundred words (or whatever you think is reasonable, but I'd suggest ten is probably not enough) and then get on with the rest of your day.
Sometimes you really do have to just do it.
Yeah I agree with you on that. Many writers offering professional writing services experience that a lot, ours included. Thanks for the useful advice!
Posted by: Philip M. | 16/09/2009 at 12:58 PM