Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Guest Post: Andy Peloquin


Continuing my series of guest posts on writing, today I am happy to host Andy Peloquin. Andy has a new release out today so be sure to read all the way to the end of the post for details.

The Simple Secret to Being a Prolific Writer

I'm not going to lie: I find the goal of reaching 1 million words written by 2019 a highly ambitious but reachable goal. When I started writing, just the thought of cracking 100,000 words seemed a huge effort. No doubt for many people, hitting a 40k to 50k word count feels like a Herculean labor. Heck, some authors I know labor for weeks over a short story!
Not everyone is born to be a prolific writer. Some authors will put out one or two books in their lives, but they will be amazing. Others will put out only short stories or novellas. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's simply not who I am.
I'm the kind of writer who never runs out of stories to tell or words to write. By the end of 2017, I will have published around 600,000 words (in 5 books). And I'm going to tell you how I did that, and how I intend to reach the 1 million word mark by my goal.
It all comes down to one thing: writing every day.
As a fairly new author (first book published in 2015), I have to pick up other work to support my family. That means I don't get endless hours to dedicate to writing. In fact, I'm getting about 2 hours a day of pure writing, with the rest of my time focused on marketing, the day job, family, health, etc.
In those 2 hours a day, I'm managing about 2,000-3,000 words. Considering my books end up at 120,000+ words, it seems like such a small drop in such a large bucket.
But that's a mindset that I've learned to eliminate. Yes, 2,000 words is 1/60th of the words I need to write to finish a book. Yes, it seems to take FOREVER to tell a story. I'd rather spend all day every day writing. Sadly, being a responsible adult, I have to limit myself to the time I've carved out of my busy life.
And this is the simple secret I want to share. 2,000 words may not seem a lot compared to the 120,000 words of a book, but what about after 1 week of writing? 14,000 words is a much larger drop in the bucket—more than 10% of the book! After a month, that number jumps to close to 60,000 words—or 50% of the book. In just two months, a 120,000 word book is complete. That's very prolific for someone who is working two jobs, trying to stay fit, and being part of a family.
That daily drop is what eventually fills up the bucket. Put in the writing time every day, and it will add up over the course of weeks, months, and years. It's hard to see that far into the future when you want to finish the story/book NOW. Hells, I've had days when I want to ignore work, family, and health just so I can stay at my desk and hammer out 20,000 words and see REAL progress.

But that's not how it works, at least not for me—and probably not for most people. For those of us who aren't able to dedicate ourselves to writing full time (YET!!!!!), the secret is to put in the time every day. An hour. Two hours. 1,000 words. 4,000 words. However much you can do, do it. Trust me, it adds up over time!


Buy Links:


Book Blurb:

Child of the Night Guild (Queen of Thieves Book 1)
"They killed my parents. They took my name. They imprisoned me in darkness. I would not be broken."
Viola, a child sold to pay her father's debts, has lost everything: her mother, her home, and her identity. Thrown into a life among criminals, she has no time for grief as she endures the brutal training of an apprentice thief. The Night Guild molds an innocent waif into a cunning, agile outlaw skilled in the thieves' trade. She has only one choice: steal enough to pay her debts.
The cutthroat streets of Praamis will test her mettle, and she must learn to dodge the City Guards or swing from a hangman's rope. But a more dangerous foe lurks within the guild walls. A sadistic rival apprentice, threatened by her strength, is out for blood.
What hope does one girl have in a world of ruthless men?
Fans of Sarah J. Maas, Scott Lynch, and Brent Weeks will love Queen of Thieves…


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