I don’t always listen to music when I write…

…but when I do, these are some of the artists I enjoy.

I am absolutely horrible when it comes to setting writing goals for myself. Self-imposed deadlines, word counts, page numbers…you name it and chances are I’ve ignored it to no end, going off to do something else rather than getting done what really needs to get done: The Writing.

So when I started TAG on May 14, I thought to myself, “I really need to buckle down and write this book.” It’s an idea that just won’t go away, one that I’ve had for some time and wanted to pen, but never sat down to start. I needed to find something that would make me write it, beyond the enjoyment of spinning something new in a world with characters I really like, because sometimes even that isn’t enough. Therefore I turned to the one thing I am addicted to right now.

Hello. My name is James and I’m a SKYRIM addict.

I’ve never been one to deprive myself of things before, but this time it’s actually working and you know what? I’m finding that for the first time in my 34 years, I like depriving myself of stuff. Seriously.

The rule is: No SKYRIM until 3,000 new words are written.

On the 14th I didn’t play SKYRIM until around 11 o’clock at night (after Monday Night Raw), yesterday I didn’t play at all because I only wrote 1,500 words or so, and today I woke up wanting desperately to jump back into it, but I didn’t. So I wrote my 3,000 words in three hours and now I’m free to do what I want with the rest of my day and not feel guilty about it because I got done what needed to get done. The Writing.

You know what, though? Yesterday when I didn’t play, I felt good about myself. Not for being unable to reach my word count, that always sucks, but for having the self-discipline to actually set to a goal and adhere to it with all my might. It was hard, I’m not going to lie, but I did it, and I know I can do it again if the opportunity presents itself (which it won’t because from now on I’m going to write my 3,000 words a day, dammit*).

So you see, an old dog can learn new tricks. I’ve been writing for a great long while now and have just picked up on this. Before I would always scoff at others who mentioned this tip, but now I’m actually finding it comes in quite handy. Almost 11,000 words in fours days is proof positive for me.

Therefore, if you’re struggling, give it a try and see if it works for you like it has for me. Deprive yourself of something. Don’t make it something you need to survive, like insulin, but make it something you really enjoy doing and can live without for a few hours. Not only will you feel good for writing words, but you’ll also feel good for having the willpower to set a goal and stick to it.

I know I do!

*we’re going on vacation the first week of June, so I’m giving myself some leeway when it comes to writing during that time. Give me a break, it’s my first visit to Disney World.

When doing the days work, I never finish off at the end of a chapter like a lot of writers I know do. I usually end my writing halfway through a chapter, sometimes mid-sentence.

When I come back to it the next day, it’s much easier to slip right back into the groove of the story without having to worry about how I’m going to write the next scene.

It helps with the procrastination, too, since I’m so jazzed about finishing off a thought or sentence that I can’t wait to get back to into it, thus Facebook, email, and all that other stuff falls by the wayside.

Give it a shot, and let me know how it works for you.

Cheers!

One of the things I like to do before I start writing is make mock book covers for the story I’m working on. Sometimes it ends up being the final cover, sometimes it doesn’t.

Anyway, here’s what I’m working on now. A young adult novel that I’ve been planning for a while. You’ll see the newly added progress bar on the side there —>

More about the plot later. For now, just enjoy my attempt at a cover.

Cheers!

Ever since I was a kid it has been a dream of mine to create an epic piece of writing. A grand tale spanning many characters, locations, motifs, etc. I’ve tried in the past to put something down on paper, but wasn’t really ready for the journey to begin, so those pages were lost to time. Recently I sat down and began crafting a new design, a new world, and have never felt more alive during the creative process.

I thought long and hard, for many years in fact, about where this story should take place. Should it be in the real world? The fantasy realm? A location completely oblivious to myself and others? Now that I’ve begun, I realize that it’s a story that must have one foot in both worlds: ours and the fantastic. That’s not to mean that you’ll find yourself in New York one chapter, and <insert made up name here> in another. No. That’s not what I mean. In the same way Middle-Earth is our world, in the same way Westeros and Essos is our world, so will this story be. Fantastical elements set within a real time and place that shadows what we already know.

As far as the inhabitants of this world go? I thought long and hard about that as well. Should there be things people already recognize? Trolls? Orcs? Goblins? Faeries? Vampires? The answer was “no.” The only thing in terms of character you’ll find similar is the human factor.

It’s been an incredible process so far, and one I’m quite pleased with. The bare bones of the story is there, laid out before me in maps and gods, rulers and history. I’ve accumulated some 20 pages of handwritten notes so far, drawn six maps, and haven’t even got to the characters and their origins yet. That will come later, after I’ve created a world so rich and real that I’ll want to play in it for however long it takes to write this series.

This is unlike anything I’ve ever done before. Usually I get an idea and just write it, flailing around in the darkness not really knowing where I’m going. There’s something to be said for that sort of process, and it has served me well in the past, but this time around there’s a different feel to what I’m doing. There’s theme and mythology, careful planning in order to keep all the different threads aligned. There’s the knowledge going into it that this piece is going to take everything I’ve ever learned as a storyteller and put it to good use, rather than just drawing from a few basic elements or teachings. This is…big, and not in the sense that it will become big and sell millions of copies, but in the sense that when I sit back and look at what I’m creating I think, “Holy shit, this is a big world with lots of stuff going on.” That kind of big.

So for now all I plan to do here is chronicle my own journey though this creative process. A diary of sorts. Not necessarily giving you glimpses into maps, character notes, designs, etc. (although there might be some of that), but rather through sharing with you the growth of a storyteller, and what it means to create something all your own, from scratch, and live in that world for an extended period. Hopefully you’ll find it as enriching as I do, and want to come along for the ride.