So you finished your first book and you want to write another one. How do you do that?
- Set aside production time for yourself. Find a time in your everyday life where you can set aside time to write each day. Make a “Writing Time”.
- No ideas – sit back and relax and free your mind. Let yourself build the story in your mind.
- Make a space for your writing and all your tools like your pens, pencils, paper, computer or anything else you normally use. Make it special and use it for writing time.
- Make a routine so that you can come back to it over and over and be comfortable. For example, make it a certain time of the day. If you like a cup of tea, use a special cup for it. If you like a certain pen, have it ready. Like an exercise routine, do it in order and find you easily get into your writing time with routine.
- “Build-a-Book” – how do you set up your book? Write a title and add parts that would go along with your idea. Add pictures or words which inspire. Use a large piece of paper attached to a wall so that you easily see what you have started and add ideas as you go. Not every idea will be used but add as many as you want and then build the parts.
- Write the parts which come easily and then do each part afterwards. Don’t worry about editing at this point. Fill in the spaces or parts at the end.
- Finished??? Set it aside for a few weeks and get on to writing something else. Then re-read and edit your “finished” work.
Writing like other processes takes time and hard work to make it what you want. So keep it up and keep writing and it will become easier the more you work at it. Make it special to you.
Article by: Ian Stout & Elizabeth Banfalvi
