Writers in the Storm

“Writing is like driving at night in the fog.
You can only see as far as your headlights,
but you can make the whole trip that way."  E.L. Doctorow

Y'all know I have process envy, right? I think most of us do. I always thought I'd be a plotter. I loved outlines so much that I actually enjoyed diagramming sentences in seventh grade!  (not that I remember much about it now). But alas, when it came to writing, my creative mind gave my logical mind the finger.

As an inveterate pantser, one of the most frustrating things is the lack of craft books. The first one I discovered when I began writing was, The Writer's Journey (which puts forth the concept of the Hero's Journey) by Chris Vogler. It made logical sense to me when I heard it, but it turns out, that's not how I conceptualize my characters.

The next I tried was Save The Cat, by Blake Snyder (I was lucky enough to be in the audience for the last talk he ever gave). That made even more sense to me - but I don't plot. So where I could see the 'beats' after I wrote the book (and luckily, they fell about where they should), it didn't help me write the book.

I jumped from craft book to craft book, based on the rave recommendations by writing friends. It took me filling almost two full bookshelves to realize something wasn't right (hey, I'm a slow learner, okay?)

Inspirational books -

I DID find a few along the way that helped me - books that I term 'writing inspiration'. They are amazing, and I highly recommend them for pantsers and plotters both. My top faves are:

On Writing - Stephen King  *My all-time favorite*

Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott

Among many others...

Those were great for getting me fired up for writing, but then I found myself sitting in front of a blank Word doc. Where to start? I had an idea of my character, and I knew he had to go on a journey, but how? To where?

I needed a book to help me, the pantser!

Well, since then I've found a couple of excellent ones, and I wanted to pass them along to other pantsers, so you don't have to go on a long, fruitless search.

1. Anything by Donald Maass

He's an agent, but more importantly, he's a brilliant teacher in regard to what makes a story unputdownable (yes, I just made up that word). He had me at:

"Constructing an inner journey for any character starts with discovering where that character would least like to go."

"Visible actions are stronger than internal moments. Acting is stronger than reacting."

"The rich woven texture of breakout scale novels comes more often from a tight weaving of plot layers than from the broad canvas sprawl of subplots."

'Every protagonist needs a torturous need, a consuming fear, an aching regret,a visible dream, a passionate longing, an inescapable ambition, an exquisite lust, an inner lack, a fatal weakness, an unavoidable obligation, an iron instinct, an irresistible plan, a noble idea, an undying hope..." (not necessarily all in the same character).

Doesn't just reading that get you fired up to start a project?  He doesn't show you how to plot, but he shows you how to build a compelling book from the premise up. I can't recommend his books highly enough.

2. Janice Hardy's Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure

If you're a faithful WITS reader, you already know Janice from her posts here. To get an idea of what she teaches in her book, check out her past blogs with us:

• 5 Ways to Bring Your Descriptions To Life
• Using Internal Conflict to Create Plot
• How Emotional Peril Keeps Readers Reading
• Do You Know Your Novel's Theme?

That's not even all of them, but it's enough to give you an idea. Again, she doesn't try to change you to a plotter (although there's lots of great stuff there for plotters, too), but she helps you conceptualize a better novel.

 

3. Lisa Cron.  My last recommendation, and latest author-crush. Her first, Wired for Story, lit up my world. Her latest, Story Genius, is on the way to me now (come on, UPS man!)

She made me see Story in a whole new way. A way that opened up my creativity. I'll never write another book without reviewing this first. Don't believe me?  Watch her TED Talk:

I was so excited about this that I pulled it up on my phone and made Fae Rowen listen to it while she drove us home from the RWA Conference!  Lisa is just starting an intensive 10 week online course I signed up to get info on. I think it's going to be expensive.

I also think it will be worth it.

 Okay pantsers (and plotters), what craft book is your favorite? Did any ever change the way you saw writing?

Jamie Raintree

Have you ever heard the phrase “act as if”? I heard it for the first time when I was a teenager from a friend who was into personal growth before I even knew what personal growth was. He used to throw it around haphazardly, like it was the answer to everything, and he embodied it with as much enthusiasm. The phrase was an open-ended statement, meant to be filled in with whatever your particular goal might be. In his mind, it was to act is if you already had the job you wanted, were already living the lifestyle you wanted. Act as if you were the CEO. Those were his goals.

WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN TO "ACT AS IF"

At the time it irritated me. I have always placed a high value on authenticity, for better or worse, and acting as if I was something I wasn't felt inauthentic. Who was I to pretend I was at a higher level than I actually was? For starters, I was a teenager. No one would fall for it. But more than that, I wondered if anyone would want to be around a person like that. Society tends to place a high value on humility, for better or worse, but something I've learned in the pursuit of my own goals is that self-deprecation is a bad habit that only gets in your way, especially in an industry where low self-esteem runs rampant.

As I’ve gotten older and delved deeper into personal growth and pop psychology myself, I understand this sentiment better now and it’s something I've adopted into my mindset, little by little, almost without realizing it. Imagine my horror when I stepped back one day and realized that my friend's words had stuck. I had set goals for myself—to become a published author, to be a speaker and teacher—and instead of waiting for an agent to come breaking down my door (ha!), I simply started setting myself up to be an author. It was a choice made out of impatience more than anything else, but for some reason, it was working.

HOW I FOSTERED A CAREER MINDSET

It started with a website. I was a web and graphic designer already so it was a natural place to begin. My website was my "face" in a digital-based industry. I spent hundreds of hours turning my website into my little spot on the interwebs that reflected who I wanted to be, not necessarily where I was in the moment. Not out of inauthenticity, but out of anticipation of reaching that goal one day...hopefully sooner than later.

Then I got more serious about designing my days to foster success. I studied people who were already successful authors and speakers and emulated their routines. I learned how to keep myself motivated, I incorporated mind-focusing techniques into my daily life, and I prioritized my career long before it would ever begin to make me money.

When I realized that on top of writing, teaching was my true purpose, I hunted down the information on how to submit my ideas to conferences and local venues. And when that didn’t take off as quickly as I hoped it would, I added webinars into my repertoire where I could host my own classes on business and productivity for writers.

And all the while, I got up each day (most days—let’s be real here) and worked as if I already was a published author and renowned speaker. I scheduled my days, I strengthened my writing habit, I outlined workshops, I submitted proposals and query letters, I ate well to increase my energy, and I reached out to others in the industry to expand my network. I still do. As much progress as I’ve made, there is still a long way to go. There is always room to grow.

HOW THE CAREER MINDSET EXPANDED MY CAREER

After years of practice, I discovered my fear of being inauthentic was unfounded. In fact, in those times of flow, when I’m not worrying about whether or not my dreams will come true, or worrying about what anyone else thinks, I’m being my most authentic self. In my mind, this is who I actually am. I’m only waiting for reality to catch up.

Act as if.

In the fourteen years that have passed since I first heard this phrase, here’s what I’ve learned it truly means: live in the mindset now of who you want to be in the future. When you live in that mindset, you take actions in the mindset and you bring your goals to life.

In other words, if you want to be a published author, act like one. Make decisions like one. Take steps now to live more like you imagine you will once you are one. The more you live like the person you want to be, the more you will believe it is your reality and believe me, reality will meet you in the middle.

Act as if.

How has living with a career mindset panned out for me? Well, when I first spoke with my agent and she offered to represent me, I asked her what made her want to offer me representation. She loved my book, of course, but on top of that, she had looked at my website and liked my confidence. People want to get behind people who believe in themselves.

When I first spoke with the woman who would become my editor, I was able to share with her how I’ve grown my platform in the many years I’ve been acting as if I already were an author, as well as all the systems I had in place to continue my growth once I had a book in print. Not only has it been an absolute joy to connect with people who love writing as much as I do (and the only thing keeping me going on the darkest days), it has been an organic way to grow the platform publishers like to see in this social media era. A few days later, she offered me a 2-book deal.

WHY "ACTING AS IF" WORKS

These are only two of the biggest examples, but there have been dozens of little steps along the way and probably hundreds of connections I’ve made without even realizing it by putting myself out there as the version of myself I strive to be, even on the days I didn’t 100% feel like that person. Low self-esteem is a cancer, I tell you, but the amazing part about "acting as if" is that you grow past the self-doubt by putting in the work each day and making progress. Working this way, you can't help but grow your natural confidence. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

It's amazing what's possible when you believe in yourself, even if you have to "fake it until you make it." Because that’s what acting as if is really about—putting on your dream like a suit each day until you believe you are worthy of that suit. When you believe, the opportunities to live in that suit arrive.

Or yoga pants. Your call.

How have you "acted as if" for your writing career? What can you do to "act as if"?

Jamie Raintree
Writer | Writing Productivity and Business Instructor
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Announcing the winners of Laurie Schnebly Campbell's contest: Comment #21 and #35 as chosen by random.org. Congratulations to Alice Fleury and Melissa Racine. You can contact Laurie to arrange your free class.

And now, you're in for a real treat, as Kathryn Craft continues her Turning Whine Into Gold series.

Kathryn Craft

Do you ever seek to connect with certain people for the primary reason that they have beautiful energy about them? I do, and just thinking of them can bring a big boost to my day. They are deep thinkers, endlessly curious, good listeners, resilient as all get-out, and, like a tennis player bouncing in the ready position, seemingly game for whatever comes next. I recognize them at first meeting, because they don’t (read: “cannot”) hide their light under a bushel. I always look forward to seeing them, because I know that without a doubt, I will come away the richer for it.

In the theory of synchronicity put forth in his 1993 novel, The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield suggests that any meeting between two people who are acting from their “higher selves” is meant to have this effect on each other. Can I prove that this is so? No—but I love thinking about it.

Redfield’s book was a spiritual guide thinly disguised as a novel. As literature it was roundly criticized—as would be any plot that relies entirely on coincidence. But I have learned to pay attention when a book is a runaway hit, assuming it has some takeaway for me (yes, even Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight). The Celestine Prophecy enjoyed a 165-week perch on the New York Times Best Seller list, and in 1995 and 1996 it was the #1 book in the world. It changed the way I came to view the give-and-take in every interaction.

While two people who are acting from their higher selves will feed each other’s energy, people acting from their lower selves tend to try to steal that energy. Redfield suggests this energy theft happens in one of several predictable ways—and the first sheds light on the very nature of whining.

Poor Me
I hate to say it, but this is my control drama. When I am tired, or feel beaten or broken, I whine (I’ve been writing Turning Whine Into Gold for three years now—how do you think I came to know so much about it?). When I whine to another person, I seek their comfort. I have nothing else to give back right then. I want to build myself up by syphoning off some of their energy. This is a relatively passive form of control.

Aloof
My husband has beautiful energy, but this is his drama when acting from his lower self. He goes into his man cave (okay, office) and shuts himself off until I venture forth to find out what’s wrong. Knowing that I will eventually chase after him is his way of syphoning energy off of me. Not that it takes that many steps to go find out, or burns that many calories to ask, but his low-pressure system causes an energy suck that I can feel even when I’m up in my writing loft.

 

Interrogator
This was my mother’s control drama. She would woo me with empathetic-seeming questions until she had my trust, seeking my weakness, and then be critical of my answers. You must keep your guard up around an interrogator at all times, anticipating their thoughts and actions so you can avoid the criticism. Keeping you off-balance is how the interrogator syphons your energy.

Intimidator
This is the most aggressive form of energy manipulation. Through threats or abuse, the intimidator forces you to put him or her at the center of the relationship at a great deal of emotional cost to you—but oh, do they feel powerful in the end.

At the very least, these control dramas may be of use in your fiction. At best, they can improve the relationships you rely upon to maintain your writing career.

An awareness that your control drama has been tripped can make you quicker to realize that it’s time to spend some time alone and shore up your reserves. Because our work is passion-driven, there’s a trap for all writers: once we identify as a writer seeking publication, we tend to focus on what we want—from our relationships with our agent (sell for big money!), editor (make me shine!), publicist (make my book visible everywhere!) and even our readers (buy more and review more I beg of you!). Oh, and could our husbands and/or children please be more understanding and supportive—or, let’s face it, self-sufficient?

Such desires are understandable, but when (inevitably) unmet, they can be like bleeding out, draining you to the point you are ready to suck energy like a vampire from any warm-blooded source.

At such times we need more of those energy-boosting exchanges—but ironically, to benefit, we have to contribute. If you want to create a publishing team that works—even on the home front—try to think of the ways your enthusiasm can foster the effort.

What do you bring to your relationships with your agent, publisher, publicist, and family? You bring a book, yes—but that’s a product. How does your writing help make you a better person, and how can you bring that to your relationships? How do you protect your energy so that you can avoid slipping into a control drama?

If you have anyone with beautiful energy in your life, please pay them tribute in the comments. Then emulate!

Kathryn Craft is the award-winning author of two novels from Sourcebooks: The Art of Falling, and The Far End of Happy. Her chapter “A Drop of Imitation: Learn from the Masters” will appear in the forthcoming guide from Writers Digest Books, Author in Progress, available now for pre-order.

Her work as a developmental editor at Writing-Partner.com, specializing in storytelling structure and writing craft, follows a nineteen-year career as a dance critic. Long a leader in the southeastern Pennsylvania writing scene, she leads workshops and speaks often about writing.

Twitter: @kcraftwriter
FB: KathrynCraftAuthor