As a wise person once said, variety is the spice of life. If we woke up every day and did the same things, had the same experiences, and felt the same emotions, everything would get pretty dang boring, pretty dang quickly. When it comes to writing, the same principle holds true. You can’t do the…
Tag: novel writing
Lessons Learned from Draft Three
You know the best part of my writing mistakes and the lessons that I have to learn the hard way? You get to read my blog posts and learn them the easy way! Why make all the mistakes if I’ve already made them for you and am willing to spread the knowledge? Gatekeeping is for…
You Need a Change of Scenery
I am a creature of habit. And establishing your writing space and creating work rhythms can help you immensely as a writer. But if you have an established routine that’s been working for you, and you’re starting to feel restless or bored, then it might be time to deliberately break your routine to get your…
My Rewriting Process (Part 2)
I am having the most fun on draft three of the A Landscape of Shadows sequel. I’ve said goodbye to a few storylines and a handful of scenes that I was slightly sad to see go, but once I get into the rhythm of deletion, it takes on a life of its own. There were…
My Revision Process
I’ve been using the same revision process for my books since I was around sixteen years old. It’s simple, straightforward, and always helps me feel in control of the project, no matter how long, short, simple, or complicated the book. I’ve used it successfully enough times that now, in the throes of revision, with no…
How to Push Your Limits
When you’re trying something new, when you’re learning a new skill, when you’re pushing for a goal that you’ve never chased before – it’s not supposed to be easy all the time. It’s difficult to reach new heights if you never push yourself beyond what you’ve already proven yourself capable of. If you’ve started a…
Find Freedom in Goal Chasing
Some is better than none. Some is better than none. I kept repeating that to myself this morning as I dragged myself out of bed at 5am, fully aware that I was too tired, too grumpy, too disorganized, and too unmotivated to go out and do my ten-mile run with any enthusiasm. I told myself…
Hunt Your Fear
I had a breakthrough on a run yesterday. I went into the workout terrified that I wouldn’t be able to complete it; that all the times I’d completed it before had just been a fluke; and that I was too weak/tired/etc. to be able to do it that day. But through the chaos, I girded…
Patience as a Writing Tool
When I was twelve years old, I wrote a novel about an estranged couple forced back together when a killer hunts their daughter. After the first draft was done, I realized that I knew nothing about being a parent or a spouse, so I put the book aside to edit later when I was grown….
Get Better at the Small Stuff
If you’ve never written a novel before, it can feel incredibly daunting. If you have written a novel before, it can feel incredibly daunting. It’s a big undertaking, requiring months or maybe years of commitment. It’s time-consuming. It’s energy consuming. It can become one of the most rewarding things you’ve ever done, but that doesn’t…