Why Willpower Won’t Help You Write

We’ve all heard of the word Willpower and we’re told that if you can’t achieve something, or can’t get enough writing done, it’s because you don’t have enough willpower.

But what is willpower?

Many believe that it’s some kind of separate entity. It’s something you can invoke to help you. All you have to do is believe in it enough and it will magically appear and you can latch onto it and become a writing marvel.

Some people believe that having will power is not to help you to do something, but it’s a way to help you restrain from doing bad habits like over-eating, gambling, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption, rather than helping you engage in new habits.

If you want to write more and write better what you need is determination, not willpower. This is what drives people to do what needs to be done, despite emotional and physical opposition.

Determination gives you a can-do attitude to stick with something and see it through to the end.
And you already have determination within you. It’s not an outside thing, separate from yourself. It’s already yours. You just have to use it.

And to be honest, if you love to write, then you really don’t need much determination. You only need to be in the right determined mindset to sit down and start writing, because as we all know, starting is the hardest thing.

But once you sit down and start writing, the rest is easy.

So don’t think you need willpower to write.

Just have the determination to sit in your writing chair for an hour or two every day.

The writer in you will take it from there.

The One Month Author
How to Write a Book Faster & Better
https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCWS4.html

Download a copy for only 99c till the end of November 2021.

Proof That You CAN Write a Book a Month

Photo by Thom Milkovic on Unsplash

There are so many disbelievers when it comes to the subject of writing a book in just a month. But it’s no surprise that those who say it can’t be done have never even tried, or they’ve given it a half-hearted attempt and quit.

Writing a book a month isn’t easy, but it’s not hard either. For those who want to do it, it’s not hard at all.

But let’s look at the math to see how do-able it actually is.

Say you wanted to write a 30,000-word novel. To do it in a month (30 days) you’d have to write at least 1,000 words a day, and that’s only about 3-4 pages.

Does that seem hard? No. 

Does that seem impossible? Absolutely not.

The mindset of writing a book is like the mindset of a marathon runner. To do either you need determination to see it through to the end.

Marathon runners are always determined. They train hard and when the day comes, they’re in the right mindset to do it.

Would-be authors on the other hand, aren’t determined and so they don’t train and don’t try.

But this month is November, which means there are millions of writers all over the world taking part in NaNoWriMo, the challenge to write a 50,000-word book in a month.

The determined ones succeed. The rest don’t.

What more proof do you need?

The One Month Author

How to Write a Book Faster & Better

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCWS4.html

Wanna Know How To Get an Idea and Write a Book?

Whenever I'm talking (in person or on social media) to other writers, they often tell me that they think that writing a book is too hard, so they don't even start. And that's sad because writing (and finishing) a book manuscript not only gives you an enormous sense of personal achievement, but it's also a great way to earn passive income from writing, if you publish it.

I sometimes think that the reason they think it's hard, and why they never begin, is because they don't know where to start. I mean, how do you come up with an idea for a whole book?

The answer is that you don't. All you need is an idea and then you grow it from there. It doesn't need to be a big idea either, just the germ of one.

If you want to write fiction, it's best to stick to the genres you like to read. This is for several reasons including that you already know what these stories need to contain because you've already read so many of them, and also because writing has to be fun so you need to write what interests and entertains you.

Then you just need an idea of what you want to write about. For instance (and I'm making this up on the fly as I'm writing), say you like reading romance novels, so you want to write a romance book. 

But what would make a great story?

How about if it was about a guy who was really shy and a woman who liked him, but because he was so shy she thought he only liked her as a friend because she mistook his shyness for disinterest. 

And then how about if someone else, another woman, comes into the picture and she's really domineering and talks the shy guy into dating her, and at the same time, another guy asks the first woman out and she goes but only because she thinks the shy guy isn't interested in a romantic relationship with her. Or the second woman can be already known to the first woman and it's someone she already dislikes.

Now you can expand this even further and have a huge rivalry and hatred between the two woman and it spills over into their relationships with the guys and it all climaxes in a physical altercation between the two women.

And then the backlash from that could be that the first woman ends up being arrested and the other trashes her belongings while she's gone, and eventually the shy guy steps in to put a stop to it all and that's when the first woman realises that he really does care about her and they end up together after all.

I know that you're thinking that it's not the greatest of plots, but it's a quick idea I just came up with (feel free to use it if you want to though) and it can be played around with and changed until it's a fantastic story with a few crisis and subplots that all culminates in the girl finally getting her man. Tada! A happily ever after if I ever heard one. Although all romance books end that way.

But can you see how easily, in just a few minutes, I went from the idea or writing a romance novel to coming up with characters, crisis and plot? It wasn't the best but if I'd had more time I would do better.

So don't give up on writing a book. Think about what you want to write and then come up with an idea that you can flesh out until it's a useable story with a great plot. Or for nonfiction, think of a subject you want to write about, one that holds a lot of interest for you or that you know a lot about, and then expand that idea into topics you'd want to cover in your book.

And you can read more about how to go from idea, to outline to blueprint to finished manuscript in my latest article at https://ruthiswriting.com/articles/2021/write-a-book.html.

It's called, 'This is How to Write a Book.'

Enjoy

The One Month Author
How to Write a Book Faster & Better

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCWS4.html

Keep Writing Even If You Don’t Feel Like It

Photo by Magnet.me on Unsplash

All writers (even the best of the best) face the challenging situation of writing when they really don’t feel like it. It happens to us all. You’re just not in the mood to sit down and write, but you have a deadline looming or a book to finish, and you need to get back to your writing spot, but the motivation just isn’t there.

So what can you do about it?

Well, I don’t know about you, but one thing that “Lockdowns” taught me was that when all distractions are removed (constitutional rights, going outside, living my life) I was much more motivated to sit down and write.

A couple of years ago I cracked a rib and couldn’t move much for a couple of weeks, and this week I had a minor operation on my back, which again has physically incapacitated me or a short while.

And during all these times, I wrote more because I was forced to sit down because there was nothing else I could do. Also because I decided myself to use these times to increase my writing output.

It was also during these times that the more I wrote every day, the easier and better it got.

So just think about that the next time you know you should be writing, but you just don’t feel like it.

And remember that the world’s most successful authors didn’t get to where they are because they gave in every time they didn’t feel like writing. They often felt that way too but they sat down and wrote despite not feeling like it.

And to be honest, even though I love to write, not wanting to do it happens almost every day. Until, that is, I sit in my chair and start writing.

Then it’s amazing how much writing I can do, even though I didn’t feel like it at first.

The One Month Author

How to Write a Book Faster & Better

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCWS4.html

Want to Write More?

The question I get asked the most is, 'How can I earn money writing?' And it's not only me who gets asked this question. I see it being asked online all the time.

It sometimes surprises me that people even need to ask this question because the answer is simple. 

I think what people are really asking is, 'How can I earn money QUICKLY from writing?' They're looking for a quick fix. But being a writer isn't a way to get-rich-quick. I mean sure, you can start earning money fast, but you won't get rich quick.

Instead, the simple answer to earning money from writing is to write more.

The most successful writers are those who outwork the rest.

Look at it this way. If you had a blog with a dozen pages of articles, and you'd written and published an ebook, how much money could you earn from that?

But what if you had a blog with 200+ pages, you'd written and published 20 ebooks, plus you constantly wrote and submitted freelance work to magazines and websites, and you wrote paid guest posts for other blogs to help promote your own?

How much money could you be earning then?

You see, it's up to you what you write and how much you write. Writers earn money in different ways, but whichever way you choose, if you're not out-working the rest, how can you possibly hope to earn more?

The important thing is to start writing. And don't stop. Don't say you're too tired, or you've had a busy day, or you just don't feel like it, or you have a headache, or a bad back (or any other physical excuse).

If Stephen Hawking could write books while sitting immobile in a wheelchair using only a twitch in one cheek to operate his computer, then the rest of us have no excuse.

The Monthly Challenge Writing Series:

Quick Cash Freelance Writing

Build a Lucrative Niche Website in a Month

Fast & Profitable Article Writing

The One Month Author - How to Write a Book Faster & Better

If these 4 ebooks don't get you writing more, nothing will.

P.S. For the rest of this month (Nov 2021) The One Month Author is only 99 cents. 

A Simple ‘Trick’ To Get More Writing Done

Almost every morning I wake up full of good intentions of how much I’m going to accomplish in a day.

Hours later I look at the clock and wonder how the time disappeared so quickly.

Do you have days like that?

It used to be that the day seemed to fly by with little accomplished. Now though, things have changed, and although the day seems to still fly by, it’s passed by unnoticed because I was busy getting so much done.

I do whatever I have to do first thing in the morning including chores, phone calls, laundry, shopping, and then I get on with my writing. And I’m usually so focused that I even forget to have lunch.

When I finally stop and look at the time, I’m surprised to see that it’s mid or late afternoon. Sometimes it’s so late it’s dark outside.

These are great days when I’m so focused and so productive that I sit and work for hours and get so much writing done. I still feel as though I’ve lost a day (time-wise), but it doesn’t feel bad, not when I can see how much I’ve achieved. 

Sadly, not all days are like that, but when it happens, I do appreciate it. And it makes me feel great.

And it happens because I love what I do.

Try it yourself. 

And if you don’t know what to do, download one of my Monthly Challenge Writing Series ebooks, and see how much you can achieve in a day, a week and a month.

Are You Up For The Challenge?

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCWS1.html

The Right Way to Earn Money From Freelancing

I follow quite a few people on social media who are writers and they seem to be so good at getting the work published online on blogs, websites and in online anthologies and online magazines.

But lately I've been taking a closer look at the work they're getting published and where, and I made a surprising discovery.

I admit that I've been feeling a tiny bit jealous that they all seem to get so much of their work published. I kept wondering, how do they do it? I thought their work must be really good.

However, it seems that all their published work is unpaid. They seem to be submitting it to non-paying, online markets. And sometimes it's even WORSE than that. They submit their work to websites where you have to PAY for every submission.

I swear it made me do a quick Porky Pig impersonation. "A b-a-b-a-b that's crazy, folks." Why would anyone do so much writing and then not only give it away for free, but also pay someone else to publish it online?

Jealous? Not any more. There is no way I would let my work be published on someone else's blog or website so that they can earn money from my hard work. I know some would say that free publication can be great marketing. But not when you're giving it away all the time.

If you want to earn money from freelance writing, then your work needs to be submitted to a paying market. I advise against ever paying to submit work. I won't even enter writing competitions unless they're free. I figure that if I enter a writing competition and I win, that's great. It means I've earned money from my writing. And if I don't win, I still have my story or article and I can submit it somewhere else and even submit it to a paying market.

To be really successful as a freelance writer, you need to be fearless and don't hold back when it comes to finding markets for your work. Never think that it's not worth submitting your work or your idea for an article because it might be rejected. It might also be accepted.

And no matter how small the submission (reader's letter, joke, tip, etc), do it. Even if you don't earn much at least you'll earn something. And some of these smaller pieces can actually earn you a good ROI for the few minutes that it took you to write it.

Keep submitting ideas and stories all the time. Aim for 30 submissions in 30 days every month. That's 300 submissions a year. Can you imagine the success you'd have? And they don't have to be huge pieces of work. Like I said, even a small joke or a tip can earn you up to $100 for just 5 minutes work.

Make some of your submissions to printed markets like magazines, and others to online markets. If you keep up the 30 submissions a month, you can't fail.

And don't make excuses like, you have a full-time job or you have a family. These are just excuses because we always make time for the things we love.

And one of them should be writing.

https://ruthiswriting.com/books/MCWS1.html