You've been talking about one story forever. Friends and family are sick hearing about it and have resorted to responding with just write the damn book. You have a cover and a blurb, and an ad campaign all sorted out. You've got a catchy title and a tagline and have spent hours researching and creating a collage and a playlist and learning about your craft. You're doing the latter right now by reading this! But when it comes to getting actual words down on paper or on a screen, you're struggling to find time.
Sound familiar?We've all heard the adage 'writer's write'. I'll be honest and say when I burned out, hit a creative brick wall, and couldn't write, no matter how I tried, that saying grated on my last nerve. But it's true. If you dream of being a published author one day, and possibly writing full time, you have to get into a routine and treat it like a job. There will be days words flow from your brain to your fingertips like water from a tap. There will also be days, even if you have x-number of books under your belt, when the thought of turning on the computer will give you a migraine and re-arranging your sock drawer suddenly becomes urgent. So, harsh as it may sound, you need to decide whether you want to be a writer, or if it's a hobby you want to continue doing every now and again for fun.
The choice is yours, and either one is fine. It's your journey! You just need to be clear what you're aiming for, as much for the sake of your mental health as your creativity.
If your dream is to be published or to update a serialized story regularly, set realistic goals, get organized and protect your writing time as ferociously as you'd defend your dog during a zombie apocalypse.
Unless you plan on hiring a ghost-writer, no-one can do the work for you!
Yes, real life will get in the way. We all have times when it feels like the universe is conspiring against us. But whether it's fifty words or a hundred words or a thousand or 10k you manage to get done in a day, every word counts. You may not keep them all. You might take a scythe to your first draft. But as another famous saying goes, you can't edit a blank page.
Notepads can be a great addition to your daily life to help with this. Carry a pen and paper everywhere or use an app on your phone and you will never lose an idea when it pops into your head. For me, it tends to be dialogue that arrives first, so I scribble it down the way it comes to me, without any movement or physical description or narration. Then, when I officially sit down to write, I have the bare bones of a new scene and can expand on it.
Look at it this way: Getting organized and setting realistic goals you can comfortably reach is good practice for future deadlines! You could invest in a planner, mark up dates for personal deadlines on a calendar, make a to-do list or put your goals 'out there' to like-minded people so you can support each other and offer encouragement.Find what works best for you. Then stick to it and WRITE.

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Romance Writing Mistakes
Non-FictionProcrastination, back-story dumps, head-hopping, weak emotional conflict, tired tropes... If you've ever written, or tried to write a romance, you'll be familiar with these terms. We all make the same mistakes somewhere along the way! Authors note:...