5 Tips (To Help You Write Your Dream Book)

Another Sunday passing by; another marathon day of writing for me, and the exhilarating high I get from it. Actually, today has been a lot of revising and gaining beta feedback by phone (Thanks Kim!) As mentioned on my Credits Page, I will soon have a feature article out in a national news magazine. But, along with their acceptance of my story, comes action on my part. The editor asked for revisions and answers. I revised; I answered. I just hit the “Submit” button.

Action must also be employed as I continue with the ongoing (ever ending?) manuscript of my life story, as described on my Current Project Page. With a gentle push, I look to advice from Mindy McHorse, Exec. Ed. with barefoot Writer Magazine, as found on the website for American Writers and Artists. In her role, she has interviewed many famous authors and passes on what the consensus is:

5 Tips (To Help You Write Your Dream Book)

1. Set a deadline for finishing your book.
2. Figure out when your ideal writing time is (i.e., when you’re most creative, awake, and focused).
3. Stick to a set amount of writing hours every day, or a daily word count.
4. Don’t show anybody your book until you have a full first draft. Early feedback can kill a book before it’s ever finished.
5. Edit and revise over and over and over again. It’ll be worth it in the end.

For me, my deadline is my fiftieth birthday, however ideally I’d like to be finished by the end of 2016, if only I could spread myself thinner.

My ideal writing time is early morning. Sundays often bring me no obligations, so those mornings are stretched out; like today, another marathon day. My pet finches woke me up at shortly after 5, and I didn’t hesitate, eager to move forward in my breakthrough writing.

Hmm, daily word count doesn’t work so well for me, because my speed ebbs and flows as I often space off to first picture my written idea. Not counting when writing during a down moment of waiting in an office or in line at checkout, up to two hours a day is my ideal writing time in a normal working day.

Pieces of my book, I have shared with my writers group, however many more parts of it, I keep hidden away. I like to surprise people and am hesitant to let people read my book before its published. I guess, I’m on the right track.

Revise, revise, revise. Yes, I’m in my third draft to my Current Project, and I believe it will be my last full revision prior to an editor’s review, not counting smaller changes as needed in yet another run through of it.  

How about you? How can you apply the 5 tips in your writing life?

-Elle-