Are you staying true to your desire to be a romance writer? As you well know, it’s one thing to say you’re going to do something. It’s quite another to actually follow through. “Want” is very different from “am.”
For example, “I want to write a book.”
Or
“I want to finish my book.”
Is quite different from, “I am writing a book.”
Or
“I am finishing my romance novel.”
Let’s test it out. Which sounds better to you? Read the two sentences aloud and pay attention to how you feel about each statement.
“I want to be a published romance author.”
“I am a published romance author.”
While the second statement may feel a bit scary, it’s also very exciting and empowering.
So how do you go from “want” to “am”?
1 – Believe
Believe that you have innate talents. You have what it takes to write a romance novel. Maybe these talents need to be fine-tuned and practiced but you do have talent as a writer.
Believe that you deserve to succeed. You deserve to be a published romance author. If you struggle with this, it’s important to take some time to dig down and discover why you don’t believe you deserve it.
2 – Commit
Commit to taking action every day. Put down 10, 20, 250, or 1000 or more words on paper each day. They don’t have to be perfect. They probably won’t be. That’s what re-writing is for. And if you’re re-writing something, then commit to polishing a paragraph, a page, a chapter or more each day. Decide what you can do and do it. Daily consistent action. You deserve no less. Don’t short change your dreams.
Commit to learning about romance writing, publishing, and learning about the romance book industry. Connect with other writers. Read books on writing. Take classes and embrace the industry.
Commit to the process. This is important. Every day will not be a super productive and glorious writing day. Some days, perhaps many, will be a struggle. It’s hard work but it should be rewarding and fulfilling.
3- Engage
Engage with your commitment and follow through. As mentioned, it’s not enough to say you’re going to do something. Create processes that support you to be a writer. It’s not always easy. You probably have a busy life and finding time to write, and getting in the right mindset, can be a challenge. I can relate. Here’s the process that I had to create to support my writing projects.
I wake up quite slowly and my family knows to be library quiet until I’ve had my first cup of coffee. It takes about half a pot of the stuff and a full breakfast for me to be able to form a cohesive thought. This means that if I want to write in the morning before exercise and work, I have to get up at 5:30. By 7, the music is on and my computer is warmed up. I’m ready to sit down and focus on whatever writing project I am working on at the moment. I write for an hour. Sometimes I get nothing more than a few bad paragraphs. Some days, I write pages and the hour goes by quickly. I can tell you that at 5:30 in the morning, I always want to stay in bed. Always. But I get up because I’ve promised myself that I would.
That’s my process and what works for me. You certainly don’t have to get up at 5:30 in the morning to write. Think about what might work for you and give it a try.
Believe, Commit, and Engage.
As you create a writing process that supports you to start taking positive action, share it with us. Help other writers and aspiring authors solve their own challenges.
Happy writing!
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