A week and a half ago, I decided I needed (wanted) to finish the rough draft of my book by Valentine's day. I had 86,000 words written (not in order, some of each chapter), and by the end of last week, I got through a completed draft of chapters 1-6 (out of 19). So this …
It's easy to feel stuck when you're writing if your characters and their relationships stop feeling authentic. Sometimes it can be hard to spot when it happens. Especially when your characters are doing the things you want them to do for your plot, their lack of emotional authenticity can go under the radar. For a …
Continue reading "Sitting With Characters | A Writer’s Post"
This week has been all over the place. I started off on a roll, getting lots of words done in my book draft... and then a hazy Wednesday night happened, when I was trying to follow my outline and write a scene I wasn't really feeling, and I was hit with the halting realization I …
I was chatting to a friend about creative projects and the process of getting the idea out of your head and onto the page. It is so cool when a writer has a clear image of their story and characters in their head. They can see it happening, they know what it looks like... then …
Continue reading "The Words For The Vision | A Writer’s Post"
My secret for getting into a writing headspace is very simple: black coffee. The flavor, the smell, the heat, I have trained my brain to associate all of it with writing. One sip, and my mind knows it's time to focus. It works whether I'm sitting in a coffee shop, my kitchen or an airport. …
There is a huge debate among writers about the correct strategy to approach the craft. Is it better to write every day, regardless of how you feel, or is it better to write only when you are struck by creative inspiration? I am firmly in the write every day camp, however, this week reminded me …
Continue reading "Writing For The Mood Vs Writing Every Day | A Writer’s Post"
Recently, I self-published an epic fantasy book on Amazon. The fantasy self-published genre there gets kind of crazy. There are writers who put out a new book every month, and their fans love it. I don't envision myself publishing a book a month-- I feel like my quality of work would suffer-- but I have embraced the outline as a writing tool to help me create a detailed, consistent fantasy series.
Throughout most of my rough draft, discouragement was my biggest obstacle. And I thought, having completed a novel already, I wouldn't have the same discouraging thoughts bombarding me during my second book. Well, I was wrong.
For the past two weeks I've been in a cleaning frenzy.
How many words should a writer write in a day if they could?
Jules Conrad 