Mary Mackey's Blog: Mary Mackey's Goodreads Blog - Posts Tagged "how-to-write-a-novel"

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Writer’s block gets in everyone’s way but fortunately overcoming writer’s block is not all that hard if you learn a few tricks. The truth is, almost anything is easier to do than to begin a 350 page novel. At least with non-fiction you have a subject. But when you start writing a novel, you only have a blank computer screen and your imagination, and that’s a recipe for writer’s block.

Writing is the center of my life, yet every morning, I get up, turn on my computer, and think of other things I could do instead. Before I start, I could tidy up my desk. Think how much more efficient that would make me! Or better yet, I could bake a pie since the reviews from my family are always good, and I don’t have to wait to find out if if my effort has been a success. I could even give in to the greatest temptation of all: go online and answer emails, update my Facebook page, and read the latest news to see if anything catastrophic has happened since I went to bed last night. When I find myself cleaning the oven, I know I’ve hit rock bottom.

So how do I overcome writer’s block and scale the wall of seductive activities which tempts me every morning? The secret is that I don’t think about writing a novel. I only think about writing a page. Yes, a single page. That’s all you or I have to write on any given day. No one, myself included, can face an entire novel all at once. It’s too long and too scary. So sit down today and write Page One of your novel. You’ll have taken the first step to overcoming writer’s block, and as I often remind myself as I peel off my rubber gloves and back out of the oven: a page a day is a novel a year.

Dear Readers: Join this conversation at http://marymackey.com/the-first-secre... where you will find the original post complete with graphics. You're warmly invited to ask me questions about writer's block or leave a comment.