Routine was the Key for Me

I've discovered there is no magical formula for writing. This was my first time actually finishing a story, so I have no other experiences to make comparisons with. I researched the internet and read several posts, blogs, and articles of advice from successful authors. The one piece of advice that rang true with me was from my favorite, Anne Rice, she said: “Reject rules and critics out of hand. Define yourself. Do it your way. Make yourself the writer of your dreams. Protect your voice, your vision, your characters, your story, your imagination, your dreams.” I love that she encourages writers to just write. I never considered myself a writer. I had ideas that I thought would be interesting to read about, but I never really thought I could successfully express them. The story behind Souls Eternal came to me roughly ten years ago. In that time, I started and stopped trying to write it several times. I don’t know if it was lack of motivation or lack of a complete plot, but I just never could stick with it. Last July, I was dealing with some heavy emotional issues and decided that I needed a distraction. I thought about my story, the same story that had haunted me for years, the story that was begging to be recorded and keeping me awake at night. So, I searched my old computer for the original document and copied it over to my newer computer. I immediately hated what I had written and deleted it. I had to start from scratch and stick with it this time. I started making notes and plotting my story and then finally sat down and started typing. Mind you, this wasn’t an easy task. I work a full time job and at the time I started writing, I was working fifty to fifty-five hours per week, plus juggling the life and times of my then, eleven year old daughter. I was usually mentally exhausted by the time I was finished with work, dinner, dishes etc. But I decided I had to make changes if I wanted to successfully finish my story. I love television, I always have. I was raised on it, for the most part. But, I decided to use my evenings productively. This was more realistic to me than trying to get up early in the morning, because I have never been a morning person, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. So after all of the chores were finished, instead of mindlessly watching TV, I would take my computer into my room, put on some music and write. I had to be in complete isolation with no distractions. This proved especially hard on the weekends with my daughter up later. Often I would find her hovering over me trying to appease her curiosity with what I was doing. Needless to say, I didn't get much done in those instances and had to turn my attention to her. I would write as much as I could before going to sleep, but made a commitment to write something. A lot of times I would come back to it the next day and have to edit or delete what I had written the day before. This proved especially true if it was a considerably “brain dead” night. Some nights I would write a paragraph, some nights a page, some three pages and on several occasions I wrote up to ten pages. I realized once I found my “groove”, the material just flowed out of me. Music became a great tool. I read recently not to listen to music that you like, as it would prove distracting. (I mostly found the internet and social media to be the most distracting things for me.) I only had a handful of nights when the music became distracting, otherwise it was a great motivator and helped set the mood for several scenes. By the way, my musical tastes are eclectic. I could go from listening to top 40 hits to 70’s rock to 90’s alternative all in the same sitting. The more I practiced this nightly routine, the easier ideas flowed and words got recorded. I eventually cut my cable cord, as it was not serving me to keep paying for television I wasn’t watching. And aside from a handful of programs, I don’t miss it that much. This may not be the best method for anyone else, but as I sit at my computer plotting and typing away, I found that the ritualistic nature of it works best for me.