Writing Career: Manage Your Time, Succeed at Your Writing

Want to build an amazing writing career? Perhaps you'd like to write a book, and see it on bookstore shelves. Or perhaps you want to launch your own copywriting business. Whatever your goals for your writing career, you can make them happen, and more quickly than you can believe.

I've been writing for over 30 years, so I know how devastating procrastination and a lack of motivation can be. Before I learned effective time and self-management skills, I gave up on projects which would have been successful, had I known how to motivate myself in those days.

Here are three tips which will help you to manage your time, and succeed at your writing.

1. Commit to your goals: and keep quiet about them. Do you have goals, or dreams? There's a big difference. A goal has a deadline, a plan for achievement, and daily tasks which help you to achieve. A dream, on the other hand, is just something you think you may want to do... someday.

So your first step in managing your time is to choose at least one dream, and turn it into a goal.

And please -- shush! Keep quiet about your goals. There's no need to share them with others. Talking about your goals (and defending them) takes energy you should save for your writing.

2. Write first, every day. You're a writer. However, life will tend to crowd  out your writing, if you allow it.

Commit now to making writing the first thing you do, every single day. Get out of bed, and start writing. (Yes, you're allowed to take care of necessities first, and you can grab a cup of coffee.)

You'll discover that when you write first, even if your writing session is just 20 minutes long, you set the tone for your day. You'll be amazed that you somehow mange to find additional minutes to write.

3. Clear your mind, and relax. Do you multi-task? You may want to stop doing that. Inspiration happens when you're relaxed, not when you're rushed.

I hate the term "muse", but there's no other term I can think of for the still, quiet whispers of inspiration. Clear your mind, and listen to them.

So there you have three tips, which will help you to manage your time, and succeed at your writing. You'll be amazed at the difference they make.

 

 

Are you convinced that you have no time to write? With Angela Booth's amazing "Time To Write: Build Your Writing Career Minute By Minute" you'll discover that you have more time than you imagine. Angela helps writers to succeed. Get weekly writing tips, completely free, when you subscribe to Angela's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine. Coming soon: the 100 Day Challenge. Join us for it: there's still time to achieve the goals you set for 2010.

Comments

[Vickie Mujahid]

Hi Angela, I’m a graduate student at Kennesaw State University in the Master’s of Art - Professional Writing program and our assignment is to comment on a writer’s blog, of course one we find interesting and helpful.

You provide excellent tips on this post and I am motivated to follow each of them. Although the tips may seem simple to follow, it has been challenging for me to be consistent in writing daily. Also, it’s difficult for me not to tell my goals. But, I’m turning over a new leaf.

In my family, we were encouraged to dream big and to share them daily with each other. My mother would say, “Speak your dreams and you will sure to follow them.” Of course, our dreams were carefully monitored by her. If she didn’t think our dreams were feasible then she would encourage us to dream something more “realistic.” I wanted to be an actress but she told me it would take a very long time and I should dream about something that could bring in a paycheck quickly. There goes following my dreams. My mother has always been realist.

Sometimes, I tell my dreams and goals because I am familiar with being told something negative about them. It has been my excuse not to try in the past.

I’m a fiction writer and even now as an adult, I want to tell the world about my writing goals. You are the second person recently that has made the recommendation to keep quiet about my goals. I understand now that announcing my goals put pressure on me, draw doubters to me and provoke unwanted advice from someone who is not writer. I’ve experienced this recently and I thought it was “their” fault. I know now that it was my fault. My dreams and goals are only shared with my husband and sometimes with my classmates when needed.

I really like your analysis of dreams versus goals. My dream is to become a professional writer and I have my goals in place. Your third tip about relaxing and clearing the mind is valuable. I’ve learned to do this. I read inspirational readings, meditate and pray during the dawn hours to relax. The sun energizes me as it rises. However, I often get sidetracked when it comes to writing. I do not write every day. I sit at my desk and find everything else to do besides write. After spending that wonderful time meditating, I begin to multi-task. Go figure!

You have encouraged me. After I mediate tomorrow, I am packing up my laptop, getting in my car and driving to the nearest coffee shop or bookstore. This, indeed, will help me to write daily.
Thank you for these much needed tips!!

Vickie

[Angela Booth]

Vickie, the best advice I can give you is to get tough with yourself if you want to write. Ultimately, it's up to you.

You have to want it enough to do it.