HABITS OF EFFECTIVE WRITERS
READ widely with a focus on your subject area.
MANAGE time.
SET goals—set reasonable, obtainable goals and meet them.
MANAGE space—your writing space should be conducive to productive writing.
SET boundaries—limit distractions (TV, friends, family, internet, etc.).
FINISH—complete your drafts!
NO SHOPPING—don’t tell others about your work until it is complete.
CULTIVATE your team.
LOVE your readers—your readers will spend a lot of time and effort reading your work—so don’t short-change them. Give them your best work.
COMMUNICATE—give your readers your e-mail and respond. Your readers and other writers might respond and if they do, return the favor—NETWORK.
DEADLY EXCUSES
Suzanne Fitzgerald
The Writer’s Life
Sept 9, 2019
7 Deadly Excuses on the Path to Writing Success:
Indecisiveness—not knowing where to focus—pick a niche, figure out where you want to go and how to go about it. Prioritize your efforts.
Comfortability—you cannot become comfortable in your current situation. Always strive for improvement, moving forward.
Procrastination—putting off those things (especially important ones) which would propel you forward is very counter-productive. Prioritize your efforts and proceed.
Busy Work—there are many ways to fritter away your time that are not really productive. Cut out things that really make no difference—again prioritize your efforts and proceed.
Acceptance—accepting the status quo is like busywork. You don’t have to say ok to every demand for your time and energy. Saying no to friends and family when they ask you to do something when they could do it themselves, is not being selfish or unconcerned—set boundaries.
Self-doubt—you should develop a clear vision of what you want and what you need to get it. Don’t succumb to self-doubt about your ability to perform. You know you can do it, so don’t let self-doubt hold you back.
Fear—people tend to fear those things that they think they can’t control. There are legitimate things beyond your control, but there are usually ways to work around them and lessen their impact. Rather than fearing these, approach them as challenges to overcome—take courses, broaden your scope, contact others, ask for help, find a mentor, etc.
FIVE REASONS TO SPEND TIME READING ABOUT WRITING
Develop yourself—knowledge of the craft will make you a better writer—also this will help you decide what kind of writer you are, and what it takes to be successful.
Push along your own project. Reading about writing can help you keep on track—advice from other writers, even if it applies only indirectly to your project, can stimulate your mind when thinking about it. Looking at it from a different angle might spur you on to better writing.
Work through an impasse—advice from others may help to get through it, maybe by attacking from a new angle.
Be in the know—knowing the words and concepts will help you to further understand the art of writing, particularly when around other writers. On a personal level, you don’t want to appear ignorant about basic tenets.
A reminder of why you write—re-enforces your reasons for writing.
STOPPING AND THINKING
Writing is about thoughts—step away from the keyboard and think about your story—brainstorm.
Spend a lot of time thinking before actually sitting down to write—will likely produce faster writing as well as a better product.
Putting writing on hold to give yourself time to gain experience—do research, relive past experiences, gain authority. If you write without authority, you’ll work extremely hard at getting nowhere.
Ideas need to simmer—simmering, as in cooking, allows flavors to fully develop. Put drafts aside for a while—your mind will come up with new thoughts, even when you are not thinking about them.