So much about the creative process lies in attitude. When you’re at the end of a project and looking ahead to start another, there are a ton of considerations. You’ve got to drill down on what to write next, find your direction, research, work up plot, setting, characters, know when and where you’ll physically write, etc. We’ll explore all of this. But before anything, you must find and keep a certain mindset.
Keeping On Track
No matter how committed you think you are, it doesn’t hurt to do an attitude check now and then, pump yourself up, and make sure you’re still on track. As we go through the stages of penning a novel, we’ll touch on the psychology of writing long fiction under the “Keeping on Track” header. Today I’ll introduce three elements which make it all happen—and without which, it won’t.
Let’s take this Tweet and run with it.
What would you end up with, guaranteed, after building a house or writing a novel? I am not thinking of a patronizing, smarmy answer like “the satisfaction of achievement.” Neither would it necessarily be “a beautiful, lasting building” in the first instance, nor “a readable book that people will cherish” in the second. Those particular outcomes are hardly guaranteed. Outright success in either field only comes if combined with certain qualities of hard work and talent, and in the case of novel-writing you also need luck and promotional skills.
Self-discipline
The answer is self-discipline, a valuable skill that becomes part of you if you spend time at a given thing. It’s the concept that putting one foot in front of the other will eventually yield a result and improve your skills toward producing future results. With self-discipline, you must continually earn it, because not until you follow through and complete a long-term project do you know for sure that you even truly have it. This first necessary element in the process of writing a novel leads organically to the second.
Confidence
We all have self-doubts. These will haunt us to some degree no matter how successful (or not) we might become. But to write a novel and get it out there, these doubts must be restrained. The process is emotionally grueling—meaning tiring or demanding—and you’ll need to repeatedly remind yourself you can do it. And the degree to which you can maintain your self-discipline and keep to a regular schedule on your project will automatically increase your self-confidence.
So, we have self-discipline and confidence. But are we still having fun?
For the Fun of it
Writing a book should be a joyful process. It should be something rewarding, and—yes—fun. If the fun leaves, all the air goes out of your balloon. If you’re not continuing to enjoy it, what’s the point?
The Three Elements
When writing your novel, you need to:
Be disciplined.
Have confidence.
Make sure you have—and keep having—fun.
Keep them in mind. If any of those three go MIA, chances are the creative spark will too.
It’s word-review time again. You probably know this one already, right? If not, it’s a good one, and (hint alert) hopefully you won’t feel too exhausted trying to recall it. Remember, a great knowledge of words will only improve your ability to express yourself in writing. There’s also this: if we don’t use vocabulary words, they go extinct. So check your retention and keep this one around.
One more tip. To really make a word your own, you should be able to say it as well as define it. Always click on the pronunciation example in the definition so you can understand it and use it in speech.
What is grueling?
Last issue I mentioned that formulating a sentence with a correct use of the new word always helps me absorb that word into my own vocabulary. Here’s a one-time-only example. The word from issue #1 was pedantic, and today’s word is grueling. This sentence uses both:
The professor’s pedantic teaching style made for a grueling classroom experience.
Action Plan
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Next up:
#3) When People-watching is Homework. See you in two weeks!
Craig
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