Self-discipline...write a book because you can

You Are What You Do

I am usually pretty light-hearted with my Seeker posts but I sat through a very good, very encouraging class about setting goals and being disciplined at my local RWA group.

The first official meeting after the New Year.

And our group has a lady, *lizzie starr, we call The Goals Guru. She's been on Seekerville before.

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Her lesson at our meeting was so encouraging I decided to put my own spin on it and share it with you. And I don't feel all that light-hearted about it. More like PASSIONATE.

First--why is this hard?

There are two things I always say a person needs to be a writer.

1. The strange and rare quirk of nature that makes you love writing. That makes you WANT to sit by yourself, makin' stuff up. This is not a normal way to conduct your life and anyone who can't do it should be content, even relieved, by that.

But if you are that kind of a person, then what are you going to do? You write!

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Almost inevitably we hear someone who is writing, struggling, being crushed in contests, and ravaged by editors and agents and they are DEVASTATED. Yes, it hurts and we all get it. So why don't we quit? I've known maybe people who DO quit.

And then...they go back to it.

People who enjoy writing are just incurable, honestly. You love it, it's fun, you've got a story to tell to the nations....so you write. If this is you, then you're already done with ONE thing.

2. Craft

That's it. We here at Seekerville have spent the last ten years with some encouragement posts, but mostly, craft. Yes it's endless and it's hard work. But what skilled job isn't?

Think of all the tricks of the trade that a surgeon needs to learn.

You think repairing a $300,000 tractor is easy? They are LOADED with computers. One zillion moving parts. Big, heavy iron that cuts your foot off if you drop it.

Teaching school? You think anyone's born knowing how to do that?

I've known great waitresses. Any job can be done with skill, with the craft.

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The point is...craft...there's a lot to learn but if you love to write you've got to learn it.

BUT the CRAFT part is far less fun than just sitting at the computer makin' stuff up. So there goes a whole lot of the JOY of writing.

And here we are

Bringing you SPEEDBO.

The best thing about SPEEDBO is it can help you rediscover the fun of writing.

Turn off your internal editor.

Take the craft you already have but right now, for 31 days, do NOT try and hone your skills, just use what you have and get words down on paper and do it for the LOVE of writing.

 And do it EVERYDAY. Do it with Self-discipline.

Do it:

Because you are a writer. Writers write. You are what you do, so do what you need to do to be who you are.

Spend the next month relearning the joy of writing.

See if you can write words that make you laugh and cry and tingle with the pleasure of telling a story that's alive and well in your head.

DO IT!

That's the self-discipline.

I think we sabotage ourselves with worries and thinking of getting published and beating ourselves up for not being GOOD ENOUGH.

But for one month FORGET THAT and write a book for joy.

Write a book without beating yourself up.

Write a book for fun.

WRITE A BOOK WITHOUT UNDERMINING YOURSELF WITH DOUBT.

Sit down at your computer.

Turn it on.

Open that book document.

And write a book because, unlike many, many, many other people in this world.  

YOU CAN!

Pick a moment, right now, in your writing life, that gave you joy. Tell us about why you love to write, why you started, why you can't stop. Share it now for a few minutes and then GET TO WORK.

Leave a comment to get your name in a drawing for four books. Three that will help you learn and encourage you. I particularly like *lizzie starr's book, it's mainly a book that lets you set goals and chart progress. In a fun way.

And the giveaways include one signed copy of my new release

Long Time Gone (Cimarron Legacy Book #2)