IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN? – Laura Stroud

February 11, 2020 | By Laura Stroud | Reply More

There is a rumour running rife on the internet that 97% of writers don’t ever finish their novels. This terrifies me.

I’ve sat staring at a blank screen for hours on end, wondering when the words will come. But I’ve always had the vision of a finished draft spurring me on. So many of us want to write. We can see with crystal clear clarity the shape of the finished product, the feel of it in our hands. Yet we seem to put our writing at the very bottom of the list of things to do. Leaving it unfinished.

In September I started working towards my MA in Creative Writing. I imagined it would be much easier to write, surrounded by creative people, having ample time and inspiration. I thought it would be a quick fix. Imagine my surprise when I discovered procrastination, avoidance and a distinct lack of a writing routine were rife within my fellow student cohort!

If writing isn’t prolific when you’ve paid thousands of pounds for a postgraduate course, then there must be more to it than telling ourselves we will write when the time is right. If not now, then when will we write?

I thought once I was in the ‘perfect setting’ the words would flow. The truth is, I think sometimes we get stuck in the ideas stage. We are creative people. The thoughts and themes and stories bounce around our head as we jump from one thing to the next, bubbling with excitement and passion. Even so, our ideas need to be fleshed out and finished for them to really take shape. We need to finish the first draft before we can finish the novel and the only way to do that is to make space and time for writing. It’s a huge change and it is really difficult, but If we don’t change our life, we don’t change our life.

If I was going to finish my novel, I was going to have to make the space myself. I was going to have to make a commitment to myself. Here are the 4 things I’ve learnt from my MA in Creative Writing so far to help you make space for your writing this year.

Consistency. It starts with a routine and I know this has been said a thousand times, but if we are honest with ourselves how long have we really stuck with a routine for? Forcing myself into the routine of writing every day has been the only thing that has increased my word count. Whatever you have time for, 10 minutes a day, or 1 day a week. Keep the promise you make to yourself to be consistent with your writing. Even when you don’t feel like it.
Surrounding yourself with the right sort of people. Find people that write and surround yourself with them. Let them brag to you about how much they have written. Let it motivate you, encourage you and keep you accountable to writing more.
Know why this is important to you. To make space for your writing it has to be meaningful to you. Whether it is a hobby an escape or an income. If you don’t know why you need to prioritise it over other things, you won’t. Something else will always come first. Think about why your writing matters.
You don’t need anything else. A qualification, a new pen, a better laptop, a nicer view from your window. Nothing is going to make writing easier for you. There are no quick fixes. When you realise that all you need is to sit down and finish the book, you can stop worrying about why you can’t write. There are no more excuses. You don’t need anything else, so write. It can be made better in the next draft, tweaked and polished, but it needs to be finished. The world needs your work.

Commit to making space and watch how your word count increases and your productivity grows. Let 2020 be the year you complete your novel, because if not now, then when?

Let’s make sure we are in the 3%.

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Laura Stroud is a writer. Working across non-fiction through her travel and lifestyle blog. Laura is the Chief Storyteller at – storiesfromabackpack.com, where she writes for an audience of women who want to live a life of adventure. Supporting her readers to ‘live a life worth writing about’ through her new line of travel reflection products. Laura is currently studying a full-time MA in Creative Writing at the University of Derby and is writing her first series of fiction novels based on her years of backpacking and travelling through South East Asia and Australia. Get in touch on Instagram @storiesfromabackpack or Join her on the Stories from a backpack Facebook page for freebie Fridays and new stories every week.