Any writer will tell you that writing isn’t the hard part*—it’s starting. There’s always one more load of laundry to change, one more meal to prep, one more notification to respond to. Getting your butt in the proverbial chair can sometimes take longer than the actual writing session. Which is why I was nervous when I finished one first draft and shifted gears to publish my upcoming book.
*okay, writing CAN be difficult too.
As many of you know, I write in the mornings before work. That hour is sacred to me and I’m pretty pissy if something disrupts my routine. Some days I don’t write, but I still spend time in my writing chair because I’m so afraid of getting out of the habit. During the three months it took to publish and market The Slope Rules last year, I didn’t write for almost four months and that first month back writing was rough.
Needless to say, I was worried about repeating that this time around, but as luck would have it, I was invited to submit a short story for a YA contemporary romance anthology. And the first draft is due March 1st! Forcing myself to stay in the creative mindset while formatting the print and ebooks has not only kept me happy, it’s opened a floodgate for other ideas. (Stay tuned for my next project, which prompted my coworker to ask why I can’t just write a nice story about a puppy…) I still need to write the bonus scenes for the love interest in The Trail Rules too—those are a thank you to readers who write reviews. (I have this for The Slope Rules too if you’re interested…)
My next project is editing The Edge Rules, book 3 in the Rules series, and after that, all new writing! AND—I was asked to join the Sweethearts of YA, a group of women who write and read sweet young adult novels. Be sure to subscribe to their posts if you like those types of books.
While I’m asking for favors, would you consider preordering The Trail Rules? (It’s only available on Amazon but will be on other retailers by March 9.) And mark it as Want to Read on Goodreads!
What methods do you use to keep up your momentum and not stop good habits?
