Forget The Big Picture

“I can picture it now: I’ll get my novel published for big bucks and end up a famous author!”

“Really! How far along are you?”

“Um, I haven’t started yet.”

Have you ever had this conversation? How many times have you planned to write something and found yourself struggling to even begin the piece?

This has been me so often it’s embarrassing. But I can let you in on the secret that will end this kind of pattern: Forget the big picture!

So often when we’re eager to write something, we get so hyped about it, envisioning the finished product and how well it will do. We’re so stuck in fantasies of publication contracts and notoriety that the actual task of writing the piece becomes over-whelming. We think, “Oh my god, I’ve got to make this perfect! How do start? What if it doesn’t turn out very good?” and other thoughts that feed procrastination. We’re at a stand-still because instead of starting at step one, we’re stuck picturing the end result.

Don’t get me wrong, seeing the successful results as a motivational tool is a great idea: if we can see ourselves achieving something there’s a better chance that we will. But don’t forget to start the process of success from the beginning – don’t forget there are steps to take and the smaller the step, the easier it is to complete.

Writing a page (or even paragraph) a day is a great way to do it and a way that many writers successfully accomplish their goals. If you know that all you have to do is write one page a day, it is harder to become over-whelmed and easier to see progression.

To sum it up – follow the KISS rule: Keep It Simple Stupid and for now, forget the big picture.

Happy Writing!