Things that are not usually helpful for me to focus on while I’m writing:

  • How much money I think my book is going to make.
  • What kind of fanfiction people will write about the characters.
  • What kind of online discourse it will start.
  • If readers will pick up on my themes and foreshadowing.
  • Whether people will hate it.
  • Whether people will love it.
  • Whether I will be able to get it published.
  • Whether it’s ‘worth’ writing

Things that are usually helpful for me to focus on when I’m writing:

  • How much I’m enjoying writing the characters.
  • The scenes I am excited to get to.
  • Folding my world building into the narrative.
  • Parts I will be excited to edit on my second draft.
  • No matter how much or little I’m getting done I am putting words on the page for the story I want to tell.