and tomorrow's bestsellers
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Discovering today's talent and tomorrow's bestsellers |
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Finding the Time Finding the time to write is exactly like everything else in Life: a matter of priorities. You begin by:
Once you've made the decision to write a book, you should take the time to analyze how your days are currently spent. For a week or two, track how much time is spent working, sleeping, socializing, with your spouse and/or children, doing chores, watching television, talking on the phone, and participating in hobbies. Then analyze which things you must do (working and sleeping, for instance) versus the things you might enjoy but could do without (such as cutting back on television or chatting on the phone). Which activities invest in your future? Which activities prevent you from realizing your goals? If you don't have the time to write, then you really do not want to be a writer. How did others find the time? John Grisham wrote A Time to Kill in longhand while practicing law in a courtroom; Stephen King wrote at night after working a full-time job AND a part-time job (Stephen King On Writing, published by Scribner). He wrote in the laundry room of his mobile home with his typewriter balanced on his lap because there wasn't sufficient room for a table. Nora Roberts began her career during a February 1979 blizzard when she was snowed in for a week; she began writing down a scene that had been going through her head. You can set a goal to write one chapter a week, a scene each day, two pages a day, or an hour a day, all suggestions found at Writing Habits. Consider if you wrote two pages a day that in less than six months, you would have a full length novel! Not in the Mood When you were growing up, did you go to school only when you were in the mood? Do you go to work only when you're in the mood? Then why do you think you have to be "in the mood" before you can write? Everyone has days in which they'd like to stay home from work or school. But when they get to work or school, they fall into the groove. It's the same with writing; once you begin to write, the words will begin to flow. Daydreaming is Writing Even if you are not physically located at a computer or you don't have a pen and paper in hand, you can still work on your writing. Develop the characters in your mind - while driving, standing in line at the supermarket, running errands, or participating in other activities. What characters do you observe? Which are the ones you feel repulsed by or drawn to, and why? What characteristics does each person have that makes them unique, or that catches your attention? Work on your plot and subplots. Develop a time line, determine the hurdles your characters will have to face and how they will overcome them, decide how the scenes will propel the reader toward the climactic scene. Develop a scene in your mind: where does it take place? what do you notice about the surroundings? how are your senses used? Take Notes Keep index cards or a spiral notebook with you to jot down ideas. Get rid of scraps of paper that can easily be lost. Keep your notes in one place where you can easily review them. When you do sit down at the computer or typewriter, you'll have a clear idea of your characters, the plot, and the scene, and writing will come easier and faster. |
