The One Habit That Transforms Writers’ Block Into a Book

  

 I’ve recently been working daily on my latest horror novel, trying to get it ready for publication later this year. I’d slacked off on it for quite a while, so now it has been a race to get it ready for publishing.

But it wasn’t easy. I had to coerce myself to sit in my writing chair consistently every day and work on my manuscript, no matter what mood I was in or how much I wanted to go and do something else.

And that was the ‘secret’ to getting my book finished. Consistency. It’s not big bursts of energy and motivation that get writing done, it’s the consistency of showing up and doing the writing every day. Consistent progress over time compounds into something greater.

It’s too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that those who have success in life are the ones with lucky breaks or who work 80 hours or more a week. But the truth is that those who keep showing up every day are the ones who have success. It’s the same compounding effect that got my book manuscript written, edited and proofread. I took action on it daily, no matter what.

And this compounding effort works for anything you want to do in life, no matter how big or small, like finally getting around to cleaning your car or to starting your own business. Consistent effort will get you everywhere. 

To be more successful than others all you need is consistent, compounding effort. While I was working away on my manuscript, I also kept reading about other writers who were complaining that they just didn’t have time to write and so weren’t currently working on anything.

I also found some bad habits I knew nothing about that I had to eradicate. It seems I am an incredibly distracted person and would stop and look up things or I’d want to go and watch TV or think that I’d rather be doing my sewing or going for a walk. But I didn’t I used strenuous amounts of discipline to stay in my writing chair. And once I did, I found it easier than I thought to let these distractions go.

I also learnt that I was a lot more disciplined than I ever thought I was once I was motivated enough to get my book written. And the word ‘motivation’ has the word motive written right in there, which is the real meaning. To be motivated you need a big enough reason to do something. My motive wasn’t to finish my book but to prove to myself that I could be disciplined if I tried. And I did try and I was right (because I didn’t want to be wrong).

One big takeaway from my recent efforts is that I realised that people who we think of as super achievers, when you look at their efforts, the one thing that stands out is that they are consistent with what they do.

There’s a book I recently came across on this subject that I recommend to any of you who want to do more and achieve more. It’s called, “The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success” by Darren Hardy. 

Don’t let your big writing dreams escape any more. If what you want to do is be a super-achieving author, the time to start is now. All it takes is daily consistency to create a compounding effect.

https://amzn.to/4lqrtce 

 

How to Triple Your Productivity

A few weeks ago, I was thinking how great it would be if I could pick up a notebook and pen anytime, start writing, and enjoy it so much that I do it all the time.

It came to my mind one night when I picked up a notebook to jot down an idea I had for a short story. I’d had a shower after dinner, and a great idea came to me while I was in the bathroom. So as soon as I’d finished, I went straight to the couch, took out the notebook that I keep in a drawer next to it, and wrote out the idea so that I wouldn’t forget it.

I liked the idea so much that I wanted to start writing the story straight away, but I already had other things to do that evening.

But that got me thinking: What if, after my shower every night, I could get out a fresh notebook, start writing (I love writing by hand), with no clue as to what I was going to write before I started, and keep going for hours? And what if I enjoyed it so much that I eagerly looked forward to it every day?

In my imagination, I could simply whip out my notebook anytime I felt like it and start writing without having any idea what I was going to write about. I’d just eagerly begin, and miraculously, I’d write an inspirational article, a riveting short story, or the first few chapters of a best-selling novel. And all without a clue what I was going to write. I’d just start writing, and the words would appear out of nowhere as I wrote.

Not only would I be writing great stuff, but I’d be loving every minute of it, so that every night, I couldn’t wait to sit down and write.

It was a great daydream. 

But then I had to ask myself, why does it have to be a dream? Why can’t it be reality?

I know that many writers work this way. They sit down and just start writing. It was Dean Wesley Smith who said that all he needs to write a story/novel is a character and a setting. From there, he writes ‘short’ stories and whole novels. I use quotation marks around the word short because his stories are all thousands of words long.

It was Stephen King who said you should write stories you enjoy writing and find somewhere to sell them later. He has always placed the love of writing above everything else, even getting published. 

And this is the ‘secret’ to being a writer. You can’t write well if you don’t enjoy what you’re writing. So, you must first enjoy writing. I mean, yes, it’s work, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun once you start.

It helps to have a daily writing goal of how many hours you work or a minimum number of words you write every day, and stick to it. The real secret is to stick to it, no matter how you feel.

I find that I can get lost in my writing once I start and forget the whole world. It’s an escape from everything.

Having set hours or words to write every day doesn’t mean you have to do it all day long. I know at least one writer who is known as being prolific, yet she only writes for two hours a day. And Stephen King only writes two thousand words a day. They say it’s not about how much you write, but that you do it consistently.

Most so-called writers are not consistent at all with their writing. Most days, they don’t write at all. They’re always looking for ways to get the writing done without actually writing, which always makes me laugh when they ask me about it. They ask things like, “How can I write five thousand words a day?” I respond, “Write five thousand words a day.” They never like that answer.

If you want to write, write. But not just once or now and again when you feel like it.

It needs to be every day, and it needs to be consistent every day. Not every day for a week or two, and then back to not writing.

As the great Mike Littman used to say, “In life and in business, you’re either consistent, or you’re non-existent.”

Above all else, you must love to write. 

Don’t wait till you're ready to start writing.

Just start.

You don’t have to be a great writer. That comes with practice. You just have to keep on writing.

As Elbert Hubbard said, “The only way to learn to write is to write and write and write and write, and write and write and write.”

And you’ll triple your productivity in no time.

Guaranteed.

Writing By Numbers and How to Make It Pay

There’s something that I’ve said many times about earning money from writing. And it’s so important I’m going to say it again.

If you want to make a living as a writer, you must write.

A favourite writer of mine, Dean Wesley Smith, put it more simply when he said that more products mean more money.

For years now, I’ve seen wanna-be writers asking, “How much money can I make from writing a book?” How much? Not much. Not with that attitude.

Writers, like artists and musicians, do what they do because they love what they do, not because they think they can become rich from doing one thing, like writing one book.

Where would J K Rowling be today if she only wrote one book? Or Stephen King? Or Arthur Conan Doyle if he only wrote one Sherlock Holmes novel?

None of these writers could have imagined how rich and famous they would become, nor did they care. They just wanted to write and, if they were lucky, their books would earn them enough money so that they could write for a living.

And why wouldn’t they want that?

If you’re a writer, writing isn’t hard. I mean, sure there are days when you don’t feel like writing, but that happens with any job. But the reason you don’t want to work isn’t because it’s hard; it’s just that you don’t feel like starting, which can happen with anything.

I’ll use this morning as an example to show you what I mean. This morning I knew I had to clean through the whole house. It’s something I do once a week, and today was the day to do it. But I didn’t feel like doing it. I woke up not knowing what day it was, and as I became fully conscious, I realised it was my designated cleaning day, so I had the whole house to clean.

I mentally protested through breakfast, but then I began the cleaning anyway. I plugged in my earbuds and listened to an audio book as I worked. It didn’t take long to become absorbed in what I was listening to, and a couple of hours later, I was finished.

After a short coffee break, I then mentally protested about planting my butt in my writing chair, but I went to my writing room anyway. After a quick look in my diary to see what I had to work on and rereading a bit of what I’d written the day before, I soon found myself deep into my writing.

You see, cleaning and writing aren’t difficult. Anyone can clean a house. It’s not rocket science, and writing is something I do all the time. It was just my motivation that was lacking. I was missing the motivation to get started.

The secret (if that’s what you want to call it) to earning money as a writer is to keep writing and producing. Because the more products you have, the more you can sell.

So, keep writing and producing.

And every day, make sure you get started, no matter what your mood.

7 Day Ebook Writing and Publishing System

How to Write and Publish an eBook and Start Getting Sales in Just One Week

https://www.cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/7day.html

Writing News March 2025

Will AI Replace Writers? Here's Why It's Not Happening Anytime Soon

With the increasing popularity and use of artificial intelligence in the content marketing world, it’s understandable that writers might be sweating about losing their livelihoods.

And while AI certainly is useful for some writing tasks, it won’t (or shouldn’t) replace human writers anytime soon.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/allbusiness/2025/03/03/will-ai-replace-writers-heres-why-its-not-happening-anytime-soon/

Reviewers Are Calling This Hands-Free Light The 'Best Purchase They’ve Ever Made'

A rechargeable LED reading light designed to be worn around the neck has over 90,000 5-star ratings on Amazon, and reviewers call it “tremendous” and “one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.”

The around-the-neck design is quite genius because it lets you read, work or craft completely hands-free while concentrating light directly on the page or your task so you can see clearly, even in the dark.

https://amzn.to/3DDSCao 

The Man Charged With Stabbing Salman Rushdie Is Going On Trial

In 2022, Author Salman Rushdie was stabbed several times when he visited New York and was about to deliver a lecture to a live audience.

The attacker is pleading not guilty despite the attack being witnessed by thousands of people, and a video of the attack will be shown in court.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/salman-rushdie-stabbing-trial-hadi-matar_n_67a238d6e4b0560e35657018 

Stephen King’s Cujo Remake for Netflix

With yet to attach a writer, director or cast, Netflix is still keen on the remake of Stephen King's horror novel, Cujo. The book was originally made into a movie in 1983.

https://www.cairnspost.com.au/entertainment/netflix-greenlights-stephen-kings-cujo-remake/video/c5e715d493093a03bedf49b20308f43c 

Apple Software Radical Update

Apple is reportedly preparing a significant redesign of the operating systems for the iPhone, iPad and Mac. Bloomberg reports that iOS 19, iPadOS 19 and MacOS 16.

The update, which the Bloomberg report called "one of the most dramatic software overhauls in the company's history," aims to simplify the user experience, particularly in how devices are controlled and navigated. It also seeks to create a more cohesive design across platforms, as some apps and icons vary depending on the device.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/apple-software-update-will-radically-change-iphone-ipad-and-mac-report-says/

New George Orwell £2 Coin

The UK’s Royal Mint is set to celebrate the legacy of George Orwell, the author of "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and "Animal Farm," with a special £2 coin marking the 75th anniversary of his death.

https://www.euronews.com/culture/2025/01/13/george-orwell-to-be-honoured-with-new-2-coin-by-uks-royal-mint 

Neil Gaiman Asks US Court to Dismiss Lawsuit Alleging Rape and Sexual Assault

The author’s motion to dismiss argued that the case should be heard in New Zealand, where the alleged abuse took place, and called accuser Scarlett Pavlovich ‘a fantasist’

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/mar/05/neil-gaiman-asks-us-court-to-dismiss-lawsuit-alleging-and-sexual-assault

New Kindle Scribe - A Kindle and a Notebook, All in One

Now you can write directly on books and documents. Start writing on the page, and Active Canvas will create space for your notes. Built-in notebook - Create meeting notes and to-do lists or journal all in one place. Convert handwritten notes to text and email them to yourself or your contacts.

AND a single battery charge can last up to 12 weeks.

https://amzn.to/3Fo03mR 

The Book Business Prepares for Tariff Turmoil

President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, as well as a 10% increase to tariffs on goods from China, went into effect on March 4 - and although the tariffs had been delayed once before, the publishing and printing industries are still left with more questions than answers as they look for ways to navigate the new levies. While American publishers will now face higher costs, printers in the United States hope that the tariffs will lead to more business.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/97240-the-book-business-prepares-for-tariff-turmoil.html 

A TikTok Ban Means Losing the One Platform Making Americans Want to Read Books

As much as TikTok's critics argue that the platform has made Americans "dumber and slower," TikTok has also catalyzed a renaissance in reading for pleasure. If TikTok goes dark for good, it will be consequential to readers, writers, booksellers and the publishing industry.

https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/5098963-a-tiktok-ban-means-losing-the-one-platform-making-americans-want-to-read-books/ 

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures Now a Free Audio and eBook

This is the main resource book for Christian Scientists, and it's now a free online audio loop that you can tune into and listen to anytime. You can also read the ebook online for free. No sign-in is required. 

https://www.christianscience.com/the-christian-science-pastor/science-and-health

The Quick and Easy Way to Do Just About Anything

If there’s something that you want to do, but you think you can’t do it, then you need to read on.

As writers we know it’s always easy to say we want to write something (a book, a short story, do freelance work, a blog) but then not do it.

Why is that? Why is it that we say we want to do something, or want to start something but then we don’t do it. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Nothing. We do absolutely nothing. 

And we’re all guilty of this.

I’ve been studying this for a lot of years now, especially about why we procrastinate, why we resist doing things we know we should be doing, and why we resist doing things we WANT to do.

The answer is because we don’t know how to do it, or where to start. So as usual, we revert to doing the easiest thing that we know how to do, which is to watch TV instead or get our phones out and scroll through a load of time-wasting nonsense.

Sound familiar?

If you want to get on in life and do all the things you want to do (or you want to stop doing the things you know you shouldn’t be doing), then what you need, is to not only know what you want to do, but HOW you’re going to do it.

And this involves making a list (I love lists and use them for so many things). Your list needs to contain every step of what you need to do. You see, it’s not enough to know that you want to do something, you also need to know how to do it. And most importantly, where to start. And writing a list of all the steps you need to take, is usually the best (and easiest) way to start. If nothing else it gets you thinking about what you need to do and once you have your list of steps you can put them in the right order.

Once you have your list, it’s easy to working on the first step and keep referring to your list to make sure you’re completing all the steps.

A list like this can help you achieve just about anything you want to do.

Want to lose weight? That’s great but how are you going to do it? What will you be eating? What will you avoid eating? What sort of exercise are you going to do? When are you going to do it?

Want to quit smoking? How? Are you going to cut down how much you smoke? Are you going to do a quit-smoking course? Go do hypnotherapy?

Want to save for a new car? How? Are you going to re-budget your money? What are you going to stop wasting money on? Are you going to earn more money to help save?

Want to spend less money and save more? How? Are you going to draw up a list of what you spend your money on? Open a savings account? Have a no-spend month?

Want to be more assertive? How? Are you going to take a course? Buy a book? Practice?

Want to have more time? How? Going to keep a time management diary? Going to get a book on how to do it? What are the unnecessary things that you do every day?

Want to write more? How? Going to carve out more time to write? Going to do a specific daily word count? Going to have a set writing routine? Want to change to writing in a different, and more enjoyable, genre?

Want to write a book? How? Are you going to write it into the dark? Are you going to use an outline? How are you going to write an outline? How detailed do you need to make your outline? How many words/hours a day are you going to write? What do you need to do first? How are you going to create a cover? How are you going to publish it?

These are just a quick off-the-top-of-my-head examples of how writing out a list of what you need to do can help with anything you want to do to improve your life.

But it doesn’t stop at just writing a list. You need to be proactive. Don’t want till situations crop up. Even if you only take baby steps to start with like cut out one of your usual cigarettes every day, eat one less snack, save one more dollar. It doesn’t matter how little you do, but it does matter that you do something. As long as your heading in the right direction, you’re moving closer to your goal.

And it all starts with knowing what you want, and, more importantly, knowing why you want it.

It’s important to know how a change will help you, and then you can work out how to achieve it.

And it all starts with a list.

Mission Critical For Life: Start Living Life On Your Terms By Pursuing Your True Life Mission
Ten simple steps to living the life of your dreams
https://www.cheritonhousepublishing.com/books/MCFL.html

The Time-Saving Writer: Boosting Speed and Earnings

If you’ve been following me for a long or even a short time, you’ll know that I have always promoted speed when it comes to writing.

You cannot sell what you don’t have, so the more you write, the more you can earn. Put simply, more products means more money.

Don’t fall for the old wive’s tale that says if you write quickly, you’ll write badly. I’ve always found that the opposite is true. When I write fast, I write more like I speak, which makes it easier to read, plus I don’t have time to second-guess myself, which not only makes writing easier, but it also makes it more enjoyable too, which means I’m more likely to want to do it.

Not only that, but when I don’t second-guess myself, I find that my first instincts were right, which they always are, no matter what the situation.

Writing speed is important which is why my books talk about it —

How to Write an Article in 15 Minutes or Less: Including Research, Writing and Proof Reading

7 Day Ebook Writing and Publishing System: How to Write and Publish an ebook and Start Getting Sales in Just One Week

The 12 Month Writing Challenge: Write and Publish 12 Books in a Year

Can you imagine how much more money you could earn if you wrote an ebook in 7 days, a book in a month, and wrote a series of articles in 15 minutes to promote the heck out of them?

But don’t get me wrong. Writing fast doesn’t mean writing at a break-neck speed. When I say you should write fast, I mean write without stopping. Turn off your internal critic and don’t try to edit as you write. Just start writing and keep going. I discovered early on that the more I wrote, the faster I naturally got, without even trying at all.

I find that if I keep writing, even if I think I’m going wrong or think I’ve gotten off-topic a bit too much, when I read my work back, it’s actually OK. It was just my inner critic trying to stop me. And I usually put my work away for at least a day or two after I’ve finished writing it so that I can read it with ‘fresh eyes.’

At first it can seem hard to quiet your inner critic and not stop to edit because it takes confidence to keep writing no matter what. But confidence comes with practice, which is the same with everything we do. It’s just like when you first learn to drive and it seems so hard because not only do you have to control the car, but you also have to watch out for everything else like pedestrians, other cars, traffic lights, road signs and lane markings. It seems impossible at first because there’s so much to concentrate on. Then when you get your driving license and drive more, driving becomes easier and your confidence grows.

And it’s the same with writing. The more you do it, the faster you get, the easier it becomes, and the more money you start earning.

And it all starts by simply writing and not letting anything distract you. Not even your own lack of confidence, otherwise known as your inner critic.

Find all my books to help you writer better, write faster, earn more and have a ton of fun doing it, at

https://www.cheritonhousepublishing.com/on-writing.html