...something I'm gradually learning not to even care about, for my sake and my readers' too. Or at least not for now. Here you'll see the average daily word counts of several famous authors, and according to this article, Nora Roberts is able to finish a novel every 45 days.
All inspirational stuff, but unfortunately it's not going to be applicable if you haven't yet developed the habit of writing every day. I wish I could write every day. But I can't, mostly because I'm not disciplined enough and secondly because of the type of romance I write.
The types of books I love to read - and write - are those that make me fall in love and cry (if they can make me laugh, that's a huge bonus, but I don't require it). It's the "crying" part that often slows me down, and it's why averages don't work for me.
Sometimes, the inspiration is right there and I'm able to finish a series in an amazingly short period of time (I used to worry about the whole "write too fast, the quality goes down" thing, but ironically, ALL of the books that I finish writing super quickly are my bestsellers).
Other times, how to make a reader feel (and yes, that means I ultimately intend them to cry) doesn't come to me right away. Sure, I know I can finish a story by a certain date, and I don't think it's a story that readers will hate. I'm pretty sure they'll like it. But if the feels that I want aren't there, the story also won't be some thing that they'd LOVE.
And that's what I'm always gunning for when I write a book: something my readers would love, and for that to happen, I also need to pour my heart and soul in everything I write.
Unfortunately, being so emotionally invested in a book means it can take you longer to write a book.
In the past, I used to be very hard on myself when I take too much time writing a book. I feel like this is a personal failure and that it's because I did something wrong. These days, though, I've come to realize that if the feels don't come to me right away, it's probably due to ONE REASON alone.
I'm worrying too much about readers' expectations.
That's it.
And it's wrong. It's great to think about what your readers want, but you have to have the right perspective about it. Most times, when I worry about readers' expectations, I worry because it's become a matter of pride - I don't want people I know to read reviews of my work that say it's shit. Other times, I worry because I'm scared that if they hate my work then I'll lose my source of income.
Those are NOT the ideal reasons to worry about what readers think.
What I usually forget - or remember too late - is the fact that readers will love what I write if I - YES, ME, YES YOU, THE AUTHOR - what I write. Because it means you gave it your all, and really that's all that matters.
I think - and this is just my personal opinion - people who are able to write every day are those who have learned the art of ignoring people's opinions about their work. I don't mean they don't accept constructive criticism, naturally. Rather, these authors know worrying about what people say about their work is pointless because you can never please everyone. You can't because it's not possible. There'll always be someone who won't like your work - hate it even - and that's okay because they're either not your target market / they simply dislike your writing.
I hope and pray that going forward I'll be like these authors and develop a stronger immune system to public opinion. Once I do, I'll be happier and my readers will be happier because I'll be able to produce a greater number of books.
Of course, I hope for the same thing for you guys, too! <3
All inspirational stuff, but unfortunately it's not going to be applicable if you haven't yet developed the habit of writing every day. I wish I could write every day. But I can't, mostly because I'm not disciplined enough and secondly because of the type of romance I write.
The types of books I love to read - and write - are those that make me fall in love and cry (if they can make me laugh, that's a huge bonus, but I don't require it). It's the "crying" part that often slows me down, and it's why averages don't work for me.
Sometimes, the inspiration is right there and I'm able to finish a series in an amazingly short period of time (I used to worry about the whole "write too fast, the quality goes down" thing, but ironically, ALL of the books that I finish writing super quickly are my bestsellers).
Other times, how to make a reader feel (and yes, that means I ultimately intend them to cry) doesn't come to me right away. Sure, I know I can finish a story by a certain date, and I don't think it's a story that readers will hate. I'm pretty sure they'll like it. But if the feels that I want aren't there, the story also won't be some thing that they'd LOVE.
And that's what I'm always gunning for when I write a book: something my readers would love, and for that to happen, I also need to pour my heart and soul in everything I write.
Unfortunately, being so emotionally invested in a book means it can take you longer to write a book.
In the past, I used to be very hard on myself when I take too much time writing a book. I feel like this is a personal failure and that it's because I did something wrong. These days, though, I've come to realize that if the feels don't come to me right away, it's probably due to ONE REASON alone.
I'm worrying too much about readers' expectations.
That's it.
And it's wrong. It's great to think about what your readers want, but you have to have the right perspective about it. Most times, when I worry about readers' expectations, I worry because it's become a matter of pride - I don't want people I know to read reviews of my work that say it's shit. Other times, I worry because I'm scared that if they hate my work then I'll lose my source of income.
Those are NOT the ideal reasons to worry about what readers think.
What I usually forget - or remember too late - is the fact that readers will love what I write if I - YES, ME, YES YOU, THE AUTHOR - what I write. Because it means you gave it your all, and really that's all that matters.
I think - and this is just my personal opinion - people who are able to write every day are those who have learned the art of ignoring people's opinions about their work. I don't mean they don't accept constructive criticism, naturally. Rather, these authors know worrying about what people say about their work is pointless because you can never please everyone. You can't because it's not possible. There'll always be someone who won't like your work - hate it even - and that's okay because they're either not your target market / they simply dislike your writing.
I hope and pray that going forward I'll be like these authors and develop a stronger immune system to public opinion. Once I do, I'll be happier and my readers will be happier because I'll be able to produce a greater number of books.
Of course, I hope for the same thing for you guys, too! <3