So Many Books, So Little Time
A new column by Dale Ketcham

You’ve seen the tee shirt. Maybe you even own it, because writers relate to that saying … so many books, so little time. I certainly do, which is why I’m thinning out my collection of how-to writing books. But before I pass them along to someone else, I thought I’d pick one or two points of wisdom from each book and share them with you via this column. I’ll begin with…

BECOMING A WRITER by Dorothea Brande

There aren’t many authors who would dare to tell you when to quit wasting your time trying to be a writer, but Ms. Brande does. Here’s her two-part test that pits your resistance to writing against your desire to write.

Journalism has been said to be a good training ground for a writer of fiction for two reasons. It teaches one to write for hours on end and under the pressure of a deadline. In order to harness the unconscious to the task of smooth and easy writing she suggests getting up a half hour earlier than normal (Auck! We’re heard that before!), and without talking, or heaven forbid reading anything, WRITE. Anything that comes into your head. A dream, yesterday’s activities, an overhead conversation. Write rapidly and uncritically. This exercise trains you–before your subconscious completely wakes up–to simply write.

After a few days of this, press yourself further and try to double your word output. Once you’ve reached your max, slip back to a word-count you’re more comfortable accomplishing. She suggests that whenever a writer falls into a dead zone, this morning writing exercise will always lift you out of it.
Once you’re established this one habit, the next thing is to teach yourself to write on demand. How? At the start of your day, determine your schedule and set a time that you know will be convenient to write. Fifteen minutes is all you need to do, so there’s bugging out of this one. Without excuse, at that precise moment, start writing. Let nothing stand in your way as an excuse.

She gives no leeway here. You’re to consider it a debt of honor. You must write. Again, anything! It’s the act of writing, not the output that establishes the writing habit. If you need to, change the time from day to day, but write at a set time for fifteen minutes each day.

It sounds simple and it is, until you try it. But beware because, in her words, “If you fail repeatedly at this exercise, give up writing. Your resistance is actually greater than your desire to write, and you may as well find some other outlet for your energy early as late

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