It was the early days of the internet. Dan Janal and I both lived in the Bay Area back then and we were trying to set up a time to get together for sandwiches and conversation. Dan told me that he couldn’t meet over the weekend because he had to write a book.
He’d already written a great book about publicizing high tech products and services. This book would be one of the first (and best) books on internet marketing. He wrote it over a weekend.
I thought of that when I read Nicholas Carlson’s article, “The Productivity Hacks I Used To Write A 93,000-Word Book In 6 Weeks.” It’s an article you can learn from.
Every writer has to find their own way to write
Every writer I’ve known, coached, or read about has had to find their own way to get the work done. What ultimately works for you will be as unique as you are.
You can learn a lot about writing from others
If you’re serious about writing, you will pick up things from other writers and try them. See my post on “Learning from the book Daily Rituals.”
Some things will work for you. Keep them. Other things will not work for you. Forget them and move on. It doesn’t matter if a practice works for your favorite author or 99.9 percent of professional writers. The only test is whether an idea works for you. An article like Mr. Carlson’s can give you lots of ideas.
Bottom Line
Seek out good ideas wherever you find them. Try them out. Keep the ones that work.