The Discipline to Write

By Natalie Bright

The recent WT Cornette Library’s fall luncheon featured New York Times Bestselling author Jodi Thomas. She talked about her new Harmony Series, which will include seven books set in Harmony, Texas. As usual, the cast of characters become more like old friends than fiction. Her stories continue to garner major awards. As the WTAMU Writer-in-Residence, Jodi is lucky to be able to work at two of her life’s passions; writing and teaching.

“Here, I can teach kids the discipline to write when you’re sick, to write when your personal life is not so great. Despite all of the stuff going on you write. These kids have the imagination and the skills; what they have to learn is the discipline.” she told us.

A Writer’s Discipline

Jodi is the prefect example of a truly disciplined author. I remember meeting her for lunch several years back after we had both suffered accidents. I shared the details of how I had fallen and sprained my ankle, which involved lots of Tylenol and a high tech stabilizing boot with special insoles. Forget about writing. It was all I could do to make it to my office.

Writing Through the Pain

Jodi shared details about her nasty fall, which happened around the same time. Her broken elbow required surgery and physical therapy. We met for lunch just after the torture of a therapy session, and with pain reflecting on her drawn face, she said “If I can write 20 pages a day, I’ll finish the book and meet my deadline.  I think I can talk the doctors into leaving off the cast, which will allow me the movement of my wrist. I can prop my arm on a pillow and still type.”

I rushed home to rest my throbbing, swollen ankle. My friend and bestselling author Jodi Thomas, hurried to her office to finish what became her 31^st book.

Success

As I think back on that lunch, the true meaning of a disciplined and successful author has new meaning for me. The deadline, the characters, the story, and the words filling a blank page mean everything to her. As a fan, I’m thrilled with Jodi Thomas’ work ethic and commitment.

As a disciplined writer, I fall way short.

Natalie Bright