With a new year now upon us, many may have made a new years resolution to start that book you have been wanting to write for some time now or finish the one you have already been working on. This may be easier said than done. As writers our lives are filled with constant endeavors with interruptions that many times interfere with our main goal and that is to write. What is an aspiring author to do?
I do have a great deal of respect for those individuals that can meticulously organize and plan out every minute of each day to a set and ridged schedule. For some individuals, this may not be a choice and is the only means in which they can hope to get anything accomplished on a regular basis. However; I have never been a huge fan of set schedules or ridged dead lines. Over time I have leaned more to the school of thought for task scribbled on a note card of things I would hope to see accomplished over a not so given amount of time.
You may be familiar with the organized daily and hourly planner where you write out 6:00 wake up, 6:05 make coffee, 6:10 shower … But what if that doesn’t work for you? What if you are the kind of person like me, that sees things differently than most? You know if you walk to the beat of a different drummer or think outside the normal box. You know who you are and although these suggestions may seem unconventional, I hope they will help you along your literary path.
SET GOAL
Goal setting is a very important first step. On a napkin, scratch sheet of paper or like me on a note card write down a overall goal of what you hope to accomplish. This seems to work well with everyone and is simple enough. Remember to keep it simple. It could read just : Write or finish book, article or repairs to living room immediately followed by some time…this week, this month, or this year. Give yourself plenty of time or less if you really feel like challenging yourself. Take a deep breath. Now that you have written it down you are on your way.
PRIME TIME
This is really the hardest part and where most individuals go horribly wrong. Everyone is different in the sense that there are times throughout the day that you may feel more alert or energetic. You know yourself better than others do and know if you are a night person or a morning person. If it takes more than two cups of coffee, a cold shower and a swift slap across the face to get you going out the door in the morning than it would be safe to say you are not a morning person and should leave the five minutes you gave yourself to roll out the bed and into you day alone. When are you most alert? Full of energy? Ready to create and inspire? That should be your target time. For me it is between the hours of 10:00am-8:00 pm. By ten o’clock at night its lights out and bed time for this sleepy old bear. You may be a night owl and your best alert time may be after midnight. Find that block of four to eight hours in the day when you feel primed.
FIND TIME
Again take the common sense approach here. Throughout the day and throughout the week, there will be times when this will be easy and on other days impossible. If you are one of those individuals who can plan between the hours of 10:00 am and 2:00 pm every day to sit in a Starbucks and write solid while sipping on a latte then God bless you. If you are not that person and you have two children in diapers, buried in paperwork or a fourteen hour a day work schedule, God bless you as well. What were looking for here is a sense of a general timeframe, in which all things considered, to try very hard to sit down to a pencil and a piece of paper on a regular basis. (Wow, was that a sentence run on or what). On some days you may not write anything while on others the planets align and you can somehow write uninterrupted for hours. Take it when you can and don’t fret about it when you can’t. Do what you can, when you can.
CHOOSE YOUR POISON
Whether you choose a typewriter or pc, a laptop or a legal pad, whichever you feel most comfortable with sit down to it with your favorite beverage or comfort food. I know this goes against everything you have ever been taught and truth be told I can’t tell you how many times I have had to wipe peanut butter and jelly or spilled milk off of my keyboard. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I really enjoy and look forward to my time writing. I try that much harder to find that time to write just knowing that Peter Pan super crunchy peanut butter and Smucker’s grape jelly on mixed wheat bread is calling my name and waiting for me at my pc. Make your writing time as pleasurable as you can. It may be a laptop laying on the couch watching a episode of Greys Anatomy on Netflix or in an office on your multiple levered office chair where you find you are most comfortable. Coffee or coco, chips or vegetables, donuts or bagels…whatever works for you.
WRITER’S CRAMP…ERR..BLOCK
There is an old saying that you write when inspired and edit when your not. I say write like a madman when you can and turn up the volume to your headphones, surf the net, read your favorite Facebook page and watch plenty of anime when you can’t. Whatever you find that inspires you get plenty of it. Read other authors, look at art or go for a scenic walk. Inspiration can hit you at any time. When it does just jot it down in a note pad or scratch sheet of paper. That Burger King wrapper will due just fine for now. Or you could like me use your phone to text or email yourself. Hit the button that records your voice and writes it down for you. Save or send it to yourself not your mother. Been there and done that, then pull it up later while you are in your comfort zone. Many authors have written about a romantic walk on a beach, but only you can write it from your perspective.
BE VIGILANT
Writing should never be a chore. If you don’t feel like it, then don’t do it. Just keep the mind set that you will make a conscious effort to write whenever you can. Remember your overall goal. So many times, we are discouraged and give up never pursuing that life fulfilling dream of being a writer. I hope with your New Year comes the resolution that you will pursue that dream with all your heart. Whether your goal is to become published or just finish that story that has always been hanging out in the back of your mind, I hope you will take at least some of the suggestions from this page and be steadfast in your endeavor. Now where did I put that sandwich?
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