Self-Discipline

“Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Setting clear goals will keep you moving forward. If you’re a plotter, your goals will look like an outline and a daily word count. If you’re a pantster, your goals may be a daily word count, which you then plug into your outline.

Keep research and editing tasks separate from word count. Set time limits to prevent being sucked into Wikipedia and sidetracked by all sorts of interesting information which has nothing to do with your WIP. When you’re writing, you are writing. If you come across something to research, bracket it and move on. If you think you need to edit, make a note somewhere about what you think you need to address, and keep writing. Come back later to edit, preferably after the first draft is complete.