How Do I Make Myself Write?
Hey Fen,
I want to write a book, but every time I sit down to start, I get distracted. Or I write a little bit but then stop for a long time. How can I make myself be more disciplined to actually get it done?
— Frustrated & Procrastinating
Dear Frustrated & Procrastinating,
I hear you. Writing a book is a long slog, and it can be overwhelming to even begin, let alone to keep going!
When Kory & I work with our authors, we co-create a 90-day writing plan for them that is based in their lifestyle, work style, and goals. Here’s how we do it.
1. Set the Foundation
It all begins with a solid foundation for the book, which we achieve in our Foundations Bookshop. This bookshop is similar to the impromptu workshop I did last week with an attendee at my Ask the Book Midwife event. Take a look to get a taste of how that works. In short, the foundation is your who, your what, and your why. With this firmly clarified, it becomes a lot easier to make yourself sit down and do the work.
2. Create a Working Outline
Then we create a working outline, which essentially creates “buckets” for the author to drop content into. Finally, we develop a timeline with milestones and targets for the author to get the work done. This last part, along with coaching and support, is what really helps our authors get the work complete.
3. Leverage the Brain’s Love for a 90-Day Framework
You don’t have to complete your whole book in 90 days, but the brain loves 90 day chunks. That’s about how long the average human can maintain focus. So work with it, instead of against it. It’s a convenient chunk of time that it’s easy to stay focused within, and allows your brain to feel like there’s a “finish line” it’s aiming for. This is important for motivation!
To help our authors actually complete a manuscript within the 90 days, we break it down into several very achievable “sprints”:
5 weeks of shitty first draft (just get those words down!). Most of our authors spend about five hours a week during this portion. Some like to do it in one big chunk on a weekend, others like to do it one hour a day during the week, one author does it all in one furious week while ensconced in a hotel in Mexico. Choose your adventure!
2 weeks of rest. Ideally, you really want your draft in the hands of a professional (like me!) during this time. You want someone with experience, expertise, vision, and a keen eye for story, narrative, and structure, to help you see how to fashion your words to match the vision you have for your book. Meanwhile, you need to give your brain a break. Go do something else!
2 weeks of revisions. Most people think that the 5-week initial sprint is the hard part. Most people are wrong! Our authors consistently report that this 2-week section is the hardest part of the whole thing. And I concur! Having visionary feedback from a professional can help smooth this process, but it’s still challenging. Most authors find that they prefer to do this portion in large chunks of time rather than smaller chunks, because you need to be able to hold the whole book in your head in order to move the structure around to fulfill your vision.
2 weeks of rest. Yes, again! And, again, try to get it into the hands of a professional. If you’re in our program, that’s me! You want someone who can really take what you’ve crafted so far and give it a thorough review through the lens of how it’s structured, how it flows, and how your voice emerges and accompanies the reader through it.
2 weeks of edits. Most authors find this to be the least difficult part of the writing and editing process. If your reviewer has done a good job, you’ll have a draft that’s chock full of suggested edits for you to review and accept or address or reject, plus feedback that helps you to keep refining and honing your voice, your message, and your story. The hardest part is done, and this is the part that really starts to make your draft shine.
Not everyone completes this process in these exact stages, but having a structure can help you stay focused and on target. And if you overrun your 90 days, don’t stress! Assess, regroup, and set new targets–within the next 90 days.
4. Use Time-Based, not Word-Count Based Targets
While some authors do like a word-count based daily or weekly target, I almost always recommend time-based. Why? Because if you’re straining to reach a word count goal, there will be days when it takes you three hours to get there and days when it only takes you 30 minutes. And those 3-hour days are going to be a significant demotivator.
Plus, your brain is working even when your keys aren’t on the keyboard. Your brain needs to know that it’s okay to just sit there and think. Thinking is working! As long as you are in front of your work for the dedicated time, then you have done your job for the day and can move on. Congrats, you’re doing it!
5. Plan for Plans to Go Awry
Finally, even the best laid plans can go awry. It helps a lot to have a coach along with you to help you clear blocks as they arise, stay in the flow, and overcome the many, many challenges that can arise. Or, to give you grace & help you accept when life just simply gets in the way for a while.
Writing a book is hard. There’s no two ways about it. If it were easy, everyone would do it.
But I have faith in you. If your book is burning inside you, you can do this. It’s far more achievable than most people realize.
And, if you want professional help… well, you know where to find me.
Warmly,
Fen
