Apocalyptic fiction

[VincentKeith]

I have one book on Amazon - roughly 250 reviews and 4.5 Stars - It sold in ebook format pretty well for a first book that was self-published with zero marketing. It's a tome - 175,000 words. I'm working on a sequel, although that wasn't part of the original plan - In total, there will be three books, I think - basically a 3 act series. I've got a good start on four other books and lots of notes for a few more. I guess that makes me a writer. I'll feel more like a real writer when I'm putting out a book every year.

What I lack is the discipline needed to sit in front of the monitor and write when I'm not feeling it. I think I've worked out one issue that was holding me back, which means things are moving again. Still, I'm sitting on almost 30,000 words, and I've just started. Then again, I've just started, so who knows how much of that will make it the second revision.

Solar Storm: Homeward Bound.
https://www.amazon.com/Solar-Storm-Home ... 392&sr=8-2

Other books I'm working on
Wild Again - about 20K words so far. - A different kind of post-apocalypse story
Identity Crisis - 23K words so far - A contemporary thriller.
Tipping Point 53K words - Current day post-apocalyptic thriller - I stopped working on this, I'm not sure I'll pick it up again. It got to the point that every time I wrote a chapter or two, what I'd just written would more or less show up in the news, and I'd have to toss it out. It sounded like I was just writing a history book with some weird twist to it. Not different enough to call it alternate history, but too close to call it history. It's worse now than when I started it nine years ago.

[Twolane]

I guess that makes me a writer. I'll feel more like a real writer when I'm putting out a book every year.

You write, therefore you are a writer.

[nigello]

I liked how he wove the importance of having different skill sets available after a major event. He has enough knowledge about human nature and how society reacts to make this story believable. Lots of good ideas to think about as well.

[sirmichaelot]

What I lack is the discipline needed to sit in front of the monitor and write when I'm not feeling it. I think I've worked out one issue that was holding me back, which means things are moving again.

This is very common. Be easy on yourself.
What I've found is that "feeling it," motivation (whatever people want to call it); this has more to do with what we say to ourselves before we write. Usually, it's the critic or self-doubt in us (which is typically high), conversely meaning you have excellent innate taste, dueling against the reality and mental demands of creating high quality prose.

I can only play it out in these examples and hopefully it helps:

Scenario 1 (self-talk): Well, I guess I should go write. Time to get that [specific scene] done.
In this case, writing has become a task. It's an admission of not feeling it. The pattern is set. But the creative portion of the brain works best when it's relaxed or curious. And especially in the latter case, both portions of the brain work well when curiosity engages. We become more whole brained. So the alternative is and this begins how you change your self-talk basically religiously . . .

Scenario 2: What is [character] going to teach me today that I didn't know? or How is [character(s)] going to get out of this situation?
This is how you flip the script on self-doubt, chore-like mentality, and turn your writing into an adventure. When you coax your characters to reveal themselves.

I've been where you are at. I learned to write anytime, anywhere, by asking questions like this before I wrote which engaged wonder. Happy writing!