Showing posts with label Stephen King. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stephen King. Show all posts

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Why Writers Should Think More Like Athletes To Meet Your Kindle Publishing Goal

Life Won't Help You With Your Kindle Publishing Goals

So Stop Waiting For It To Help

The greatest challenge to this adventure as a writer is just sitting down and producing.

I'm sure you understand.

Life has a way of throwing obstacles, hurdles and challenges at us.  This is a test for each of us.

One we MUST overcome.

It's true that the greater the challenge, the greater the importance to finish.

And that's true whether your challenge is to write kindle books, traditional books or other forms of self-publishing.

Why Writers Should Play Like A Champion

Think like an athlete.

They train hours upon hours.

They break down every muscle group, they grind to the point of fatigue and beyond.

They work to reach a level of failure.

They regroup, and strive for failure again.

But they know, that no matter how much they fail, they'll get back up and try again.

Why?

They have a passion to improve.

They understand that while failure can break them down, muscle tissue needs to tear in order to strengthen itself.

So they run an extra mile.  Or swim another set.  They lift another repetition at the end of a set.

With the knowledge that the process is bringing them one step closer to mastery.

The Challenge Is In Ourselves


We all have the same number of days in a week, and the same number of hours in a day.

The challange then is how we use our resources, our strengths, in those hours.

Are you willing to set aside the time necessary for what you want?  Or are you looking for reasons, for excuses, as to why you haven't done what you wanted to achieve?

Like an athlete, who schedules a time everyday to train, you must be disciplined at setting aside a block of time for what you want to achieve.

Writers Are Poor With Time Management Skills

Time management is a skill.

Like shooting a basketball or hitting a golf ball.  It must be honed daily, or the skills weaken.

So the challenge is setting aside some time everyday and working on your craft.  It doesn't have to be a big block of time.

If your goal is to write kindle books or some other type of book, time management skills are critical.

Stephen King has talked about how as an unknown writer, he would use his lunch break to work on his novel.

That novel became "Carrie".

Time Management And The Pomodoro Technique

Start small and build your creative stamina up over time.

Short, focused bursts of creativity with a managed time break is a good tip to help you achieve your goals.

This time management technique is known as the Pomodoro Technique.

Detailed in the early 90's the Pomodoro Technique is a strategy of beaking down a set of tasks into intervals of 20-25 minutes with a 5+ minute break from that activity.

You can apply this tactic in the early morning, late afternoon, or at night.  You can work in smaller increments, if necessary.

The task of writing can be difficult.

The challenge then is sitting down and writing.

Edit later.  But sit down and write.

If your goal of writing kindle books or other traditional publishing mediums is really important to you, you need to just write.

If time management is an issue, ask your self what 20 minutes you have free.

What can you, like Stephen King, do while on your lunch hour? How about before going to bed at night?

What time do you have to allow you to move one step closer than you started.

Marathon runners know not to look at how far they have to run, they focus their energy on putting one foot in front of the other.

Before long, they can't see the starting line but know they're that much closer to finish.




Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Just Write Then Publish With Kindle Publishing

Just Get Started With Amazon Kindle Publishing

Nike had it right.  In the late - 80's and through the 90's they had an iconic advertising slogan, which was "Just Do It".

And how does that apply to writing?

Too often we like to think about writing.  Without actually writing.

We daydream about the story lines, characters, the action.

We imagine the way it will be received, and let's be honest, sell.

But we don't write a word.

Some of the reasons we think about what holds us back are things like "if only I had more time". Or "once I get X, then I'll be able to write."

The truth is, there are plenty of hours in the day.

Stephen King spoke about how he'd find time in his day, before heading to work, during his lunch hour, and after his work day, to write, edit and eventually publish.

The novel he was working on?

Carrie.

If you were to follow the logical conclusion of their ad slogan, you'd be writing in ebook formats and using Amazon Kindle Publishing every day.

We're All Busy, Find A Way To Do What Matters 

Look, real life will intrude as it wants.  Doesn't matter who you are, or where you are in your life.

If that's what is getting in your way, they are, in the end, simple excuses for not writing.

It's the fear.  Fear of failing, of the anonymity that the process of writing requires.

The solitude of sitting behind a monitor, or a tablet.

They are, again, just excuses.

You Know What Your Passion Is, You Just Need To Believe In It


Currently I'm reading The Art Of Work by Jeff Goins.

It's an incredible resource about why, and how, we should try to live the life we are meant to as writers, creators, people.

If you'd like to get a copy, check out my affiliate link or go to Amazon directly.