10 Tips to Defeat Procrastination

Is procrastination stealing your writing time? Do you find you spend more time procrastinating then writing? Are you putting off a big project? Or several small ones?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then read on for ten tips to defeat procrastination.

1. Break your work down into smaller chunks. Instead of trying to write a query letter in one day, work on writing one paragraph today. The add another paragraph tomorrow.

2. Schedule your writing time. Just like you’d mark an hour off your calendar for your dentist’s appointment, mark off an hour each for your writing.

3. If you don’t have time to write, take a hard look at your weekly to do list. Start by writing down everything you do in a week and ask yourself questions like what's most important? What's least important? What can wait until next week?

4. Accept "good enough". Procrastinators tend to be perfectionists as well. Don't put something off just because you fear it won't be perfect.

5. Ask for help. It's important to ask for help when you can't handle it all. Perhaps the real reason you procrastinate is because you're overwhelmed.

6. Be flexible.

7. Set a deadline and tell someone else. When we break a promise to ourselves, we can usually shrug it off. Not so with others.

8. Don’t stop to research. Put your research questions in parenthesis and keep going. It’s too easy to get distracted while researching and before you know it, the afternoon has passed and you haven’t accomplished much.

9. Track your work. Whether in an excel sheet or a blank notebook. When you wake up every day, remind yourself you need to add an entry.

10. Set a timer for twenty minutes. Tell yourself that after twenty minutes, you can do anything else. Chances are after the time is up, you’ll be so into your writing, you won’t want to stop!

Every writer faces the battle against procrastination. What separates writers from wannabe writers is a simple choice—to write anyway. So go on, write anyway!

Creating Realistic Characters

When creating characters, it’s important to remember that people want to read about themselves. They want to read about realistic characters. That doesn’t mean all of your characters have to be based off of real-life people. No, it means all of your characters must have a few things in common:

Flaws. All of your characters must be flawed in some way. This goes back to the realistic characters. The problem with perfect characters is that there is no conflict, no plot when characters themselves and the world they live in is perfect.

Give each major character at least one major flaw that they must overcome before the story’s end.

For the sake of this article, let’s create a character. Maybe a geeky teenage hero named, Toby. Toby’s flaw will be fear. He’s too afraid to step outside of his small world to experience new things. He’s dominated by fear. But Toby is going to have to change through the course of the story and overcome his fear.

You can even give a character a reason for the flaw. For instance, what if Toby’s dad died while riding a motorcycle? What if his dad had been a daredevil his whole life? So, Toby believed that had his dad chosen to live a quieter lifestyle, he’d still be here today.

Adding a reason for the flaw deepens the character and allows readers not only to sympathize with Toby but to root for him as well.
Good Qualities. When giving Toby flaws, we also want to add some good qualities. In fact one teen writer told me she thinks of qualities she’d like to develop then uses those qualities in her character.

Let’s see, we’re going to make Toby reliable. If he gives you his word, he will keep it. Sometimes this means Toby will get taken advantage of because he’s too weak to stand up for himself.

For one reason or another, he’s never fit in with the other people–not even people his age. This lack of other human companionship and acceptance has probably made him sensitive to others’ needs. He’s probably a kind, helpful person….the kind of guy that would walk a girl home at night. The kind of guy that would put others before himself. This gives us the quality, self-sacrificing.

Details. Now that we’ve gotten the major points of Toby’s character sketched out, let’s give some details that will add life to this sketch. Remember, it’s the little things that can make a huge difference (from the way your character talks to the way they dress).

Toby’s true passion will be photography. He’s the perfect type of guy to be a photographer, simply because other people don’t notice him. People notice the camera but not the guy behind it.

We’re also going to give him an obsession with vanilla ice cream (maybe that’s what he compares himself to). Perhaps Toby thinks the other flavors are too bold or maybe he’s one of those people that doesn’t like chocolate.

Family and Friends. Next we’d layer in Toby’s family and friends. His mom is a single parent, struggling to pay the mortgage every month and probably doesn’t pay enough attention to Toby simply because he’s not a demanding child. Then we’d give him a younger sister, probably around ten and since his mom works all day, it’s his responsibility to look after her.

We could keep going until we’ve given Toby a myriad of habits, phobias, obsessions, hobbies, favorites– and all these things add up to create a realistic character.

However, you should know that there is no perfect ‘formula’ for creating a character. Each writer goes about it differently. The way we created Toby was just one way to do it. Some writers start with the good qualities then add flaws. Some write entire biographies on their characters before ever typing the words ‘chapter one’.

Whatever method you choose, however you go about it, add multiple layers to your characters to make them realistic and you can’t go wrong.

Building Your Author Platform - Part 5

There will come a day when it seems everything falls into place in your writing career. The door you were hoping would open did, but should you walk through that door?

I'd always assumed that if a door opened then yes, you should. It wasn't until I was presented with a business deal that I reconsidered what I'd always believed about doors.

Don't get me wrong. The door was a great opportunity that would only lead to more opportunities. But underneath the opportunities were details I wasn't comfortable with.

After a lot of consideration, I decided not to walk through the door. While I desperately wanted that opportunity, the simple truth was that door didn't lead down the path I wanted to travel.

Building your author platform not only requires you to know which path you want to travel but to also be willing to say 'no' to the opportunities that won't advance your career. I'm not talking about taking on the occasional charity benefit, where you do something good simply because you want to help.

I'm talking about walking through a door the re-routes your path and puts in you on a position you didn't want to be in.

When you are presented with opportunities in your writing career, you need to stop and ask yourself two very important questions:

1.) Does this fit with who I am?
The fastest way to regret is to write or do something that goes against your core beliefs.

The second question you must ask yourself is

2.) Does this advance my career in the direction I want to go in?
Many things can advance your writing career, but you must consider whether it is the direction you want to go in or not.

Remember, you don’t have nor should you walk through every door that opens in your career. Pick only the ones that matter the most.

Novelist’s Café Relaunched!

We relaunched Novelist’s Café today! The old design was dated and difficult to read. Navigation was difficult at best and we lacked space to add more content on the main column and on the sidebar. We knew it was time for a change.

That's why we updated the look! Everyone seems to agree - the new look is cleaner and lighter than the other one.

While we were in the middle of designing, we also thought that maybe we should make it easier for readers to comment. So, we've included a new commenting system.

Not only is it easy to leave a comment, it's easy to respond to someone else's comment. Threaded comments make for a much better conversation!

What do you think? Let us know!

Building Your Author Platform - Part 4

Connecting with your readers is perhaps one of the trickiest aspects of building your author platform. Do it right and you’ll have lifetime readers that will remember your name.

Recently, I checked out W. Terry Whalin’s website. He gives away free e-books. I downloaded one.

I didn't expect much to be honest. I usually sign up for free e-books only to find they're a waste of my time but this was different. I felt it from the first page.

Each idea flowed coherently into the next. The writing was clear and easy to understand. The pages were free of typos and other errors.

As someone who has written numerous articles on marketing, I immediately recognized what he was doing. He was offering something for me in return for my time. As a result any time I see or hear the name W. Terry Whalin, I stop and listen. I want to hear what he’s saying and what others are saying about him.

When readers visit your website, give them something. The simple trick is offering them something for their time, whether that’s a laugh, a free resource, or an e-book.

What can you offer? It depends on your niche. If your audience is primarily businessmen then they may not appreciate your brand of humor. But give them a free chart, email report or other goodie that helps them and they’ll remember your name.

Understand that while you give something to reader, you also want something from them as well. In order to get Terry Whalin’s e-book, I had to enter my email address. (Note: Always have a privacy policy if you collect email addresses or other sensitive information from your visitors.)

He also used my sign up as an opportunity to tell me about his monthly newsletter. After reading the e-book, I signed up. Why? Because he offered me something of value. He showed me he respected my time.

Always offer your readers something in return for their time.

Liked this post? Stay tuned for part five - Good vs. Great Opportunities - tomorrow!

Multiple Drafts

Recently, I helped another writer move her work from one computer to the next. As I looked through her files, I saw the same novel re-started multiple times.

Sometimes, you have to write multiple drafts until you get down to what you really want to say. Write anyway.

Building Your Author Platform - Part 3

Once you’ve decided who your audience is and what message you want to share, you have to decide where to share this message.

Think like your audience:

What websites does your audience check daily? Are they more likely to read the newspaper or an online version? Where do they frequent both online and off?

Recently, I saw a bumper sticker that really caught my eye. The message was simple and effective. As a consumer, I wanted to know more about this company and their products.

But no matter how hard I squinted, there was no website address, no P.O. box, nor was there any contact information of any kind.

It shocked me that in today’s society, the company didn’t take the time to print their web address on the bumper sticker.

It’s the same concept with your author platform. Sure, you can broadcast your message but if I don’t know where to go to learn more about you and your products then you’ve essentially just wasted your time (and mine).

When you broadcast your message, you need to create a place where readers can go to learn more. If you haven’t already, you need to create a website. It is an investment in your career just like ink for your printer.

Now that you’ve established your website and chosen the places your audience is most likely to frequent, begin connecting with people in your target audience.

Create profiles on websites your audience visits and update your profile frequently. Log in, interact with other users, and become an active participant in the community.

Think outside the box. Spend some time visiting other websites and resources your audience will visit and ask yourself where else might my audience visit that isn’t immediately obvious?

Liked this post? Stay tuned for part four - How to Connect with Your Audience - tomorrow!