Embracing Realistic Expectations When It Comes To Writing

Despite what the recent 24hrnovel challenge attempts to do each June, writing a novel in a day is a nearly impossible feat. 

I'll admit that even writing a novel in 30 days is a daunting task with most who participate in the yearly NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge failing to reach the 50,000-word goal at the end of the month.

Too often those who are new to writing step up to their keyboard bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with boundless enthusiasm and dreams of their names on the NYT Bestseller list, hundreds of thousands of adoring readers, and more money than they know what to do with. 

I really don't want to burst the bubble that you have around you if this is, in fact, you, but you just might have a better chance at winning more money from your local lottery than you'll see from book sales, especially with your first published novel. 

I'm not saying that none of the above will happen to you, but well… please don't hold your breath. 

Hopefully, your passion for writing is built on more than just the thought of fame and fortune and instead because of your love of storytelling or your need to get your story out of you. If it is then that's amazing and if not well - don't quite turn in your resignation with the hopes that those royalty checks are going to solve all of your financial woes. 

But no matter what the fact of the matter when it comes to writing a novel is that some truly underestimate just how long writing one can take.

For some, it takes a few weeks or a few months and then there are those where it takes them years. 

My very first novel took me four years to write while my most recent took me three months and even then I'm sure I wasted half of that time thinking about writing instead of actually writing it. 

However, my writing timeline is not your writing timeline. 

I have the time to sit at my computer for 12 hours straight and one hurting back later and type until my hands have to sit in a bowl of ice water, you may not even have the opportunity to sit at a desk and might only be able to write out a few sentences here or there in the back of napkins or receipts or on a random envelope. 

Seeing others completing the goals we wish we were completing can sometimes force us to hold ourselves to ridiculous standards and set unrealistic expectations that do nothing, but dampen our spirits and set us up for failure. 

Writing isn't a sprint, it's a marathon and everyone runs it at their own pace. 

Don't rush through it just to get to the finish line. 

Enjoy the journey, pace yourself so you don't get burnt out, and most of all be proud of yourself for every step you take toward completing your goal. 

I'm so proud of you and I know you'll write something amazing. 

With love, 

B. King xo xo

Want to write with me live? I'm now on Twitch! Come join me in some writing sprints every Wed-Thurs-Fri-Sat at 10:30 pm EST

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