photo: For the love of coffee by Ian Shane

Whilst having my third coffee of the morning, I read a chapter in ‘Your first novel’ by Rittenberg & Whitcomb, entitled ‘State of Mind’. They suggest that your state of mind can actually affect your writing, and they offer advise on how to get over the most common problems of what affects your attitude.

Take ownership:  When people ask what you do, say you are a writer. Don’t feel the need to say you haven’t an agent yet, or you haven’t been published. You have to believe in yourself , you are writing, therefore you are a writer. Keep that in your mindset.

Love the story you’re writing:  Feel the passion for your WIP, but allow it to offer a different angle from what you were thinking, from time to time. Being open to a subconscious direction could take the novel somewhere unexpected – let the story live.

Write the best you can:  Although we all know that the first draft will need re-writing several times, try and write the best you can each time. Don’t let your mind persuade you that you don’t have to try hard the first time around – aim for your best each time – let your mind believe in yourself.

Don’t take rejection to heart:  We all receive letters of rejection, or hear nothing at all. It goes with the territory of writing, and we must accept it if we wish to succeed. There may be many reasons behind the rejection – the agent as too many crime writers or your genre isn’t trending currently, for example.

Feel positive:  Easier said than done – I know. You can drag your own mind into the dark doldrums if you spend too much time bad-mouthing other authors whom you feel don’t write that well. By all means, analyse other novels, but focus on what works – not always what doesn’t work.

Worry Not:  Worry not about the current marketing trends, about whether ebooks are better than traditional publishing, about how long an agent takes to get back to you. Worrying about things you cannot influence, only takes your energy away from your writing and daily living. Keep writing, and focus on what you can achieve, and not on what you perceive you are failing in. Keep positively focused on your WIP.

Happy Word Flow One & All.