by Lucius Trae

Created on: June 21, 2010

Writing requires individuals to concentrate on a specific task and exercise their mind. In particular, writings who are committed to their craft may both require and wish to dedicate time to the art. However, writers are imaginative, creative, and inquisitive individuals who can fall victim to human weaknesses like anyone else. Especially in an age where the advantages of computerized writing are evident, it's easy to get distracted. Self-discipline allows writers to learn both to write efficiently and maximize their productivity.

For example, consider a writer seeking to complete articles of a specific length. Many writers are or become well-informed on their subject, and they may be capable and interested in writing pages about the topic. However, they are focused on completing an article for payment, a competition, or other means that designate that a specific length is ideal. This means knowing when you need to end your piece and having the self-discipline not to go into that "one more point" that leads to a page more of work and thirty minutes of time gone.

In many ways, a writer may wish to let themselves go as they desire, but if the goal is success and/or financial revenue, this is not the ideal. Succeeding as a writer requires putting forth a story that works in a manner that will entertain a reader. Unless people hover around you waiting for your next interesting sentence, you probably won't endlessly entertain people with what is essentially eloquently written ranting. More specifically, you need to adept to certain standards of rigor and slow down to perfect what you've already done.

In addition to self-discipline with regards to writing, individuals looking to complete a project need to stop getting distracted. If they research on Wikipedia, all the hyperlinks and "see also" sections may look interesting. They will all have their own respective sections, which are again interesting. Four hours later, you'll be further away from appeasing your "curiosity" than you were to begin with. Learn to look at things later, bookmarking can be done without opening additional pages. Devise ways to ensure that you stick to the task at hand without denying yourself access to useful tools for finding information related to your work. Instead, work on improve your ability to focus on the task.

A writer that wants to succeed financially, especially, may do so without being very disciplined. However, self-discipline is a valuable skill in life and in writing. Authorities can discipline you from afar and one can do things like lock themselves in a room with paper and pen, but this is not as psychologically beneficial. Humans are free creatures that like to feel a sense of accomplishment that comes from utilizing self-discipline to accomplish a task rather than relying on others or developing clever tricks that merely avoid the issue altogether. A self-disciplined writer puts themselves in an advantageous position with regards to their happiness and future.

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