Between Books

Writers sometimes ask me, “What should I do between books?”

Stephen King writes every day, including his birthday and Christmas

My answer:

There should never be a “between books.”

Don’t stop.

Don’t blow your momentum.

Myself, I want to be ninety pages into the next book before I finish the one I’m working on now. My aim is to move seamlessly from one to the other. If I knock off Book #13 on Tuesday, I’m deep into the trenches on #14 Wednesday.

Why?

Resistance.

Resistance loves it when we stop working.

I have a friend at the gym who used to hang out with Jack Lalanne. He said Jack had a rule.

It’s okay if you skip a day working out. But on that day you’re not allowed to eat.

Jack had another axiom:

Every day you skip takes six days to make up.

Can that be true? I have no idea. But I know every day of writing we miss makes it that much harder when we come back.

Bail on three days and our writing muscles start going soft.

Skip a week and we’re falling behind the eight-ball.

Miss a month and it’s like starting over from scratch.

Stephen King writes three-sixty-five, including Christmas and his birthday.

Don’t stop.

There should be no “between books.”