HABITS FOR WRITERS

I could put a number in front of that title— say-- 10 habits or whatever – but why would I? If you’ve followed my blog for long, you know that I say “Successful Writer’s Write Every day" no matter how they feel, what’s going on in their day, or if they don’t have a pencil to their name. Anyone who wants to be a writer will talk the talk, and walk the walk. So if I were numbering these points I would call number one the “Develop the will to write daily,” priority, number one on your to do list – Let's start by calling it what I prefer to call it, your goals list.

Everyday you meet people who say "I want to write a novel. I have this great idea," yet they never sit down to get page one started. As Rob Parnell ( www.easywaytowrite.com ) has said on numerous occasions “If you want to write novels you have to start NOW [emphasis mine] immediately, and not put it off any longer."

In this world ,we can save money for a rainy day – but we have not found out how to save/bank time for when we want it at some future date – NOW is all you have. If not NOW, When?

Setting goals for yourself is one way to get a finished project. Say you agree to write three pages a day – hey, if you do that everyday, you’ll have nearly 1,100 pages in a year – that could easily equal three novels.

Be sure when you are involved in that goal setting that you commit to finish projects. Getting 300 books, or articles, or essays started—does not equal a finished, saleable project. Check those idea faeries at the door. Write down their intrusion with a great idea and then continue on to finish your current project before you grab up one of her sparkling new ideas.

It has been said that it takes 21 days to create a habit. My challenge to you is, if you want to be a writer – write at least three pages every day for the next 21 days. Pick a time convenient for you —morning, evening — it makes no difference when. What does make a huge difference is that you do this. Twenty-one days isn’t a long time, it isn’t a month, it isn’t hardly worth mentioning time-wise, but once you do it—you have formed a valuable HABIT, a precedence, a ritual, a practice, which will eventually get you to your goal of becoming a writer, perhaps even a published author.

So get started today. What have you got to lose, except perhaps your fear of getting started.