Would-be authors claim they want to write a book, but in fact they want to have already written a book. Writing is hard! Author Joseph Heller once said, “Every writer I know has trouble writing.” And he’s not the only one who has alluded to the difficulty of writing. Stephen King’s quote, “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work,” … [Read more...]
The Cost of Procrastination for Writers.
If there is one thing almost all writers have in common, it is that their productivity varies from day to day. Some days are great, targets are achieved, projects are completed and there were no problems. Other days, writers find themselves procrastinating. They get distracted and find that by the end of the day they haven't achieved even half of what they set out to get … [Read more...]
7 Steps to Overcome Procrastination
Are you finding it hard to get started on your book, or to do the things you know you need to do to sell more books? Follow these seven steps to stop procrastinating and get things done. I have a problem with procrastination. It’s so easy to do it later…or tomorrow…or next week. It’s so much easier to stay in my comfort zone than to create that new project and create … [Read more...]
Is Fear Holding You Back?
Have you ever been stopped in your marketing tracks because of procrastination and didn't know where it was coming from? This happened a few times with some of my private clients recently, and we noticed that every time, it wasn't really procrastination, it was a fear of some sort that was holding them back. Perhaps you've experienced it too? The fear of reaching out to … [Read more...]
How to Manage Your Time as a Writer
It's easy to romanticize the life of a writer, but writers know it takes hard work and perseverance to succeed. You not only have to write, you have to research, query, self-edit, and market yourself on a regular basis. Writers often feel overwhelmed when faced with all these tasks. The following tips will help you better manage your time. Set boundaries. Let your family, … [Read more...]
Why an Author Should Embrace Deadlines
This week, with my busy day job (in a career that I love) and my hobby-morphing-into-second-job writing, I have so many deadlines that thinking about them became overwhelming. Looking at my schedule from a distance I realized that those dates marked in blood-red bold print—deadlines—are a blessing rather than a bother. To ensure that my attitude remained positive I decided to … [Read more...]
Don’t Let Procrastination Stop You From Writing Your Book
A few years ago procrastination was the name of the game when it came to finishing my latest book. While I am usually not a procrastinator, my new project had me frozen in my tracks for nearly a year. After trying every writer’s block tool under the sun, I still couldn’t shake the procrastination. I wasn’t sure what was causing me to put off my latest book project, but the … [Read more...]