Self-Imposed Limitations

Are we as writers limiting ourselves now in this day and age of so many distractions? This should be a revolutionary time when we can reach out and talk or socialize to anyone, anywhere in any country at any time. Are there limitations or are we just self-imposing limitations into our lives as writers and authors?

I found a few rules that can remind us how simple it can be, but is it truly that simple?

Because the world has changed so much and because these quotes are from a different era, is it still good advice or are we a different generation of writers and authors in much more challenging times? I’m not the first to note the challenge that modern computing presents to human concentration. Writing is a hard thing to do. When do you find that precious time to do it?


RULES:

Eliminate distraction.

Fair enough, I definitely am a fan of no distractions. However, at this time we have such nuances like the internet and millions of opportunities to stray on the internet, twitter, social media, email, texting, and Facebook. Oh, did I mention more social media? Is this really sound advice? Probably more than ever this is a timeless quote, although much harder to abide by. Let's face it, the name of the game is focus.

First write for yourself, and then worry about the audience.

I completely agree, however we still want our stories to be mainstream enough to find an audience. Go to town on all your creativity, but don't alienate your potential audience by jumping the shark so far that you're lost out at sea alone."

You have three months. “The first draft of a book—even a long one—should take no more than three months, the length of a season.”

This is a good guideline in this overly busy and stressed out world with insurmountable distractions, but is it really realistic? I think everyone writes at their own pace and has their own system. However long it takes, it takes. Writers and authors should use their own judgement and creativity wisely. Let your inner self navigate.

Social networking sites for authors and writers are priceless. We can converse about anything including the times we celebrate victories to fears, frustrations and questions we might have. Sometimes it's just nice to have a bent ear and someone who will listen or even help us make a decision on a book cover, synopsis or about marketing aspects. How much time is too much spent distracting ourselves with other things? If we spend more time writing, does that keep us from selling more books or undermine our precious marketing plan? Are we just making excuses instead of getting on with it already?

If there is no direction, this can be quite scary and paralyzing. How do you balance your time to get optimal results?


Start a conversation and leave your thoughts.


SK Thomas is a writer, author, blogger and book reviewer.
Follow her @skthomasauthor