This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Susan Schneider is the author if The Wedding Writer, which is out now. You can visit Susan’s gorgeous website here.
1. Don’t let other people discourage you by saying things like, “Oh, I’m too tired to do anything with my life except work and come home at night and watch TV.” Yuck! If you want to write, you will find the time no matter how tired you are.
2. Be kind to yourself. It will not always go well. You will feel like a failure. Get up and take a walk. Go to a yoga class. Have lunch with a friend.
3. Get feedback from other people—but only from really smart, savvy people who can be genuinely helpful.
4. Don’t get too much feedback—you will be overwhelmed with too much advice and suggestions.
5. Try not to be too addicted to the Internet. This is a huge problem for me—I’m checking my email, my Facebook, my Twitter, every two minutes, especially when I’m stuck on something. How does anyone get anything done! Writers, who usually love to procrastinate, absolutely must set some limits!