Tag: Writing process

Writing Advice from Agents and Published Authors

~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment
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It’s the dog days of summer, and I’ve gotten a bit lazy. The last thing I want to do this week is research and write a new and lengthy blog post.

Still, there is so much valuable insights and advice to share about the writing process. So this week, I’ve compiled some of the best tips from literary agents and published authors as they shared with the editors of Writers Digest magazine. After all, we can all use a little bit of help, no matter where we are in the writing process.

Enjoy! And have a safe holiday weekend.

Advice from published authors:

“….. write the thing that you feel urgently compelled to write. Write the thing that you feel drawn to write, and write it in a way that only you can do it and trust your instincts.
Brandon Taylor, author, The Late Americans

“There’s no need to plan everything out beforehand. Part of the fun is setting up high stakes without knowing the outcome. This way you’ll be right there with your protagonist, struggling to come up with solutions, even as the walls close in deliciously around you.”
Julia Bartz, novelist, The Writing Retreat

“But self-doubt is incredibly valuable. If you didn’t ever doubt yourself, you’d be a psychopath. Sometimes doubt is what helps me as a writer say, ‘This isn’t working right.’”
Chuck Wendig, author, Gentle Writing Advice: How to Be a Writer Without Destroying Yourself

“One thing I value about writing and publishing is that it’s not as ageist as some other industries. It’s hard to become a movie star maybe at 50…. It [publishing] is something you can break through at any time. There is room for reinvention, whether that means emotional reinvention, new opportunity, or just room for growth.”
Steven Rowley, author, The Guncle Abroad

“…find as many writer friends as you can because these are the people who will completely, 100 percent understand how difficult it is to break into publishing…Reach out and find your community.”
Jesse Q Sutano, author, Dial A for Aunties

“Understand that your book is a product that needs to garner broad support… Make sure you have a core group of diverse test readers who will give you honest feedback. It doesn’t mean they’re always right, but if half of our test readers think the beginning of your book is slow, you probably need to revise it.”
Pamela Samuels Young, author, Anybody’s Daughter

“…when people ask me my advice about these things, I say, write a novella, write a short story. Be wild and free and be able to accept failure by your own terms before you commit to spending three or four or five years on something that might fail.”
Ian McEwan, author, Atonement

“You need to give yourself permission to be bad when you are drafting… This is where you need to embrace the suck. Let yourself be bad. It’s okay. Everybody’s first drafts are bad. My first drafts are terrible, but once you have a bad first draft down, you can fix it. You can edit it, you can polish it up….”
Kate Quinn, author, The Diamond Eye

“There are so many things you can worry about when you’re writing that are all irrelevant… The important thing is a book that you write is your book and it’s you, and you put yourself into it and don’t listen to any of the interference from anywhere else in the world.”
Lisa Jewell, author, The Night She Disappeared

“I’m a big believer in being in a workshop or class, working with other writers, which is not to say to just take anybody’s advice. When you’re in a classroom or a seminar, it makes you write because you know you’re going to go there Thursday. It kind of forces you to do the work.”
Alice Hoffman, author, Practical Magic

“But the thing I always say to writers is that you never should forget the lame that made you want to write this. It is better to have a strangely proportioned beast that burns and is alive and stalks across the page than a perfection proportioned corpse on the page. That is what you run into the danger of. It’s possible from too much feedback [and] too much confusion that you wind up taking out whatever is at the heart of your work.”
Jean Kwok, author, Girl in Translation

“Find a way to make your writing process a discipline in the way that musicians practice their instrument.”
Tommy Orange, author, There There

“Characters live in the moments of quiet we often rush to yell over, so take some time to let them be heard.”
Mazey Eddings, author, A Brush with Love

“If you want to make a living as a writer, approach it like a business from the start. You wouldn’t open a corner store without a business plan—don’t just wing it for your author business!”
Jessie Kwak, author, Ghost Pirate Gambit

“The biggest thing is to read a lot so you can innately understand story structure. This even comes from watching movies and TV, and thinking about why it was great and what points did it hit and what aspects of it resonated with you….”
Alyssa Cole, author, One of Us Knows

Advice from literary agents:

“Share your work with multiple readers. Consider their feedback, especially their questions. Heed only the advice that resonates. Save a few readers for subsequent drafts so they can have fresh eyes to catch anything you or your regular readers might miss.”
Jennifer March Soloway, Andrea Brown Literary Agency

“As an agent, I want to fall under your spell. I want to read past my bedtime, be haunted by your work, be captivated, lifted, [and] spirited away by your story. If your work can deliver this magic, it makes me envision all of the opportunities we can conjure together to make the ultimate connection to the readers.”
Rachel Letofsky, CookeMcDermid Agnecy

“Remember you are interviewing the agent as much as (if not more than) they ae interviewing you. Bring a list of questions and don’t be afraid to ask tough ones.”
Kesia Lupo, The Bindery Agency.

“A rejection does not mean that your writing sucks. It simply means it’s not a good fit for that particular agent. You need to find your match, someone who clicks with your book in a unique way that’s not unlike dating.”
Rachel Beck, Liza Dawson Associates

“Know what kind of writer you are: a sprinter or a marathoner, and let yourself be that kind of writer. Don’t be afraid you’ll forget your great idea. If it’s a great idea, it’ll stick to your ribs no matter how much you try to shake it off.”
Liz Parker, Verve Talent and Literary

“The key to success is being delusional enough to think that what you write is necessary, but humble enough to listen to informed feedback.”
Michael W. Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, LLC

“Remember that ideas are cheap! You are more than one project, and there is inspiration everywhere if you look for it.”
Molly Ketcheson, Wolfson Literary Agency

“Being able to say what your novel is about in one or two sentences really helps. It’s not a question about what ‘happens’ in a novel, but it’s a question about what the heart of the novel is.”
Catherine Cho, Paper Literary

“Writing should be fun. If you’re getting to a place where it’s not anymore, take a break and let yourself fall in love with your writing again.”
Saffron Dodd, Ash Literary

Measuring Your Progress as a Writer

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A writer-friend recently asked “How do you know you’re making progress as a writer?”

I’m somewhat baffled by this question because I’ve never stopped to ask myself that same question. I’ve never thought about my own “progress.” I simply assumed that writing is about continuous improvement, that the more you write the better you’ll get.

But I don’t think there’s a clear cut answer to my friend’s question. It’s difficult to answer.  After all, what does progress really mean?

Progress can mean different things to different people. For some, progress means how their writing is improving. Writing progress is subjective, which makes it harder to measure. What is good writing for one person may not be that way for someone else.

For others, progress means how close they are to reaching some end goal, like finishing a manuscript. That’s easier to measure because it’s an actual, tangible result.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself regarding your writing progress:

* Am I writing every day, or at least on a regular basis?
* Do I have a clear idea of my end goal for my work-in-progress? Can I visualize what it will look like?
* How does your current writing compare to earlier efforts?
* Are you satisfied with the results so far? What would you like to do differently?

With these responses in mind, If you’re as baffled as I am by this question, here are a few suggestions for gauging your progress as a writer.

  1. Define what you mean by progress. What does it look like to you? Are you trying to reach a certain goal with your writing, such as a work count per day or complete an essay within a week? Or are you trying to measure the improved quality of your writing?
  2. Visualize the end result. What does your end goal look like? Visualize what you want to achieve. If you want, create a visual to inspire you. Sketch a picture or make a collage. Then put those pictures on a bulletin board or somewhere where you can see it every day. Let the picture inspire you to keep working toward your goal.
  3. Create a timeline. On that timeline, mark the starting date of your writing, whether that’s for a particular project or your overall practice. Also mark the ending date of that project. In between, mark periodic points which can designate review point. For example, you might have a timeline from January to December with each month marked off in between. Each month, you can compare where you are currently on your project with where you were the previous month.
  4. Mark the milestones. Celebrate every small victory. Whether that’s completing a chapter in your latest work-in-progress, finishing a writing course, or meeting your daily writing goals for an entire month, do something to commemorate the occasion.

For example, if you’re trying to monitor how often you write, use a calendar and put a star on each day that you complete a writing session. By the end of one month, see how many stars you’ve earned. If there are stars on only half of those days, then you know you have work to do.

When you take the time to assess where you are now and how far you’ve come, you’ll know what steps to take next.

Measuring the quality of your writing is a different animal. Quality is more subjective. What reads well for one person may not work for another. Likewise, writers are a notorious difficult bunch, often judging their work too harshly. However, if you’re truly concerned about the quality of your work and whether you’re getting better at expressing your ideas, there are several things you can do to gauge your progress.

1. Compare current and previous drafts. If you’re working on a piece with several drafts, you can read the current version and compare it to the first and rough draft of it. That will tell you if the story is developing the way you envisioned. Or read a recent work and compare it to something you wrote when you first began writing, say five or eight years ago. See how it has changed over time. Is it more descriptive? Does it have the right amount of narrative and dialogue? Is there too much emotion, or not enough?

2. Read your work out loud. By reading it out loud, you’ll notice words or phrases that don’t seem to fit or you’ll stumble over long sentences and tricky phrases. The mistakes will become more obvious. Then go back and revise.

3. Get feedback from an objective party. Hire a professional editor, recruit beta readers or work with a writing coach who can provide insights about the quality of your writing and provide suggestions for improving it.

4. Take a writing class. With an instructor to guide you and classmates to read your work, you’ll get plenty of feedback that can help you refine your writing.

5. Read widely. That means reading a variety of genres and authors which will expose you to different writing styles. You learn to write by reading as much as you can.

If you’re focused on improving the quality of your writing, progress will be difficult to measure. Each project is different, and you may tackle it at different points of your life and bring to it different experiences. So you may write beautifully one day while you might lost your creative mojo the next.

Whether you want to improve the quality of your writing or you want to create a tangible product, one thing remains true: progress occurs when you write as often and as consistently as possible.

So to truly make progress as a writer, keep writing!

How many drafts do writers need to complete their story?

~ The Regal Writer ~ 1 Comment
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No, that is not a trick question.

That very question was posed recently by author Samantha Hoffman at the Chicago Writers Association blog. It got me thinking about my own writing journey and the multiple manuscripts that lie in my desk drawer. The ones I’ve begun but never quite finished. It should make you think about your own writing process too.

I’m impressed by people who can knock out a 90,000-word novel in three drafts. I figure they’re either doing something right, or their stuff is still needs significant editing and they don’t realize it yet.

As the calendar flips over to November and National Novel Writing Month begins, it’s a question that may run in the back of your mind too. How many drafts do I need before my story is truly polished and ready for publication?

That all depends on who you ask, of course. Hoffman has her own response: “Finish draft one, then keep going until it’s the best it can be, keeping in mind you’re not looking for perfection because perfection is a myth. Make it the best it can be at the time. Or keep going until you’re simply sick of it.”

Tegan Atkins at Writers’ Edit blog writes that the answer depends on the type of writer you are as well as several other factors:

* Genre – Fantasy authors may go through more drafts of their story than someone penning a memoir because they’re creating an entire new world from their imaginations. That creative process can take more time to iron out all the details.

* Writing experience – Newer writers are likely to go through more drafts of their story than someone who has published previously, although that’s not always the case. Kristin Hannah, who has published 24 books in her career, has been known to go through 10 drafts of her novels before they’re published, according to her website. Newbies are still conquering the nuances of fiction writing, such as plot development and character arcs. Because they’re working their way through the creative process, it will likely take them longer for them to be truly finished with their manuscript. In many situations, Sabre says, new writers never finish.

* Hobby vs. career – Career writers are more used to the writing process and have developed their systems for getting the manuscript done. Hobbyists may approach the effort more leisurely and may not be as nit-picky in their self-editing process. For their work to be taken seriously, career writers may hire a professional editor to critique their manuscript while hobbyists may bypass the services of a professional editor. Hobbyists’ goal may be to write a collection of stories for their family while career writers are more serious about getting their writing published to the masses.

In the end, the number of drafts you need depends on you – your goal for the story, how complex the story line is and how much of a planner and perfectionist you are with regards to your writing. I’ve heard that the industry standard is five to seven drafts to get a story in shape. As I finish the second draft of my work-in-progress, I can take comfort in knowing I’m on track.

So as we enter the month of November and National Novel Writing Month, remember that you can’t begin to think about multiple drafts until you get the first one down on paper. The real answer to the question “How many drafts are needed to complete my manuscript?” is this:

However many it takes to make you feel satisfied that you’ve done everything you can to make it the best it can be.

Or at least until you’re sick of looking at it.

Learn to Read Books with a Writer’s Eye

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Recently, I read A Deadly Game of Magic, a young adult mystery by Joan Lowery Nixon, who had been a favorite author many years ago. I decided to pick up a couple of her mysteries that I had not read before. A Deadly Game of Magic lived up to my memory of her suspenseful writing. Not only did the story keep me turning pages, it scared the pants off me – more than any other book I’ve read in recent memory. (Then again, I’m easy to scare.)

Why was her book so successful in my opinion? What kept me turning the pages to the very end? How did Nixon create tension throughout the story? How did she manage to scare me (and other readers, I’m sure) without mentioning a single drop of blood or showing a dead body?

These are questions I will have to ask myself the next time I read the book.

We’ve all had those novels that we could not put down. Or conversely, we’ve read stories that bored us to tears or made us feel confused by the protagonist’s actions.

This is where it helps to know how to read a novel with a writer’s perspective. It’s one thing to read for pure enjoyment and entertainment. It’s quite another to observe the techniques the author used to develop the story. You read to notice how the story was constructed.

In other words, you read in order to learn about the writing process.

As Gabriela Pereira at DIYMFA explains: “You understand that every piece of writing has a purpose. Once we read toward that purpose, we can see how writers shape and craft their words to accomplish what they want.”

When you read with a writer’s eye, you might focus on certain areas of writing, such as:

* Plot/story structure – How does the plot develop? What is the inciting incident that starts the story?
* Emotional tone – What is the tone of the story? Is the protagonist sad, angry, surprised, or confused at the start? How does the tone change throughout the story?
* Character development – is it consistent throughout the story. Do you care what happens to the protagonist?
* Conflict – is there enough conflict to keep your interest?
* Point of view – Which point of view is used to tell the story? Are there multiple viewpoints or just one? Would you use a different point of view if you were telling this same story?
* Theme – Most stories have a theme, such as good always wins out over evil. Does it come through the story?
* Setting – Where does the story take place? Can you visualize where it is? How important is the setting to the story? For example, in Nixon’s mystery, the story takes place at an old home in the middle of nowhere that is thought to be uninhabited – but it isn’t.

So how do you go about reading with a writer’s eye? First you need to understand that writing consists of a series of choices by the author on how they will tell their story. As you read, you work to identify what some of those choices are, whether they work well or not, and whether they can work within your own writing.

Author Shaunta Grimes says as “story consumers” (I love that description), readers must first “read deeply and analytically.”

But does that mean you must study every paragraph of every chapter? No, say most writers. Go back and re-read only those sections that drew your interest. For example, was there a particular setting description that intrigued you? Or a chapter that was filled with tension? Go back and re-read those passages to study the techniques the author used.

Grimes shares a three-step process for doing a “deep dive” to study an author’s craft.

1. Choose a story you’re already familiar with. Perhaps it’s a book from the Harry Potter series, or a childhood favorite such as Little Women. When you’re already familiar with the story, you can study certain passages without getting distracted.

2. Know what you’re reading for. As mentioned previously, you’ll be looking for specific passages. For example, you may want to study how the author makes transitions between the current time and the past. Or you may want to look at the way the protagonist’s character is developed so that she feels real to you.

3. Read with a pencil in hand. Don’t be shy about marking up the book and highlighting sections that stand out. Pay attention to what works and what doesn’t, and try to understand why.

Another word of advice: Be patient with this process. It takes longer to read as a writer because you are studying and absorbing the content.  

It’s one thing to read for pleasure. But by studying the works of others authors, we can all learn to be better writers ourselves.  

Nine Ways You Can Benefit from a Consistent Writing Practice

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As I’ve developed my writing practice over the years, I’ve noticed that my writing has improved significantly, and my approach to storytelling has changed. I’m finding my writing voice, and I think that’s due to my willingness to experiment with different techniques and reading more books from different genres and authors. My writing practice has also helped me build a collection of work, whether published or not, that I can be proud of.

Ask any writer about how writing has improved their lives, and they will tell you all sorts of stories similar to my own. Here are examples by Jeff Goins and Darius Foroux. Below are some of the ways that a regular writing practice can benefit you.  

* A writing practice helps you build confidence in your abilities. If you’re just starting a writing practice, I advise you to start small. Start with 100 words, then after a week or two, increase your word count to 250 words. Then maybe after another couple of weeks, you can work your way up to larger pieces. As you reach each goal, you gain confidence in yourself and you feel ready to tackle larger pieces.    

* A writing practice allows you to experiment with different genres. You may not know how to write an essay or short story, but a writing practice gives you the space to experiment. Until you try to write in a certain style, you won’t know what you’re capable of. With each small success, you gain confidence in your abilities.

* A writing practice helps you find your voice. When you begin to write, you may be unsure what your writing voice sounds like to your own ears, or what it feels like within you. It may be tempting to copy the writing voice of a favorite author. But that likely won’t feel authentic, and it certainly won’t appear authentic to readers. Writing every day, even for just 15 minutes, helps you tune into your own thoughts, ideas and memories. You become more in tune to yourself. With time and practice, your voice emerges on the page.

* A writing practice helps you improve technical skills, such as grammar and punctuation. The more you write and read, and the more you get feedback about your writing, the more your writing will improve. According to the Grammarphile blog, as you write, you naturally learn more about the mechanics of writing – and reading – and you develop a stronger vocabulary. Once you know the rules of grammar and punctuation, you know when it’s okay to break those rules when it’s appropriate for your story.

* A writing practice improves your mental and emotional well-being. By writing, you release emotional burdens you may not have known you were carrying. By writing about emotional issues, you begin to make sense of them. While the experience may never leave you entirely, the writing process serves as a vital outlet for healing.

* A writing practice clarifies your thought processes. When you begin to write about a topic, especially one you know very little about, your thoughts may start out in a confused jumble of words. As you continue to write, however, those thoughts seem to straighten out, the fog lifts and you can express your beliefs and ideas more clearly. Again, it may not happen overnight. It may take several sessions of writing, but your thoughts eventually gain clarity.

* A writing practice opens a path to greater creative self-expression. This benefit seems obvious. Not only do you gain clarity of your thoughts, you’re able to delve into more creative ways of expressing those ideas. The more your write, the more your mind works to find different phrasing and rhythms in your words that help you tell your story.

* The writing process gets easier with time. I find that the more I write, the more easily words begin to flow as soon as I put a pen to paper. Writing becomes less forced, and I’m able to accomplish more in less time. Don’t get me wrong. Writing will always be difficult, but the process seems to get easier over time as you continue to work at developing your craft. The key is consistency.

* A writing practice turns your daily output into potential projects. Judy Reeves, author of A Writer’s Book of Days, says a writing practice can result in beginnings, middles and endings of writing projects you didn’t know you had within you. When you begin writing, you may be so focused on putting words down on the page that you don’t see the potential of the scene you’ve just written until you see its connection to other scenes you’ve written previously. 

With so many potential benefits to enjoy, why wouldn’t you want to start a writing practice?

What benefits have you received from your regular writing practice?

Let Your Natural Writing Rhythm Help You Become More Productive

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Ever notice that there’s a natural rhythm to life? If you pay close attention, you can see it all around you.

For example, you may see a rhythm in the changing of the seasons – from spring, summer, autumn and winter, then back to spring again. You may see it in the repeated patterns of the 12 months of the year, the seven days of the week, nighttime and daytime, and through the new moon/full moon cycles.

Likewise, humans have a natural rhythm, like the steady inhalation and exhalation of breath, for instance. You may go to bed at the same time every night and wake at the same time the following morning (unless you’re an insomniac, then all bets are off). Eating three meals a day, usually at the same time every day is another example of that rhythm. And for women, there’s the monthly menstrual cycle.

You may notice too how you are more energetic at certain hours of the day, while at others, usually midafternoon, your energy dips. When you become aware of the rise and fall of your natural energy levels, you can work with those rhythms to write more and create better work.

It’s like watching traffic patterns in the city and waiting for when highway traffic is light so you can drive to your destination without hitting any traffic jams. It’s like riding your raft in the direction that the river flows rather than fight against the flow going in the opposite direction.

Your writing process can fall into an easy rhythm too, if you remain aware of those cycles of productivity and creativity in your life. There’s as much an ebb and flow to your writing process as there is in the ocean tides. For more about creativity cycles, check out this article on Write to Done blog which describes the four phases of the cycle in depth.

At high tide, for instance, your energy level rises. You may feel ready to tackle complex projects, and ideas and words flow seamlessly. You seem able to get more done in a shorter amount of time.

At low tide, your energy dips. Everything seems like a struggle. You have difficulty finding the right words for what you want to say.

When you learn to recognize the high tides and low tides that are specific to you, you can adjust your writing routine accordingly. You can schedule writing sessions during high tides to to capture the creative flow and ride it as long as possible, like a surfer on the ocean. Reserve the low tides for administrative tasks that don’t require as much thought, creative energy or complex problem solving.

One way to learn about your natural creative rhythm is to track your activities throughout the day. For an example of how this works, check out author Chris Bailey’s blog A Life of Productivity in which he describes how you can calculate your biological prime time – your most productive hours of the day.

You may already know which hours of the day you are most productive. For me, it’s that morning window of 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. That’s when I do most of my creative writing.

When you are aware of your energy peaks and valleys – your writing rhythm – you can fit writing into those productive periods and save the valleys for more mundane tasks. You’ll get more writing done in short bursts when your energy is at its peak, and you’ll avoid spinning your wheels during those periods of low energy. Consequently, your writing practice may grow beyond your wildest dreams because you’re able to achieve more in less time.

When you recognize the best wave when it comes along, you can ride it to the shore. Enjoy the ride.

A Writer’s Guide to Overcoming Self-Doubt

~ The Regal Writer ~ 1 Comment

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“Our doubts are traitors,
and make us lose the good we oft might win
by fearing to attempt.”

William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

Shakespeare said it best when he said that “our doubts are traitors.” They betray us by preventing us from engaging with our creativity in a healthful way. They betray us by instilling fear in us that our words will never matter. And they betray us by asserting their will over us. If we give in to those doubts and fears, we lose the chance at achieving greatness with our writing and making a difference in the world.

In my previous post, I wrote about how we can manage our own writing expectations. One of the factors I described is the inner critic, that internal voice that suggests you may never be good enough.

That inner critic is especially adept at creating an atmosphere of self-doubt. When that critic plants seeds of self-doubt in your mind, they are bound to sprout numerous buds that can grow into overgrown weeds.  When those overgrown weeks begin to choke your creativity, you know it’s time to take action. The last thing you want is self-doubt creeping into your writing practice.

Many writers have written about how they have dealt with feelings of self-doubt and insecurity all their writing lives. No one is immune from feeling that way, not even the most successful published authors like Stephen King, Clive Cussler and Sandra Brown, to name a few. I’m sure even Shakespeare had moments when he doubted himself. Self-doubt is as common as breathing.

Every writer who has experienced those feelings have found ways to deal with them, from journaling to staying focused on their craft to simply ignoring them. Borrowing from some of their ideas, here are a few ideas how you can deal with self-doubt when it makes its presence known in your writing practice.

1. Acknowledge its presence. Every writer who has ever written anything, published or not, has experienced occasional bouts of self-doubt in their careers, and the more successful ones are more prone to experiencing its ugly cousin, Imposter Syndrome. That’s the unshakable belief that you’re getting away with something and that you will soon be found out as a fraud. Realize that self-doubt happens to everybody. It’s a normal part of the writing process and it doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with you. In fact, many writing experts say that if you don’t ever feel self-doubt, you’re probably doing something wrong.

2. Give self-doubt a persona. Whether you call it your internal critic, the fraud police or something else, it might help to give self-doubt a name, writes Jim Dempsey at Writer Unboxed. Or try drawing a picture of it. What does self-doubt look like to you? Then put the drawing on your wall and stare it down whenever it tries to speak to you. When it shows up in your practice, you can say, “Oh, no, here comes Negative Nellie again!” It might be easier to fight off its effects when you can bring it out in the open, rather than hide it away in your subconscious where it can do more damage.

3. Write about your feelings. If you keep a journal, as most writers do, take time to write about those dogged feelings of doubt so they don’t overwhelm you. It can be easy to allow self-doubt to consume you to the point where you cannot write or create anything. Don’t do that. Instead, write about those feelings. It’s another way of acknowledging their existence, and that’s healthier than brushing them aside in the hopes they will go away.

4. Realize the feeling is temporary. Feelings of self-doubt and insecurity will ebb and flow in your life like ocean waves. Recognize that those feelings will pass in a matter of hours or days. Don’t let them deter you from your writing. In fact, most writers say it’s important to keep writing during those blue periods. You’ll eventually come out of them.

5. Give yourself permission to write junk. During those periods of self-doubt, it’s important to keep writing, suggests Ruthanne Reid at The Write Practice. Your writing won’t be the best stuff, but at least you are still working on your craft. There’s no such thing as wasted words, she says. No matter how awful your writing may be during that phase, there’s bound to be nuggets of valuable content that you can build on. Have faith in the writing process. It won’t let you down.

Acknowledge that self-doubt is part of the writing process. Make friends with it. Know that it will come and go in your life like old friends do. The next time it shows up in your writing practice, welcome it. Remember that it’s there to help you overcome obstacles so you become a better writer.

How Writers Can Turn Envy Into Motivation

~ The Regal Writer ~ 1 Comment

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Have you ever listened to someone read from their recently published debut novel and think, “Gosh, I wish I could have my novel published.” Or maybe you read someone else’s work in your writing class and thought, “I wish I could write like that!”

If so, you’ve just been attacked by a little green monster named Envy.

Envy shows up in your life when you perceive others having what you don’t have: talent, power, prestige, money, popularity.

Envy is usually tied to some other hidden emotion. It may be a sign of competitiveness or insecurity, for example. You want what others have because you fear you don’t have enough of it yourself. Or that you’re not a good enough writer to ever be published like your friends and colleagues. You subconsciously compare yourself to others and fall short. Envy steps in to fill the void.

Envy also shows up when you compare your sense of self with your ideal self, writes Mary Lamia, Ph.D., in Psychology Today. Sometimes it’s a lot easier to project that ideal on someone else. If your personal ideals are exaggerated and unreachable, you will always feel that you are never good enough.

David Ludden, Ph.D., also writes in Psychology Today that envy has a dark and light side. On the dark side, we may harbor ill will toward someone who appears to have more of what we want. Benign envy – the lighter side – can be converted to motivation to improve ourselves. We can use envy to learn from others and observe how or why they have become successful. For example, maybe they got published because they took the time to research the publication and figured out how to pitch their story to the editor. Maybe that other writers gladly accepts feedback from an editor while you are reluctant to accept their critique.

When envy shows up in your life, there are several ways to deal with it. For starters, you need to be aware of when it shows up. What prompted its entrance? Most important, what can you learn from it? Here are three ways writers can deal with envy.

1. Embrace the emotion. Accept the fact that it’s normal to feel envious of others sometimes. There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s just a signal that you might be feeling insecure in your own abilities. Accept the fact that it will show up on occasion. As author Elizabeth Sims suggests in The Writer, envy loses its power over us when we tell ourselves that it’s okay to be envious.

2. Keep a journal. Ask yourself probing questions, then write down the answers, says writer Amy Torres at The Writing Cooperative. For example, ask yourself “Whose talent do I wish I had?” “What does this person have that I don’t?” and “I wish I could write as well as [fill in the blank].” As you ponder the answers to these questions, note what emotions rise to the surface. Then embrace those emotions. Allow yourself to really feel them. Then write about what you feel in your journal.

3. Be the best writer you know how to be. Show a confident front, says Sims. Even if you don’t feel secure, put on a brave smile. Fake it until you make it, as they say. Then go out and be the best writer you know how to be. Don’t worry about what the other writers are doing with their work. Focus on your own craft. Smile and keep working.

Envy and its ugly cousin jealousy are bound to show up in your writing life. That’s normal. When they do, recognize them for what they are – signs that it’s time to refocus your energy on improving your own writing practice. Observe what the object of your envy is doing. Maybe you can learn from their example. Then use the benign energy of envy to motivate yourself to work differently.

Once you embrace envy as part of the writing process, those periods of envy will shrink so you don’t notice them anymore.

 

 

 

 

Why Writers Are Bigger Risk Takers Than Most Non-Writers

~ The Regal Writer ~ 9 Comments

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How much of a risk taker are you? Not just in your life, but in your writing?

At first glance, it would seem that writers are not big risk takers. Writers are frequently perceived as thoughtful, introspective and cautious. That may not be true necessarily, but the cerebral nature of writing gives writers those qualities.

The reality is that writers are bigger risk takers than most average folks. Think about all the ways you’ve taken risks with your own writing.

* Writers risk putting their thoughts down on paper. The very act of doing that shows a certain level of commitment to the writing process. Putting words down on paper (or typed onto a computer screen) feels more permanent. It makes the stories, even in their most primitive forms, seem more real than if they were left alone in their brains.

* Writers risk exposing their emotional lives. Some feelings are so deeply hidden and so deeply felt that it is only by writing about them and with them that writers can truly embrace them. Writers take ownership of those emotions. Writing helps them process those feelings and give them life on the page that is both socially acceptable and healing.

* Writers risk looking ignorant or foolish. There may be times when writers express an unpopular opinion. The way around that is to do plenty of research to help support that opinion. Back up those opinions with factual data and studies or interviews with experts. There will always be people who disagree with you or who don’t like what you write. That is par for the course. That is the risk of being a writer. Writers will never please everyone, which is probably why they focus on pleasing themselves.

* Writers risk criticism of their work. Let’s face it – the world can be a sour, cruel place. Not everyone plays nicely in the sandbox of life. People won’t think twice about tearing down all your hard work, whether because of their own jealousy, fear or insecurity. Writers will need to develop thick skins to ward off those blows. But the satisfaction of doing work that they love is worth the brief moment of pain that harsh criticism can bring.

* Writers risk sharing too much of themselves. Especially in memoir writing, writers expose so much of their personal lives on the page that would make most non-writing people cringe. It takes courage to share stories of trauma, pain, anxiety and disappointment. It’s much easier to share stories of joy and triumph.  It takes courage to reveal the darkest sides of our souls. But it is a necessary evil if those revelations help heal others who experience a similar pain.

* Writers risk anonymity. They risk the possibility that no one will ever read their work. Writers can toil for weeks, months, or even years on one literary masterpiece only to see it never published. Or if it does get published, it gathers dust on the bookshelf. But like the risk of criticism, most writers probably won’t mind the risk of anonymity because it’s the writing process that gives them the most pleasure, not the outcome.

* Writers risk their pride. Many writers I know are not afraid to show their work to others when the story is still in its rawest form. It takes courage to ask others for assistance. Others, like myself, prefer to wait until the piece is nearly 100 percent finished before asking people to review it. Somehow it does not seem fair to ask people to review work that is still in progress. That’s like asking someone to view a partially finished jigsaw puzzle. You only see part of the picture, not the entire piece. Many writers are willing to set aside their pride to welcome suggestions for improvement along the way.

If you feel you don’t put enough risk into your writing, there may be ways around it. For starters, try something new and different that you would normally not consider doing, says Kellie McGann a contributor at The Write Practice blog. For example, if you’ve never been a big fan of poetry, sign up for a poetry class. Because the creative process for writing poetry is different than for other types of writing, you can learn a different approach to putting words and phrases together to tell a story.

It’s important to push yourself to try different things, McGann writes. “If you always write about what you know, you’ll never be a better writer,” McGann says. Which flies in the face of a long-held belief that we need to write what we know.

The next time you feel stuck in your writing or you just want to experiment with a different writing technique, do something different. Take a class or do something that is out of your comfort zone. Taking risks are necessary to open the flow of ideas. Or as McGann writes, “When we take risks, we step into the unknown. That’s where ideas begin to flow.”

Of course, not all risks go well. In fact, some fail miserably. There’s no worse feeling that taking a leap of faith and falling flat on your face.

So what can writers do when that happens? Grieve, suggests author Annie Neugebauer at Writer Unboxed. Give yourself a few days, or even a week to process the disappointment. Give yourself permission to mourn the loss, the failure. Set a time limit too so the grieving process does not go on indefinitely. Then when that week is up, roll up your sleeves and get back to work.

The writing process is filled with risk. Embrace the adventurous, risk-taking part of your soul. It may just help you become a better writer.