Being published is such a beautiful buzz.
I’m lucky enough to have enjoyed the experience a few times now and the excitement, not to mention sense of achievement never dims.
It’s a feeling and fulfilment I can strongly recommend.
And since you ask (yes you did, honestly), my latest is on how to handle a media interview, as per the picture.
But this blog isn’t about promoting my new book…
(Well, not too much!)
It’s about how to motivate yourself to write one.
In the way you've always wanted to...
Come on, admit it, you have, haven't you?
I know, because whenever I talk about being a writer I can pretty much guarantee one of the responses will be:
- I would love to write a book, but I just don’t have the time
This is how to overcome that problem.
And it’s a simple and effective solution.
I can promise you that, because it’s worked for plenty of people I've helped into publication.
The secret goes like this:
Indulge me for a moment, and imagine yourself on New Year’s Eve.
As we always do, we look back on the year which has passed.
And don’t we always think…
- How quickly that year zipped by
Now it’s time for a quick quiz, and some mathematics.
(Don’t worry, it’s very basic stuff - I never liked maths much either.)
So here's your quiz question:
- How many words are there in the average novel?
Had a think?
Well, the answer is…
- About 90,000
That sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? It is a lot, true.
But!
Now think again about how fast a year passes.
Which is where the maths comes in…
If you divide 90,000 by the 365 days in a year…
You get 246.
Which means, if you wrote only about 250 words a day for a year you would have a novel.
- Just 250
Or in other words, half a page of A4.
Now, hopefully writing a book doesn’t seem like such a daunting prospect.
That’s how to motivate yourself to get writing.
Don’t see a book as one daunting journey…
But instead a series of small steps.
And if you’re still not convinced, start off by writing an e-book, like my latest.
There you’re looking at a word count of more like 15,000…
Which, at a rate of 250 words a day, will take you only 2 months to complete.
If you are considering writing a book, I hope my thoughts help with motivation.
But most of all, by far the most important part of all…
Writing and getting published is an absolutely wonderful experience.
You learn so much about your subject, yourself, the world...
You feel uplifted, thrilled and fulfilled...
So take it from me, it’s hugely worth the commitment.