Writing can be challenging. It takes consistent time and focus, commodities many of us (hand raised here) find difficult to master. Sitting in a chair (or however you write) day after day (night after night – whatever) can seem like a chore without positive feedback. For me, writing is a solitary task, without any feedback most of the time. So how does anyone keep their butt planted and write?
I’m easily distracted. Between my favorite PC strategy games, research for my books, TV shows, and Movies, Going out with friends, and reading the news online, I’m surprised I get any work done at all. I guess that’s my secret. I indulge myself once I’ve done the work.
Do something productive. Once my work is done, I can start a new game or check out the latest article I’m interested in. It may be as simple as updating the settings on my website or writing an email I’ve been putting off. I have to make some progress before I can do anything else guilt-free. Progress is even more important if I’m in the middle of writing something new or editing something I already wrote but need to polish.
I don’t know if that will help anyone struggling with productivity. Still, I’ve finished Fantastic America. Edited the rough draft. Worked through developmental edits. And polished the results over the past few months. I’m ready to query, but I would never have reached this point if I hadn’t kept my butt planted and focused on what needed to go into the manuscript. Try it. Get some work done before you take time to play!