First, I wanted to apologize for not posting here much lately but I’m 7 writing days and 40k+ into the last book in a trilogy and I just haven’t had the time.
That said, I caught a video from Brandon Sanderson recently about how to motivate yourself to write and really, I don’t do any of the things that he says. I don’t have to. Because where he says that you should trick yourself into doing things and hack your brain, I have no need for any of that.
I’m just in control of it. So this is how I get things done, specifically writing in this context, but you can apply this to absolutely anything in your life.
It you talk to a lot of authors, you’ll know that the biggest problem most have is right at the end of the book. More specifically, at least in my experience, is just before the end of the second act. It’s where a lot of people get into trouble.
This is a question that comes up a lot in writing circles so I thought I’d answer it.
Part two of my advice should be obvious, but you can’t really be a writer unless you write. Yet this seems to be a major problem for a lot of amateur writers and they can’t seem to just sit down and do what they claim they want to do.
This is something that, surprising, is met with a lot of apprehension by a lot of prospective authors. Time and again, I have seen people argue that they don’t like to read, they shouldn’t have to read and they absolutely reject reading for bizarre rationalizations that make no sense whatsoever under observation. The simple fact is, if you are not a voracious reader, you will never be a good writer. You learn to write primarily by reading. If you’re not willing to do that, give up now.
A lot of beginning writers ask where they should start in the writing game. How do you go from wanting to write to actually writing? There is tons of advice out there, but really, the process is simple, it’s the execution that’s hard. Therefore, I wanted to go into the boilerplate advice I offer in hopes that it helps those willing to put in the hard work.
One of the first things that most professional writers, or even just experienced writers will tell amateurs is to hold yourself accountable. You don’t know how well you’re doing unless you have some means of measuring it objectively. That’s why most recommend a word count tracker for whatever project you’re working on and I’m going to tell you the same thing. If you want to improve, if you want to produce work, you need to know how you’re doing. Track your words.