Well, after some technical difficulties with my last blog post, we're back with your average, unexciting Quotable Thursdays. Average and unexciting, except for the fact that today's quote comes from the master of mainstream horror, Stephen King. So, rather than build this up, let's just jump right into this.

This advice is pretty self-explanatory. I've met many people who wanted to write but never got motivated to get started. Their explanation is usually something along the lines of "I just don't have the time," or "I have all these ideas, but I'm not sure where to start." One sorry bastard I met was even more blunt with his reasons, saying "I'm afraid of rejection." I understand how rejection can be intimidating, and that making time in a busy schedule for writing can sometimes feel impossible. You're only going to get better by doing, so making time and overcoming your fears will absolutely lead you to become a better writer. It's also imperative that you put in the work and make those ideas you've got into something physical, because once they're on paper you're free to rework them until they're polished gems, all ready to begin impressing publishers with.

Let's not mince words, you are going to fail. You will face rejection, you will make mistakes, you might even make a fool out of yourself. I've done all these things, many, many times. Some of it hurt more than others, some of it, if I'm honest, I'm still pissed about. That's just the more recent stuff, though. The fact is I made those mistakes and learned from them, letting them help me as I moved forward with my career. I'm still learning, been learning a lot lately actually. Some of it comes from books, but a lot more of it comes from interacting with publishers and editors. You pick up on things when you work with other professionals in the industry, and often times its what you learn from mistakes, bad deals, and being outright screwed over that sticks with you the most. I might write a few posts on that subject in the future, but for now, whether you're just starting out or feeling your resolve waver, the best thing you can do is to move on, and get started on some new projects. That said, don't forget to finish what you started too, because starting may feel scary, but finishing... that can feel great.

I don't really want to give advice that could be from any other writer, but I will just leave a few suggestions I've received from other great writers. If you want to start small, try to set aside a little time each day to write 500 words at the least. For an experienced writer, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. If you're just starting out, don't feel pressured to get those 500 words down in one sitting. If you need to get up and get some things done, but you're only at 223 words, go ahead and come back to it later, though be sure to exercise some of that will power (a trait I myself an sorely lacking in) to come back and get to that 500 word mark.

If you have more time to devote to it, and want to start moving at a faster pace, set aside a couple hours in your schedule specifically to write. Don't bother with a word goal with this, just pick a time, make sure you give yourself enough of it to get the creative juices flowing, then let the words flow. This could be two or three hours a day, or longer periods just on the weekends. Find something that works for you, and keep track of how much words you produce at each sitting. I also recommend limiting distractions, because, let's face it, it's incredibly easy to say "I need to look something up" then lose an hour to pointless web surfing.

That's it for the quote and advice for this week, I hope you found it helpful. If you're not familiar with me, feel free to follow my page for more reviews, posts, and other assorted nonsense. Pointless self-promotion finished, see you all next week.