The title of this post may sound extremely obvious, but it's important. I keep meeting people who tell me they want to write a book and/or are working on a book. Most of the time, unfortunately, their talk never turns into an actual book.
These folks, who I'm sure truly do want to become authors, remind me of the people I see packing the classes every January at the yoga studio I frequent. They've clearly made New Year's resolutions to get in shape, so they sign up for yoga and jump in eagerly. But by February, they're gone. I imagine they have all sorts of reasons for why they stopped coming to class. Too busy with work/kids/family. Not enough time. Schedule conflicts. Etc. etc. etc.
These are all excuses. The simple truth is that yoga is HARD, and it takes a lot of discipline to go to class on a regular basis and get into good shape.
Just like staying in shape, writing requires discipline
It's the same thing with writing. Even if you have a wonderful idea for a book, writing a book is HARD. In addition to the sheer creative effort, it's not like an office job where you have to show up or you'll get fired. It's up to you to sit down today and tomorrow and the day after that and just write.
I once spoke on a panel with a woman who said she approached writing her book the same way she approached training for a marathon. I thought that was a great way to look at it. You can't just show up and run 26.2 miles without training, and a book isn't just going to appear on your computer screen because you really want to be an author.
While the "lifestyle of a writer" can sound idyllic because no one is looking over your shoulder, it also requires discipline and self-motivation. The more seriously you take your writing, the more likely you are to succeed.
-Maria
Maria Murnane is the author of the best-selling romantic comedies Perfect on Paper, It's a Waverly Life, Honey on Your Mind, and Chocolate for Two. She also provides consulting services on book publishing and marketing. Learn more at www.mariamurnane.com.
This blog post originally appeared on CreateSpace.com. Reprinted with permission. © 2013 CreateSpace, a DBA of On-Demand Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.
Hi Maria! I enjoyed your post! Writing definitely requires a ton of discipline! In fact, so does pretty much everything in life that's important to us. I think the problem is that often we go into a project, like writing, without really being aware that work, effort, and dedication are part of the project. One way I try to overcome this (in writing and other areas of life) is to make it 'habit and routine'. Once something's become 'habit and routine' for me, it makes the 'work' and 'discipline' part that much easier. How do I do this? I follow the 21-Day rule to make or break a habit.....they say it takes 21 days to start a new routine or ditch an old one. So far, I find it to be true in almost all I do! :)
*blush* I'm on the net avoiding my writing and I come on this post...........Back to my document with me!
I had been thinking exactly the same thing yesterday, when I got the first (author review) copy of my most recent book and started reading it. I said to myself, "You know, this is pretty good." Still, I found a few wordings I would change if I were still in the editing process. And I thought about how many years I had been working on the book (about seven, off-and-on, and who knows how many hundreds of hours of actual writing), about how many vastly different versions of the structure there had been (three or four), about how many times it had been read and edited and revised by me and friends and professional editors (probably close to twenty), and how much patience and communication it had required to get it through the actual publishing process (a lot), and the publicity and marketing have still not begun and I know that will be a time-consuming trial by fire. Still, it was nice to have the book in my hand and think it was good.
Great post. Writing 'is' hard work. I'm working on the third draft of my novel and it makes my head hurt sometimes, but I do it because it's my dream and seeing the words on the page at the end of a writing session delights me.
Writing is the best difficult work in the world! Great post...as an editor I have had lots of people tell me that they want to write a book. I know the discipline it takes to write so I admire the ones who do and encourage the ones who want to--and even suggest that they hire a ghostwriter.
Great example. Although I truly enjoy the many caveats of writing, the disciplined commitment to write can't be played down. I must admit however, I'll take on a writing marathon any day over the real deal marathon, though too, respect big time anyone crossing milestones for either, or.
Boy, isn't this true. The problem is, like most goals, the emotions don't always back the idea. You don't always "feel" like writing. It doesn't always come easy. The muse is often absent. But if you want to write and be published, you're spot-on: it takes discipline. Thanks for the reminder.