One, Two, Three Foolproof Plan For Writers

This is so exciting I can't keep still!!

     I've been writing fulltime for 3 years. Before my writing was squeezed  between taking kids here and there, laundry and working...most of you know what I mean. What I've learned during this time isn't earth shattering, there is no secret code, no switch to turn on, and definitely no road map. 

     The experts will tell you their foolproof ways to become a successful writer. Books are in the triple digits that claim to reveal the "right" way to write and how to be a successful writer. Publishers have made billions $$$ on writers searching for the secret of success. And believe me, I've read them. Most of them are incredibly inspiring. All of them give you an array of things to try, and try them, I did. Like all writers have my favorites, the ones that resonated the strongest for me. I'm not going to talk about them today. Today, I'm going to give you the truth, plain and simple. Here it is...wait for it...forget what you've heard, trash what you've read and ignore all the charts and programs you've tried. They don't work. The sun comes up, rain or shine, cold or hot, clear sky or stormy. You must show up, plant your butt in the chair and write. 

     That's it! No frills or huge epiphanies, it's that simple. I've heard and read, again from authors I highly regard, that if you aren't writing, if you don't write everyday than you should choose a different career. I disagree. I believe most writers often find sitting in the chair the hardest thing they do. It's that first sentence that refuses to be written that makes us crazy. 

Sleeping like a baby!

The cure? There isn't one. Get to the chair, sit at your computer with paper and pen and begin and tomorrow, do it again, and then again. Even if you only write ten words, you have succeeded. Celebrate that! Reward yourself. You do that enough and it becomes a habit, just like brushing your teeth. At the end of the day you'll lay your head on the pillow and realize until you write something, you won't be sleeping.

What kind of things get you to "put your butt in the chair?"

Monday, Monday, I'm Not Cryin' But I Could Be

 Tweet    Monday's are sometimes tough for writers, at least they can be for me. This is when I plan my week. What I have to do, what I want to do and especially what is most important to do.

It is always easy to plan the have-to's,  they are usually scheduled appointments, things that have deadlines this week, people you have committed to. Done!

Similarly, want-to's are often easy simply because they don't even have to to written down and they still have a pretty good chance of happening. You know...read that book, eat that last piece of pie, call a friend, watch a movie...buy those boots you saw on sale... Done!

It's the most-important-to-do's that seem to have the hardest time finding space on the calendar. Now, let me clarify. I'm not talking necessarily about need-to's either. Need to's are like the laundry, changing a diaper, cooking a meal. They will happen and if they don't there are consequences: screaming baby, nothing to wear, starvation. What I'm talking about are the things like...cut calories and eat healthy, exercise, work on my WIP,  the things that no one is going to call you on if they don't happen.

So, how can I make this happen? Here is the hard part...schedule it just like an appointment.

You have to set aside a special time to actually do it. Even more important is you have to be specific. Exactly, what is going to happen during that time. What is this bite going to look like? This is where I often go wrong. I either plan way too huge a bite that I choke on it or I make it too vague and spend most of the time fumbling around without really accomplishing anything.

Is this easy?   Hell no!  Do I always succeed? Double hell no! Why do I keep trying? I try because I believe that is why we have new days, new hours, new minutes so we can try it again.

How is your Monday going? Sometimes I have to push my Monday to Tuesday, what about you?

WIP Thursday

My outlining success!!

     Outlining. I never thought I could do it because I'm such a random person. In college, my notes at best looked like a web of connecting bubbles. At worst a scattered smattering of disconnected half sentences. So when the idea of outlining my book was suggested I felt my body convulse. However, I needed to see where the holes were in my story. I knew they were there but couldn't get at them. After researching a plethora of ideas and different processes I found one that spoke to my busy brain. 

Alexandra Sokoloff has an excellent series on Story Structure, specifically the "index card" method. This worked for me for several reasons:

1) I could see my entire story arc at one time.

2) It was easy to pick out where I was missing a scene or where 

    something wasn't working.

3) Using the Post-Its I could easily change order to increase tension 

    or even omit useless scenes.

4) Helped to insure I had all the elements of a great story.

I totally surprised myself and completed an outline of the entire Middle Grade project I am working on. And I did it in less than a week. I find I don't feel overwhelmed about writing either because I have a plan and I know what needs to be done next. Thanks Alex!!

What has worked for you and don't tell me you just write from cover to cover. I might lose it. Just kidding. I would love to hear about your successes or problems with outlining!!

Motivating Your Monday: Mental Writing

For a writer, staring at a flashing cursor is the worst next to a rejection. I have found a way around that brain numbing practice. At that moment it's so easy for me to get lost in the Blogger world or Facebook. Not to mention "researching" on cyberspace. I can easily blow an entire morning under the guise of research. What do I do? The bottom line is, if I don't have something to write-- I don't sit in front of the computer. 
     I often completely leave the room. There are lots of options;  pen and ink in hand I go to the cafe, sit at the kitchen table, out on my deck, anywhere I can still write. The key to remember is this is not a break from writing. You still have a job to do but you are using different muscles than when you sit in front of the computer.
     This A flashing curser often means I don't have a plan. When I sit in front of the computer I have an idea of what I'm going to write before I even sit down. Planning can be as vague as working on chapter 2, rewriting a scene, or as specific as describing a character. A writer always has something to work on. Don't go to the computer until you know what your writing about. Seems obvious but the pressure of a blank page and no plan is horrible.
     OK, you have a plan and still the nagging cursor is flashing or now you're staring at a blank piece of paper. This usually means I haven't done enough mental writing. When I am in the midst of a project, I am always writing in my mind. Most writers do, that is why we carry notebooks with us.(Heaven forbid we miss a flash of inspiration or a great idea). But I am talking even more basic then that. For me mental writing happens everyday, even when I'd rather it didn't.
     I have often been accused of spacing out or daydreaming. Usually, I am lost in a description, a visual image or even a dialogue with a character. Crazy? Maybe. I call it a writer's frame of reference. An artist is always storing visual images, a writer does too. However, we also collect words, feelings, descriptions...We take in the world around us in literary terms, we write it in our brain. Do we create perfect sentences? Of course not. When a non-writer looks at a chair, he sees a chair. When I look at a chair I see its rich wood grain, its worn seat and the high strong back. Get the idea? There is always something to write.

What is your cure for the flashing cursor?