Arts & Entertainment, Writing
Protecting Your Process
Lesson time 15:39 min
When it comes to writing, Dan’s philosophy is simple: protect the process and the results will take care of themselves. Learn how to beat writer’s block and structure your writing habits in a way that maximizes your creative output.
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Topics include: Limit Distractions • Be Tough on Process, But Gentle on Output • Give Crazy Ideas a Chance • Write Hours, Not Pages • Set the Table for Breakfast • Stimulate Creativity Through Physical Activity • Don't Focus on Details Too Early
Preview
So you're setting out to write a novel. And you're smart enough to know that this is a long process. You need to understand that every day of the process, that it is a long process. You're not writing a song. You can't be inspired and finish this in a day. You are trying to write something that-- no matter how fast you write-- it's going to take you a long time. It might take you a year. It might take you three years. Which means that writing a novel is about a process. It is not all about inspiration and craft. It is about making sure that you set aside time every day to do your work. When I was just starting out as a novelist, I was often overwhelmed, the way so many people are when they try to write a novel. It's a big project. And you sort of feel like, how can I do all of this? And I heard a great piece of advice. And I put it on a sticky note, and I stuck it to my computer. And it basically said, "Protect the process and the results will take care of themselves." And all that means is that your job is not necessarily to write a novel. Your job is to get up every day, put yourself in the chair, do the very, very best that you can to create a novel, and eventually the pages will pile up and you'll have a novel. For most writers, myself included, the prospect of writing a novel is a little intimidating. And there can be moments when you say, I don't know if I can do this. And this idea of just protect your process and the results will take care of themselves, it just kind of lets you relax and say, wait a minute. Maybe all I have to do today is make sure that I get to my desk and do my work. [CLASSICAL MUSIC] Everyone is going to have their own process. For me, I like to write first thing in the morning. I am at my desk at 4 o'clock every day, 365 days a year. That is my process. That's my time. And by working early in the morning I signal myself that this is the most important thing you're going to do today. That's just the way I do it. Some people write at night. I know a lot of people who write in the morning, a lot of very successful writers. You're fresh. If you're up at 4:00 AM, nobody's calling you and there's no email pouring in. And speaking of email, my writing process includes a space that has no internet. I have no email pouring in, no matter what time of day it is. I've created a space that is essentially no email, no internet, no phone. And I just say, this is the place where I create. That's my process. I can get distracted in a hurry. We all can these days with the internet. It's so easy to say, I'm just going to research this one little thing. And you get online and three hours later you've learned a whole lot of stuff that's irrelevant to what you're doing. In fact, when I'm writing I may get to a moment in the text where I think, oh, I actually need a piece of information that I need from online. I can't go online. I don't have the internet where I work. I actually just put a bunch of big, red X...
About the Instructor
Packed with secret symbols and high-stakes suspense, Dan Brown’s thrillers have sold more than 250 million copies and include one of the world’s best-selling novels, The Da Vinci Code. In his writing class, Dan unveils his step-by-step process for turning ideas into gripping narratives. Learn his methods for researching like a pro, crafting characters, and sustaining suspense all the way to a dramatic surprise ending.
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Dan Brown
In his first-ever online class, best-selling author Dan Brown teaches you his step-by-step process for turning ideas into page-turning novels.
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