Find The Energy To Push On

 Here comes the Captain Obvious statement - "Writing a novel is not easy." 

When you tell someone you are a writer, 9 times out of 10, the person you are telling this to will follow up with something like, "I don't know how you do it? How do you come up with those ideas for your stories?" For non-writers, they seem to think the thing that makes writing difficult is the idea development or the number of words you type. The reality though is that writing is difficult because you have to have the stamina to keep going. You have to have a drive!

I love all of the authors I represent here at Greyhaus. One of the things I am most proud of is their ability to REALLY write. When they have deadlines, they don't just meet the deadline, they get that writing in early. When their editors need something done, they are there with 110% of their energy, even if they are in the middle of another project. 

But it is not easy, even for them. They have to find that drive to push on.

Is there a magic trick they have up their sleeves to find that energy? Nope. It isn't caffeine or a specific writing app, or a special chair this write their stories in. It is a mindset that says they are not going to stop. 

There will be days when life gets in the way but nearly every time, they find a way to say that the story will go on. The writing will happen that day.

One of my authors just finished up a project for a new line she is writing for. She reached the 2/3 mark in the book and reached deep inside to make that story happen. When I checked in with her during this process, she told me she was writing 2 chapters a day. That's right, two! That is roughly 25-30 pages a day. How did she do it? She just hunkered in, thought about the story, removed the distractions around her and "went for it." She would go walking in the morning with her dog, come home and write. After the first chapter, she would go for a second walk, or do some house keeping, and then dive back in.

It is really this drive that separates those who will be successful and those who will not. You have to find a way to just say I am going to do it! It is very similar to extreme athletes who can say, just at that moment when the pain is too much, look to the end. Look to the finish line and know what they will feel when they are done!

So, what is your drive? How do you find the energy?