The Big Picture: Writing one word at a time.

When you’re a first-time writer, no matter how young or old, experienced or lack thereof, writing anything can be either a beautiful journey or a boring chore.

A short story, poem, or anecdote (much like this post) is one thing, but writing a full-blown novel exceeding 80,000 words… Well, that just seems a little daunting.

And while even I wasn’t daunted by such matters or thoughts, others may be spending too much time looking at the big picture simply out of habit.

Like any art or form of expression, the results you receive are only as fruitful as the effort you put into them. And the effort you put in, in my opinion, is gauged by your passion for what it is you are doing. Do you love doing this enough to want to do it every day or close to every day? When you put the paintbrush on the canvas for the first time, how confident are you that you’ll soon have a finished painting? And when you lay down that first word, that first sentence (that many will say is the most important), how sure are you that you’ll see it through to the end?

How badly do you want this?

There may be days where writing may be a chore, or not at the top of your priorities in life. But if the idea of writing at all, let alone a full novel terrifies you, it may be time to step back and re-adjust.

One of the most misunderstood quotes (I believe), is when Charles Bukowski said: “Don’t try”.

What I believe he means by this is that doing the things we love and are passionate about, should not be difficult or too strenuous on our lives. If the hassle and obstacles are worth it in the end, and you still love to do it, then you shouldn’t technically end up “trying” at all. Eventually, it becomes effortless and those obstacles pale in comparison to the payoff.

So, if you love to write, and you believe the trouble is worth it, then by all means… “Try”.

This makes my next few pieces of advice all the easier to follow through on.

You are your only judge.

The interesting thing about writing is that it’s a rather lonely endeavour, meaning that you are really the only person to hold yourself accountable to how and when you write.

Waiting for inspiration to come your way isn’t doing you any favours, and forcing motivation upon yourself like injecting liquid happiness in your veins won’t quite cut it either. But to many, who can’t help but address the big elephant in the room, I ask that you stop looking at the big picture.

When I first sat down to begin writing Starlight Symphony: The Kindling (that being my first ever crack at a novel), I didn’t know nor care how many words it would have in total.

But I was a rookie then, and the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Or rather, you eat the elephant one bite at a time. I started with what I was comfortable with…

And so I decided to simply write 500 words a day.

It was easy enough, and it was the first draft, so I didn’t care about quality or even consistency. After about a week, I realized that that was too easy.

And so I bumped it up to 1000 words a day.

By the end of the year, I finished my first draft of a full-blown novel totaling somewhere close to 150,000 words.

Only a drop of motivation goes into the way you write (or to do anything for that matter), the rest is sheer discipline.

Better yet, set a deadline for yourself. A goal. Aim to write 50,000 words in a month or two. But start easy, start with what you can be comfortable with. I’ve heard that publishers etc. appreciate writers who adhere to their deadlines always. If you can do that, you’re halfway there already.

I put time out of my day to write, at a specific time of day, in a specific place that geared to be ready to write the second I sat down. Make the time if you have to.

But it all comes from within you, and if you also have a story inside that’s waiting to leap onto a page, just keep an eye on the path ahead, not the destination.

When you write and edit and tweak every bit of your passion project with care and love in your craft, I promise you, the payoff of finally setting the pen or keyboard aside and sitting back to bask in what you’ve finished, is absolutely worth it all.

Thank you for reading and have a beautiful day!

• Daniel