Writing a first draft is tough, especially if you’re brand new and never written before. It can be a daunting project to pursue but if you have a story to tell and you’re dying to tell it, just type! Put it down, and you can edit it later. Here are a few things I learned through my writing journey:

1. Be Disciplined and show up everyday.

2. Don’t give up and persist. Don’t get distracted!

3. Forget perfectionism. Just write!

4. Take a walk. Yep, you read that right. Go out and stroll.

Be DISCIPLINED

A lot of successful people will say the key to their achievements was discipline. If you’ve seen internet celebs like David Goggins, Jocko Willink and Ryan Holiday, all advocate that discipline is key to your achieving your goals. And I agree. I had to learn that the the hard way of course.

There were times where I slacked and wrote whenever I wanted to. There were times when I didn’t push myself and wrote whenever inspiration and motivation came. You might say, "well A.J, isn’t that what writing is about? You shouldn’t force creativity!”

Think of it this way: if your goal was to lose 30-pounds in 6-months, are you going to workout whenever you want to? Are you going to wait for motivation to come and then go workout? Probably not.

Discipline is a way to circumvent the emotional aspect of doing something and even surpass that of motivation. Let me explain, discipline is when you know you have to do something, and you do it regardless of how you feel. Discipline tells you to get up out of bed and do your task, even if you don’t feel motivated. Discipline is that drill sergeant that shouts, “get up and do your damn job!”

It’s cold and snowing outside? Discipline tells you to get out of your warm, comfy bed and get to the gym. There’s no words coming to mind? Discipline tells you to sit down and start typing whatever ideas you have. Discipline is the voice in your head telling you to stay consistent, to keep going and to never give up. Which leads to next part.

PERSIST and RESIST

I love the ancient philosophy of Stoicism. It changed my life for the better. Learning Stoicism, alongside my writing journey, has helped me cope with a lot of stress and worry. It helped me focus on the process, focus on my writing. A lot can tear us away or distract us from doing the work. There were times when I felt like giving up; like throwing in the towel because I was uncertain about the future.

I’m here to tell you to not give up! Persist! Persist by taking consistent, disciplined action towards your goals and resist the temptation to quit. Persevere and endure the tough times in writing. It’ll suck when you can’t think of anything; it’ll suck when no ideas flow and you just want to stop. Please, don’t! Keep going on writing your book because in the end it’ll be worth it! You got a grand story to tell!

There is a balance to this however. You can keep pushing, going after your goals day-by-day but you have to be aware of the little snake that comes around the corner, that affects all creators: perfectionism.

PERFECTIONISM IS POISON

When it comes to writing, I found that the longer I took thinking about what words put on the page, how I should structure a scene, what adjectives to put to describe an object - the more time I wasted. I wasted half a day, trying to come up with the best scene instead of simply writing whatever comes to mind. Perfectionism does that to you.

Perfectionism seeps into your being because you feel like you’re not good enough or things don’t look right. When you feel uncertain about your work, you get riled up and constantly fiddle over the words on the page; deleting, typing, deleting again. It becomes a never-ending cycle of ‘not good enough.”

It’s okay not to be perfect, nothing in this world is perfect, especially when writing your first draft. Editing will take care of all the imperfections. Your job is to write and keep writing, day-by-day, step-by-step. Continue to show up and take action towards putting words down that page. So, let go of perfectionism. Let go of being perfect, and embrace the uncertainty. If you feel like nothing is pouring out of your creative cauldron, then the next tip I’d suggest, is to take a break, and walk!

WALK IT OFF!

According to Robert Greene in his book “Mastery”, renowned individuals like Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Winston Churchill and Steve Jobs; all were advocates of walking. They insisted on taking a break when the task at hand wasn’t going anywhere or when they needed to find a solution.

“But A.J, you said earlier that you had to persist and keep pushing? What gives?” I did, but instead of overworking and giving yourself a headache, what I found to be so beneficial, was to take walks. And here’s the key: you have to be intentionally thinking of your problem when walking.

Walking helps mingle and mix the ideas in your head. Let them cook and stir. Allow for serendipity or the flash of an idea to come. Walking while being intentional with your thoughts, is what helped me write my book. I was stuck on a particular chapter for hours, so I went for walk, thinking and drafting ideas in my head. After I circled the block, the idea came up and I quickly ran home. Ever since then, I’ve been taking walks to get my ideas out.

Interestingly, you don’t have to go outside to get the same effect. You can pace around in your room or marching in place swinging your arms. The very act of moving it seems, fires up those creative neurons, allowing you to come up with something to write. Try it!

Well, I hope the tips I wrote will help you on your writing journey. There are plenty of other tips out there but these 4 really helped me get out of my writer’s funk. Whether you’re a seasoned author or an upcoming writer, remember that writing is a marathon and not a race. Go at your own pace, but do give it all your all!

Good luck everyone!

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