*sigh...*
I'm not sure why, but in the newbie writer world there seems to be a lot of stubbornness. I suspect it has more to do with feeling self-conscious and craving approval than anything else. No matter as to the reason, if your writing process does NOT have your writing consistently, it.....*drum roll...*
SUCKS.
Yes, you read me right. That process is about as valuable as a Blue Light Special at K-Mart (for those of you who are too young to get that analogy, too bad. :-P)
I had a conversation with a writer the other week, where he complained of being bored. I asked him why he wasn't writing, and he said he wasn't inspired.
To wit, I explained being a serious writer has zilch to do with muse-like inspiration.
To wit, he said to me, everyone has their own process.
To wit, I said to him, looks like yours isn't working.
To wit, he said, oh, it works fine. Not everyone has the same process.
To wit, I said, true, but those who write consistently, not feigning being bored or uninspired, have a workable process. You obviously do not.
To wit, *crickets*
Ah... I love the smell of insecurity in the morning...
At some point, all writers, especially new ones, who decide that writing will be a career, not a hobby, have to look themselves in the mirror and ascertain if their writing process is actually a good one.
Just so you know, that looking into the mirror gig... you'll do it for the rest of your life. Nothing stays status quo for the artist. On about a monthly basis, after 8 years of full time writing, I have to do this self-examination, as my writing deadlines/demands keep increasing, so my process needs constantly refining.
My latest milestone: I need to write ~ 50,000 book draft words every 3 weeks, and have it become the norm, not the exception.
How do ya like them apples, you non-consistent, process holding, writing scribes???
So, to date, my process isn't working well enough. Currently, I've decided on a Time over Word Count approach, to see if that will up my production. I will study that process over the next few weeks, and see if it's successful. If not, back to my self-examination mirror I go to further tweak my process, and I will do so until I can settle on one that does get me to my goal.
So, now, it's YOUR turn...
HOMEWORK:
a) drop the stubborn facade about your non-writing process you hold so lovingly in your arms and figuratively pet. If you're not writing, your process needs to be killed. You can have an ornate funeral for it, if you wish. I get the diva in all of us...
b) establish your own book writing goal(s), and design a new process that you think may get you there. Assess it after a few weeks of implementation, and decide if it's working, or it needs further refinement.
c) and never be stubborn or proprietary or defensive about your writing process ever again.
The rubber meets the road strictly by the words down on the page. Nothing else matters.
Being a writer is mostly a psychological war with yourself. Constantly find new ways of winning each battle, to win that war.
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