Isn’t it interesting
how we writers can always find something to do whether it be checking email,
feeding our Pinterest addiction, sweeping cobwebs out of corners. You name it. Anything but writing.
Why do we do that thing which
doesn’t have to be done right this minute rather than doing that thing which we
can’t live without if we don’t do it? As I listened to a Charles Stanley sermon
yesterday, the reason was drilled into me in a single word. Discipline.
Writing is
like any other area of our life. It requires intentional discipline, especially
if the writer has another full time job that pays the bills. It is easy to
think, “Oh well, I’m tired this evening, or I’m soooo sleepy this morning. I’ll just lay this little novel thing
aside and work on it later when I feel like it.” Unfortunately, one too many
times and we’ve created a habit. A bad one.
So, what
does a beginning writer do to establish good writing habits and unmovable
discipline when there is no time clock to punch, no boss to fire you, and no threat
of loss of paycheck since there is no steady stream of payment anyway because
the project lies dormant in your computer? And, if you are like me, that writer
in you is a free spirit that just wants to daydream and make up new interesting
people in your head. You certainly don’t want to dampen their spirits by slowing
down the motion and confining their conversations to the conventions of writing
guidelines. Ugh.
But, it must be done. Eventually,
if you are to become a writer who is taken seriously by others in the industry,
you must settle down into your seat, and begin to arrange words on the page. So
how do you tame your free spirit and develop discipline? Discipline requires a
plan. The following steps are essential in developing that plan.
1. Write down your goals or objectives for your writing project.
2. Add a timeline to meet the goal.
3. Create a schedule. What days of the week will you dedicate to write, what time of the day, and for how long?
4. Share your schedule with friends and family. If they are made aware of your schedule, then they should respect that time and your interruptions will be minimized.
5. Post your schedule in an area that is visible to you on a regular basis. It should taunt you when you are doing something else during writing time.
6. Finally, keep track of your progress. Take note of when you comply with the schedule and when you don't. This process will make you feel guilty, if nothing else, and spur you to action.
7. Reward yourself. Each day that you discipline
yourself to follow your schedule, make sure you do something fun after the writing
session. Eventually, you will begin to crave the reward enough to put in the
work required to get it.
Like exercise, with writing, the
end result is desired, but the activity involved is sometimes dreaded. We must
push through the tough stuff to get to the other side. And that requires
discipline!
Recently, a friend of mine related a conversation she shared with a co-worker about those times in our lives as a Christian that she calls the period of “not knowing.” It’s that moment or long pause or seeming eternity when we take a step of obedience to God but do not know where to go from there nor where it will ultimately lead.
