When I first began (professionally), I didn't know how difficult it would be once I would be published. I romanticized it, believe me. I learned so much along the way. Though I've been published for a while now, I'm still learning! And that's very important. You have to keep learning throughout your writing career. I know what you're thinking. I've already learned how to walk, why should I learn how to walk again? Okay, bad example, but it's still true.
Walking (substitute that word for something meaningful for you) can change over time. Ways to "walk" will change. Okay, I'm getting off that word; it's ridiculous lol. We're not here to learn about walking; we're here to learn about writing. Am I right? Okay, did you laugh? I hope so because in this field, if we don't enjoy it, we're not going to do it. So, the first tip is to love it. Love to write. Love the process of writing. The more books you write and publish, the harder it becomes to keep it up because you must balance the two (writing while marketing the past books). Here are more tips...
Taking a break will help your mind relax and rest. Our brains are a muscle, a very important one. It needs breaks just like our legs and arms do. There are so many ways to take a break from writing. Taking a run, jog, or walk. Wash the dishes and allow your mind to wander. Naps are nice. Watch a movie. Take a bath. Listen to your favorite music (that is something you can do while enjoying other activities). The list goes on. It can be a quick break or a day-long break. Reading counts as a break, by the way. Why are breaks so important? It helps prevent burn-out which is a big deal. So, you can also take breaks from social media, which is a biggie. And social media is a great place to market your books, but if you're burned out, you won't do anyone any good including yourself, so take breaks.
Once you've become published and you're trying to write that second book, you have to learn how to balance your career. It doesn't happen overnight. Believe me, I wish it did. So, here's another tip. Learn about balance. There's a time for everything. Remember that. Keep a personal planner. You can create one, or buy one from a store. And there are so many different types. I like the ones with the week and month in one place. I combine my writing life with my personal (outside of writing) life so everything is in one place. That's up to you.
Schedule your daily activities. You can use a pencil so things can be erased easily if you need to change things around. Personally, I use a pen for everything and just scribble things out lol. It's a mess, but I like it. Do what works for you. Think about the day and what you want to get done. You can put a time limit on it or just go with the flow and have a "to-do" list.
Example:
7 a.m. Wake up. Have coffee, take a shower, and get dressed.
8 a.m. Write for one hour.
9 a.m. Get ready for work. Do job and go home....
5 p.m. Arrive at home from work, watch the news.
6 p.m. Prepare dinner.
8 p.m. Write for one hour.
9 p.m. do chores around house.
Rest, watch a movie, go to bed...
I don't use that method; mine is more of the "to-do" list, which works for me. I balance my writing and personal life by staying up all night once or twice a week. It is something that I've done since I was a teenager. Of course, back then I didn't stay up all night as often lol and it was only during the summer because I had school and my mother would have killed me lol. Anyway, for me, when I stay up, I work on writing and other writing-related things like scheduling posts for Instagram. Yes, you actually can schedule those. I tried a full month, but that didn't work for me, so now I just schedule a week's worth of posts during one night. It usually takes about an hour to get everything done. When finished, I'll write, work on other marketing things, work on a cover or two, and add a little something to my newsletter. I keep myself busy all night, getting a few things done here and there so I don't have to focus on those things during the rest of the week. That way, I can focus on writing my book during the day. I also visit my social sites to talk to people (the post is done, now I just focus on the people). Also, during the night, I will learn. I mentioned that earlier, always learning.
Remember, everyone is different, but you're never alone. We all have our own pace. Some writers take a year or longer to write one book. And that's not even counting the editing, who knows how long that will take. So if you're not producing the words, paragraphs, or pages; DO NOT panic. Every word you do write gets you closer to the end of your story. Sometimes, you just need that break, so if you are stuck on a scene, get up and walk away from the story. Work on something else. You can even write another story or read a book. Just change gears. Sometimes that can trick your brain into getting back to work lol.
Don't compare yourself with other writers. Again, we all go at our own pace. Remember, in the beginning when I was using "walking"? This is why I chose that word. Sarah began walking when she was nine months old. Sam, didn't start walking until he was a year old. By the time Sam was walking, Sarah was running and jumping. Now, Sarah isn't smarter than Sam, she just learned how to walk at a younger age. There could be reasons for it, maybe Sarah had an older sister who helped her along the way. It's the same with writing. Everyone is at different points in their lives. Stephen King didn't start out publishing, he was rejected first. He didn't give up. We shouldn't either. Can we set goals and try to get where Stephen King is? Of course.
Speaking of goals. When we set goals, don't create something you can't reach. Set smaller goals that you can achieve. That means don't set a goal like "sell a thousand books in one month." Instead, set goals that you have control over--sales aren't guaranteed. If someone says otherwise, they're lying.
Examples:
I want to have 5 new subscribers in the next year. Okay, now make a list for things you can do to achieve that goal. Focus on one goal at a time.
Learn how to create a cover goal.
Find a new plot for a story you're stuck on while writing another book
That's it for this blog entry. I don't want to overwhelm you. I'll have more tips on writing in the future. I will also share tips on editing, cover design, etc. Things I've learned along the way. And I'm always refreshing that knowledge because things change over the years and relearning the same things helps to remember it. See you next time!
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