Writers in the Storm

Tasha Seegmiller

 

Whether you are a participant in NaNoWriMo or not, all of us have (most likely) experienced what it is like to hit the middle of the story and . . .

And.

Some call it a brick wall, others talk about being stuck in the muck, and still others may not have a name for it but simply refer to the weeping and wailing that happens when the story is just stuck.

There are probably others who have written about why we get stuck in the middle, but I want to suggest some tips for getting out, based on how I FINALLY emerged from a draft that took me three times as long as anything else I’ve ever written.

1.    Stop letting your desire for perfection become a form of procrastination.

I think all of us know that the really good writers are really the solid editors and revisers, but a lot of times knowing something and believing something is really far away from each other. There is a temptation to get so caught up getting the setting and the characters and the emotional impact and the pacing just right that knowing we aren’t makes us spin our wheels – or worse – stop writing in the first place.

Dear writer? It is okay to leave yourself notes. It is okay to suggest to yourself that double-checking a research point or the emotional chords you want to play even if at the time you are writing them, you aren’t in the headspace or the heartspace to write that during that draft. Remind yourself what you want to the reader to feel or experience at a certain place, and continue with the parts of the story that you know.

2.    Write the story out of order.

Chances are, twenty years ago, this would have been really difficult. I had a professor who realized, after he’d written his doctoral thesis, that things were in the wrong order, so he cut it up, a paragraph at a time, and took over the living room, placing different thoughts where he thought they needed to be realigned. He also told everyone not to open the front door.

Now? Whether you are a Word writer or a Scrivener writer, moving scenes around, or even whole chapters can just be one more step in the revision process. In the case of my most recent draft, I knew how the story ended. I wanted, so much, to wait to write those as a dessert for the work that I was doing, but I couldn’t move on. So, I wrote the last two chapters (it’s a dual narrative story). I made the theoretical tangible and it absolutely unlocked something within me. (I didn’t write THE END then. That’s a mental celebration that I knew wasn’t authentic yet.)

3.    Readjust how you think about the remaining work.

When I got really stuck, I was at 67,000 words. Most of my first drafts are right around 90,000 words, so I knew the math I was shooting for. (Okay, I may have double checked it a few times with the calculator – don’t judge me.)

Then I was having a conversation with a colleague who is also a writer and asked him about his current WIP, asking how many words he had left. And what he answered fundamentally shifted how I think about my work.

He said he didn’t keep track of how many words were left, or even how many words he’d written (not all the way). Instead, he’d blocked out how many scenes were left, and he knew how many of those he needed to write.

I plotted how to get from where I was to where I knew I needed to be in sense of chapters, and I discovered I had 18 left. That’s a lot easier to think about than 23,000 words. And the work became simply to write that chapter.

4.    Create boundaries to protect yourself.

This is one of those pieces of advice that I am really good at giving to other people, and less than stellar at following myself. I was involved in lots of conversations that would occur throughout the day, and I didn’t realize how much emotional and mental energy I was tossing out to all sorts of people, thinking it was my job.

Yes, there are certain boundaries I don’t get to set on my own. I have three teenagers, I work full time, I’m married to an entrepreneur, I’m about to start an MFA program, I’m running unopposed as president of my favorite a writing organization. I signed up for those things, I need to follow through with the various obligations that come with them.

But what I realized recently was that I have also been taking on a lot of things as obligations that just aren’t. Part of this aha came at the same time that my primary religious leader issued a challenge to participate in a 10-day social media fast. I uninstalled all social apps from my phone and started to feel the weight of all kinds of things lifting from me. I saw the ways I could sneak in little things that could allow me to nurture the writing part of me, and I even allowed myself moments to sit and be still. This last part is essential for my mental health and allows me to better connect with the creative side of me.

Social media is back on my phone – it’s how I engage with some of my dearest friends who live all over the place, but I don’t get notifications for any of them. Not a little badge, not a banner, nothing. I have declined to help some people with things that I previously would out of guilt, and allowed myself, instead, to use that time to write. This is not to say that I live a fairy tale writing life with inspiration and opportunity and rainbows and unicorns. But I am done breaking promises to myself (inspired significantly by this book). I am done violating the trust my creativity has placed in me. And I’m slowly working on having less guilt for isolating myself to pursue the writing that I love.

Do you have any suggestions for how to negotiate inspiration or motivation when your book feels stuck?

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Tasha Seegmiller believes in the magic of love and hope, which she weaves into every story she creates. She is passionate about helping women nourish their creativity, is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association,and trusts in the power of Diet Coke. The former high school English teacher now assists in managing the award-winning project-based learning program (EDGE) at Southern Utah University. Tasha married a guy she’s known since she was seven and is the mom of three teens. She is represented by Annelise Robey of Jane Rotrosen Agency.

 

Julie Glover

My father had his own set of proverbs that he dispensed like wisdom from the mountaintop. Even though it’s been decades since I lived in his house, I can still hear his voice in my head sharing such tenets as:

“A thing worth doing is worth doing well.”

“Leave a place as good as or better than you found it.”

“Stupid is as stupid does.” – Oh wait, that one’s not his.

But the adage I’ve been thinking about lately is “Sail into port with all your flags flying.” My dad was reminding me to follow a project all the way through, so that I could stand proud at the end—knowing I’d given it all I had.

 

Yet here I sit in November looking at my progress for the year and thinking my flags look a little sagging and tattered. Maybe you feel the same.

I haven’t followed through on all the projects I had intended to get done, and the countdown to the end of the year has begun! Not to mention that we all know how time-sucking the holidays can be, so good intentions about writing a novel in the week leading up to Christmas are probably just that—good intentions.

How can I possibly get my flags back up the pole and sail into the end-of-year port with my head held high, feeling great about my writing in 2018? Here are some tips for me, and for you:

1. Aim a little higher than do-able. It’s hard to say where your aim should be, because some of you are optimists, some are pessimists, and some are realists. (And no, you pessimists do not get to claim that you’re realists.)

Consider your own tendencies and set a goal that makes you stand on your tiptoes and reach, not one that you can grab while prone on your couch or one that requires stilts and a reaching hook. You want something that you can accomplish, but only with some extra effort.

2. Off-load the less important stuff. What are you currently doing that you really don’t have to do? There’s something you could put on the back burner or toss out with tomorrow’s garage. It might be an obligation someone else put on you that you struggle to pass up. But your writing career hereby gives you permission to say no.

Think of life this way: What am I doing that must be done or leaves the legacy I want to leave? Sure, I have to launder clothes or I will nothing to wear (and I am not becoming a nudist—you’re welcome), but outside the must-dos, which tasks meet your life’s mission and which are time-fillers? Ditch the latter. Or at least move them down the priority list. Clearing that space can give you more time and energy for writing.

3. Plan your days. Whether you’re the type to keep a color-coded calendar or a to-do list floating around in your head, you need a plan. Think about which personality you are, and then decide what will work for you.

You could plan out the rest of the year, or just wake up each day and plan out that particular day alone. But as another man who loved proverbs said: “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” (That was Zig Ziglar.) No matter how detailed or general, whether it’s the whole novel or just the next scene, have a plan.

4. Invite accountability. You know when I got the most done? When I reported to my children. Seriously, there’s nothing quite like disappointing your own kids. “I know I said we’d all do our homework, but I found this Netflix show that was totally binge-worthy, and then I spent an hour trying on dresses to see which ones covered up my midsection best.” Yeah, I never wanted to say anything like that to my own kids! What kind of horrible example would I be setting?

They’re grown and gone now, but I can find others to keep me accountable. And so can you. Tell someone else what you’re working on and then report periodically how it’s going. Then you’ll have someone to share your successes or give you the stink-eye when you need to get back on track.

5. Celebrate progress. Speaking of successes, celebrate your own. I once rewarded myself for completing a novel edit with a roller coaster ride. Given how much I love roller coasters, that was a great motivator. I also have a friend who keeps a tiara in her house to put on when she meets a big goal.

Others celebrate with dinners out, small or big purchases, or a mini-vacation. Make the celebration whatever you want, but reward yourself for keeping your flags up as you sail into port.

What project are you trying to finish before the end of the year? And what tips do you have for sailing into port with all your flags flying?

ABOUT JULIE

Although she grew up in Corpus Christi, Julie Glover has never sailed a boat. She did, however, recently come off a cruise ship where she enjoyed the gorgeous ocean and a wonderful conference/retreat with Cruising Writers.

When not at sea, Julie writes mysteries and young adult fiction. Her YA contemporary novel, SHARING HUNTER, finaled in the 2015 RWA® Golden Heart®. She is represented by Louise Fury of The Bent Agency.

You can visit her website here and also follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Fae Rowen

It's been almost ten years  since I hosted my first writers' retreat. It was a low-key get together for my five-person critique group, which had been meeting for just a few months. 

We already met weekly for face-to-face chapter critiques, but we wanted time to discuss writing, trade ideas and things we'd learned from books, conferences, and hard work. I volunteered my house and the food (breakfast and lunch).

I made sure all the food was prepared—a quiche and fruit salad for breakfast and a salad bar for lunch, with chocolate goodies for dessert. I wouldn't have to spend any time "in the kitchen" other than to set out our meals, and I knew everyone would help.

It turned out that life interrupted and only two of us ended up spending our writers' retreat day together. That turned out to be a really good thing. At that time, Laura Drake and I didn't know each other that well.

I'd gone through my library and pulled out the craft books that I had duplicates of. I also had a Goal-Motivation-Conflict poster board, gridded off for placing sticky notes for plotting. I piled up my stack of RWA chapter newsletters, a couple of thesauruses, a dictionary and notes with craft and industry tips. Laura brought craft books she no longer needed and magazines, along with books she really liked. 

We looked through each other's offerings and pulled out things we wanted to keep. Actually I think I took all her stuff and she took all mine. It was like an exciting yard sale, because we got to share what we loved and convince each other of the value of our reference books. We talked about plotting—we're both still pantsers—and GMC. We shared our dreams of getting agents and publishing lots of books.

Then we wrote, working on our WIPs for the next critique group. Laura took her laptop outside to one of my lounge chairs. I wrote on my "big" computer in the house. After lunch, we printed and read each other's work. 

We had more time to dig into word choice, GMC, setting, dialogue and emotions then we did in our regular critique group meetings. By the end of the day, we agreed that we'd had a productive day, with lots of takeaway to be discovered in the weeks and months ahead with our "new" books and magazine articles.

Not only did I get to learn more about Laura as a person, I was energized by her enthusiasm, our sharing, and the hope of more DIY Writers' Retreats to come. 

We still "do" writers' retreats at conferences, classes, and at her house and my house. We share what we've learned since we last saw each other. I remember how excited she was after reading Lisa Cron's first book! I look forward to her excitement and enthusiasm when I'm feeling stuck. I enjoy the challenge of working together on sticky plot elements of her stories. But most of all, I enjoy spending time with a friend who really gets what it means to be a writer. Who doesn't look shocked when I talk about my characters as if they are real.

Looking back, we were very much beginners, even though we'd both finished three books. We knew some things, others not so much.

Why did our DIY Writers' Retreat turn out so well?

• We had no expectations of what the takeaway would be
• We were open to learn and share
• We were excited about our writing
• We were committed to our writing
• We were open to building a friendship
• We had gone through our own resources to pick out the best to share
• We weren't afraid of what the other would think since we'd been in a critique group together for a few months 
• After our retreat, we continued to talk about what we learned, from each other's materials to new ideas that entered our larger writing community

I bet you have materials in a closet or a box in your garage that you could share with a small group of other writers. If you're in a critique group and haven't tried a day or afternoon/evening writers' retreat, think about putting one together. You might be pleasantly surprised at how it can energize your group. 

If you're not in a critique group, try to find one to three writers who are in your same general skill area. Genre doesn't matter. Invite three or four people to your home. Schedule at least four hours. Six is better, depending on the number of attendees. I think a good rule of thumb would be to plan for two hours per person, so everyone has time to share and feel heard without rushing. The fewer distractions at your meeting place, the better. You don't have to supply all the food, everyone could bring something for a potluck lunch for a retreat that starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m.

Good luck!

Have you hosted or participated in a do-it-yourself Writers' Retreat? What suggestions do you have? Do you have questions?

ABOUT FAE:

Fae Rowen discovered the romance genre after years as a science fiction freak. Writing futuristics and medieval paranormals, she jokes that she can live anywhere but the present. As a mathematician, she knows life’s a lot more fun when you get to define your world and its rules.

P.R.I.S.M., Fae's debut book, a young adult science fiction romance story of survival, betrayal, resolve, deceit, and love is now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.