A Goodreads user
asked
Amanda Hocking:
Speaking from one writer (non-published) to another, What did you do to keep motivated in finishing your novel? I have a very hard time in wanting to actually sit down and write out the scenes that I've imagined day in, and day out. Thanks for your time!
Amanda Hocking
There are two things that help me.
1. I outline extensively and take lots and lots of notes before I start writing. So when I sit down to write, I know where the story is going and what I want to happen next. It helps to keep me from getting stuck. It also helps me from having stops like, "Wait, what is the character's last name?" Or "What is the weather in Canada like in May?" I do all my research ahead of time, so that I don't slow the flow of writing by having to stop and look something up, either from earlier in the book or online.
2. Hold your writing time sacred. It's very easy to get distracted by the internet or TV or dishes that need to be done, etc. Set up a writing spot that's free from major distractions (like the TV, pets, spouses, kids). I use a program called Freedom.exe, and it turns off the internet for an allotted amount of time, which totally destroys my ability to let Twitter distract me. So I go down to my office, turn on Freedom, and I sit there. Sometimes writing is hard to get going - the first 30 minutes are the worst. I might write nothing, I might write ten words. But eventually, I get going. Staring at a blank screen is boring, so my mind words to fill it up and entertain itself.
The Butt-in-Chair method (which is basically what my number 2 is) is really the hardest and most important part to finishing a novel. You put your butt in the chair and you stay there until the book is finished (or at least until you get some words up on the page).
1. I outline extensively and take lots and lots of notes before I start writing. So when I sit down to write, I know where the story is going and what I want to happen next. It helps to keep me from getting stuck. It also helps me from having stops like, "Wait, what is the character's last name?" Or "What is the weather in Canada like in May?" I do all my research ahead of time, so that I don't slow the flow of writing by having to stop and look something up, either from earlier in the book or online.
2. Hold your writing time sacred. It's very easy to get distracted by the internet or TV or dishes that need to be done, etc. Set up a writing spot that's free from major distractions (like the TV, pets, spouses, kids). I use a program called Freedom.exe, and it turns off the internet for an allotted amount of time, which totally destroys my ability to let Twitter distract me. So I go down to my office, turn on Freedom, and I sit there. Sometimes writing is hard to get going - the first 30 minutes are the worst. I might write nothing, I might write ten words. But eventually, I get going. Staring at a blank screen is boring, so my mind words to fill it up and entertain itself.
The Butt-in-Chair method (which is basically what my number 2 is) is really the hardest and most important part to finishing a novel. You put your butt in the chair and you stay there until the book is finished (or at least until you get some words up on the page).
More Answered Questions
Luke West
asked
Amanda Hocking:
Do you ever run out of plot ideas? If yes, how do you find inspiration?
Kelly Michaels
asked
Amanda Hocking:
I find it interesting that in most of your books I have read (all of them, except the Watersong series), your protagonist has an uneasy relationship with their parents. Even Bryn, who has nothing against her parents, but shares an uneasiness with her father at work and politically disagrees with her mother. I was wondering if this was intentional or just how you set a more dramatic turn in your stories?
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