Before you can revel in all those copies flying off the bookstore shelves and into online shopping carts — you have to write a children's book! For some fortunate writers, this is the easy part; for others, it’s like waiting at the dentist’s office for a root canal.
Figure out when you're the most productive.
Guess what? Before you can revel in all those copies flying off the bookstore shelves and into online shopping carts — you have to write a book! For some fortunate writers, this is the easy part; for others, it’s like waiting at the dentist’s office for a root canal.
Zero in on when you’re most productive and then do the majority of your writing during that period of time. Every successful writer has a sweet spot: the time when he or she gets the most done.
Stick to a writing schedule.
If you want to be a serious writer — and a successful children’s book author — you can’t leave your writing to chance. Include writing in your schedule and then do it! Unfortunately, in many ways this is the hard part. Why? Because it requires discipline and focus.
Calendars and planners are absolutely essential tools for keeping organized and on track during the course of the day. So buy a calendar or daily planner, or use your smartphone’s or electronic tablet’s built-in calendar — and use it regularly.
Locate your special writing spot.
Every writer needs a place to write that’s comfortable and cozy, stimulates creativity, and has the necessary writing tools. Some possibilities include a dedicated office in your home, an inspiring outdoor space, the local library, a coffeehouse or café, a bookstore, a train station or bus station, or even a shopping mall or food court.
The point is that anyplace can be your special place — you just have to keep looking until you find it. Instead of just settling at the first place you land, try a variety of different locations until you find the one that feels just right. You’ll know it when, all of a sudden, everything clicks and the words flow like someone just turned on the tap.
Get your writing spot organized.
Although different people have different preferences when it comes to the amount of organization they need in their lives, many people work better and more effectively when they’re organized. So, clean up your desk, cleanup your office, reorganize the layout of your office, keep your other paperwork separate from your writing, and eliminate clutter.
Prevent and deal with interruptions.
Your telephone or computer can be one great big distraction that can keep you from focusing on doing the writing that needs to be done. Ignoring a ringing phone or chiming text message or that inbox full of e-mails is almost impossible. So turn off the ringer, close the e-mail program, and quit your browser if you cannot focus when you should be writing.
If you’ve become addicted to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, shut them down so that you’re blissfully unaware of the constant stream of distractions and can continue your writing.
