Book Update

　　So, I have finally gotten into writing mode once more. I was on a very long, unintentional, writer's-block-caused hiatus; but I have now returned. My book is in production once again! And you know, fathers are just so helpful. Especially if they are gurus of just about everything in existence.

　　I thought I would take a little while to give some hints and tips about writing that I have learned from experience. Take or ignore at will. =)

• Just write. Believe me - once you start, the pen (or keyboard, in my case normally) just keeps on flowing. I make it my goal, on an ordinary day (when I'm not in writer's block), to write around 1000 words, or three pages of lined paper. (My handwriting fits about 10 words to a line.) However, during times like the summer, when I have deadlines, it tends to be a bit more. Okay, a lot more.
• Expanding on the previous statement, fix yourself set deadlines. Yes, you really do need them. Otherwise, you will dawdle and take years to finish what could've taken you three months. Treat writing like work - because technically, it is!
• Yep, treating it like work means getting up early, having set blocks of time where you just write, and having set blocks of time for break and lunch etc. This does mean having regular hours. Treat it like a normal job! After all, if you're successful, this will be your job. (If that sounds scary, then you shouldn't be writing.)
• Plan beforehand. You need to write a book (or story, etc.) in the same way that an architect builds a house - with weeks, maybe even months, of careful planning and evaluation. There are many ways to do this - using outlines, index cards, anything that works for you. But know what you're going to write about before you start writing! This includes knowing how your book is going to start and end - and what's going to happen in the middle to get you there.
• Lastly, have fun while you're doing it. No one wants to read a book that's about as interesting as the wallpaper of a doctor's office! (And yes, that's what your book will turn out to be like if you dread every moment you pick up the pen.) If you've started a story and you're just simply stuck, then you need to re-evaluate. I come up with millions of little story lines all the time, but that doesn't mean they're all going to turn into books.

I hope that helped someone! I wish all of your writing well. =)

　　樹利亜