Result: Starting Point 3
I know what I want to write, I just can’t seem to actually do it consistently
You know what your book is (or you have enough of it figured out to start). But sitting down to write regularly feels impossible. Or you’ve been circling this manuscript for years, poking at it without ever feeling close to done. Or you have a lot of scattered material and it doesn’t feel like a book yet.
Whatever version of “stuck” you’re in, it’s real. And it’s usually not a discipline problem. It’s either that you don’t have a writing rhythm that actually fits your life, or you have a lot of material and you don’t know what to do with it.
Your one action step this week:
Pick the path that fits where you are.
If you’re trying to build (or rebuild) a writing habit: set a writing schedule for one week that feels almost too easy to keep. Not an hour a day. Maybe 10 minutes. Maybe two short sessions. Whatever feels so doable it would be embarrassing not to do it. Then do it, and notice what gets in your way.
If you already have a lot of material: don’t write more yet. Gather everything in one place (drafts, notes, blog posts, voice memos, all of it) and take inventory of what you actually have. Then write two or three sentences describing what the book seems to be about, based on what you’ve already written. You’re not trying to fix it this week. You’re trying to see it clearly so you know what to do next.
(As I write the Edit Your Way books, this is where I find myself. In that inertia phase between knowing my idea, but having too much material and too much overwhelm. The only way through that for me is setting aside time to gather it all together and organize my thoughts.)
Don’t set a bigger schedule than that, and don’t try to do both paths at once. Pick one.
Your Starting Point: SP3 goes deeper on both paths, including the “almost too easy” test for your writing schedule, what success looks like in week 1, and how to honestly assess a pile of scattered material.
Want to talk through what’s actually going on with your writing?
Twenty minutes on Voxer, just you and me. Tell me what’s actually happening, whether you can’t sit down, can’t finish, can’t figure out what you have, or some combination. We figure out your next step together, based on what’s really stopping you (not a generic “just write more” answer).
This is what a Jumpstart Session is for. $20.
About Angela James
I’ve spent over 20 years inside publishing, editing more than 1,000 books, launching Harlequin’s first digital-first press, and helping authors at every stage figure out what their book needs and what to do next. I’ve worked with debut authors and #1 New York Times bestsellers, and what I’ve learned is that the confusion and overwhelm don’t discriminate. They show up for everyone.
What helps is having someone in your corner who knows the industry, will give you straight information, and actually cares whether you succeed. That’s what this session is designed to be.
I don’t judge what you’re writing, why you’re writing it, or where you are in the process. I just help you figure out your next step.