Once a month I will recommend a book about the craft of writing. For me, books about writing always inspire me to write and my hope is that they will do the same for you! That book isn't going to write itself, alas!
"Write Smart, Write Happy" by Cheryl St. John
There's a lot of wisdom to be found on the 265-pages of St. John's contribution to the crowded "how to be a better writer" genre. The advice is practical and succinct. Even with just a skimming, it's possible to pick up a few good tips along the way.
The most useful chapter for me was part 1, section 3—daily & weekly goal setting. Granted, it seems so simple and straightforward, and it is, but St. John presented it so honestly that it was like I'd never heard about the process of setting goals before.
Here St. John talks about breaking down the physical act of writing a novel into smaller, more manageable—and DOABLE—chunks. For example, a thousand words a day for sixty-days.
It was like I heard a choir of angels singing. Taking the daunting process of writing a sixty-thousand-plus word novel and breaking it down, helped me to set a a reasonable task list and goal date for my first novel.
As of this writing, I finished said novel ahead of schedule and am well into my second draft.
No matter your experience level, I recommend giving St. John's book a look. At the very least, I believe it will inspire you to make the time to sit in front of the blank page and fill it with words. It worked for me!
See you on the other side!
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