Writers in the Storm

By Kris Maze     

November is a time of reflection. A time to enjoy the harvest of hard work, to appreciate others, and to show gratitude. Writers multi-task various jobs, care for others, and focus on our works-in-progress, but sometimes we need a tune-up.

When meeting at a recent Wednesday writing group, I realized the importance of protecting our writing time. Many writers struggle to find writing time, and I heard our group's difficulties as they shared updates. Even when we schedule writing sessions, and stick to our writing plans, there are always tiny time-suck monsters lurking, waiting to derail our writing. 

Removing distractions is a topic I often revisit, because as a busy writer, mom, spouse, teacher, and friend, I work hard to balance my writing goals with day-to-day demands. But this post is a reflection and compilation from other writers about how we can protect our writing time and dreams. Shout out to my writing group for discussing problems we all share about making more time to write.

How to Deal with Interruptions in the Writing Life

One of the biggest hurdles to getting words on the page is interruption. The little ‘i’ makes a big disruption to the capital ‘I’ for many reasons. Finding creative uses of time and space, automating tasks, having strong personal boundaries and can benefit our lives in many ways, but it can also provide us with more time to write.

10 Tips to Protect your Writing Time:

1. Finding the Writing-Friendly pulse of your home.

Do you have early risers or napping toddlers? Is your partner’s work schedule in the evening when you sleep? Try using the time they are busy as your writing time. Lessen your interruptions by finding a natural flow of your household. What you do with those precious few moments is up to you, but instead of binge-watching, capitalize on your gift of time. Invest in your writing goals. Then maybe catch up on an episode as a reward!

2. Reinforce your Personal Boundaries. 

Sometimes the biggest time interrupters are the people we care about the most. Those people who are dear to us can misinterpret a productive work session as frustration or loneliness. If they don’t understand that writers are okay when spending hours alone and working, be sure to tell them. Let them know what would make you the happiest (accomplishing your writing goals with a little time set aside for writing.)

Points To Consider For Sharing Your Boundaries With Others

• Writers tend to not only enjoy their time alone, but they are very unhappy when they don’t get this uninterrupted time. 
• Share with others what interruptions do to your work process and set ground rules that both of you are comfortable with.
• Communicate clearly when you intend to write. Then stick to your commitment.
• Your caring person will learn to accept your work routine and appreciate the time you spend together much more. Many well-meaning friends and family are trying to be helpful – let them know just how that would be best for you.

3. Have A Dedicated Writing Space.

Even if it is a chair facing the other direction from busy kids doing homework at the table. Make a place of your own. Claiming your space as you communicate your intentions may take time. Keeping others in mind can help you build a routine that benefits everyone in your home.

And telepath those pets your desires – let me know if that works and how. I can’t get that one down! They don’t seem to understand what the calendar means yet. *wink* In previous posts at Writers in the Storm, we have examined how feng shui can influence your writing how your writing space can inspire your writing.

4. Have a Dedicated Writing Time. 

How much writing time would satisfy your itch to write? Add a little extra for good measure and carve it out. Share this time frame on calendars you already share with your housemates, work cohorts, and friends. If you already have a system to share schedules, add your writing time to it. Then try these tips to implement it.

• Use a large paper or white board calendar in the kitchen.
• Enter your time on a shared online calendar that reaches all your roommate’s phones. Perhaps use a magnet in your workspace that says “am working’ and let others know that is a time reserved for you alone.
• Talk to your housemates about respecting the time you are working. Let them know a specific time when they can interrupt you again. Assure them it is because you have to get work done as well and you will be able to focus on them once you are have finished your work.
• Encourage them to complete things they need to do during that time. Working side-by-side can build independence in younger children. Having that conversation can reduce so many interruptions. 
• Consider putting a timer on the table next to you in case someone forgets. (adults, kids, elders – all of the above can use a visual reminder at times.)
• Explain what emergencies REALLY are and provide a signal if needed (I tell my teenaged kids to show me blood, for example. Anything else can wait for 15 minutes. Right?)

5. Use Voice-to-Text. 

If you can avoid distractions, make the most of them. When you find yourself waiting in line or in your car and an idea strikes, try dictation to your phone. Most devices now come with a standard read-to-you feature, but did you know they also have options for voice to text? Many writing systems already have these features installed.

A Few Benefits For Using Dictation

• Edit later and save your time waiting in line or other downtime.
• Get the nagging thoughts on paper and allow your mind to rest.
• Tip: Find a place that is acceptable for phone calls and pretend to talk to another writer or better yet, the character in your novel! Perhaps you will find realistic voice and dialogue by trying this method, and others may have no idea what you are doing. Bonus!

In Microsoft 365 (as of late 2021) here are instructions to use dictation.

And you can find instructions for Google Docs here:

6. Grocery Pick-Up – Write While Someone Else Does the Shopping.  

Game. Changer. So many stores offer this service for low or no cost, there really is no excuse to not use this time-builder for writing.

Once you have a list selected your weekly groceries online, you have only a click away from deciding when to have someone else put the bags of food in the trunk of your car.

This saves hours of driving, walking the lanes, and extra purchases of chips and chocolate that mysteriously appear in my cart by the time I hit the checkout.

Try it! Do it. Do it.

7. Plan your Sleep Schedule around Your Writing. 

We have times when we are naturally more alert and times when sleep is a necessary priority. Balancing our circadian rhythms with our writing routine can take some refinement, but it is an important place to consider making changes.

The Downside of Being Tired

Being tired keeps our minds from focusing. To avoid mental wandering and reading the same paragraph multiple times, find times when you are most alert and start a writing session then. I use a timer to let me know when I have met my half-hour goal for the morning. It is like a reward when I realize that I have been writing that long. It is easy to put the start button and try for another round of 30 minutes, but for me it works best when I’m not overly tired.

The Upside to Skipping the Snooze

I also chose sleep more often than I need to, but that doesn’t mean I need to sacrifice my needed hours of rest. One doesn’t need to be a part of a 5 am writing club to get more finished. (Although kudos to those who accomplish great things by getting up before dawn.) If you begin your morning with a simple 30-minute sprint, you also start having already accomplished part of your writing goal, too!

8. Doing Household Chores To Boost Your Writing Mojo. 

Who doesn’t love a clean house and an increased word count? Taking planned breaks can keep you focused and help you avoid interruption. Consider the following:

• Writing for long periods of time can be taxing for some writers, but priming the pump is also important. 
• When writing under a deadline, I write for an hour then follow it with a completely different physical activity. Movement gets blood flowing and refreshes the body and mind. It saves your body from retaining too much stress for sitting in one position for too long.
• If dusting and loading up dishes gives my mind a break, it can process the complexities of the story and lead me to write a better next scene. 
• Pro tip: If you are excited to write the next paragraph, it may be a good time to take a break. You will naturally want to return to the keyboard to address it. 

9. Circle the Wagons for Bigger Life Issues.

If an emotional struggle is draining you, your writing will also suffer. You may need more support.

Consider finding a young mom’s group, or a community group focused on the specific needs in your household that hold you back. If there is a constant need in your household – don’t forget to take of your mental health, too. Caring for an elder? Raising a child with special needs? Grieving an unexpected or life-changing loss? Don’t ignore your current stress. Many groups exist for members to share similar experiences and to support one another.

Put your oxygen mask on first and be the sparkling wonderful person you are as you find the writing path that works for you.

10. Get outside! Spur on your Creativity.

If all the interruptions are just impossible to escape within your house, then leave quickly and quietly.  

• Find your happy place in a pub or café and sip tea while building your next great novel. 
• Join a writing group at your community center  
• find a critique group at your local library. 
• Build up your energy and fill your writer soul with the work that whispers at you until it’s finished. 

When you return, your family will suspect you were dancing on tables and racing down Route 66 you will be so happy. Let them think that. Your dreams are important and those who care about you want the best for you as well. Stand up for your dreams and build a balanced amount of me-time into your lives, Writer Friends.

Letting Go of Daily Interruptions to Write More

If you want fewer interruptions, it would be good to identify what are your biggest culprits. Is it a needy child or an adult needing care? Do you need to be phone-ready to address a crisis at any moment? Perhaps you are stressed out by building a presence in social media or the many parts of an author platform and find yourself just spinning your writerly wheels.

Whatever your stress is that is pulling at your attention, it is paramount to give yourself permission for a respite from time to time.

A Quick Story

              Once, a professor held up a small glass of water to a hall of mid-term stressed-out undergrads. The students propped up on elbows, watched as the professor asked, “How much do you think this glass weighs?” A few students stirred and blurted out answers.

              “ 12 ounces.”

              “16 ounces.”

              “Depends on the cup – is it acrylic?”

              “Let me take a drink. Then I’ll tell you because it will be empty!”

              The professor listened to the various answers before responding, “I really don’t know how much this cup weighs, but I wonder if you could hold it up for a few minutes without much trouble?” The awake students nodded in agreement.

              He looked at the half-filled glass, “What about for longer?” He looked at the students. “How would your arm feel after 10 minutes? 30 minutes? An hour?”

              “My arm would ache.”

              “No way. I can hardly do a plank for 1 minute.”

              “Oooh. Don’t assign this as an experiment…” One whispered under her breath.

              He took a sip of the water and set it on the presentation table. “The water is still in the cup, ready for us to drink.  It is protected and in view. I am confident that this cup will not fall to the ground while I watch it. My arm is resting and ready for my next sip.” The professor did a couple arm stretches.

Moral of the Story

“When we hold on to our problems, our stress, our worries, we cause ourselves more pain and suffering.

Dear students,

Set. Down. Your. Cups.

Take time to do the things you love to do. The things that energize you and bring you joy. The glass will still be waiting for you. But after a break, you will be refreshed.” The professor began to pack his bag and took a long draw from the cup.

              And he dismissed the class for the afternoon.

---

Final Thoughts

We all have responsibilities at home, work, and in the community. Don’t forget to set down your cup. You need that arm to build up your writing dreams.

Until next time, keep writing!

About Kris

Kris Maze has worked in education for 26 years and writes for various publications including Practical Advice for Teachers of Heritage Learners of Spanish and award-winning blog Writers in the Storm where she is also a host. She published a YA dystopian novel by a small press in the summer of 2020. Lately, she has been entering and placing in writing competitions, such as NYC Midnight’s Short Story and Microfiction contests. You can find her YA horror stories and keep up with her author events at her website.

A recovering grammarian and hopeless wanderer, Kris enjoys reading, playing violin and piano, and spending time outdoors with her family. She also ponders the wisdom of Bob Ross.

All photo credits to Kris Maze and her use of Canva Pro.

by Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

You need more than a great idea to write a great novel.

Although I’ve never done an official study on this, I strongly suspect a lot of first novels are premise novels. The writer comes up with an idea and dives in, but they haven’t yet learned how to develop a protagonist with a problem, and are still a little unsure about how to plot.

Such books have solid ideas, but no actual stories, so the ideas fall flat. They’re illustrations of an idea, not a story about a character trying to overcome an issue or resolve a conflict. Many are explorations of fascinating worlds or situations, but there’s no story set in that world or a character struggling with that situation.

A lot of these ideas would indeed make fantastic novels—once the story within the premise is discovered and developed.  

How to Identify a Premise Novel

A premise novel frequently has multiple point of view characters (and a lot of them) because it's trying to show the idea from all sides. But when you try to identify the protagonist, you can’t. There’s no clear character at the center of the story.

Since there’s no protagonist driving the plot, there are no goals to pursue or conflicts to resolve. The scenes commonly focus on elements of the world or aspects of the theme or idea, not a character facing a problem that must be solved or else bad things will happen.

And those bad things are often the "save the world" type of stakes, not a personal risk to a character. None of the characters have anything to lose except their lives. But since everyone has that stake, the stakes never escalate, so there’s no tension and readers don’t care about the outcome.

Here’s the easiest way to test for a premise novel:

Describe the novel in one sentence (even a bad sentence) using the standard "protagonist has X problem and needs to do Y to win Z or Q happens." If you can’t, that’s a red flag you might be looking at a premise novel.

Premise novel descriptions often focus on the idea or theme, not the story. For example:

• “It’s a story of lost love and redemption.”
• “It’s a tale of what it means to be human.”
• “It’s about a world where everyone has a mediocre superpower.”
• “It shows how corporate greed poisons lives and the environment.”

Each of these could make a wonderful novel, but they’re also "all idea and no plot." There’s no sense of a character trying to solve a conflict, but they’ll turn into a story once you put a protagonist with a problem into them.

How to Fix a Premise Novel

If you discover you have a premise novel (or an idea that’s all premise and no plot), don’t worry—all it takes is some brainstorming to develop the pieces you’ll need to turn that premise into a compelling novel.

Step One: Find the core conflict behind the idea

Every novel needs a problem (the conflict), and that problem is the anchor of the story. It’s what the protagonist needs to resolve and what will drive the plot. Look for a tangible problem that must be resolved to prevent/trigger/avoid or whatever this idea is about. What’s going wrong in this story? What’s the one thing that must be resolved or else? What's at the center of your premise?

Step Two: Pick a protagonist (or two)

Someone in your premise is in a position to solve this core conflict. This person will be in a position to affect change in the novel by the choices they make and the things they do. Better still, solving the conflict matters to them, and something bad will happen to them personally if they don’t act. Who has the most to lose in your premise? Who has the ability to act or change the outcome? Who has the story you want to explore?

Step Three: Pick an antagonist

Someone or something is standing in the way of your protagonist succeeding and solving this problem. It's not unusual for the antagonist to be the one who created the core conflict problem, so that's a good place to start looking. Who has something to gain from this core conflict? Who has an agenda about this problem and is at odds with the protagonist's goal?

The plot will unfold as the protagonist tries to solve the core conflict problem and the antagonist tries to stop them. Two personal forces clashing against each other. Both will have things to lose if they fail. Both will have things to win if they succeed. If you took both out of the story, the story would fall apart.

Step Four: Determine the motivations

Character motivations are what truly turns a premise novel into a story. Look for reasons why your protagonist needs to solve this problem (beyond the "or they die" type stakes). What's personal about this problem? What would cause someone in their position to undertake this task? Their reasons for acting and the choices they make is where the plot is going to come from.

Step Five: Determine the stakes

Stakes make the goals matter more and help create the tension that will keep readers invested in the story. How will failure affect the protagonist? Why do they need to act in this novel and solve this problem? As you consider your stakes, think about what matters to the protagonist. If they’re going to risk their life or something precious to them, there must be a very good reason.

These five steps will help you pinpoint the key elements to turning a premise into a story, which will then help you develop your plot.

3 Reasons You Might Resist Fixing a Premise Novel

1. I'll have to cut so much!

Not gonna lie—you probably will. Premise novels typically have pages and pages of extra information in them, and none of it serves any actual story. Think of those pages as research—you created the background necessary to understand your story, and now you'll be able to identify the best parts of it. Plus, any scenes you truly love can be salvaged to include your protagonist or antagonist. Just rework them so they fit the plot and not just the idea.

2. I'll have to rewrite most of it!

Maybe, but a lot can still be used. And with a solid protagonist and clear goals, the rewriting will go much easier. You'll have a plot driving the novel and characters acting with solid motivations to achieve interesting goals. The scenes will have purpose and drive, and won’t simply be “this happened, and then that happened, and then this other thing happened.”

3. I'll have to get rid of half my characters!

Very likely, but that's often a good thing. Too many characters, especially point-of-view characters, dilute the story and make it hard for readers to connect to any one character. If they don't connect, they don't care, and if they don't care, they don't keep reading. Cutting characters also helps you determine who your protagonist is and what they want—which again, helps you find the plot and the story.

Final Thoughts

Turning a premise into a story can be hard work, but it’s worth doing. You might have to get rid of point-of-view characters you love, or cut subplots you find interesting, and for some, you might need to trash the whole manuscript and start over. It'll be hard, but in the end, you'll have a much better novel—and a more marketing novel.

For some writers, coming up with a great idea is the hardest part of writing a novel, so having a great premise is a good start. You have the idea already, and probably a pretty darned fleshed-out one at that. Now it's just a matter of finding the right protagonist and plot to go with it.

Have you ever written a premise novel? Do you have one you're struggling with right now? Please share your story with us down in the comments!

About Janice

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author and founder of the popular writing site Fiction University, where she helps writers improve their craft and navigate the crazy world of publishing. Not only does she write about writing, she teaches workshops across the country, and her blog has been recognized as a Top Writing Blog by Writer’s Digest. She also spins tales of adventure for both teens and adults, and firmly believes that doing terrible things to her characters makes them more interesting (in a good way). She loves talking with writers and readers, and encourages questions of all types—even the weird ones.

Find out more about writing at www.Fiction-University.com, or visit her author’s site at www.JaniceHardy.com. Subscribe to her newsletter to stay updated on future books, workshops, and events and receive her book, 25 Ways to Strengthen Your Writing Right Now, free.

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by Jenny Hansen

NaNoWriMo, for those of you who are unfamiliar with it, is National Novel Writing Month, where hundreds of thousands of writers gather to bang out many many words in a month. Many writers skip it and many writers treat it as a yearly pilgrimage to Writing Mecca.

I'm always surprised to hear how people describe NaNoWriMo, before they've tried it and even after they've participated. I'm even more surprised by the myths that surround this writing challenge. I've been participating in NaNoWriMo since 2007 and I promise to tell you everything I know...

Truths and Myths about NaNo

There are a lot of interesting sentiments bandied about regarding this unique writing challenge.

• 50K or bust!
• I don't eat or sleep during NaNo.
• Word Count Envy is REAL.
• NaNo Prep is vital.
• The graphs and tools keep me going.
• The graphs freak me out.
• If I don't make 50K, I feel like I failed.

The reality is that for many writers, especially indie authors, fifty thousand words in a month is just considered "a professional pace." If you're putting out 4-5 books in a year, this is absolutely true. But I know many many slower writers who keep a pace closer to twenty-five thousand words and the pressure of NaNoWriMo freaks them out.

Fact: November is an insane month for me each year.

Even without my birthday falling at the beginning of the month and Thanksgiving at the end, there always seems to be unexpected craziness. One year it was shingles, another year a family vacation. I tend to arrive at December 1st a little bit out of breath.

I've learned to take a more holistic approach. NaNoWriMo is my birthday present to myself each year. Most years, I love it. And some years, I hate it. And every year I throw my hat in the arena and try.

During yesterday's NaNo Prep webcast, Author Emily X.R. Pan shared a true thing: "The spirit of #NaNoWriMo is doing what you're capable of doing."

Myth #1 - 50K or Bust

The 50K total started with a bet between NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty and one of his writing friends. It was arbitrary number. It was weird and it was fun...so they did it again the next year.

This whole challenge is about fun and community, about writing a bunch of words and drinking a bunch of writer-y beverages. It is absolutely not about you feeling like a writing loser because you don't have 50K worth of words in your November schedule.

We have lives, people. And jobs and families. And stories we really really want to finish.

This year I'm participating in two regional groups and two personal groups. I logged into OhWrite to create a sprint room with a timer (now that the NaNo site has dropped that tool). I even pre-ordered the Winners t-shirt, just in case.

Maybe one of those things will help push me across the 50K line.

Fact: I have won NaNoWriMo only one time.

Julie Glover and I were accountability partners that year and we met for a lot of word sprints that November. My normal total is somewhere between 12-30K, and every year I am happy to have those words, and the momentum the challenge builds to keep me writing at that pace through the end of the year.

Moral of the story: Your NaNo buddies will pull you through every time. (Partly because Word Count Envy really is kind of a thing.)

Myth #2 - NaNo Prep is VITAL

Here's what I know - it's November 1st, and most of you reading this have not done any of the NaNoWriMo prep.

So what? The majority of my American pals who win have never done the prep. They just sit their butts in a chair for 1,667 words a day until they're done

Fact: most of them front-load their word count with some crazy writing sessions and try to finish by Thanksgiving so they can take the holiday off.

However...

• If you want to see some of the prep tools, go here. There is also a manual you can download on this page.
• If you need some writing motivation and want to see the Pep Talks, go here. (They're from the likes of Anne Lamott, Andy Weir, and Diana Gabaldon.)

Quick Prep and Mindset Changes

If you're still feeling the push to for 50K, behold the NaNo Team's 2012 Tips for Successful WriMos. (These are the things the rest of us wish we had known for our first NaNoWriMo.)

1. It’s okay to not know what you’re doing. Really. You’ve read a lot of novels, so you’re completely up to the challenge of writing one.

2. If you feel more comfortable outlining your story ahead of time, do it! But it’s also fine to just wing it.

3. Write every day, and a book-worthy story will appear, even if you’re not sure what that story might be right now.

4. Do not edit as you go. Editing is for December and beyond. Think of November as an experiment in pure output.

5. Even if it’s hard at first, leave ugly prose and poorly written passages on the page to be cleaned up later. Your inner editor will be very grumpy about this, but your inner editor is a nitpicky jerk who foolishly believes that it is possible to write a brilliant first draft if you write it slowly enough. It isn’t.

6. Every book you’ve ever loved started out as a beautifully flawed first draft. In November, embrace imperfection and see where it takes you.

7. Tell everyone you know that you’re writing a novel in November. This will pay big dividends in Week Two, when the only thing keeping you from quitting is the fear of looking pathetic in front of all the people who’ve had to hear about your novel for the past month.

8. Seriously. The looming specter of personal humiliation is a very reliable muse.

9. There will be times you’ll want to quit during November. This is okay. Everyone who wins NaNoWriMo wanted to quit at some point in November. Stick it out. See it through.

Myth #3 - The First Half Is Harder than the Second Half

This is patently false. While the first few days are quite exciting, especially for the newbies, it is all a challenge. And those wordcount graphs actually get harder to look at the longer you go on, especially if you are behind.

I'd like to address the dreaded phenomenon of the Week Two Wall in the NaNo challenge where the initial endorphins have faded and the grind of the 1,667 words-a-day writing schedule sets in. Often the shiny has worn right off our shimmery fabulous idea.

This when it's time to throw out all those nasty words: can't, should, won't. We all hate those words, whether we're doing a writing challenge or not.

Today, before NaNo heats up, I'd like to chat about what I consider to be a NaNo "win":

• Your very best = a NaNo win
• Achieving your goal numbers = a NaNo win (ex: my true goal this month is 30K, not 50K)
• Finishing a project = a NaNo win
• Forming amazing writing habits = a NaNo win

Note: Nano should be fun. And The only word count that matters is YOURS.

Motivation is key.

Obviously I love NaNoWriMo.

I love the community, the late-night writing sprints, the before and after parties my local team throws, even thought they're still virtual. I love the write-ins, the pep talks, the excitement and uploading my word count. I adore getting the chance to encourage my peeps and watch everyone chase their goals.

Whether you're gearing up for NaNoWriMo or not, I wish you luck in your writing goals this month.

Final Thoughts

Wherever you are on your writing journey, DON’T STOP. Give yourself grace when you need it, and keep your goals in sight. You've got this.

The best is always yet to come because our writing improves with every word we write. And our words on the page will never quite match the music and pageantry in our heads. New York Times bestselling author, Linda Howard, gave the best advice for this:

"Do it anyway.”

Do it because you have to. Do it because you need to. Do it because the act of sharing those words is more than most people will ever attempt.

DON'T STOP, my friends.
Your story is calling you.

Do you participate in writing challenges? Do you do NaNoWriMo? For my WriMo pals, what do you do in advance of November to get ready?

*  *  *  *  *  *

About Jenny

By day, Jenny Hansen provides corporate communications and LinkedIn advice for professional 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.

When she’s not at her personal blog, More Cowbell, Jenny can be found on Facebook at JennyHansenAuthor or at Writers In The Storm.