Tips To Unlock The Book Only You Can Write

  • Guest Blogger Jenn Gott writes about 3 Inspiring Ways to Unlock the Book Inside You.

    Does this sound familiar: You’ve always been drawn to writing and have a mind brimming with ideas. You’ve always loved the idea of holding a book you have written — but somehow, despite all your best intentions and New Year’s Resolutions, it just hasn’t happened.

    Or maybe you’re a writer who has started a thousand writing projects, only to abandon them all within a few pages. Perhaps you’re not even sure if you want to be a writer, but you’ve always wanted to write a children’s book for your kids.

    Maybe you’re a poet, or a copywriter, or a journalist, and there’s a book you know you could write, if you just find the right words inside you.

    Maybe, maybe, maybe. One day.

    The trouble with “one day” is that it doesn’t exist — each day, there’s only today. Which is why I’m bringing you the three best practices that I’ve found to unlock and supercharge creativity. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a beginner who has always wanted to tell your story, or a seasoned pro who’s gotten mired in delays, worries, and self-doubt. Either way, these habits will have words flowing in no time.

    1. Find your community

    From National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) participants to your local writer’s group to authortube, it’s important to find your people wherever you can. Support is everything on your journey toward finishing a book, and it will inspire you more than anything else. To start, identify what kind of groups appeal most to you. Would you prefer to interact online,where you can hang out in your pajamas and reply at your leisure? Or would getting out of the house and seeing people face-to-face reinvigorate you? Are you interested in a classroom setting, a critique circle, or just some supportive friends who will provide lively discussion? Do you want to learn from people who are much more experienced than you, or strive together with peers at your skill level?

    Don’t feel you need to limit yourself to only one group. There’s nothing to keep you from making writer-friends on Twitter, and in person at bookish events, and through workshops. In fact, the more avenues you explore, the more likely you’ll find “your people.” Consider going to conferences, book signings, and events at your local library.

    Your community doesn’t need to be all writers. While it’s important to know some — to understand exactly what you’re going through, and bounce ideas off each other — a supportive and understanding friend or partner can go a long way. As you seek out connections, make sure to you surround yourself with people who believe in you. Remember, helpful and constructive criticism is good — how else can you learn the skills you’ll need to edit your book to perfection? But ragging on you and your work is toxic for everyone involved.

    2. Fill your creative well

    Sometimes the reason we’re not writing is simply that we’re emotionally tapped out. There are many factors that can cause creativity to dry up — everything from stress to poor mental health, to overwork, fatigue or illness, and creative burnout. And while it may feel silly to take time off to recharge if you haven’t been writing lately, sometimes that’s exactly what you need to do. Think of it like an arrow: pulling back first, in order to shoot forward.

    It’s important to make sure you’re recharging the right way, though. Scrolling through social media may be satisfying, but is it really going to inspire you to sit down at your laptop and write? Or would that time be better spent going for a walk, seeing a play, or reading an exquisitely written book?

    If you’re having trouble writing, take a minute to sit down and make a list of the things that energize you — physically, mentally, and creatively. Maybe plays aren’t your thing, but poetry is. Maybe a walk exhausts you, but yoga centers your mind. It really doesn’t matter what it is (truth be told, sometimes a movie or a video game inspires me). You just need to walk away from it refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to tackle your big creative project.

    However, be careful not to let this turn into further procrastination. Remember, the point of these activities is to inspire you, not consume you. Always take a few minutes afterward to reflect on which parts of the experience spoke to you, and how you might use similar themes, moods, or ideas and blend them into your own work — or which mistakes you’ll want to avoid.

    3. Create your own writing retreat.

    Of course, we’d all love to go to a week-long retreat at a fancy cabin in the woods, but for many of us that simply isn’t an option. Luckily, there are ways to recreate the retreat feeling without venturing far from home or taking a lot of time out of your busy schedule.

    First, start by identifying any and all locations near you that might offer some peace and solitude. This can be as simple as locking your bedroom door, or as elaborate as a nice hotel nearby where you can book a room for a night or a weekend. Coffee shops, parks, or trains, and subways can do the trick, especially with a good pair of headphones! The point is to find someplace where you can block out thoughts of the outside world, including all your daily responsibilities. If you’re lucky enough to have a home office or a “room of one’s own,” try to find someplace else for your retreat — someplace you don’t work in every day.

    Next, consider what approach would best make that space feel more “writerly.” Would music help you, and if so, what kind? Would you feel more soothed with a soft blanket, a hot water bottle, or a big glass of wine? Candles, fairy lights, or other mood lighting can also help set the stage of your imagination. Remember, the point of this is to feel pampered, so don’t skimp on the creature comforts.

    Once you’ve identified where you’re going to take your “retreat” and how you’re going to cozy it up, the final step will be scheduling. This is, admittedly, the hardest part of your task, but with a bit of effort you can make it work. Try to block out a whole day, although even a few hours will be a huge boost.

    For magically productive people, just showing up might be enough to get the words flowing. For the rest of us, it might take a little more work, and a few handy tips and tricks. If you find yourself frozen at the prospect of getting started, consider freewriting as a warm up.

    Still unsure what to write about? Writing prompts might just be the kick your brain needs.

    Whatever you do, don’t stress out if your first “retreat” isn’t as fruitful as you’d imagined. Any progress is still progress, and the more often you repeat the writing habit — in any environment— the faster your creativity will kick into gear.

    Above all, remember: only you can tell your story. So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and tell your story. Today.


    Jenn Gott is an indie author and a writer with Reedsy, so she basically spends all her time either writing books, or helping people learn how to write books. She firmly believes there is no writing skill you cannot learn with practice and the right guidance. When she’s not working, she enjoys keeping up with the latest superhero movies, reading, and swimming.

  • Guest Blogger Bella Andre shares what it takes to get writing.

    In the workshops I give to writers, I talk a lot about blocking out the white noise (email, Facebook, phone calls, prolonged internet searches for information you don’t really need to know to write your first draft, etc.) and putting on blinders so you can really give your focus to your book. This advice is a lesson I personally relearn with every single book I write.

    That’s the quick and pretty version, but if you pull back the glossy cover, the past 30 months actually look like this:

    * Decide to start my new book.

    * Do everything but start the book.

    * Make more big plans to start the book, for real this time.

    * Freak out about not starting the book.

    * Tell myself that tackling the non-writing items on my enormous to-do list is important, necessary work, so really, how could I start the book yet?

    * Tick through non-writing items on my to-do list and get crankier by the day.

    * Force myself to sit down with my laptop and stare at the blank page and not get up until I’ve written at least 1,000 words.

    * Finally realize (yet again!) that the number-one thing to help both my career and my peace of mind is sitting down and writing. Every single day. From one book to the next.

    Today’s start of Sullivan #12 was no exception. I went through every one of the above steps during the past two weeks until I simply couldn’t stand it anymore. When I woke up this morning, I decided the to-do list could wait. Answering emails could wait. A walk could wait. Eating could wait.

    But the book could not.

    I truly believe that no matter where you are in your writing career, the book is always the most important thing. For a new writer, finishing your first book will likely require great focus and determination. All you want is to finally get to “The End.” But once your book is out in reader’s hands, the most important thing will always be your next book. I’ve seen again and again, in both my own career and others, that the surefire way to create ongoing success is to write the next book. And the one after that. And the one after that.

    Once I finally push myself to start a new book, I always find that’s when the focus finally comes. Fortunately, day by day as I sink deeper into the manuscript, it becomes far easier to block out that white noise and keep focus on the writing.

    Happy writing! Bella Andre.

    Visit Bella’s Facebook Fan Page.

    This “Pep Talk” originally appeared on National Novel Writing Month’s website, nanowrimo.org

    Having sold more than 2.5 million self-published books, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Bella Andre’s novels have appeared on Top 5 lists at Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. After signing a groundbreaking 7-figure print-only deal with Harlequin MIRA, Bella’s Sullivan series are being released in paperback in a major global English language launch in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia in continuous back-to-back releases from June 2013 through April 2014. Known for “sensual, empowered stories enveloped in heady romance” (Publishers Weekly), her books have been Cosmopolitan Magazine “Red Hot Reads” twice and have been translated into nine languages, and her Sullivan books are already Top 20 bestsellers in Brazil. Winner of the Award of Excellence, The Washington Post has called her “One of the top digital writers in America” and she has been featured by NPR, USA Today, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and most recently in TIME Magazine. She has given keynote speeches at publishing conferences from Copenhagen to Berlin to San Francisco, including a standing-room-only keynote at Book Expo America on her self-publishing success.

     

     

     

  • Are you the type of person who needs to clear your desk before getting down to the business of writing?  Me, too. I have to pay the bills, sort, organize, stack things on my desk.  Satisfied, but not ready to get to writing, I look around. Oh, I really need to do the laundry, clean the bathroom, clean the floor, check the refrigerator, look outside, get a drink of water. Sometimes it seems I’ll do everything except write.

    One year I participated in NaNoWriMo for the month of November. I loved it. This year I’m going to participate in Write Nonfiction in November (WNFIN), founded by Nina Amir. But I know I’ll only be successful if I plan ahead.

    Here are Twelve Steps to get to that writing we so want to do.

    1. For the next two weeks, get caught up. Get organized, file those pieces of paper that clutter your desk, your counter, your life.

    2. For the next two weeks, spend extra time crossing things off your actual or mental to-do list. Whatever you’ve been putting off doing. . . do it now.

    3. Plan ahead. What do you usually do in November that you can do now? Put all the Thanksgiving and holiday items in a box (tablecloth, napkins, decorations, plates, etc).

    4. Get a box ready for all the incoming stuff. . . mail and paperwork that can wait until December.

    5. Get another box for important, don’t-want-to-forget items. As things arrive, put them here. Then, once a week in November, take care of business. . . spend as little time as possible. Just get this stuff done so you can get back to writing.

    6. Plan snacks. Make a list of perishable snacks you want to have on hand, so you don’t have to think when the time comes to purchase the snacks. Just take your list to the store. Then get back to writing.

    7. Plan meals. Same as above. Keep meals really easy. Soup and sandwiches. Simple salads.

    8. Purchase whatever you can now for your food needs/wants/cravings. Yes, you will have cravings. Plan for them. Don’t agonize over this. Keep your mind deep in the Land of Writing. But you will need motivation to keep going, not a reason to sneak off for ice cream.  Fill freezer, pantry and cupboards with food stuff you know you will want.

    9. Tell your friends and family whatever you want. . . you have a contagious disease, you have laryngitis, you’re on deadline (you are) . . . but you aren’t accessible to babysit, carpool, lend an ear or a shoulder. This is Your Time to write.

    10. Have everything lined up that you will need . . . paper, pens, ink cartridges, list of writing prompts as daily warm-ups, ashtray (just kidding, unless you really do smoke), water, snacks.

    11.  Turn your phone off, do not look at Facebook until the end of the day, do not get distracted with tweeting, twittering, looking, sneaking, freaking, or any of the many things that will tempt you to distraction.

    12.  Set up your good luck charms, talismans, touchstones, candles, lucky rabbit’s foot . . . whatever it takes to remind you . . . for the month of November. . . You Are A Writer.

    Write that on a post-it note. Post it prominently. Look at it. Remember it. Believe it. You Are A Writer.

    What helps you to keep focused on your writing? What steps would you add to being a successful writer?