Read and write and do both regularly
by Joe R. Lansdale
Source: https://www.facebook.com/JoeRLansdale/posts/753873058055046
Joe R. Lansdale
A major rule of writing. Stop making excuses. You do have time if you want to do it. Sure, there are those rare exceptions. But nearly everyone has time. I worked two jobs and had time. Not a lot of time, but enough to get something done daily. If you have time to plop down in front of the TV to watch a Star Trek rerun, or what have you, you have time. If you can go to a job you hate, or at best tolerate, be on time and do it right, you should be able to find a few minutes a day to do something you really want to do. Even if you love your job and want to write, you can find time.
If you are going to take time off, read. That’s the most important tool to a writer. If you read you put fuel in the tank and you begin to better understand how stories are constructed. Once you lean how it works, or as best as anyone can learn how it works, then you can lose the rule book and do it anyway you like. You can make something new best when you understand something old. In other words, don’t mess with the structure of storytelling until you understand how it works, then you can successfully subvert it if you need to. A hard thing to grasp, but it’s true.
Put your ass in a chair in front of the world processor, typewriter, writing tablet, papyrus pages, what have you, and write.
Finish what you start. Sure, you can switch over and work on other things from time to time, but don’t end up with partials of this and pieces of that. Have a major project and finish it. When that’s done, start something new. While you’re marketing a novel, or if you’re far enough along to have an agent do it for you, start a new project to keep you from waiting by the telephone, mail box, email, for a response.
Work daily and at the same time if possible. If not, work when you can, but make it a habit. It takes a lot of hours before something kicks in as a habit. Set a time each day when you can work, and do it. It can be for whatever length of time you have available. If you can’t work every day of the week, try and work as many days as possible. Plan on four or five days at the least, seven if you can. Get up early on holidays and write a bit as a gift to yourself. Don’t let holidays spoil your momentum. Okay, you can take holidays off if you must, but be careful to stay in the zone.
Having a word count or page count can be useful.
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