A Real Piece of Work

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

My respect for every author has increased a hundredfold since I started writing my book seriously. The time, dedication, discipline, creativity, confidence, and energy required is draining and exhilarating simultaneously.

Writing a book changes how you look at a book. It’s no longer just something to read and, hopefully, enjoy, but a real piece of work.

Hundreds of hours are needed to create something people read in a few hours, but that’s how work works—hours to create fashion, seconds to put it on; months to build a boat, moments to set sail, and years to build a skyscraper, minutes in an elevator to reach the top. Not sure we ever truly appreciate the work that goes into anything unless we have done the work ourselves.

What I am sure of is that writers need to make the time to write no matter what on a schedule that gets words onto documents. Then the rewriting begins.

This takes time, dedication, discipline, creativity, confidence, and energy, i.e., work. Writing is work. Successful writing is hard work that takes a lot of time.

“The days are long, but the years are short.”—Anonymous

The work pays off if you make time during your long days to pile up pages so your years are filled with your books, articles, essays, poems, screenplays, short stories, and/or plays.

Do your work. Do it today. Do it every day.

Great News, Bad News, Great News

From Kate’s Writing Crate…

      

                        

               Too long ago I started writing my novel with characters and a plot in mind, but, after writing the two most exciting chapters, I stopped.

              Why? Bored, mostly. Also, not sure how to keep momentum going even with a plot.

              Then, as I wrote last month, Cheryl shared with me that the prolific author Marie Force writes at least 2.000 words a day—every day—in one or both of the two books she has going at all times. (She has five series ongoing plus several single titles.)

              Furthermore, Force is a pantster (writes by the seat of her pants) not a plotter.

              She knows what she is talking about so I decided to do the same.

              Great news: I roughly finished my two partial chapters and wrote eight more writing fearlessly daily—and it was a blast! My characters said and did things I didn’t plan and kept the action/plot moving forward.

              This is the only way I’ll ever write fiction.

              The bad news: I didn’t do it every day. I should’ve as momentum does build and writing daily keeps it going. However, I had my monthly magazine deadlines and a two-week project also due.

              Bills have to be paid so I thought I needed to concentrate on my professional assignments, but this was a HUGE rookie mistake.

              Marie Force is right—2,000 words a day on your book(s) or don’t bother. That’s a direct quote. She wasn’t making a suggestion; she was telling Cheryl to commit to her work—no matter what.

              So I’m sharing with you that you need to commit to 2,000 words a day—2k a day—no matter what.

              I should’ve gotten up earlier or stayed up later or written in any spare time I had to keep the momentum going. Even if my writing was rough or off tangent, the magic and fun would have continued. But I stopped writing 2k a day. Instead I made notes on “new” ideas to make a character have more depth plus opened up a new avenue for the plot.

              It wasn’t enough.

              When my magazine deadline was over and my project was submitted, my novel was cold. I lost my strong connection to my characters. After an unacceptable/unexcused absence, they were giving me a collective cold shoulder.

              I had a tough time starting up again, but then I read Stephanie Bond is Your Personal Fiction-Writing Coach. Having written over 70 novels, Bond shares a lot of great advice and tips although some are better than others. She got me started again—and I’m never stopping unless I decide I don’t want a dream career of writing, hopefully, bestselling novels after all.

              The key to success is hard work—writing 2,000 words a day for your book(s). Every day. No excuses.

             Great news: learn from my mistake and commit from the start. You’ll be surprised and delighted where it leads. Then you can call yourself an author. Is that your dream? Go for it—2k a day!