Writers Need Discipline

The quote above from Pearl Buck should be heeded. She wrote a myriad number of books. She'd never have been able to do so if she did not do exactly what she says above. We've all seen references to writer or painters or musicians who claim they must be in the mood to write, paint or perform. Maybe, but it could also be a fine excuse for not getting the job done.

As writers, we need discipline. To define it more succinctly, we must have self-discipline. Yes, it is up to us to create a work plan and stick to it. Many writers spend all morning writing and save the afternoon for other things in life. Some do the opposite, get things done in the morning and spend the afternoon creating stories and essays. Still, others are the night writers. They have full-time day jobs that mean the evening and beyond is the only time available to them. The time itself is not the important thing. The fact that you have a set time.  Does it mean you are doomed if you break it? Of course not, but try to stay with the schedule as much as possible.

We also must discipline ourself to work on unfinished writing projects. If you are stuck in the middle of a chapter or can't get the final verse of a poem to feel right, it's good to set it aside for a while. What is not good is to let it sit for weeks or months and not get back to revising. Yes, we sometimes must push ourselves to do that. Self-discipline comes to play here.

What about submissions? That takes discipline, too. Sometimes writers want to do nothing but the actual writing. They don't enjoy submitting and marketing and branding. Just give me a laptop and leave me alone to write. If you want to be published, to be a known name in the writing world, you will need to discipline yourself to set aside a specified amount of time to do the writing-related jobs. 

So often, I've finished a post by saying something like It's up to you. That simple statement works for this post, too. Give yourself a mental tongue-lashing if you have trouble with discipline in your writing world. I've been known to give myself what I term a 'verbal spanking' when I know I should have been doing a better job or have been lackadaisical. Discipline takes a strong hand, even when it is self-discipline.