In addition to a fantastic venue for people watching and celebrity sighting, Salt Lake Comic Con hosts some excellent panels on writing, providing ample opportunity for the novice writer to meet, and learn from, local authors.
A panel I attended this afternoon, on the second day of the Salt Lake Comic Con, was titled “Managing Your Artistic Career While Working a Full-Time Job.” The panel featured authors and artists James Wymore, Scott Taylor, Brad R. Torgersen, Aaron Johnston, Bill Galvan, and Jonathan Decker. Because I occasionally have delusions of writing grandeur, as I suspect it does for many book readers who wish to join the ranks those authors they read, I thought I’d share a few of the notes I took. Also, if you’re interested, find an audio recording of the first fifteen minutes of the panel.
In no particular order, then, advice, comments, and suggestions from the panel:
- Don’t put time into the wrong things. Put family and job first, then write on the side.
- Get kids more involved in what you do. There is an inclination to work after they are abed, but involving them helps them to understand what you are working on.
- Figure out and understand what you really want to do. Understand if you are writing for yourself, want to publish, write novels, or something else.
- Stay focused on one thing.
- Don’t wait for things to be right. Don’t require too many criteria before you write. Just do it, whether all the conditions are right, or not.
- Teach yourself to write even when you don’t feel like it. Prose written at the less than ideal moment ends up being just as good as what is written when conditions are ideal.
- The single most important aspect of balance is to seek and keep support of spouse.
- With regards to your “day job,” be really good at what you do so that you can ask for the flexibility to pursue art.
- Shoot the ducks you see, not the ducks you want. Then, at least you will hit something.
- Don’t quit your day job when you publish. It will take more than just one.
- Set deadlines for yourself.
- Be consistent and regular when you write.
- Establish a time to write.
- Sleep less.
- You have 24 hours a day. Don’t waste it.
- People who make writing like a business have to let go of something else instead.
- Write because you have to, because you need to. If you don’t, you won’t.
- Find software that turns off the Internet (seriously, it was suggested).
- Figure out how to focus and block out distractions.
- Make it a job.
- Spend a day or two looking st where you spend your time. Look at your browsing history. You might be surprised what you spend your time doing.
- Get a writing group that has a deadline.
Thoughts? What do you need to do to kick-start, and maintain, your writing?
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About Daniel
I like to record stuff on my phone when I’m driving, ideas, scenes for whatever I’m writing, and then type it out later. It’s amazing how much time you save and how much you actually end up getting done.
Kellie, it’s a great idea and I’ve used it when the occasional idea strikes me while I’m behind the wheel. I record it into Evernote, and then pull it out when I am able to get to my keyboard.