Editor’s note: Each
month, the CCW blog features one of our members. This month, Stephanie
Buckwalter reflects on writing.
By Stephanie Buckwalter
So, what does it really take to be a writer? These days
there are a lot of things that go into being a successful, money-making writer,
but it all starts with one thing. Want to know the secret? [Wait for it, wait
for it…] Writers write.
I know, you’re probably thinking, “Well, duh.” But a lot of
people who want to write miss that simple first step. Successful writers write.
A lot. And they tend to write on a schedule. Here are some examples:
- Jack London wrote 1,000 words a day, even while traveling or entertaining guests at his ranch. The result? He published more than 50 books in the last 16 years of his life.
- Mary
Higgins Clark, widowed mother of five, wrote her first novel at the kitchen
table while her kids slept, rising at
- In an interview with Wallace Stroby, Stephen King said he writes about four hours a day every day, and produces about 2,000 words during that time. In his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, when he was significantly younger, he wrote ten pages a day, seven days a week.
What about you? Have you committed to a writing schedule
yet? What do you think you could produce if you wrote for even one hour a
day? A good way to discipline yourself to do this might be to start blogging.
Writing for a Blog
Blogging is recommended for building an audience, a
platform, a tribe or whatever you’d like to call it. When blogging, you will
manage two different schedules: a writing schedule and a publishing schedule.
Your publishing schedule is how often you post to your blog. You can write your
blog posts weeks or even months in advance, and then use scheduling software to
publish it at the desired time and date. Going on vacation? Write everything in
advance and no one will even know you’re gone. Don’t forget to check for
comments and respond, even while you are away. If you have a regular writing
schedule, you can use one day to write for your blog. Write several posts at once
and then schedule them to appear according to your schedule. Spend the rest of
the week working on your other writing projects.
Blogs are fun and a good discipline. Use your blog as
command central for meeting others and sharing your ideas. The keys to a great
blog are:
- Be consistent in how often you publish.
- Give good information on topics you are passionate about and that people want to read.
- Respond to comments graciously and thoughtfully.
My challenge for you: commit to a writing schedule and tell
us what it is below. One month from now, edit your comment to tell us the
results.
Recommended Websites
Copyblogger.com – Solid advice on blogging.
Seth Godin – Founder of Squidoo, interesting thinker, author
of Tribes, We Need You to Lead Us.
Jeff Goins – A writer’s writer.
Michael Hyatt – former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing,
teaches how to build a platform.
