by Lisa Norman

I have a magic wand to share with you. If you use it, it’ll change your brain chemistry, make you a more interesting person, fight boredom and dementia, and increase your adaptability, making every day of the coming year just a tiny bit easier.( The Top 7 Benefits of Learning a New Skill - CCSU)

I’m talking about picking one aspect of your life that you find frustrating, one skill that is holding you back, and tackling it.

Forge a Happy New Year

As we look back on this year and think about our goals for the next year, this is a great time to isolate one thing that if you could make it better, your whole life would change.

However, some of the most life-changing skills are not the ones you might think of.

One of my students used to dread opening her email every morning. She had thousands of unread messages, many of them urgent or important. She felt overwhelmed and anxious, and often missed deadlines or opportunities. After learning how to use her email program effectively, she was able to clear her inbox in a week and keep it that way. She learned how to archive, search, and snooze emails, as well as how to flag spam, unsubscribe, and recognize phishing attempts. This skill has made her more productive, organized, and confident.

It took her less than a day to learn how her email program worked, but she hadn’t thought about it as a thing to be studied until we covered “inbox zero” in class.

When I teach basic tech classes, I'm stunned by how many people secretly believe that everyone else somehow magically understands how tech works... without ever taking a class or setting aside a few days to learn how their new software works. They think other people somehow intuitively learned to use the technology in their lives, not realizing that everyone has had many moments when they come to a piece of technology as a complete newbie and they either read a manual, get someone to teach them, or set aside time for practice.

Daily Tech Skills

One of my students lived in a perpetual state of fear that her computer would fail, and she’d lose her stories. We took some time and investigated her cloud backup options. She discovered that she was already paying for space that she wasn’t using. We created an organization system and backed up everything in the cloud for her. When her computer crashed a few months later, she didn’t lose any data. Her new computer synced up with her backup and she was back at work on her novel in a day.

What would your life look like if you had an organization system set up where you could find not only the latest version of your book, but also your blurb, cover files, and even the list of people to include in the acknowledgments?

Here are some other basic tech skills that might be life-changing:

• Learning how to use your computer's internet browser
• Learning new features on your phone
• Exploring the tech in your car

And this one is controversial: How many of your programs now include some sort of AI help? Have you tried it? This doesn't have to be a scene from the movie War Games. I've been surprised how many times I can take a problem and drop it into an AI and cut my workload in half. Don’t use AI as a writer. Use it like a virtual assistant. Expect to rewrite, fact-check, and improve.

Writing Skills

This most fundamental part of our careers embraces a wide range of skills.

Are you looking at starting a new series and questioning if you have enough knowledge of the time or the culture that you want to portray? Do a deep dive on the time, place, or culture you want to focus on.

How about learning to use a piece of writing software?

• OneNote, Joplin, or other note taking software (replacements for Evernote)
• Scrivener
• Word
• World Anvil

What if you focused on mastering:

• Plot structure
• Dialogue
• Showing emotions

Editing Skills

You might want to learn:

• ProWritingAid
• AutoCrit
• Track changes or comments in Word

I've watched my favorite editor teach her clients to use track changes and comments in Word many times. Professionals know how to use these features. Are you just using a tool to get by? Or are you taking advantage of powerful features that are there to help you?

Career Building Skills

How about taking a master class from one of your favorite authors?

• Neil Gaiman
• Margaret Atwood
• Brandon Sanderson

What about taking a class in legalese for writers?

Marketing Skills

Would you benefit from a basic marketing class?

Or do you want to explore:

• Pay per click advertising
• List building
• Blogging
• Newsletters

Is this the year you finally build that website? Or the year you finally start using the one you built a few years ago?

Don't say "all of it!" Because “all of it” will be the same as learning none of it.

You want to pick one thing.

Just-in-time learning is important.

Don't spend a ton of time learning to market while you are writing your first book. Why? Because marketing will have changed by the time you're ready to dive in. The pace of technological change is increasing daily. You want to learn just enough to get by, leaving your deep-dive time for things you need right now.

For instance, if you are writing your first book, you might not need to worry about how to use TikTok or Clubhouse to promote your book. By the time you finish your book, there might be new platforms or features that you will want to learn to reach your target audience.

I see writers beating themselves up because they don’t know all the things. They get trapped in a loop of studying and learning and don’t move forward. Don’t get stuck! Pick just one thing that you can learn that will help make every day better.

Last year, I committed to learning how to edit and finalize a novel. I learned a lot, but got distracted by moving my school to a new platform. I didn't put everything I'd learned into practice, so I'm carrying that goal into this next year. I'm set up for success, and excited to see what 2024 brings.

What are you waiting for? Pick one skill that you want to learn and start today. You will be amazed by how much it can change your life for the better.

Let me know in the comments what skill you have chosen and why. I would love to hear from you!

About Lisa

Lisa Norman's passion has been writing since she could hold a pencil. While that is a cliché, she is unique in that her first novel was written on gum wrappers. As a young woman, she learned to program and discovered she has a talent for helping people and computers learn to work together and play nice. When she's not playing with her daughter, writing, or designing for the web, she can be found wandering the local beaches.

Lisa writes as Deleyna Marr and is the owner of Deleyna's Dynamic Designs, a web development company focused on helping writers, and Heart Ally Books, LLC, an indie publishing firm.

Interested in learning more from Lisa? Sign up for her newsletter or check out her brand new classroom where she teaches social media, organization skills, and marketing for authors!

Top image by 2081671 from Pixabay.

by Jenny Hansen

I've known many writers who give up before they cross the finish line -- the finish line being that place where they feel like they have the skill to tell a story and the know-how to release it to the world.

Some of them give up way before the finish line, for a variety of reasons. Maybe they find that they don't like the writing life or the process drives them bonkers. Maybe they just like keeping those stories tucked safely inside their heads. But today's post is about the writers who give up just before they cross the finish line. Those are the writers that make me want to grab their hand and give them the encouragement and resources they need to hang on a bit longer.

I hope you'll share a bit of your journey down in the comments.

Five reasons why writers give up.

Anyone who has been at the writing game for a while could list a dozen reasons to give up. Maybe two dozen. But the reason they keep going is hard to argue with: they love writing. Or, maybe they don't like the writing so much but they love telling stories. Here is a small sampling of some of the main reasons I've seen so many writers throw in the proverbial towel.

1. They didn't realize it would take so long.

This is a tough one. When you first begin, you don't know what you don't know. You want to share your story with the world, but you don't have a concept yet of what it takes to do that.

Then you find some writer friends or some blogs like WITS or some podcasts. You participate in some challenges like NaNoWriMo, and maybe go to some writing conferences. You listen to those published authors talk about their road to publication, and are maybe a bit surprised at how long it takes.

You write some more, and learn some more writing craft. Maybe you join a critique group or start entering contests. You might start querying at this point, or looking at indie publishing. And then you start to lament that it has been weeks, months, maybe years...and you aren't nearly as far along as you thought you'd be.

And sometimes this is when people get discouraged, and they quit. This is right when you are finally ready to take off with intention. You've made the connections, learned some solid skills, and started to figure out enough about the paths to publishing to set a more reasonable timeline for your goals.

This is what I meant when I said many writers quit just before they get to where they want to be. This is the time when you need to get whatever help you need to hang on a bit longer.

2. It's too hard.

I'm sure you've heard me say it before, but the writing life is not for the faint of heart. This is a profession where you will fall down. It's a profession where you will have to pick yourself up, probably many times. One of the reasons I encourage the collection of some awesome writing pals is that they will pick you up when your writerly legs can't possibly hold you up even one moment longer. Your writing pals will check on you and encourage you and commiserate with you.

And if you can't bear to reach out for help, I'm here to remind you (and myself):

We're writers. Writers persevere. Even if it's only one page at a time--hell, one sentence at a time--we keep going. We are mighty beings formed of stubbornness, creativity, and caffeine.

Perhaps you could jot down a version of that mantra above and tape it up in your writing space. When in doubt, just keep going. You've got this. You can do the hard things like a boss.

3. They don't feel they have anything else to say.

You're a creative badass. You always have more to say.

I have a very good friend who is a well-known musician. I talked to him about creativity a while back in this post. He's put out 20+ albums and always feels like he's said all he has to say. And then his manager books him some studio time and tells him to go write 15 songs. Somehow, he always does.

When I asked him his secret, he said:

"Jen, every year when it’s time to record a new album, I feel like I’ve done it already and those are all the songs I have to write."

He paused a moment and added, "Then I’ll hear my mother’s voice in my head like she’s right there talking to me: 'You said you wanted to be a musician; it was what you trained for and practiced at. It was the only thing you EVER wanted. So, get off your a$$ and write some music, and quit crying about it.'"

Sometimes, when you sit down to do the work, that beautiful song (or story, or character) will just spill onto the page. But only if you've dragged your uninspired self into your place of work to be ready to receive the gift.

4. All that constant change chipped away at them.

The one absolute in the writing life is that things will change. Quickly and often. Publishers will merge, agencies will fail, algorithms will shift, social platforms will wane. Marketing on those platforms and managing Amazon is enough to send many writers screaming.

In last week's post, "Marketing, How Do I Hate Thee? Let Me Count the Ways," Piper Bayard shared her immense marketing woes. She's talented in a million ways, but technology isn't her favorite thing. She'll work long and hard to master it. Now add in that technology changes all the time? It made her crazed.

Finally, she bit the bullet and hired help because, as she explained to me, it was either that or quit the writing life.

Even without technology adding to the changing landscape, today's publishing world is vastly different from what it was five, ten, twenty years ago. It is a lot for a writer to keep up with, on top of getting their stories ready.

5. They let someone else's opinion matter more than their own.

It is normal to hate criticism, just like it's normal to be afraid that you're a hack. It's even normal to compare yourself to others. But when you start prioritizing other people's opinions or performance over your own, it's a surefire way to ensure a bumpy writing ride. Comparisonitis, as Johnny Truant calls it, is a sure way to take a fast trip to Anxiety-ville.

Especially because many of our fears aren't real. Fae Rowen, one of our founders at WITS used "fear" as an acronym to express this concept to her logical mathematician brain:

FEAR:
False Evidence Appearing Real

She put that gem up where she'd see it every day to assure herself that most of her fears and worries were not real. We ALL do that -- worry about things that aren't real -- because we're so afraid that they might be true. 

As hard as it is, you have to believe in your own story. You have to know with everything you have that it is valuable. If you don't believe it is worth telling, and that you are the only one who can tell it, it's a pretty solid bet that your story will never be told. And that would be a shame.

An a-Ha Moment in My Own Writing Journey

Back in 2004, I was a wide-eyed newbie. I'd been scribbling for a while, as we all do, but I didn't even understand the craft workshops I was attending enough to apply them. Eventually, it soaked in, but twenty years ago I was clueless.

I was lucky to attend an all-day event with uber-agent Donald Maass. He was so dynamic that I hung on his every word, knowing this was important material for me to absorb. But when he said, "Tension on every page was the key thing his team looked for" when they were acquiring books, I had absolutely no clue what he meant.

I snuck a few looks around the room, and all the more advanced authors around were nodding and chattering with one another about the brilliance of it all. I felt like an idiot because I had NO IDEA where to even start to understand.

Fast forward a decade to an Immersion Master Class with Margie Lawson where she shared Power Words and "how they bring tension to the page." I remember thinking, "Ooooooooh, this is what The Donald was talking about." I re-read all his books and I finally got it.

That's how this writing life works. Every learning experience and critique you get mortars another brick into the foundation of your writing craft. One fine day, the connections and information coalesce into knowledge that you can use.

All you have to do is persevere for long enough.

Have you ever thought seriously about quitting your writing life? Was it for one of the five reasons above, or something else altogether? Do you remember an a-ha moment when a complicated writing concept became clear and changed the way you write? Please tell us your story down in the comments section!

About Jenny

By day, Jenny Hansen provides brand storytelling, LinkedIn coaching, and copywriting for accountants and financial services firms. By night she writes humor, memoir, women’s fiction, and short stories. After 20 years as a corporate trainer, she’s delighted to sit down while she works.

Find Jenny here at Writers In the Storm, or online on Facebook or Instagram.

Article images from Depositphoto

by Colleen M. Story

How is your story going? Is it on fire with lots of excitement and drama?

Or is it limping along at a lackluster pace with little emotional impact?

If it’s the latter, consider this: You may not be paying enough attention to your antagonist.

I was guilty of this in my early writing. I focused so much on my hero that I neglected the poor bad guy (or girl).

When your antagonist isn't getting enough of your attention, your entire story suffers. I’d go so far as to say your story will fail if you haven’t given just as much of your heart and soul to your bad guy as your good one.

If you’re unsure whether that’s happening in your story, look for these five signs of antagonist neglect.

5 Signs of Antagonist Neglect

1. You’re in the middle of the story and you’re stuck.

It’s easy to get stuck in the middle of a novel, and there are several reasons this may happen. One of the most common is that your antagonist isn’t doing enough to get in your hero’s way.

Go back and review your story so far. From the beginning to the end, your antagonist should fight for what she wants, which should be in direct contrast to what your hero wants. Make sure you know what your antagonist wants, what it means to her, and what she is going to do to get it. Then make sure that with every move she makes, she’s making it harder for your hero.

If you do that and build both stories as you go, you’ll have so much going on that you’ll be much less likely to get stuck.

2. Your pacing is slow. (A.k.a., "This is boring.")

I've grown to love antagonists because they are the ones that make the story fun to read and write. If your story is boring, or if you feel you have to drag yourself through chapter after chapter when you’re writing it, sit down and have a chat with your antagonist.

Imagine pulling up a chair across from this person and asking them a few questions. The first, of course, should be, "What do you want?" The second should be, "What do you think of the hero?"

After you ask, listen. Write what your character "says." As long as you're learning, keep the conversation going. Find out why your antagonist feels misunderstood or why he or she should be the hero of your story instead.

Once you can connect with your antagonist, go back and make sure that person gets equal emphasis in your story. Then things should get more exciting.

3. Your main character is too happy.

I recently saw the new “Hunger Games” movie (The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes). I had read the book beforehand and appreciated how closely the movie followed it. And I enjoyed the show, enough that I’d see it again.

But if you think about it, it’s one misery after the next. Our hero, Coriolanus (who later becomes the villain in the original Hunger Games trilogy), goes through heartache after heartache in a series of difficult events with the amazing Viola Davis as the antagonist behind it all.

If you’ve seen the movie, think about it—Coriolanus is never “happy.” He moves from misery to misery, all the while trying to reach the goal he’s set for himself.

Compare that to your hero. If he is too happy in your story, it may be because you haven’t paid enough attention to your antagonist. This person should put your main character through hell chapter after chapter, with things only getting worse as you go.

Yes, it’s hard to see our heroes suffer, but that’s the hallmark of a good story. Be honest as you’re assessing yours to see if your antagonist needs to be a little harder on your main character.

4. Your synopsis reads like “blah blah blah.”

Writing a synopsis is something most authors dread. It’s so difficult to summarize an 85,000 novel in 1,000 words or so.

If you haven’t done it yet, try it now. It’s a great exercise, and it can show you where you may have holes in your story structure. If you’ve done it right, you’ll have a very clear plotline with your hero and antagonist butting heads all the way, and only one clear winner in the end.

On the other hand, if your synopsis reads, “this happened, then this happened, then this happened” with no increase in stakes, drama, and dread, it’s time to go back and see if you need to further develop your antagonist. Often, giving this person more character and more action can force your hero into a situation where he or she must lay it all on the line to win.

5. You don’t love your antagonist…yet.

I’m so grateful to all of my antagonists. They make my stories come to life. I don’t agree with what they do, but I feel for them as people. I understand them.

If your antagonist is only the “bad guy” or “bad girl” so far, you haven’t gotten to know them well enough. This should feel like a real person who you’re rooting for initially, but who chooses the wrong path.

It’s this person’s actions that force your main character to adapt, shift, take action, suffer, get up, and try again. Without the antagonist, your main character stays the same. And as we all know, character change is the key to an excellent novel.

I loved the movie “Unbreakable” with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. It’s a great study of how critical the antagonist is to the hero's growth and change.

Samuel L. Jackson plays Elijah Price, the antagonist to Bruce Willis’ David Dunn, the hero. This quote comes at the end of the movie when Price—who is speaking to Dunn—finally reveals who he really is.

“Now that we know who you are, I know who I am. I'm not a mistake! It all makes sense! In a comic, you know how you can tell who the arch-villain's going to be? He's the exact opposite of the hero. And most times they're friends, like you and me!” (emphasis mine)

Colleen M. Story is a novelist, freelance writer, writing coach, and speaker with over 20 years in the creative writing industry. In addition to writing several award-winning novels, Colleen's series of popular success guides, Your Writing Matters, Writer Get Noticed! and Overwhelmed Writer Rescue, have all been recognized for their distinction.

Colleen offers personalized coaching plans tailored to meet your needs, and frequently serves as a workshop leader and motivational speaker, where she helps attendees remove mental and emotional blocks and tap into their unique creative powers. Connect with Colleen at the links below.
Free chapters | Writing and Wellness

Note: Colleen offers affordable, individualized coaching plans. Prices are going up in the new year, so if you’d like some help on your story, sign up now. Find more information here!