Everyone has a unique life situation, but as authors, we all have one main goal in mind ~ to keep writing and selling our books.
Maybe you are a full-time author and have 6 + hours a day to write and market your books. Not every author is blessed with that much time in their day to devote to their passion of writing. You might have a full-time job and can only allocate a small portion of your day to writing. I remember when I was working full-time, I could only work on my books during my lunch hour and then later on in the evening when I came home; however, after I got married, I had to cook dinner and clean up and spend time with my hubby and by the time that was all done, I didn’t have much energy to write.
Now, I’m a freelance writer and I work from home, so I have more time to write. Others are stay at home moms and their children are their first priority and they need to find time in between taking care of the little ones and other household duties, to write. Some of you are also moms and you work a full-time job. Your schedule is just as busy and sometimes it could be difficult to find time to write.
So how do we, as authors, come to a specific plan for our own situations that enables us all to be the prolific authors we hope to be?
1. Take a good look at your own unique situation and figure out the best time management plan to keep writing and marketing your books.
2. Look at what other authors are doing, but don’t get overwhelmed if you can’t produce as much work as they are doing. Every situation is different.
3. Set goals for yourself ~ immediate, short-term and long-term and write them down; then get an accountability partner (family, friend or fellow writer) to help keep you accountable.
4. Find a balance between your marketing time and your actual writing time. It’s a great thing to market your own work, but if you spend too much time marketing and not enough time writing more books; soon you won’t have anything left to market.
5. Keep reading ~ find authors that you really like and admire their work and read their latest books. This will allow you to always hone your writing craft and you’ll also get a needed break from the creative processes.
6. Throughout this process, there will be times when you will need to force yourself to sit down at your computer and write. You may not be inspired, but you must write ~ keep writing and the inspiration will come.
7. Discipline yourself in each of these steps and never give up. If your passion is to write, then you need to write every day. Success will follow if you persevere and don’t get out when the kitchen gets too hot and adversity comes. Take all the criticism and rejection letters and bad reviews and know that if you keep going, soon the good reviews and awesome opportunities will come your way!
Now, I’m a freelance writer and I work from home, so I have more time to write. Others are stay at home moms and their children are their first priority and they need to find time in between taking care of the little ones and other household duties, to write. Some of you are also moms and you work a full-time job. Your schedule is just as busy and sometimes it could be difficult to find time to write.
So how do we, as authors, come to a specific plan for our own situations that enables us all to be the prolific authors we hope to be?
1. Take a good look at your own unique situation and figure out the best time management plan to keep writing and marketing your books.
2. Look at what other authors are doing, but don’t get overwhelmed if you can’t produce as much work as they are doing. Every situation is different.
3. Set goals for yourself ~ immediate, short-term and long-term and write them down; then get an accountability partner (family, friend or fellow writer) to help keep you accountable.
4. Find a balance between your marketing time and your actual writing time. It’s a great thing to market your own work, but if you spend too much time marketing and not enough time writing more books; soon you won’t have anything left to market.
5. Keep reading ~ find authors that you really like and admire their work and read their latest books. This will allow you to always hone your writing craft and you’ll also get a needed break from the creative processes.
6. Throughout this process, there will be times when you will need to force yourself to sit down at your computer and write. You may not be inspired, but you must write ~ keep writing and the inspiration will come.
7. Discipline yourself in each of these steps and never give up. If your passion is to write, then you need to write every day. Success will follow if you persevere and don’t get out when the kitchen gets too hot and adversity comes. Take all the criticism and rejection letters and bad reviews and know that if you keep going, soon the good reviews and awesome opportunities will come your way!
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