This year I will debut 2 new series (Gluten For Punishment, a Baker’s Treat Mystery, Berkley Prime Crime, May 7; All Fudged UP, a Candy Coated Mystery under the pen name Nancy Coco, Kensington Mystery, Nov. 5) with series #3 to debut in 2014 (Her Hand In Murder, a Perfect Proposal Mystery, Berkley Prime Crime – TBD.)
What does this mean? It means I have to write 4 books in 2013.
Which leads me to Writer’s Tip Number One:
DO NOT PANIC!
Writer’s block is a form of panic. Procrastination is a form of panic. Some people use panic to motivate them. Not me. I like to avoid panic.
Therefore I break it down to the smallest bits. If you write 1 page a day, you can write 1 book in a year. The secret is sometimes that 1 page turns into 2 or 3 or 4 because you get going and don’t want to stop
In order to write 4 books this year, I need only write 5 pages a day – every day. So as often as you’ve heard this – it is totally true. Sit your bum in a chair and write your 1 page a day every day. It becomes a habit – like brushing your teeth and taking a shower.
No, this does not mean revise a page a day – but move the story forward 1 page a day.
How can you panic over 1 page? (250 words.) Write 1 page – and see what happens.
I believe you and I can do it.
Cheers, Nancy