Like any other job, they have to be disciplined and productive.

While thatdoesinvolve lots of coffee, it also requires hard work.

Heres how some famous authors have kept their nose to the grindstone.

On Getting Started

Its not just writers; weve all struggled tocreate something from scratch.

Its overwhelming to stare at a blank page, spreadsheet, or presentation.

The pressure to create something awesome makes the process it harder than it has to be.

If you think of writing simply as information, you could get closer to success.

This is solid advice for not just writing, but any project, really.

When youre afraid to start, its usually because youre afraid to fail.

Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps.

Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised.

Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper.

Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down.

Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on.

In other words,focus on the system, not the end-product.

Steinbeck suggests that it helps to break up yourwork into smaller milestones, too.

I say you have to write.

And sometimes they say, Im already doing that, what else should i do?

And I say you have to finish things…You learn by finishing things.

Theres a case to be made forgiving up on stuff,sure.

However, when you finish something, even if its not perfect, you gain some valuable experience.

You know what works and what to fix.

The process is easier the next time around.

On Staying Focused

Once youve started, you have to keep going, and that requires discipline.

You have to power through distractions even when youveplateaued and lost your initial motivation.

Heres how three famous authors have done it.

This one applies to almost anyone, though:

Work on a computer that is disconnected from the Internet.

I actually stumbled upon this trick myself on a flight when I couldnt connect to Wi-Fi.

Obviously, if your work requires Internet access, this isnt doable.

Heres how it works.

The next step was to get a big red magic marker.

After a few days youll have a chain.

Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day.

Youll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt.

Your only job next is to not break the chain.

Dont break the chain, he said again for emphasis.

It helpsnip procrastination in the budwith a daily, visual cue.

It also gamifies your discipline.

You have to make time for your projects, even projects that require creative thinking.

Raymond Chandler reportedly had a rule about this.

In other words,write or get bored.

Its simply a mental block that gets in the way of progress.

Maybe youre just burnt out.

Either way, heres how a few famous authors have pushed through those blocks.

Colson Whitehead: Embrace Adventure

Colson Whiteheads advice for beating writers block is one of my favorites.

Get out and see the world.

Its not going to kill you to butch it up a tad.

Book passage on a tramp steamer.

Rustle up some dysentery; its worth it for the fever dreams alone.

Lose a kidney in a knife fight.

Youll be glad you did.

Obviously, its a satirical post, but still, this is good advice!

Its alsoeasier to brainstormand harness your creativity.

You learn new things andchallenge your confirmation bias.

Or, if youre not a writer, stop while youre on a roll with whatever youre doing.

If you do that every day … you will never be stuck.

That way your subconscious will work on it all the time.

This trick also makes it a lot easier to get started when you come back to your work.

Maybe youre writing a book and you no longer think its worth writing.

Maybe the project you pitched at work now seems stupid.

Heres a trick author Anne Enrightsuggests to overcome this kind of block:

Imagine that you are dying.

If you had a terminal disease would you finish this book?

The thing that annoys this 10-weeks-to-live self is the thing that is wrong with the book.

Stop arguing with yourself.

And no one had to die.

I love this idea because you dont abandon the project; you figure out whats wrong with it.

This way, it stays out of that big pile of unfinished projects.