Writing Every Single Day
Someone recently asked me how I was able to write a 93,000 word novel in less than three months. The answer is simple. I wrote something every day.
Now, the novel wasn’t ‘done’ in three months. It went to my editor and she returned it to me with a bunch of edit notes I needed to go through. Some things needed correcting and others I just left alone.
What I did find is that I wanted to make some big changes to the plot structure. This was because I had not spent any time outlining the book. I wrote it by the seat of my pants and it showed. As a result of my impatience in the beginning, I spent far more time ‘re-writing’ than I did writing.
My next book should avoid this fate. For one, I am using yWriter which really helps me structure things so the story flows smoothly. The ups are where the ups should be and the downs properly placed as well. Second, I have a much better idea of the type of story structure I like so I build them in at the beginning and then just write the story to get to the places I want to do.
So the secret to finishing a novel is to write everyday. But how much should you write? I don’t measure it in words because it is not important to me. My only caveat is that every single day, at 7 am (or earlier), I start writing. If I only write one word, then I have achieved my goal for the day and I am fine with that.
But you know this is a trick. I generally write a bunch more. The hardest part is just getting started but now that it’s a habit it’s not a big deal.
Try it. Write every day…even if it is only a single word. Within a few years you could be one of the most prolific authors on the planet.
