ARE YOU GUILTY OF THE BIGGEST EXCUSE?

I've heard it before and I'll hear it again - I don't have enough time to write.  RUBBISH.  This is the MAIN reason people don't complete a novel.  If you are guilty of muttering this lame excuse, stop it right now and never utter those silly words ever again.  If you have time to watch TV, check Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or watch House of Cards on Netflix, you have time to write.  You just aren't choosing it to write.  Single mothers with full time jobs write novels, lawyers who work fifteen hour days write novels, teenagers who are studying for the SATs write novels.  If they can find time to write, so can you.  It's all about learning how to schedule your time and be DISCIPLINED.  The time excuse is just a delaying tactic - you're terrified your work is awful - it's safer if it stays in your head than actually land on a computer where someone might read it and say, that's awful!  But the cold harsh truth is that your work has to start out bad before it will ever become good.  So turn off House of Cards, disconnect your internet and start writing.  Badly.  Because that will make you feel better than uttering 'I don't have enough time' ever again.  Trust me.

WRITE A NOVEL IN 10 WEEKS

I'll be teaching my next WRITE A NOVEL IN 10 WEEKS course at UCLA EXTENSION this Fall.  Click the link below to sign up.  Only 15 spots available.

                      https://www.uclaextension.edu/pages/Course.aspx?reg=250446

EGO KILLS THE STORY

I'm always saying that everyone has a good story to tell.  But the difference between a captivating story - one that pulls the heart strings and makes you feel something - is far removed from a well written tale.  What is the magic ingredient that separates the two? Ego.  If you are writing to impress, change the world or show-off how clever you are, the story will not land.  Conversely, if you write from the heart, from feelings that are real and genuine, the reader will pick up on it and feel those things too.  

So next time you write, check in with yourself.  Ask some questions.  Am I writing this to be clever and funny?  Or am I writing this because I'm trying to discover an answer in life that is eluding me?  When we search for answers, we are being authentic.  We are connecting to the human experience.  And consequently, we write things that people understand, believe and can relate to.  Go forth!  Write without ego and see the difference in your work.