Writing Advice from Allison Knight

When I had been writing for awhile, I met an author who
could write a book in three or four weeks. But even though I tried to write
that fast, I discovered I couldn't do it.




I wasted more time trying to write and everything I put on
paper was garbage. I put myself under a lot of pressure and ruined my voice.
When I lowered expectations I found my own achievable goal. For me, five pages
each day, five days a week gives me a 80,000 word complete novel in four
months. I can live with that. I don't need to write a book in three or four
weeks, not if I want the novel to be any good. If I decide to write more, or
also on Saturday and Sunday, I reach my goal sooner, but I don't have to. I can
take the day off and start fresh on Monday. This works - for me. And I can
write two novels in a year.




Since I'm a plotter, I have to plan time to research. When I
have my outline, my research notes, my character interviews,  I  find
I often write more than five pages, but the important thing for me is, I've met
my goal for the day, there's no guilt, no let down feeling and I know in four
months I'll have a finished novel, ready for revisions.




I'm told pantsers do better with a timer. Yep, one of those
kitchen timers you can buy for a dollar or two at a big box store. Ten, or
fifteen minutes of writing time twice a day will net about the same number of pages
as my five. If you're a pantser, try it. Set the timer and start to write.
Most of us can find ten or fifteen minutes a couple of times a day to bang away
at a typewriter or computer.




But, don't let my goals determine yours. If you can only do
three pages or seven minutes, it might take a little longer, but you'll finish.
Setting too big a goal will defeat you faster than anything. I have a couple of
incomplete books that stink, to prove it. And the old slogan of 'practice makes
perfect' applies here as well. If you start with three pages or seven minutes,
and keep at it, you'll soon find you can do more time or more pages.




But beware. There are traps lurking out there. One is saying
you don't have time, (you can sacrifice ten minutes of your lunch hour, or wait
to start dinner or do the dishes for ten minutes.)  Another is finding something else you just
have to do, (like sharpening pencils, feeding the cat, looking through a
cookbook for a recipe for dinner tonight), or the big one, reading twitter, or
e-mails. Even editing what you wrote last will eat up more time than you think
and no, you really aren't writing, you're editing.




When you return to your writing, limit yourself. Read only
the last paragraph you wrote. When you finish the novel you can always go back
and cut or trim as you need. And here's a trick I learned a long time ago. If I
can't think of the exact word I want I'll substitute symbols for the word, the
dollar sign or star. When I have my five pages or a couple of minutes, I'll use
the find key and look for my symbols. Maybe I won't even want the sentence or
scene.




Set realistic goals and go for it. Remember the fable of the
turtle and the hare. The turtle won because he kept plodding along. It works. I
know for I have eighteen books and two short stories published. And I hope more
to come at just five minutes a day.




Heart-warming Romance with a Sensual Touch
Allison Knight (AllisonKnight.com)
www.facebook.com/authorAllisonKnight
www.twitter.com/historicalAllie