Welcome to Day 91 and Day 26 of our Writing Challenge...
I did 2 hours of editing this morning...
Went grocery shopping...
Went to church and...
Was home by 8:45 am.
Seriously, something magical happens when your in your groove in your power hours.
Though likewise, I'll get settled into bed at night with my laptop - hoping to get some work done and I struggle to keep my eyes open.
What's the lesson here?
Keep with what works...change what doesn't.
Start by recognizing what's already going right...knowing what stimulates your creativity, what keeps you focused, what increases your output...figure out the time, the place and the method, and stick with it.
The next step isn't so easy, but if you can master it, it'll help you reach new plateaus.
That means fixing what's broken.
My first book Deadly Shadows, took almost four years to write. Four years.
My second book, One Step Closer took just 8 months. So what was the big difference? Well, I realized something wasn't working - every word I wrote, I struggled with making just right. Simply put I was writing and editing at the same time and it really killed my creativity and slowed the process. That's when I started using a left brain/right brain writing style. I now write using stream of conscious - getting as many ideas as possible out of my brain and on to the computer screen, then I go back and do a rigorous edit. Now I always have a starting point and markers for new scenes and plot ideas, so when I do edit, the volume and pace of my output has increased exponentially.
Another case in point? I edited and re-edited the drafts for my first 2 books and I still ended up with lots of mistakes, time-consuming, negative review inducing - mistakes. I finally got the joke and turned my drafts over to professionals. The net effect? A more polished book that I was able to get to market much, much quicker.
Take some time today and assess what is working in your writing career.
Here's...Today's Takeaway Lesson...
"Keep What Works...Change What Doesn't”
Here's to Being All In,
Maggie
Follow me on Twitter @AuthorMaggie #busywriterslife
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