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It's the little things that make a big difference.
When you've been writing for a long time, you sometimes fall into a comfortable routine. You've settled into a rhythm. You don't really want to change.
Why do things differently?
Trapped in the softness of comfort, you produce but make no progress. You know things need to change but change is always terrifying.
Symptoms can be numerous. Slow growth. Loss of motivation. Unsuccessful literary projects. When you've been writing for months (or years) and still can't achieve your goals, you have to face the facts: there's a cog in the wheel.
I assume that you want to become a professional author. So you have to be consistent and lucid with your objectives. Writer or entrepreneur. You can't wait and hope for things to happen.
You have to make them happen.
To succeed, you need to identify your strengths and shortcomings. And once you've identified your weaknesses, close the gaps and get back on track. This may involve creating a lead magnet, a community or a product. A change of writing rhythm, more interaction with the community... or something else.
My biggest issue has been the failure to complete my major literary projects.
Yes, I can blog.
Yes, I can write every day.
But it's not what I'd dreamed of for my writing life. I've always wanted to write books. Fiction and non-fiction. And never being able to finish them torments me.
I want to be able to finish my books and I had to face up to the fact that my routines are effective for blogging but not for writing a book.
So… I studied the lives of several novelists. Their routines. They were repeating more or less the same advice I'd been trying for years.
Until I came across a writer who surprised and impressed me: Georges Simenon.
You may not know him, but he's one of the most prolific and widely read writers in the world.
He has written over 400 novels (according to several wiki) and sold over 600 million books worldwide. The second figure is impressive, but to me, the first is even more so. Over 400 novels... 191 with his name. The others are published under pseudonyms.
He lived to be 86 years old. If we take away 15 years (childhood). If we remove the short stories (I don't know how many there are) and stop the number of novels at 200. He would have written an average of 2.81 novels per year, every year, right up to the end. (And according to some biographies, he stopped writing long before that).
For me, who didn't publish my first novel, it was like a slap in the face and a revelation. Studying his life, I learned that he often wrote in a sprint. He would prepare ten days or so in which he would warn everyone not to disturb him so that he could give birth to a story.
A complete story in ten days of writing.
In his youth, he could spend days writing. Some interviews say he could write several stories a day. There were also years when he published 6 novels.
I started taking inspiration from his routines. Focus on one project and write... a lot. Sometimes for hours. And after a few weeks, the results are already there.
I've written 100 chapters of a book I'd like to release before the end of the year. The first draft is done. I'm currently writing a book of short philosophical essays. I'd also like to write 100 short chapters. And I'm more than halfway through. Once the drafts are finished, I'll get down to work on an ongoing project that I'm going to release on June 1.
The method:
Wake up.
No phone.
No internet connection.
No notifications accessible in my workspace.
And I write. For 2-3 hours on average.
You'd be surprised how prolific you can be when you're 100% focused on one task.
I'm not saying that this method will revolutionize your life. Every writer has his or her character and needs to find the method that suits them. But if you struggle to finish your big literary projects: try the sprint.
And even if you're just blogging. Writing in sprint now allows me to start getting a head start on my publications. Something I couldn't do before.
Whether it's a novel or a blogging project, this could be the method for you.
Have a great week of writing.
See you next Saturday!
If you want to submit one story in the chat. It’s here. There are still a few days to go before submissions close in April. I'll share a few stories with you next week.
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Really excited for you! I've written and published 3 books this year so far (2 non-fiction, 1 fiction). Currently on track for number 4 now.
It's all thanks to the sprint mentality. I used to be a serial dabbler until last year. Now it's all in on one project until it's done, then on to the next.
Wish you luck with sticking to the strategy!
This was a great post! Congratulations on finishing your draft mate. This was very inspiring ;)