The Difference Between “I Want To Be” And “I Am”

Do you know what the major difference between a published author and an unpublished author is?

Quitting.

That’s, by and large, the only difference. The people who quit mid-first draft, the people who quit after their first query rejection, the people who quit before they write anything… they probably could be awesome writers, but they let something get in their way.

After years of teaching writing classes, being the guest author somewhere, and working with aspiring authors on their first books I’ve come to realize the difference between Published and Unpublished usually boils down to what you do one the days you don’t want to write.

Now, let’s be very clear. There is a difference between “I want to write but I can’t physically do that today.” and “I have time to write and I just don’t want to.” The first means that you would sit down and write if you had a chance. The second is you saying you could write today, but you’re not going to.

Having time to write is often out of your control.

Choosing to not make time to write or not use your time to write is in your control.

So let’s talk about the kind of days you need to have so you can create a way for you to write. Because the biggest difference between I WANT TO BE AN AUTHOR and I AM AN AUTHOR WITH A FINISHED NOVEL is putting words on the page on the days you don’t wake up overflowing with ideas.

WORK DAYS – on work days you wake up, you’re ready to write, you have your time set aside, and you put your butt in the chair (or feet on your standing desk foot pad) and write. If you write 300 words a day, 6 days a week, for a year you will have 93,900 words. That’s a novel. On work days, you show up for yourself and your dreams whether you feel it or not. Get in there. Give yourself the time. Write your book.

PLANNING DAYS – on a planning day you are doing the background work for your novel. You’re researching, plotting, planning. It stuff that needs to get done to successfully get your book written. There probably will be a few weeks of planning for any new project, book launch, or submission. Budget these days into your calendar as needed.

OFFICE DAYS – on an office day you are doing the background effort to maintain your career. That means blogging, cleaning your writing space, filing taxes, organizing things, and resetting whatever needs to get reset so you have space to write. Plan on at least one office day a month, and add more in depending on what you need.

EDITING DAYS – on an editing day you’re writing, but your word count might drop. This is okay. Make peace with cutting things as you edit.

REFILL THE WELL DAYS – on a refill day you are going out and soaking in life. You’re exploring something new or visiting a favorite spot. You are actively looking for things that bring you joy and peace so that you have an extra reserve of creativity and resilience for the rough days. The biggest mistake I see with aspiring creatives is they assume these days will magically appear in their schedule. They won’t. You need to plan them in and make space for them the same way you schedule anything else. Otherwise you’re going to be in your workspace crying and wondering why you never have free time.

WORK FREE DAYS – on a day off you aren’t doing any of the above. You are not writing. You are not planning. You are not maintaining anything or even seeking out inspiration. You are taking a day to complete free your brain for your books. This should happen at least once a week. This is why the Work Day calculations are six days of the week, not seven. Your brain needs downtime. It needs time to reset and recalibrate. And the fastest way to burn out and not being able to write at all is to never give your brain space and time away from books. Pick a day each week and don’t do anything writing related that day. No planning. No writing. No cleaning the office. Ditch it all for a day and go do something else. Sleep in. Hang out with friends. Read books. Go for a hike. Run errands and take care of the rest of your life. Just give yourself one day a week where you aren’t expecting a word count. It’ll make all the writing days easier.

And, what happens if it’s a Work Day and you don’t hit your allotted writing time with a scene in your head?

You set a timer and you put your fingers on the keyboard and you write anyway. Because it’s a Work Day. And on Work Days, you write.

If you only get 200 words, or a sentence, or a phrase… that’s fine! You wrote. When you’re writing, every word counts. Every word matters. So if you only add one word to your manuscript on a writing day, that’s okay. You did your part. Be proud of yourself. Tomorrow you can add another word.

 

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