The Inspire! Writers Workshop this past September in Panama City, Florida, gave us the opportunity to showcase our strategy on launching best-selling books. There are many factors involved, but an author’s mindset and intentionality can make all the difference. Three important actions can set a writer up for success in the daily grind of their craft. Read on to learn more and for a free author tool at the end. #FREE-Download!
Your People
It takes a lot of guts to be a writer. Consider the notion that your thoughts and words will be open for scrutiny by total strangers. Believing in yourself to write words, concepts, and books that readers want to read can be daunting. You may be aware of the importance to research your market, write to market, or even ignore the market to be true to your niche, all the while your thoughts inquire, Who am I that others care what I write? Imposter syndrome can be your worst enemy. What can you do?
Network with other authors. Join a critique group. Explore local events for writers and attend virtual and/or in-person conferences. Invest in your writing by surrounding yourself with other similar-minded writers. Fill your inner circle with fellow writers who can journey with you, who will encourage you on the tough days, and celebrate you on the winning days.
Intentionality 1: Surround yourself with like-minded writers who will support you
Your Inner Editor
Is your writing routine riddled with rewrites? Do you constantly see the errors in first drafts? Or think you can’t continue until what you’ve already written is perfect? Your inner editor may be sabotaging you.
Give yourself permission to write garbage. Accept the fact that your first draft will need edits. You’ll likely have two, three, four, or more rewrites before being ready for publication. That’s the process, and it’s okay. Enjoy it! This is how you grow and become a prolific writer.
Refuse to be distracted by your inner editor. Turn it off. Don’t go back and rewrite paragraphs from earlier sessions, press forward. There is plenty of time for edits once the article, chapter, or story is complete.
Intentionality 2: Shut off your inner editor
Your Words
As a writer, you must be disciplined to sit down and write. Every day. Don’t let the word discipline shut you down. It’s your commitment to your work—your creations—that will propel you forward. Discipline, simply put, means you take your writing seriously.
Don’t know what to write? Start with journaling to get your creative juices flowing, then move into your work-in-progress (WIP). You may have a day or two or three of just writing junk, but eventually your thoughts will begin to ebb and flow. After a little while, your main character and the plot of the story will begin to form. Each writing session will become more and more productive. Don’t stop until you get to the end. Eventually, you’ll be ready to go back and make sense of it all. With time, this process will become easier—especially if you’ve already formulated a roadmap for your story (e.g., outline).
Begin to track your word count each writing session. Set a daily word goal for accountability. Don’t be a slacker. If you want to launch a bestseller then you will need to be disciplined in writing every day.
Intentionality 3: Keep track of the number of words you write each day
Conclusion
There are three things every author should do to stay in the game and not lose sight of their writing goals. No matter how long you’ve been writing or whether you’re published or not, every author needs a tribe of fellow writers to cheer them along their journey. Additionally, be mindful that an inner editor can sabotage your writing. There will be plenty of time to refine that story, chapter, or poem. Finally, establish good writing habits. Whether using a scrap of paper or a sophisticated spreadsheet, seeing your word count accumulate is exciting! That alone will motivate you to sit down and put words to paper.
We created the Author Writing Schedule just for this purpose. It’s a fast and easy #FREE-Download! to help you track your word count throughout the year. With a simple starting date, the spreadsheet will quickly prepare your daily writing schedule. Each day, input your daily word count and track your totals each month of the year.
