If you want to get a book published, this is the question you have to ask yourself – and be honest when you answer.
I felt compelled to write about this today because I’m staring down the barrel of a self-imposed deadline. I know myself pretty well, and I know that I do my best work when my back’s up against a wall. It helps me ‘jump my shark’: perfectionism.
My perfectionism can be crippling. Working as a journalist and an advertising copywriter has cured me of perfectionism in the corporate world, and gone a little way to helping me overcome it in my personal writing, but it’s a daily struggle!
It’s not that writing is hard – it’s avoiding distractions and staying driven that’s fucking hard.
Are you a doer or a talker?
Doers…
- Have no expectations (you may finish, you may not – but that’s not the point right now)
- Let go of perfectionism (worry about perfect later – just get the words on the paper)
- Do the hardest things first (the easiest things in life always get done anyway)
- Make writing a priority every day (not TV, shopping, cleaning, sleeping in…)
- Work smarter, not harder (identify the time of day when you’re most energetic, creative and inspired – and dedicate that time for writing)
Talkers…
- Make excuses
Having said that, I believe it’s important to still talk about yourself as a writer – it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and it starts to make your dream real.