Are you planning on publishing your first book this year? Catch up with this blog series here.
This week, we are discussing the biggest and most important step to self-publishing your first book: Writing
Yup - the next step is to write. Put pen to the page. Place your fingers on the keys and write. Write the first draft. Write the whole damn thing.
You can write it in order - start to finish. You can write it out of order. You can write it one scene at a time or any other way you can imagine. In the end, it doesn't matter as long as you write.
Tips
Come hell or high water, blizzards, power outages, or illness, write every day. for at least 2 minutes.
Find a way to write that works for you.
Schedule writing time
Write with one hand and erase with the other.
Let's dig a little deeper into these tips.
2 minutes a day
When you commit to writing 2 minutes a day, I expect your first thought to be something like, "Regina, you have to be kidding me. I cannot complete a book if I only write 2 minutes daily!" You are probably right - but it's not about the 2 minutes. It's about starting. It's about consistency. It is about overcoming resistance to the first, scariest part of writing - actually doing it - and building habits that support your new identity: You are a writer, which means you must write. And if you miss a day of writing. give yourself a break, then catch up! It can take people their entire damn lives to write, or never write, a book. this course is about momentum. It's about progress. It's about winning. Plus, generally, once you get started, it is easy to keep going, so ...keep writing.
A way that works for you
Have you already decided how you will write your book? Will you use pen and paper? Will you type it out? Have you been dabbling in voice-to-text? If you haven't already found a way that is convenient, efficient, effective, practical and enjoyable for you, try another way. There is no failure here - you are only identifying the ways that don't work. Try them all and pick one that works for you - or a few!
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Schedule your writing time
We all know it is true - things that are on our calendars get prioritized. Things you book are things you attend - or do. No one ever went to the gym on a whim... well, no one I know. They schedule it! If writing is important, and if you have followed along this far, I know it is for you - then it is time to put your planner where your heart is. Whether it is hours on end or a 15-minute dedicated time after the kids are asleep or before your partner wakes up, make and schedule time for writing. Put it in the same place you track your doctor and dentist appointments, then do everything in your power to preserve and protect this time. This may take conversations with people you love, asking them to support you in holding this time sacred. You may need to ask for help, child care or assistance. You may need a buddy who is going through this process with you. Get creative and find the things you need to create space for yourself and your writing.
Write with one hand, erase with the other
I am sure I heard a quote like this somewhere in the past - but cannot find who said it. It went something like, "If you have any hope of writing the truth, you must act as if you are writing with one hand and erasing with the other."
I'm taking this as writing without editing. Remember, you are just writing your first draft. Do you think anyone's first draft is a masterpiece? NO! Some are so bad that authors cry over them - but then they edit and polish and amend - and we end up with great books.
To help muzzle your inner critic, remind it that when writing your first draft, you are really just telling yourself the story. It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't even have to be good. It simply has to be written.
You can edit a bad draft, but not a blank page (another nameless quote I am sure I picked up over the years). Your focus during the writing of your first draft is to get the story out of your head and out into the world so you can see it.
A perfect - but never finished book - will never be published, but a finished draft has promise and potential. Let it be messy. Let it get weird. Let it be incomplete, but get it all out there. Dump your guts on the paper and then let's deal with this thing!
The faster you complete your first draft, the faster you can get editing and polishing and crafting something amazing, so enough reading. Go write! Keep writing till your first draft is done - with breaks for eating and sleeping and life responsibilities - but your top priority now is to complete this first draft.
Good Luck! Happy writing!
With Love,
Regina Grimm is the author of erotic fairytales written for the uninhibited readers 18+.
Check out her books:
Snow White and the Wicked Curse: Chapter 1
Snow White and the Poisoned Apple: The Final Chapter.
Would you prefer to read the whole story at once? Grab your copy of Snow: The Complete Erotic Series now! All five books are available now on Kindle and in Paperback.
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