A reader asked me: Do you have tips for me to concentrate, stay on task, and actually finish a story?
Why, yes I do.
There are lots of ways I could answer this – pick a subject you’re passionate about, develop a plot with plenty of complications, create interesting characters, etc.
But say you’ve done all that, and you’re still struggling. I think just about every writer, published and unpublished alike, have been there.
This is the advice that worked for me, the advice that really jumpstarted my writing routine, and now I’ll happily pass it on to you: Just write the thing.
Stop editing. Stop fretting about whether or not your idea is stupid. Stop agonizing over what your English teacher would think of your iffy grammar. Stop doing anything that isn’t getting words on the page.
First drafts are really horrible, icky things. This is true for everybody. Authors you love and admire write really sucky first drafts. It’s fine for you to do that too.
When I stopped editing as I wrote, pausing to reread everything I’d already written, rethinking the background of my main character, I started producing books a lot faster.
For me – and for a lot of writers – the hardest part of the process is the first draft. I like to get it done as quickly as possible, and then spend the next couple drafts fleshing out characters, adding sensory details, and stressing out about if I’ve lost all my talent.
Hope this answers your question.
Do you have a question you’d like to see answered? E-mail me, and I’ll take care of it. If you’re wondering about it, someone else probably is too.