Do you want to write? Back to Blog
Today, I thought I’d take a moment and just talk about writing.
Do you want to write a book? Have you always thought about creating your own story? Do you plot and dream and wonder what would happen in your tale?
If you want to write a book, if you’ve been thinking about taking the leap for a while but you’ve hesitated, give your dream a chance. Why not? What are you waiting for?
The lovely folks from Open Road Media asked me to give some writing tips a while back. When I talked about the writing life, one of the things I said was that many people thought they could write a book and get it published quickly–no problem. However, I said that wasn’t the case. This situation rarely happens. Why? Because few people actually finish writing the book that they talk about. And if you don’t finish it, how can you sell it?
I think one of the hardest parts of writing can be finding the time to create your novel. If you’re working, if you’re raising a family, if you’re dealing with the thousand issues that can develop during the course of a day, it can be hard to find the time to write. It can be incredibly difficult to stay focused and churn out 400 pages. In theory, maybe writing that book may have sounded easy. In reality? Hard.
But if you want to write, if story-telling is in your blood and you can’t get it out, do it. Take small steps. Plan to write for 30 minutes a day. Write on your lunch hour. Write when the kids sleep. Set you alarm to wake you up extra early so that you can get your time in before the rest of your family wakes up. Be creative, and you can find the time to write. Heck, I’ve written in the car pool line plenty of times. Use those extra minutes!
And don’t go the writing road alone. Join a local writing group (I love my local RWA chapter). If there isn’t a local group that you can join, participate with an on-line organization. Attend writing conferences. Network. Learn as much as you can about the craft. But, above all, write. Don’t just talk about writing–do it.
Kensington is currently running a great writing contest for unpublished authors. Have you ever wanted to write for the Brava line? (My paranormals are published through the Brava line.) Check out the 2nd Writing With the Stars Contest. Enter your novella–and you could be published with Kensington.
If you have any questions about writing, please, ask away!
Here are some more writing tips for you. Good luck!
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I hear you about writing in the carpool lineup! I now carry a little notebook in my purse everywhere I go so that I can steal a few minutes here or there, plotting or jotting down lines that come to me.
How’s your writing going now that it’s summer and you’ve got your little one(s) home with you full time? My productivity is waaaaay down, but this week I’ve called in backup and have a sitter coming for a few hours. I’ll take it!
Oh, Kaylea, summer can be a challenge for me! I’ve taken to doing my writing in the evening and late at night. When my husband comes home from work, we tag out and I start writing like a fiend. 🙂
Glad you’ve got backup coming this week! Hope you get lots of writing done!
Thanks Cynthia, you have some great tips. I have one story finished and another one I’ve teamed up with a friend to write. Hopefully by the end of the summer one of them will be ready for the journey to the publisher!
That’s wonderful, Kim!!! I wish you the best of luck with your stories!
Great advice! When I started writing, I worked full time and used to go to my car at lunch time, where I wrote longhand in a notebook.
Edie, you are one dedicated woman! When I started, I was still teaching, and I couldn’t wait to get home each day so that I could hurry up and dive in my stories. I wasn’t sure anything would ever sell then–I just did it b/c writing was what I loved.