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| Image courtesy of pinterest.com |
Did I set my writing goals for the new year? Yep. :)
Did I start working towards them on January 1st? Nope. :(
So what was stopping me?
It was the actual 'getting started' bit.
In no particular order, here are some things that got me back on track. Maybe they'll help you, too.
1. I re-read some completed stories and story ideas from my bottom drawer and realised I had some great stuff there. Maybe I wasn’t as useless as I thought.
2. I started writing a diary in the words of my new MC – just a few sentences about her daily life and innermost thoughts, to get to know her better (the book’s a historical time-slip, a total change of genre for me)
Love to Laugh…at Game of Thrones memes.
Love to Learn…by doing on-line writing courses. The last one I took was through the Margie Lawson Academy; it was about writing Historical Fiction and it was brilliant!
Did I start working towards them on January 1st? Nope. :(
So what was stopping me?
It was the actual 'getting started' bit.
Wth? I mean, I’m a writer. The Farmer's Perfect Match was published last year and my next book, Falling in Love Again, is coming out in April, so what the heck was going on?
This…
This…
It’s hard! Being a writer is hard work!
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| Image courtesy of onsizzle.com |
There’s self-doubt. Life getting in the way. Brain drain. That kitchen drawer you've been meaning to get around to cleaning out.
There’s, like…at least a million things to stop you from achieving those goals you set yourself.
But here’s the good part: you can do something about it.
In no particular order, here are some things that got me back on track. Maybe they'll help you, too.
1. I re-read some completed stories and story ideas from my bottom drawer and realised I had some great stuff there. Maybe I wasn’t as useless as I thought.
2. I started writing a diary in the words of my new MC – just a few sentences about her daily life and innermost thoughts, to get to know her better (the book’s a historical time-slip, a total change of genre for me)
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| Own photo |
3. I began using the ‘Don’t Beak the Chain’ method. I have to write every day — I don’t want to break that chain!
4. Before finishing writing for the day, I’ve been making a list of specific things to work on the next day. (Love to tick things off a list!)
5. I’ve broken my big goals into small, achievable outcomes. Nothing’s guaranteed to upset your equilibrium more than having a goal that’s just too hard to achieve.
6. This was a biggie! I skipped writing the first chapter. I had an outline and I knew where I wanted my story to go but I just didn’t know how to start it and that was causing me angst (we all know how important that first page is, don’t we!). The pressure really came off after that.
5. I’ve broken my big goals into small, achievable outcomes. Nothing’s guaranteed to upset your equilibrium more than having a goal that’s just too hard to achieve.
6. This was a biggie! I skipped writing the first chapter. I had an outline and I knew where I wanted my story to go but I just didn’t know how to start it and that was causing me angst (we all know how important that first page is, don’t we!). The pressure really came off after that.
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| Link to listen to or buy |
7. I’m writing to music. I’ve tried this sporadically in the past, but this time I have a proper playlist. I’m also using headphones and finding it a really nice way to work.
8. Before I start work on the computer, I’ve been handwriting what I want to achieve with the scene I’m working on. This is giving me a focus.
9. This might sound a bit airy-fairy but I’ve been saying out loud to myself ‘You are a writer. You can do this.’ (You know what they say – talk to yourself and you’ll always hear what you want to hear.)
10. I light my ritual citrus-scented candle, and off I go.
So there you have it: my guide to getting started for 2017. Hope it helps you. (And fingers, legs and eyes crossed that it continues for me!)
Have you had trouble getting started this year? What did you do to overcome it?
Love to Love…a thunderstorm after a sweltering day, and the smell of earth after rain.
9. This might sound a bit airy-fairy but I’ve been saying out loud to myself ‘You are a writer. You can do this.’ (You know what they say – talk to yourself and you’ll always hear what you want to hear.)
10. I light my ritual citrus-scented candle, and off I go.
So there you have it: my guide to getting started for 2017. Hope it helps you. (And fingers, legs and eyes crossed that it continues for me!)
Have you had trouble getting started this year? What did you do to overcome it?
Love to Love…a thunderstorm after a sweltering day, and the smell of earth after rain.
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| Image courtesy of bestanimations.com |
Love to Laugh…at Game of Thrones memes.
Love to Learn…by doing on-line writing courses. The last one I took was through the Margie Lawson Academy; it was about writing Historical Fiction and it was brilliant!
