The Benefits of Writing Every Day

If there's one piece of advice that I've heard from professional writers, it's 'write every day'. Even if it's just a small amount, the practice of flexing your writing muscles each and every day is much more beneficial than writing for a big chunk once a week. As an aspiring professional author, I have lived by this piece of advice, sometimes to the detriment of every other aspect of my life.

So, with my girlfriend's birthday recently, we decided to spend a night in a hotel and I accepted that I would miss a day of writing as a result of the night out. I've been feeling quite burned out lately, so the chance to take a day off wasn't a bad thing. 

What I discovered however, was that because of my writing discipline, my brain didn't want to shut down for a day. This worked out really well, because instead of having something pre-planned to work on, my brain simply wandered wherever it chose to. As a result I felt super excited and refreshed to get back to my writing the next day and have plenty of new ideas for more writing. I have always understood that rest periods are really important, but I forget sometimes. It was nice to get that reminder.  

I suppose it's about learning when to take time off and how much, which is an individual choice. What I will say for the practice of writing every day is that my brain expects to write each morning much like my stomach expects breakfast, and it often seems like it's ready and waiting for me. The practise of writing every day seems like it's paying off. 

“You must write every single day of your life... You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads... may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.” Ray Bradbury

The Law of Attraction and The Internet

Having read 'The Secret' by Rhonda Byrne a few months ago, I decided that I should apply it to my writing. I've always had a belief that I'm good enough to earn a living from my passion and I think that self belief in everything is important, but especially in a solitary pursuit like writing. 

'The Secret' is also referred to as 'The Law of Attraction' and the basic premise is that we manifest in our lives what we focus on. If we always focus on being poor, then we will be poor. If we always feel angry then we will attract anger into our lives. If we focus on happiness and peace then that is what we will find. Recently, when I was out walking, I put all of my attention on visualising being published. When I got back from my walk, I had an email with my first acceptance. http://www.raphaelsvillage.com/article.php?story=2012092711495327 In that same week I received news of a competition being run by HarperCollins and I knew that I should enter it because I felt like I was attracting things into my life - authonomy Blog | authonomy writing community: Laurence O'Bryan competition winners - I was selected as one of the three winners. Coincidence? Maybe, but it's working so I'm choosing to stay with it. 

One thing I find hard about the law of attraction is maintaining it. Being a writer can be the most invigorating practice, but it can also be exhausting. When I feel like things are not clicking, it can be hard to stay at the keyboard. However, I still love it, and I take solace if two hours writing produces just one good sentence. In spite of this, the less productive times can lead to me feeling less optimistic. I focus on the struggle of writing, the tiredness that I feel for getting up at four in the morning, the questions of whether I good enough and should I believe that I probably won't make a living from it because that's what a lot of people seem keen on telling me. 

What I need at times is a state change and I found this yesterday when I was searching for a quote for a blog entry. I didn't find the quote that I was searching for, but what I did find was thousands of quotes from writers. Suddenly I felt part of a community and I felt much better about my struggle. My mood lifted, I read more and more quotes and then watched a couple of clips from Neil Gaiman and David Mack. 

I realised that the internet is much like the law of attraction. The words that you put in the Google search box is much like directing your attention on it. When you hit enter, what comes back to you is what you've created. Thousands of quotes, or support, came to me from writers the world over, alive and dead, when I asked for it. 

As I've been trying to let go of judgment, I've invested less in internet trolls and negativity, and focused on my positive online interactions. As a result, I've created a very different internet experience for myself. We are where our attention is. So I suppose now that if I want to feel happy, supported, invigorated, I just need to work what I'm feeling and ask Google for the opposite. My partner does a similar thing with pinterest.  

And finally, one of my favourite quotes from yesterdays searching: "You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you." - Ray Bradbury. I believe I create that 'reality' that can destroy me.  

Following the advice of a published author, I have implemented a new regime for my writing over the past six to eight months. The regime is to make the time for my writing. Being a morning person, I get up now between four and five in the morning to write. It can put a strain on our family when I'm locked away in my study each morning, but it's starting to show results. After being published last month, I have just won a competition run by HarperCollins via their Authonomy website.

Laurence O'Bryan is a published author, his first novel, 'The Istanbul Puzzle' won high praise and the best novel at the Southern California Writer's Conference. His next novel, 'The Jerusalem Puzzle' is due to be published soon and the second chapter was released on the Authonomy blog. There was then an open invite to read the chapter and offer a five-hundred word synopsis of where you would take the story next. Having been shortlisted into the final sixteen for my entry, I was then offered the opportunity to submit a five-thousand word short story for potential publication.

Today I received an email explaining that i would be one of three authors that would be published in a special ebook release of 'The Jerusalem Puzzle', It will be published next summer. I'm so grateful for the opportunity given to me by HarperCollins and I now have the chance to get my work seen by a wide audience. I am also allowed to put my contact and social network details in the with my winning entry. 

The story that i submitted was called 'In the Name of Science' and I had submitted it to 'Talesofworldwarz.com' prior to sending it to HarperCollins. However, it seemed like the right story to send for the competition entry, which is why I submitted it to two places. When I emailed 'Talesofworldwarz.com' explaining that I had been published, they informed me that I was going to be published with the same story by them also.

All in all it has been a wonderful day for writing. I also finished my novella today. 

It would seem that all of the extra work I am managing to get in because of the redeye alarm calls is paying off.    

Finding Time to Write

It seems to me that the people who become successful writers are the people who make the time to write. This sounds obvious of course, but it seems to be one thing that most writers talk about. Write every day and make the time to write. I have had many conversations with people who have expressed a desire to write, but have cited lack of time as a reason not to do it.

A previous associate editor for Marvel Comics, Andy Schmidt, who now owns Comics Experience (http://comicsexperience.com/), a company that teaches people how to create comics, gave the advice that you must find time. When talking on iFanboy's Make Comics Podcast (http://ifanboy.com/podcasts/making-comics-podcast-1-start-writing/) he said that you must work out what is important to you and what can be sacrificed. If watching two hours of television each evening is more important than writing, then maybe you're not meant to be a writer.

Another piece of advice that I usually hear, and try to stick to, is that you must write every day. The brain, like any muscle, needs to be trained through repetition. Having a daily scheduled time forces me to sit down and write. Sometimes my inspiration needs a bit of encouragement and this time is perfect for doing just that.

Speaking to Author Barry Nugent (http://unseenshadows.com/contact-the-author/) at the London Super Comic Convention in February of this year, I asked him where he finds the time. Like myself, Barry has had to write his novel, Fallen Heroes, around full time work commitments. Andy Schmidt gave the advice of talking to people who were a step or two ahead of yourself because the experience that they have had, which is relevant to you, is much more fresh in their mind. With Fallen Heroes being Barry's first novel, I found his response very helpful. He explained that he would get up in the early hours of the morning and write then. That way, when his girlfriend was awake, they could spend time together without him being locked away.

Taking this advice on board, I have started getting up at five in the morning, and strangely enough, feeling excited when my alarm goes off. That is definitely a first for me. Previously, I was writing at my least productive time of day, the evening. As a result, I find I am much more prolific with my output, and an hour in the morning is worth several in the evening. For some, the evening is the best time to write and finding the time that suits you best is important.

However, with the demands of having a twenty-month old son, a full time job that goes through both sociable and unsociable hours, and trying to be a good partner to my girlfriend, I still feel that until I can earn enough money from writing to cut back on my work, some aspect of my life will bear the brunt of me chasing my dreams.

I remember a story about Stephen King working long days and then sitting at a typewriter in his utility room in the evening. He would hammer out work until the early hours of the morning, using his tumble drier for a desk. I cling onto this story when I feel like stopping. It gives me hope.