Writing a novel is hard work, and it’s going to take time and effort, but you also can’t live in a bubble.
I. GET A SCHEDULE “I want to write a novel.” How many times have you said this to yourself or others in the last year? Have you been thinking it for more than a decade? Be honest.
You have to ask yourself, “How bad do I want to write a novel?”DO NOT TELL YOURSELF THAT YOU CANNOT WRITE A NOVEL BECAUSE YOU HAVE A JOB OR A FAMILY – UTTER NONSENSE! Are you willing to wake up at 4:30 am and write? Are you willing to go to a coffee shop alone with your laptop instead of the gym for 6 to 9 months? Are you willing to quit drinking alcohol? Time to get serious! Make some sacrifices! Tell yourself that you can do this! You can write a novel! Of all the steps of the Mimbrez How to Write a Novel, having a schedule may be the most important.
So many of my intellectual, book loving, reading and writing maniacs enjoy a glass of glass or chardonnay or IPA from time to time.
The problem with alcohol is that you’re pretty much useless to writing as soon as you’ve had one drink, and you sure as shinola aren’t going to get up before dawn to write after drinking the night before.
TAKE INVENTORY OF YOUR SCHEDULE AND CUT SOMETHING OUT You may think that you’re just too busy to write a book, but the truth is that nobody is that important.
YES – CUT OUT SOME OF YOUR SLEEP TIME. One of the best ways to do this is by waking up at about 4:00 am and dragging your butt directly to your writing desk.
This is the best time of all to write because most sane people are sleeping.
Now you may be a letter carrier or a brain surgeon on call at 4:00 am; writing before dawn may not be an option for you.
Go to a library and write instead of wasting time on the tread mill.
Write a few paragraphs and take your family out for dinner.
Just do whatever it takes to spent time writing and working on your book.
WRITE OUT YOUR SCHEDULE AND STICK TO IT Once you’ve figured out when you’re going to write, stick to it like a fanatic.
You may even be thinking, “What the hell? Didn’t you just say give up the gym so I can write?” Yes, and frankly, if you’re so busy that just having an extra hour is like pulling teeth as it is, then okay, you can skip this part.
Your brain becomes compressed when you engage in the creative process of writing.
When I was writing The Morning Tree, the main characters were studying Kendo.
Pretty soon, I was attending regular classes, and have now been studying Kendo for 3 and years at the time of this writing.
Whatever it is, do something else besides writing that gets the blood flowing and the mind distracted.
We’re talking about using your mind here, just not creating through writing.
You need to unplug from writing and let your mind wander with some other activity to give room for the creative side of your brain to heal, like a runner needs time to recover after a marathon.
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