Kelly, I voted, but another one I recommend is reading what others in your genre are writing about. This can serve to inspire or motivate you.

I would LOVE to know what inspired YOU to write this book. Do tell!

I wrote TIME TO WRITE because after I started getting published, people began asking me where I found the time to write since I also work full time and have a family, etc. I tried to find out how successful authors had found time to write before they were published and couldn't find that info anywhere out there. So, that's when I decided I would interview successful writers and learn how they juggled writing with family, jobs, and so forth and share that insider info with others through a book. Hence, TIME TO WRITE was born.

I also wanted to give aspiring authors inspiration that your writing dreams don't have to flounder just because you have to work or have small kids at home or have other obligations that are demanding. As I say in TIME TO WRITE, writing isn't a life, it's a lifestyle. You weave writing into your busy day by using a schedule and setting small goals to push you along.

Cordially,
Kelly

Very cool...this advice could apply to any dream, too...not just writing. Thank you Kelly!

I certainly did not follow a structure. I went with the flow. And some days I was focused, and sometimes not. I'm eager to see what Time to Write offers in terms of structure. Kelly, do you think that some aspiring writers use the phrase "no time to write" as an excuse that everyone will understand? What I mean is, I hear people say they want to write a book about this or that but they have no time. Sometimes I think they are really afraid to write. Can you expand on what I am trying to say more articulately please?

Princess...that is EXACTLY what one "would-be" writer told me just yesterday after she told me she wanted to write a novel but didn't have the time. I said, but honey, you have the same 24-hours as everyone else! Do it now. She then admitted she was afraid...afraid of the unknown and also afraid of not being ALL she could be. You know? I felt so bad for her. But get this....she has cystic fibrosis as well....NOW is the time!

Yes, now is the time, or there will be no time. Breast cancer was my motivation to get the book done. I did not want to be on the death bed wishing I had written that book. But fear is a motivating factor as well; motivating us to talk our minds out of something our hearts inspire us to do! Kelly, has the fear factor been addressed by any of the 100 writers? What are the fears? How did they overcome them? Fear is a waste of time, so perhaps the subject of fear fits into the Time to Write concept (well, more than a concept.) Oh, sorry so long, but the author of Seabiscuit has extreme chronic fatique. Did you notice that she did very few interviews, and when she did they were from her home? I hope your friend, JJ, is able to conquer and bring her dream to fruition.

Yes, fear is something that the authors in my book address. I think everyone is, on some level, afraid of failure. Every one has to battle the "I can't do it" demon in some form or fashion. It takes courage to write a book in my view. It's a huge undertaking. Just finishing one is a major accomplishment, even if it never gets published.

There's a chapter in TIME TO WRITE called "The Inner Critic and Other Goblins" that addresses fear and fear of failure with regards to writing, as well as ways to write through it. Even the bestselling authors I interviewed still struggle at times with this issue. One creative way to tackle this voice of inner failure is to give it a pen and paper and let it write for 15 minutes, then crumple that paper up and throw it away, then get on with your writing.

~Kelly

What is your Writing Process?

I was wondering what type of writing schedule people are using to get their writing done, and also if you set a word or page goal to reach during your writing session. Do you plan your books out, chapter by chapter, or are you a "seat of the pants" writer and let the writing take you where it wants to go?

Kelly

Thanks for asking us Kelly. I am a "seat of the pant's" type writer, and I let the writing take me where it wants to go for the first draft only. I put everything into it, meaning every word, phrase, sentence, story, that comes to mind. It is not until subsequent drafts that I develop the characters or scene. I was so focused on TEARS that phrases would fly at me literally out of the blue, and sometimes I could not get them down fast enough. Or they would come at inconvenient times, like when watching a movie in a theater, and I'd have to dig for pen and pager in the dark. I don't have the luxury of being able to start writing at 9 am and keep going until 11pm, 12. (once I get started I don't stop.) I have a full time job now. Now I need to write as you are suggesting here, and , like I said, I need structure. I'd like to see the answers others give in terms of their writing schedule. To answer your question, TEARS was not outlined or planned, but my next book does have an outline. I need to give it daily attention. And I don't.

I am always amazed at the different ways writers write. It's great when that creative flow kicks in, though, isn't it, and you find yourself digging in your purse for a pen in a movie because a missing piece of the puzzle just came to you? That's one of the key benefits of writing regularly, is that you build that momentum.

Next question: what is stopping you from giving your next book daily attention as you say? Or for anyone, what stops you from working a writing schedule?

Kelly