You’re a force to be reckoned with at work, your household runs like clockwork and birthdays are always remembered and celebrated on time. But you can’t seem to finish (or start) writing your book.
Does this sound like you? Or even a little bit like you? (I have to admit that “clockwork household” thing doesn’t sound exactly like me. π )
Considering what I do for a living it’s embarrassing to admit it, but my own books don’t get finished. (I’ve even written a blog post before on Seven Virtuous Ways to Avoid Writing Your Novel.)
In a splendid irony, in my day job as an editor and publishing consultant, I help small publishers and indie authors get their books out into the world and achieve their dreams, cheering them on, helping them overcome obstacles, feeling excited for them when the successes come etc etc… and yet my own personal manuscripts suffer a different fate. I have 5 or 6 or 7 of them languishing in various stages of completion.
Confession time: The last time one of my own books was published was 2002!! Hopefully that makes you feel better — however much you’re struggling to get a book finished, at least you’re not as bad as I am. π
For me, I think there’s three main obstacles:
- Life gets in the way. Important things have to be done, and the book gets relegated. Yep, we all know that one.
- Perfectionism. I don’t want to put it out there till it’s really, really good, or it could ruin my professional credibility. (Conversely, I’m sure getting nothing finished is doing wonders for my credibility. NOT.)
- Fear of not having that book project that I’ve grown to love occupying a space in my life any more — a type of loss. (It took me a while to recognise that one.)
What are your obstacles? We’re all different.
Eager for some answers to my conundrum, I attended a workshop called Project Management for Writers at the excellent Queensland Writers Centre. (If you’re in another country and can’t attend their courses in person, check out the allied Australian Writer’s Marketplace, which is developing a list of online courses available to writers worldwide.)
The workshop was presented by Aussie management consultant Dr Monique Beedles, who actually knows something about getting things done. Monique has given me permission to share her insights with you, and we’ve even got an audio interview you can listen to on the train or bus, or perhaps while you’re alphabetising your spice rack. π
Monique is the author of Pivot Point: Making the Decisions that Matter in BusinessΒ (Amazon affiliate link). You can find out more about her at moniquebeedles.com.
It’s nice and short, only 9 minutes, so you can get back to your writing! π
Listen now: MP3 4.3MB
Here’s a quick summary of the main points…
- How to connect the creative process with the tools of project management, and whether it really works.
- How to figure out our priorities, so we can manage y\our time and resources. One of the things Monique uses for this is to get us to write our own obituary the way we’d like it to be (which won’t be needed for many years, of course!) It helps us work out what we want to be remembered for and whether our writing is part of that.
- Tips for sharing our goals with the people who are closest to us, so that they can support us in the project.
- The importance of creating accountability for ourselves, by setting milestones and action plans for achieving writing goals. Working with others can also help — for example by joining a writing group, or working with an editor — to make ourselves accountable to someone else.
- Even if you only have small amounts of time to get a book written, it can be done. Monique knows someone who wrote a book in short bursts on the top of her washing machine, in between demands from the kids! If you lack inspiration, or the perfect place in which to write, it can still be done.
- Monique is an author herself, and has used these principles in getting her own book finished. She actually planned her book launch before she finished her book, and it gave her a deadline she had to work towards. A public, concrete, ADVERTISED deadline. Brave woman! Monique found this to be “positive pressure”, but it’s not for the faint-hearted!
I came away from Monique’s workshop with this piece of personal inspiration: I need to treat my books the same way I plan my work projects — by working back from a deadline, one step of the process at a time.
What’s keeping you from finishing your book? Do you think some of these tips might help? What’s your favourite procrastination story? (We all enjoy a good procrastination story.) How have you overcome procrastination or fear or other people’s expectations in the past? Tell us so we can all learn and be encouraged! π
Featured jigsaw image via Bigstock/stuartmilesΒ
Writers often get stuck while working on a project. It’s easy to be distracted by other things. Telling others about your work is a great motivator!
That is so true, Kristen. I find that talking about it not only makes us accountable — because someone else now knows about it and is going to ask how it’s going — but it can also help get us excited about it again. Thanks for stopping by! π
Very intresting article.I liked it very very much.=)
Ciao,
LadyLagoon-the Italian Chick/Aspi/Manager/Diary Writer/Storyteller/www.my-diary.org/read/d/809141
Thanks Lady Lagoon, glad you found it useful.
excellent post – great to hear content as well as read. Very sage and timely advice esp for those of us who are pressure prompted. My take home point – create positive pressure. It’s worked for me in the past π
Hi Cassandra, I’m glad you got some useful “nudges” from Monique’s advice! Make that pressure your friend!
We all work differentlyβ¦ some of us blossom under pressure, others implode. And that can change during different seasons of our lives, too! So it’s all about finding the right fit for ourselves.
I hope this is a fantastic year of writing achievements for you. π
Belinda, your confession came as a shock! Your blog is one of the best visually, content-wise and in terms of user-friendliness (and plain good ol’ friendliness), and I’d never imagine you haven’t published in such a long time! I’m sure that now you’ve come forward with it, all of us will gently nudge you to move ahead this year. As for me, I thought my main issue was time management, but I’ve recently realized it’s more my attitude towards writing. Bringing my characters forward in my mind is like inviting special friends over: the house has to be spotless, beds made, no dishes in the sink, something tasty simmering. I literally cannot start writing if the space around me isn’t clean and tidy. The problem is that by the time I do all this and take care of my toddler daughter, I’m too exhausted (I also work part-time mainly from home). I wish I could stay up at night and write, but I need at least seven hours sleep in order to function the next day. And that’s my new year’s resolution: to work on that attitude and change it.
All the best for an exciting and productive new year!
Maria (MM Jaye)
Hi Maria, yes it’s my job to help other people publish, but I cannot help myself, or so it seems. But we’ll change that this year. Feel free to give me a little gentle nagging, I have some other friends who are doing the same thing. π
It does sound like your spotless house is getting in your way. You could try this: since your characters are imaginary, could you “imagine” the house is spotless??? π Wishing you a year of great writing successes! Belinda
Belinda, it was so much fun to hear your voice! Thanks so much for this post. It’s the perfect time of year to remind ourselves that if we want something to happen, we need to actually schedule the process of achieving it into our lives.
My goal is to sit down 6 mornings a week – first thing, with my coffee – and not to give in to pressure from any other quarter (not even the dog!) until I’ve written at least 1200 words. In truth, this works about 3/4 of the time (lol!) But it’s better than what I was doing before. Happy New Year!
Molly, I am so impressed by what you achieved in 2013 with your new scheduling technique. The results speak for themselves. And dogs are very forgiving and flexible, I find. π
My immediate goal is to spend some serious time next week (after I get a deadline away!) pondering and planning my writing goals for this shiny new year. Who knows what might be possible???
A happy and successful New Year to you! π
That’s a dream schedule, Molly! I really need to do the same. The key phrase for me is “not to give in to pressure from any other quarter”, but then, I have a three-year-old daughter who can be a bit more pressing than a dog. Trust me! π
Hey Belinda
great to have another blog post from you. What an excellent interview and so very helpful and timely (at this the beginning of a brand new year full of hope!) to be reminded about planning and the importance of deadlines. Wishing you all good things for 2014 π
Happy New Year to you, Marianne! The Scots certainly know the value of a new year, and I inherited that love of it myself from my mother’s family. π
May you have a year of extraordinary achievements, both literary and otherwise. And thanks for visiting, it’s always lovely to see you here.
Hi Belinda. I’ve been missing your posts, and this one explains why. The content is so useful, and user-friendly. I will be attempting to go the next steps with some picture books this year, and will be looking back on your blog for hints on how to go about that. Thanks, and best wishes to you with your project/s!
Happy New Year, Norah! How exciting re your picture book projects. Keep us posted on how that goes. It’s lovely to have you here on my blog. π