Committed to Think and Write

Are you committed to think and write? Like a pilot, you gauge the length of your writing runway and speed to ensure you take off safely.

After another birthday, the end of my runway nears, and unless I shed things that keep me from lifting off (the point of no return), I risk losing the opportunity to think and write.

What Does V1 Have to Do with Think and Write?

Pilots know all about V1.

It’s the strategic point on the runway where the critical speed is sufficient for the plane to lift off safely. The exact speed of V1 varies based on the plane’s weight, runway length, wing flap settings, weather, and other variables. One size does not fit all.

And V1 shares many commonalities with those writers who commit to think and write.

The Length of Your Think and Write Runway

A writer’s age fixes the length of their think and write runway.

If years were measured in feet, no one has yet figured out how to lengthen their runway by more than a few dozen inches. Calamity and illness can shorten that runway by yards. Fortunately, speeding up increases lift, and that’s a chief variable writer’s can control with tools and focus.

Because writers can speed up the writing process, even those near the end of their runways can achieve excellent results and take off.

Shed Distractions to Increase Writing Time

In this analogy, distractions are like adding excess weight to the plane, delaying lift off.

As many aspiring writers discover, cutting away distractions proves challenging. Those committed to think and write seek creative solutions. For example, they get up earlier, stay up later, or do both to increase distraction-free writing time.

Most find this battle never ends, but setting aside consistent time to write separates wannabes from those who actually think and write.

Use Writing Tools to Increase Productivity

Over a hundred years ago, the Wright Brothers built the first powered plane, and after several unsuccessful attempts, it flew 120 feet.

Rapid technological improvements followed, moving the aircraft industry forward. For instance, adding flaps to the wings increased lift and shortened takeoffs. In 2022, about 3.7 billion people flew over 10 billion miles safely.

Like setting the plane’s flaps for optimal lift, writer’s use today’s technology to enhance their creativity, speed, and quality.

Design an Environment to Encourage Creativity

If you’ve flown more than a few times, you know how weather influences travel.

Conditions on the ground and in the air affect your safety, especially during takeoffs and landings. For example, it’s no fun setting idle on the runway as a deicing truck squirts liquid over the plane to remove the added weight accumulated on the wings and body. Eliminating that excess weight could be the determining factor between a safe or an aborted liftoff.

Likewise, a well-designed writing environment (e.g., space, computer, chair, temperature, noise, and more) removes a host of impediments, enhancing your creativity.

Writers Influence Their Ability to Lift Off

Consider how these variables influence your ability to write a book readers will love.

• Commitment: According to the Smithsonian Institution, it took the Wright Brothers four years of research and development to create the first successful powered airplane. Likewise, from concept to completion, it takes most first-time novelists a year or more to complete the first book. Thus, commitment marks those who finish what they start.
• Passion: The desire to fly underscored the Wright Brothers’ passion for creating the first heavier-than-air powered flight. History teaches us Orville and Wilbur Wright had a lasting zeal for their efforts. Long before they took to the air, they applied that physical and emotional energy to business pursuits. For writers, that passion supports us as we toil through the effort of making our stories come to life.
• Talents: Wilbur and Orville Wright shared a strong moral philosophy and clear worldview. They lived in a manufacturing and industrial region, and their talents contributed to their learning of important mechanical and engineering skills. Together, the brothers used their talents, native ingenuity, and technical creativity to making a lasting mark on history.
• Skills: The Wright brothers didn’t just learn about mechanics and engineering, they diligently practiced their craft. That meant risking and experiencing failure many times. Despite the physical, monetary, and reputational risks, they applied their skills to progress their goals year after year.

Determine Your Angle of Attack and Critical Speed

As you think and write, you can determine your angle of attack and increase your critical speed.

In flying terms, the pilot “rotates” the plane up, lifting the nosewheel off the runway during takeoff based on the predetermined angel of attack — a specific “pitch” to ensure successful takeoff. The rotation only happens at the point where the plane has attained the critical speed based on those predetermined calculations.

Writers can predetermine their angle of attack and increase their critical speed by using the Trellis Method to write a novel readers will love.

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