Greetings Blog Reader. In this post, I will be talking about the mental impact of writing a novel. Let’s be frank. Writing is both very easy and very hard, depending on the day. Some days the words flow out of you and onto the page like a river forms a waterfall. Other days it will be so difficult to put a single word on the page it is as if the words had dried up completely. I have come across a few different techniques I can share with you which you can use to make it easier to cope with the writing process if not actually help with the writing itself. Word Count Goals I find word count goals are useful only when the words are flowing, and just because an achieved goal is a big boost to your confidence. A confident writer finds it easier to put words on a page, is more relaxed and can focus better on plot and vocabulary. On the other hand, and in my personal experience, word count goals only serve to create anxiety. If you are lucky enough to be able to write all day and have no other responsibilities, you will find it much easier to get down those precious words. If you have a life which continually gets in the way of your creativity, then a goal is tough to maintain. If you spend a great deal of time thinking any of the below list, then a word count goal is not helping you:- I must get 1000 words today, if not I will fail. I’ve only managed 876 today, so I have failed I haven’t been able to write today, so I missed my goal, and I have failed Just writing the above list makes me anxious - Imagine living through them. I find anxiety makes it harder to write, not easier. Now, how about setting a goal to write every day, no numbers just write. Give yourself a day off occasionally. Trust me – it will do wonders for your writing process. I read something on twitter recently that stays with me:- Imagine a well. The water in the bottom is your ability or desire to write, and the bucket is you transferring it to the page. The more time you spend pulling buckets out of the well will eventually drain it. A day off allows your well to refill. So which is better for your confidence, and your writing? Setting a goal to write six days a week and putting maybe 100-500 words down for four of them and then possibly even smashing out 2-3000 on the fifth or setting a 4000 word a week goal and being so anxious about meeting this goal it stifles your creativity, and you only manage 3500 words? Which one allows you to enjoy your writing and which makes it a chore Deadlines Do you have a publisher? A literary agent? Are they imposing a deadline on you? OK - Get those words on the page and meet your deadline! Are you indie? Are you self-publishing? Why are setting yourself a hard deadline? I understand the desire to finish a book, but put it this way – when you walk into your local bookstore and peruse the shelves, eventually finding something you want to take to the tills, do you then immediately set yourself the goal to read it all by the end of the day? (I’m talking about a hard goal here not a desire to read it) Or do you take your time, enjoy it and read the book in as much time as it takes you? Would you write your next book and put a message on the first few pages to tell the reader they must read the book in 24 hours? Take your time with your writing and have an idea of when it might be finished but don’t hold yourself to it. Again, a missed deadline is as good at anxiety building as a missed word count goal. Community There is a massive writing community out there, and you need to become part of it. Writing and reading might be solitary tasks, but this doesn’t mean you have to be alone while you are doing it. Even if you only look at social media, so many people out there are going through the same as you and are at varying stages in the writing process that even just reading about their day to day struggles can boost your confidence. Also, sometimes it’s nice to help someone who is a little further behind in the process than you, or even to be supported by someone a bit further along, even if this help only involves reading a tweet about writing. Why not find a local writing group or book club if you are more of a social person. Other Sources The stories that live inside us have to come from somewhere. I believe it’s a mixture of everything we have been exposed to in our lives, whether that be the people around us throughout our lives or the stories we see in TV, in film and in the books we read. The more exposure you have to these other stories the more material your mind has to mix and shape into the stories you want to write. Don’t underestimate the benefit which comes with taking some time to refresh this mix. Inspiration can take you at any point. There are lots of authors out there whose inspiration came from TV, film, music, books or even the news. There is also a benefit to watching something you wouldn’t usually give the time of day. Even if you don’t overly enjoy it, you have exposed yourself to a different type of story. In Conclusion Writing is supposed to be fun, and it is supposed to be what we live for. Imposing arbitrary goals and deadlines can make the whole process a chore, and it can soon become something resented rather than enjoyed.
Anxiety is the enemy of good writing, and the world is already full of things that cause it. Do something which helps; have a bath, talk to a friend, watch funny cat videos on YouTube or even scroll through the @DogRates twitter account. And remember - don’t be the architect of your own anxiety.
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Craig BoldyBorn in South Yorkshire, he lives there with his wife and Labrador. Working a normal 9-5 while filling his nights with writing. Categories
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November 2018
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