As you may have experienced by now, once you start writing a book (or go back to finish one) you will come across self-doubt, indecision, and many more obstacles. Realizing this ahead of time and planning for those hurdles will help warrant you won’t quit on your writing project when they surface. We’ve compiled a list of tips to help keep you on track to finish that book.
1. Hold yourself accountable.
If you want to finish this book you have to start by holding yourself accountable. Know that the finishing of writing a book falls on nobody but yourself. Think of the current circumstances or obstacles impeding your progress and plan ahead to overcome them.
2. Give yourself deadlines.
First, you will need to establish your main deadline: when you’d like your manuscript finished. You will need to set a monthly, weekly, and daily goal. To keep things objective, I would suggest a word count goal, but you can also use chapters. The next step is just doing simple math: determine an estimate of your total word count and divide that by the months in between you and the manuscript deadline. That will be your monthly word-count goal. Divide your monthly word-count by the number of weeks in the month and then divide that by the days you’ll write per week—that will be your daily writing goal. Setting goals is very important; hitting those deadlines will act as the foundation of accountability and will ensure you are on staying on track.
3. Set a daily schedule to work on your book.
Try to write at the same time every day if you can. Consistency is key, plus it makes creativity easier. You need that daily deadline to do your writing — that’s the only way you’ll finish writing your book. If you need to understandably take a day off, schedule those days ahead of time. Your priority should be to never let a deadline pass. Take your writing seriously and don’t let yourself off the hook easily. This timely schedule will help your mind distinguish writing time and should get you in “the zone” much faster once you get in the habit.
4. Have a special writing space.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a desk or a kitchen table. It just needs to be different from where you do most of your other activities. Your writing space should be a special space so that when you enter it you’re ready to write. It should remind you of your commitment to finish this book. For tips on creating the perfect writing space check out this blog: Creating the Perfect Writing Space
5. Take frequent breaks.
“There is one main reason why we procrastinate: It rewards us with temporary relief from stress.” – Niel Fiore, The Now Habit.
If you’re constantly stressed you’ll end up breaking your schedule. Plan for breaks ahead of time so your mind stays fresh. These can be minute breaks, hour breaks, or even multiple day breaks.
6. Embrace failure.
As you approach this writing project know that this will be a challenge. Failing is inevitable and not a reason to quit, so give yourself grace. What will sustain you is the determination to continue.
Need help establishing a publishing timeline? Give us a call at 1-866-381-2665 and one of our talented Publishing Consultants will help set one up with you!
