Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Dare to discipline yourself

Robert B. Parker, one of my favorites, died recently.
Mr. Parker wrote more than 50 novels in 30+ years.
That's some productivity. That takes discipline.
You could read a Parker novel in an afternoon.
He wrote quick reads, even if you move your lips.
They were the perfect beach books for his fans.
He wrote about things that caught his passion.
He wrote about cops and criminals of today,
He wrote about gunmen of the Old West.
He wrote about baseball and baseball players.
His long-running hero had one name, Spenser.
Robert Urich portrayed Spenser on TV.
Parker took chances as a male novelist.
He created a female private eye, Sunny Randall.
His wife Joan helped him think like a female.
What I liked best about Parker was his work ethic.
He looked at writing books as his business.
He urged a roomful of librarians to buy his books.
"I'm too old to get a real job," he told them.
He actually had a real job. One he created.
He wrote five days a week, 10 pages a day.
He wrote from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day.
If you think that's easy, try it yourself.
He occasionally took a day off but not often.
He didn't work the conventional way.
He didn't outline. He didn't plot. He just wrote.
He said he just started with an idea.
Then the characters took over and told the story.
He said writer's "block" was a myth.
"That's just another word for lazy," he said.
My advice to you: Don't join the lazy crowd.
Do you practice rocket science or brain surgery?
Teach school or run your own business?
Do it every day, at least 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Then enjoy the weekends with loved ones.
It's amazing what you can accomplish.
For help reaching peak performance, go to:
http://www.JerryBellune.com/success-strategies.htm
To leave an idea, click on Post a Comment below.

2 comments:

Dan Harmon said...

Priceless. Your best blog to date. You might make a writer yet :-)

Anonymous said...

Good column, Jerry! Thanks!- Michael Henderson