The Disciplined Writer

 

Our quote today talks about the way to success being small efforts repeated day in and day out. I thought about that as I read a book this past week by Karen White. The title is The Last Night in London.. It was a good story that kept me reading at a rapid pace. I read the bit about the author on the inside back cover and noted that Ms. White has written 25 novels (published). That number is almost mind boggling. How did she do it? I'm guessing by small efforts repeated day in and day out.

This author was not someone who wrote when she was in the mood, or on the one day a week she had extra time. I'm sure she is a disciplined writer, setting aside several hours each day to work on her current novel. Her efforts may not have been quite so small, but they were still efforts that became the sum of her success.

How about the rest of us? Do we give at least small efforts to our writing journey each day? Do those small efforts add up to a success now and then? If so, congratulations! If not, why not?

A successful writer is a disciplined writer. Let's face it. Being disciplined in your writing life is hard work. You might have to turn down an invitation to lunch or coffee. Weigh the possibilities of writing time vs social time. Now and then, we all need that social time, but we can't accept every chance to socialize in lieu of writing time. 

What's a 'small effort?' It might be doing a writing exercise. It could be writing one chapter of a first draft of a novel. Maybe it's editing a first draft of a short story. It's up to you to decide what that small effort will be each day. The important thing is write something each day. 

Once again, it's up to you. No one else can do this for you. Maybe a sign saying Discipline above your work area would be helpful. Do whatever it takes to become a disciplined writer. It's a huge step on the road to success.