Skip to main content

Get Unstuck: Dive into Tunnel Vision

You've created an outline or an overview of how you want your chapters to look. Already, you began writing but you only write every once in a while. Still, you're excited about kicking off your book design. Yet, something continues to hold you back. It's not procrastination, confusion nor lack of motivation. You say to yourself: what's the issue now? I'm stuck! I'm writing but not getting enough results. 


Develop a Writing Goal

To keep the momentum going you must create a rhythm. Develop a system and make it work for you. There are lots of methods to creating a routine in order to get unstuck and dive into tunnel vision.


One strategy to creating a specific writing goal is to consider meeting a word-count. Every time you sit down to produce a draft target a specific word-count. One page is about 500 words and a chapter is generally 2,000 words. Therefore, make a commitment to meet a certain word-count and witness your steady progress.


Another approach to tackling your writing session is to commit to a timeframe. This is my favorite because I like to multi-task and cover different areas. Those sections I can explain forward and backward, the easy stuff. 


Be Specific with Your Approach

Concentrate on your assignment for three hours. However, we need to be specific with our writing schedule. Write for three hours on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays starting at 6pm or whatever schedule works for you. This way you're training your mind to get into the zone and bring attention to meeting that goal for the session. 


Conclusion

Give yourself permission to take flight. Produce certain sections. Allow your creative juices to pour over and write your heart's desires. This consistency in your writing approach will undoubtedly get you unstuck, moving and dancing to your own beat. Developing such a system helps you see results - fast. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tackling the Introduction

What is the purpose of your reading? Why select your copy? What promises will you deliver? These are some of the pertinent questions you will answer in your book’s Introduction. Go Harder     The Respect Institute is a public speaking program I partook in. I recall the instructor demanding that we create a strong Introduction and Conclusion. They emphasized the significance of producing a hook to entice the audience, and Conclusion to thoroughly wrap up the talk. Avoiding Common Author Mistakes     After publishing seven books, I’ve learned from my mistakes and matured in book development. My experience and direction will undoubtedly support your publishing endeavors. Working with In Her Own Ink will validate and reinforce effective strategies to build your manuscript.     I discuss practical tips on the building blocks of writing an Introduction in my book, In Her Own Ink: Strategies for Creating from Author to Author. I drill authors on t...

Keep Your Eye on the Prize

You’ve started writing your book and the motivation drops as well as your progress. How do you stir your passion? How can you rekindle your flame? When I hit a roadblock, I’ll do one of these three activities or all of them.  Reflect on my reasons. Revert to my writing ritual. Review the list of questions my reader may have. Proven-Strategies for Creating      In the beginning stages, I’ll jot down my reasons for publishing. Five or more reasons I deserve to publish. I keep this note in the miscellaneous section of my binder. I discussed these tasks in my book, In Her Own Ink: Strategies for Creating from Author to Author.      The writing ritual is where motivation meets discipline. What motivates you into action? Which song, quote, or image gets you moving? Generally, I watch a couple of performances on YouTube that spikes my professional keenness, and produces passion. I do this repeatedly, prior to diving into the mental work of my book development...

Don’t Rain on My Parade: Common Pitfalls

As a self-published author I strive to deliver excellence. Over the years, I’ve made many mistakes. I’ve identified common pitfalls that we’ll  discuss in order to manage them. I’ll bring attention to three areas: Foreword Versus Preface and Introduction Author Biography Professional Editing Presentation is essential to the finished product. Yet, some of us cut corners which is disheartening because it could dim opportunities and credibility. My book, In Her Own Ink, shares the differences between the Foreword, Preface and Introduction. Can the Author Write the Foreword? Depending on the type of narrative we’ll include a Foreword section. However, a lot of authors get this element of the book confused. The Foreword is NOT written by the author. In fact, it typically is authored by an expert in the field, or someone who specializes in the book’s area of focus.  The expert will promote your book. Giving readers a glimpse of their insight as a specialist, their relationship to yo...