It was a routine we followed for the majority of my 33-year career as a high school football coach. Compete, evaluate, formulate a plan, and then execute that plan. Week after week, victory or defeat, the routine did not alter or change. Regardless of the opponent, we understood if we had the discipline to stick to the routine then we had a chance of winning.

In 2019 I retired from public education and decided to transition into authorship. Initially no correlation between my coaching habits and my writing habits seem to exist. Then it clicked, and just like flood gates opening, chapters and blogs were produced at a very efficient pace. Repeating a few behavior disciplines during the writing process produced material that was worthy of submitting, and my confidence slowly grew.

Step 1

One of the behaviors implemented was brainstorming on a pad of paper the night before writing. Mornings became my favorite time to write. One cup of coffee already in my belly and another on the desk, my optimal writing time and place was established. During brainstorming, potential content points, potential titles, and imagery notes were jotted down. Doing this as close to bedtime as possible, my hope was that the subconscious would be engaged. Under the cover of darkness, cranial neurons would let those points fertilize, grow roots, and start to flourish.

Step 2

My goal for every chapter or blog was to start with an attention-grabbing scenario with a bit of vagueness pushing the reader to want more. Nearing the end of the chapter, I would try to reconnect to that entry portal of words, producing a clear conclusion.

Step 3

Another behavior utilized was engaging all 5 of the human senses when describing an environment crucial to the story. I would imagine myself standing in a space and absorbing everything in the surroundings. Forcing the interpretation of each sense allowed for thorough descriptions.

Step 4

One of the biggest “ah ha” moments experienced as a new writer occurred when the review tab on the word document tool bar was discovered. In all my years of writing recommendation letters for students or writing speeches for banquets, I never knew the tab existed. With ear buds on, the “Read Aloud” button was clicked and my written text was converted to audible words. Focus now shifted from the eyes to the auditory sense, and it replicated the experience of listening to good music. As the material was read back, the rhythm and patterns of the script could be analyzed. Any spelling errors or omitted words would now sound like a scratch on the old black vinyl records we listen to as kids. This was a game-changing habit for me and once I consistently took advantage of the tool, my writing improved immensely.

Step 5

As with any activity there have been failures along the way. I have found this to be just as valuable as any positive feedback, as long as one takes the time to dissect the event. On one specific blog, my publisher absolutely shredded the attempt leaving me to wonder if good writing was possible. In that blog I repeated words several times and made the paragraphs lengthy and wordy. Now the approach is to avoid word repetitions, avoid starting sentences the same way, and do that with shortened paragraphs.

“I guess I really don’t know what the hell I am doing,” was my comment. She replied, “this is a process Ron, trust the process.” That was the perfect answer as it reminded me of seasons when we might of had a bad game after several early wins.

Unlike football, one of the challenging dilemmas about writing is there’s no immediate result. There’s no final score that screams you’re a winner or a loser. The writer must wait in anticipation for a grueling amount of time after pouring their heart into the black and white artform. No matter how many times you reread your work, it is now up for interpretation, and the results are in other hands.

I am proud to say that my first book is completed and many blogs have been generated that are now found on my author web page. Several positive comments have been shared and that leads me to believe I am on the right path. Did you hear that? Did you hear that sound? It sounds like something clicked, yes it clicked, now get off your ass and start writing!