Writers in the Storm

by Diana Gabaldon

Writing successfully (meaning that you get words on the page) is largely a matter of understanding how your own brain works, and working with it.

Some of us are linear writers, who find outlines indispensable and (mirabile dictu) normally write a book from Page 1 to The End. Some of us…. umm…. well, we’re not and we don’t, but we do write books anyway, and no one will ever find out how we did it, unless we choose to tell them.

Regardless of the technical details, though, all writers deal with Mind Games.

These are the games your mind plays with you to distract you from working. There’s the “Wait ‘Til I Have a Big Block of Time” game (Pro tip: nobody has time. You make it, or you don’t have any), the “I Feel Like I’m Neglecting my Husband/Family When I Write” (Look, take your husband to bed and wear him out, then get up and write. He won’t mind at all…), and many, many others. But one of the most insidious is the one called “I Feel like a Fraud/Failure.”

Everybody has doubts about their writing (well, most good writers do…). How do you deal with this? Or, since it’s me writing this—how do I deal with it?

Putting on an Attitude

Hmm. Well, I mostly try not to take out frustration on family members. I am kind of a mellow person most of the time, anyway.

But the question of attitude toward the quality of one’s writing... well, let’s see if I can explain that one in any kind of comprehensible way.

It’s not really that I’m automatically pleased with everything I write, no. It’s just that I see it as a work in progress. I’m involved in it, as an ongoing thing. So it doesn’t really matter all that much if the first thing I put on the page looks good or bad—all that matters is that it’s there and I’m working on it. Eventually, it’ll either look all right, or I’ll decide this isn’t the time or place for this bit and go work elsewhere.

I judge the writing, is what I mean—“Nah, too long, not enough action, mmm, too many words, whoops, repetition... move this clause up? No.... drop the whole paragraph to the bottom—decent phrase, but it doesn’t fit here yet. Why did he say that?”—but I don’t think I often judge myself, if that makes any sense.

Nuts and Bolts

See, I’ve been writing for a long time. Not just fiction, but writing in general. I know what a sentence is; I know how to spell; I know how grammar works—and I know I know that. So it’s just a matter of, “Here is the work I’m working on right now; what am I doing with it? Is it as good as I can make it, or is there still something that can be improved?”

I think—having read a lot of messages from a lot of writers—that many people sort of write with their eyes closed.

That is, they pound something down—maybe a lot of something—and then sort of peek through their fingers at what they’ve done. They then emit cries of anguish or outrage at what they see, and proceed to beat themselves about the head and shoulders because what they see isn’t what they hoped for.

Frankly, this seems kind of strange to me, but I know a lot of people do it. I just don’t know why.

If you write something, and it isn’t right, you just mess with it until it is, or until you decide this isn’t the time and place, and do something else for a while. It isn’t personal, I mean.

You are not a Bad Person

I doubt this makes much sense, but that’s about it. It’s a job. An important, challenging, and wildly entertaining job—but a job, not a test of my individual worth as a human being.

It’s not a test of yours, either.

You are not a Bad Person because you want to write a book and feed your children Lunchables so you can have fifteen minutes at the keyboard. You aren’t a Failure because you haven’t found an agent on the first try. You’re not a Fraud because you secretly call yourself a writer—if you put words on a page, you’re a writer; the fine points can wait.

What games does your brain play with you while you are writing?

About Diana

Diana Gabaldon is the author of the award-winning, #1 NYT-bestselling OUTLANDER novels, described by Salon magazine as “the smartest historical sci-fi adventure-romance story ever written by a science Ph.D. with a background in scripting ‘Scrooge McDuck’ comics.”

As of January 2022, Diana’s books are published in thirty-eight languages and sold in one hundred and fourteen countries.

Learn more about Diana on her website: DianaGabaldon.com,

Top Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

by Diana Stout, MFA, Ph.D.

When I received my first book rejection, I cried. (More on that rejection later.) Over the years, I've witnessed many writers who've cried, whined, or raged because of a rejection. Some even proclaimed they're going to quit writing. It's not an uncommon reaction to feel emotional when rejected.

But, take heart. All writers have been rejected at some point in their writing career. All of them. Even published writers get rejections.

The difference between a seasoned writer and a new writer is that the experienced writer knows a rejection doesn't signify the writing was bad. There are many reasons why a manuscript is rejected.

13 Possible Reasons for Rejection

Here are 13 different scenarios, all of which I've heard uttered by editors, publishers, agents, and producers at workshops, conferences, and through my own rejections.

1. The writing wasn't good. Generally, this rejection indicates a submitted first or unpolished draft.
2. They liked the story but couldn't get past the many punctuation or grammar errors on every page that become a distraction.
3. Submission directions weren't followed.
4. Standard manuscript formatting wasn't used.
5. Last week, they'd purchased a story much like yours. (This happened to me twice and both times, they wished they had purchased mine instead!)
6. They love the writing, like the story, but it doesn't fit their needs. While they can't tell you what they're really looking for, they'll know it when they see it.
7. They love the writing, like the story, but it doesn't fit their audience.
8. They love the writing, like the story, but they're not sure how they would market it. It just doesn't fit in their wheelhouse.
9. Your story takes place in New Orleans. The editor hates anything to do with New Orleans.
10. Your main character's name is Brad. She just divorced her husband of 10 years, whose name is Brad.
11. The editor is simply having a bad day and is rejecting everything that crosses their desk that day.
12. The editor had decided to reduce their mammoth query pile. If your project doesn't hook them in the first paragraph, it's rejected.
13. The editor is looking for a spectacular potential out-of-the-box best-seller. Anything less than that gets rejected, no matter how good the writing.

As you can see, most of these rejections have nothing to do with your writing. It has more to do with the editors' needs or idiosyncrasies.

Only two of the rejections above—#1 & #2—are about the writing and it's because the manuscript wasn't polished. The next two rejections are about not following directions. So, only 4 of the 13 rejection reasons have anything to do with the writing or manuscript itself.

In late 1985, I submitted my first book and eight months later got a rejection with signatory initials that told me the editor had dictated the message. She was a big-name editor. It wasn't the typical mimeographed rejection so many used back then.

After thanking me for the submission, telling me the book didn't fit the requirements of their American Romance line, she said, "It is too melodramatic, based on trite misunderstandings among the characters, as well as contrived circumstances."

I cried. Three days later, upon re-examination, I realized she'd done me a favor. She'd told me exactly why she had rejected it. Also, I noticed she had said nothing about the setting. She liked the setting! Of course, her liking it was my contrivance, but it worked. I used the setting in another story, which Avalon Books later published.

As you submit, keep in mind that

• rejections are a part of the writing business. It means you're succeeding by moving forward. It's surprising how many writers don't submit.
• rejections aren't personal. It's always about business and about them. It's about their determination of your writing as a money-maker for them.
• trying to find an agent, editor, producer, or publisher is like trying to find a marriage partner. Not everyone is a good fit.
• rejections are subjective. Same with contests. Different editors or judges could mean different results.

Today's typical rejection procedure is that if you haven't heard from them by a stated X number of months, consider the work rejected.

Did your rejection come with a comment or two on what is wrong or on how to improve it? Celebrate it! Any comment means the editor liked something about your work and wanted you to know it.

Did your rejection come with a message of submit again or we look forward to hearing from you again? It means they like your voice and your style of writing and want you to submit again! It's now a matter of finessing a match of a project to their audience.

Do not, however, rewrite a rejected manuscript and resubmit it unless you're asked to do so specifically.

So, what should you do when you get a rejection?

Send the work out again—right away. If you've submitted it half a dozen times, however, and are still getting rejected, it might be time to re-read, rewrite or revise, and get some expert advice from an editor or writing coach.

Good luck on your submissions!

Every author has a rejection story. Please share yours in the comments!

About Diana

Dr. Diana Stout is a screenwriter, author, blogger, writing coach, and former university English professor of writing classes who loves helping writers. Her students have said, "She smiles when she talks about writing." An award-winning writer in multiple genres, she's been told that she's "a writer to watch." With her most recent publication of Buried Hearts: A Laurel Ridge Novella (#4), she was told by Wild Women Reviews that " the characters—all of them—jump right off the pages. They are so real, so well portrayed. You make it look easy."

Find Dr. Stout at https://sharpenedpencilsproductions.com or on Amazon.

Top Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

by Sandy Vaile

Every story has a beating heart that gives it purpose. It’s the vision that keeps all the working parts of a novel focused on what really matters, enabling the author to outline more easily and write a purposeful story.

But how can you be sure your story has one (and if it hasn’t, grab the defibrillator and shock it into being)?

What is the heart of a story?

Plots are the mechanism for moving characters through a series of events towards a goal. The heart of a story is its very reason for existing. The reason a specific author wants to tell a particular story. It turns a common idea into a unique journey, based on what interests the author and why.

At the heart of every story is a theme that runs throughout, which colours the characters and flavours the narrative and conveys the author’s message in a way that affects readers deep in their souls.

Why novels need a heart  

When we have a clear story purpose, it defines the type of story we are telling, the audience who will read it, the subject matter it will explore and the direction of each plot thread.

Wow, all that packed into one beating heart!  

When an author isn’t clear about the story’s purpose, they end up with too many elements competing for attention and readers who aren’t fully invested because there isn’t a clear pathway from start to finish.

The benefits of identifying story purpose

The heart of a story provides a compass to guide you from conception to completion.

When you know what you want to say and why it enables you to:

• Choose which ideas fit with the story purpose;
• Keep all of the plot threads cohesive;
• Unify the desires and actions of the characters; and
• Stop the anguish of losing your way, which invariably leads to disjointed or unfinished manuscripts.

How to find a story’s core purpose

Identifying a story’s purpose is about exploring what story we want to tell, why we want to tell it and whose story it is.

All of the decisions you make while developing a plot and character arcs, stem from this purpose.

Taking the time to work through this upfront, will help you develop a rich and intense story you feel compelled to tell. It also ensures the story is unique because your representation of the subject will be based on your own experiences and beliefs.

So, what questions should you ask yourself to figure all this out?

• What kind of story do you want to tell?
• What topic(s) do you want to include?
• What theme(s) do you want to explore?
• What deep-seated beliefs do you hold about this theme?

What genre are you writing?

The types of stories we’re drawn to can be discerned from what we tend to read and watch. Think about the genre and recurring themes in books and movies you most enjoy because the genre will determine the tone and style of the prose. (This is the perfect excuse for rereading favourite books and rewatching favourite movies.)

Topic

It should be fairly easy to make a list of the various topics included in your story, e.g. horses, environmental degradation, cars or friendship. Then narrow the subject matter down to one or two main topics. (This doesn’t mean you can’t include all the others, but you need to know which is the main focus of this story.)

For example, my current WIP is about solving a murder, a woman living in a new town and a man dealing with his sister’s cancer, but all of these things revolve around horses. Horses is my main topic.

Theme

The theme of a book is an underlying, universal message. Take a step back to view the big picture of your idea and main conflict. What life-affecting aspects resonate with you, like lust, jealousy, greed, self-preservation, hatred, love, redemption, resilience or revenge?

Theme shows what we want to say about life, the universe, society or relationships and will focus your story on the message you most want to leave readers with at the end of the book.

For example:

• Love is blind.
• Money is the root of all evil.
• Loyalty can’t be bought.
• Good always triumphs over evil.
• One person can make a difference.

Choose themes that evoke a strong emotional response within you and harness them during the writing process.

Deep-seated beliefs

To do this, dig deep into your psyche to explore why you want to tell this story. (Why you want need to write it.)

Think about your own beliefs and passions. Why does this topic interest you and what are your personal views about it? You will most likely find answers to questions like these, surrounding the theme, in your past (yes, exactly the way characters are motivated by their backstory).

Your personal beliefs behind the story’s topic and theme are what solidify vague ideas into something purposeful you can use to shape the plot. Something that raises questions and invokes debate, so it will capture not only your interest to write it but ultimately readers’ interests.

This is the beating heart of your story!

What you believe about a topic changes the story

Let’s use the movie Gran Torino as an example. The heart of this story could be:

• Justice trumps intolerance; or
• Unlikely friendships can forge unbreakable alliances.

Although both of these themes are explored during the movie, do you see how choosing the main one (the heart of story) alters the focus of the plot?

• If ‘justice trumps intolerance’ was the purpose for this movie (which incidentally it is), the main plot thread would explore the main character’s reasons for being intolerant, put him in situations where his beliefs about this topic are challenged (like living next door to a family of Hmong refugees), and then show his emotional growth by having the outcome revolve around him choose justice for this family above his beliefs.
• Whereas, if ‘unlikely friendships can forge unbreakable alliances’ was the purpose for this movie, the main plot thread would explore why the main character is so unlikely to form this friendship, put him in situations where his beliefs about why he can’t be friends with this person are challenged (like revealing that the friend cares for family and has a strong work ethic), and then show his emotional growth by having the outcome revolve around his friendship surviving an ordeal (which is not the case in the movie).

See how the story’s purpose determines the outcome of the story and the final crisis that will showcase it?

Where to next?

Taking the time to understand what drives us to explore certain aspects of a topic, enables us to imbue our stories with situations and characters that are meaningful to us and will translate into powerful tales that affect readers. It also helps make the story cohesive by keeping every decision you make focused on the right things. 

Of course, everyone will have different attitudes about a topic, but yours are the only ones that matter because this is your story; it’s about what you want to speak into the universe.

If you are stuck in a rut of writing novels you never finish, never submit or aren’t sure how to fix, then it’s your lucky day. I’m offering Writers in the Storm readers a FREE masterclass, which reveals the real reasons few aspiring authors finish their novels (and how to avoid them).

Grab the Quit Procrastinating and Write a Publishable Novel masterclass here.

Have you found the beating heart of your story?

About Sandy

Sandy Vaile is a motorbike-riding daredevil who isn’t content with a story unless there’s a courageous heroine and a dead body. She writes romantic-suspense for Simon & Schuster US and supports fiction authors to write novels they are proud to share with the world (and which get noticed by agents and publishers), through coaching, courses and developmental editing.

Having a writing coach is like having an industry expert in your back pocket, to hold your hand through the writing process and act as a voice of reason when you’re standing on a ledge. Sandy’s Active Storytelling Method helps authors find the hidden gems in their manuscripts and make them shine.

In her spare time, Sandy composes procedures for high-risk industrial processes, judges writing competitions and runs The Fearless Novelist Facebook group.

Connect with Sandy Vaile on her website or social media.

Top Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay