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February is already in sight and perhaps you set ambitious goals for 2012 as I did. Are they feeling a little too much right now? Today's guest post from novelist and writing coach C. S. Lakin will help you break it down.
Sometimes the writing journey feels overwhelming.
Years ago, all an author had to do was write a book and send it off to a publisher (one handwritten copy at a time!), and if her manuscript was accepted, the publisher did all the work of publishing and promoting. Now, authors have to be writer, marketer, publicist—and sometimes publisher—in order to make strides to become known and to have their books sold and distributed.
And still, after long hours each week applying ourselves to so many career-promoting tasks, we may feel frustrated and unsure whether we’ve accomplished anything at all. And our books? Well, sometimes we don’t even have time to write, it seems.
We also set huge goals at new year and sometimes these can also add to the overwhelm. So I'd like to recommend a few helpful writing related goals that will help you achieve your broader goals.
(1) Try some new plotting and structuring techniques on your WIP or next project
I am always trying to stretch myself with each new novel, trying out new techniques, new ways to plot, structure, and organize my ideas. For many of my novels I used index cards for scenes. I've created character flow charts, character arc charts. For my last novel, Intended for Harm, I used six large pieces of poster board and used Post-It notes for the scenes. These are all ideas I got from other writers—either from their workshops or from books on the writing craft. If it’s in your plans to write a new book this year, think about stretching yourself and forging into new territory.
(2) Try to attend at least one writers’ conference
I was given the advice to attend a writers’ conference seven years ago. I had attended a few here and there over the years, but this time I planned carefully which one to attend. I couldn’t afford to go to many, so picked the one where I knew I could learn a lot on the writing craft. To my surprise, the author who made this suggestion said that not only did she receive an offer of a publishing contract at a conference, but that’s how all her author friends got published. Really?
Well, six years later and after having contracted eight of my novels with mainstream publishers by attending writers’ conferences and pitching there, I can also say that nearly all my writer friends who have gotten contracts or signed with an agent did so through pitching at a writers’ conference. I wish someone had told me this twenty years ago when I started out.
This is the best piece of advice I can give you for the New Year, for it has twofold benefits—giving you the opportunity to hone your writing by taking classes and the chance to pitch your book (either idea or finished novel) to agents and publishers. Even if you’re not ready to submit, chatting about your story and perfecting your pitch is extremely helpful.
(3) Pick one weak point in your writing and focus on that
We can become overwhelmed when we think of all the weak aspects of our writing. Surely there is room for improvement on so many fronts, and with lots of rejections we can become disheartened and feel like quitting. Make it a point to focus on just one element of your writing that you are weakest in and see how you can improve that this year. Athletes will spend 80% of their time working on the 10% or 20% areas they are weakest in. We should do the same. And when you see improvement, you will feel encouraged.
(4) Find (or keep and appreciate!) at least one good critique partner
If you have someone who really gives you honest, helpful feedback, that’s a great joy and aid to your writing. You can set them up as an accountability partner, too, if you tend to procrastinate. One author friend agreed to do this with me, and each week we sent one new chapter for the other to edit and critique. This keeps you writing and on target for finishing a manuscript. You can find critique partners through online writers’ groups and organizations, and again, by attending a writers’ conference and hooking up with someone you feel a good connection with. I treasure my critique partners.
(5) Apply yourself to becoming a better master of your language
As a professional copyeditor and writing coach, it stands to reason that I’m going to suggest this. I can't overemphasize how much your writing will improve if you learn some good grammar and editing techniques. So many published authors aren’t great with grammar, spelling, and punctuation. They may feel that's not their concern—trusting the proofreader at their publishing house will catch and fix all the errors. But my feeling is that when you work hard to write better and more accurately—learning just where commas must go, when to use hyphens or italics, and how to properly punctuate dialogue—your writing will improve. When you’re not hindered by these things you don’t know how to do, you can focus on writing beautiful sentences and creating powerful imagery. It’s not a waste of time to learn to master the handling of the English language.
Challenge yourself to improve your writing chops. It will show in your writing, and the agents and editors who read your work will see you in a better light. Editors love seeing their authors prepare error-free manuscripts. I wish you all a joyful and productive (and hopefully stress-free) New Year full of writing!
Top image: iStockphoto
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1 2 Next »Thank you C.S. these tips are great.
Time is such an important factor and it's all aout prioritizing and making sure you stay focussed. I recently downloaded Evernote and it's already becoming a massive part of my life. Between this and Scrivener i'm quite excited about future stories and that initial research/organisation stage :)
and wow, i knew Writing Conferences were important, but i didn't know they could be that good :)
I plan on attending my first in 2012 and this makes the idea of it even more exciting
Matt (Turndog Millionaire)
Scrivener rocks Matt!
They are great goals! I think I can achieve all 5 ;)
While I never actually took part in a writer's conference (I don't know any that would take place in Poland) it sounds like something worth attending. I suppose I'll have to research conferences happening in Europe. I completely agree with you on no. 4. I'm lucky enough to have a critique partner that I can send stuff to with a note "have no mercy" and she whips my stories into awesome shape.
Do you know Piotr Kowalczyk at http://www.passwordincorrect.com/ and he also does http://ebookfriendly.com/ - he's in Warsaw and might know of writing conferences or other events
For outlining my latest novel series .. I have been using "xmind" (it's free).
It uses standard brainstorming bubbles so I can group topics while also keeping breakout lists for actual chapters. Then in the side bar it can show the standard outline built and updated from changes on the brainstorming section. It also has the ability to compress/declutter and focus on sections.
I've also used Freemind.
There are a couple of other tools .. celtx and storybook looked promising but I haven't worked much with them. A niece finishing up a journalism/literary degree had only good things to say about celtx.
I do a lot of mindmapping but mostly by hand in notebooks, I never got the hang of the software but I know some people who love it!
I appreciate these writing tips! I plan to attend a writing conference this summer.
Great ideas! I'm hoping to make great strides in my writing this year, and I'm dedicated to focusing on improving my editing skills.
Self editing is definitely something we all need to improve on. I love that point when you are so disconnected from the work that you can slash away and it just feels good :)
I envy you that, Joanna! I would LOVE to reach that place. Disconnecting from my own work is so difficult. Its getting easier, but I'm not there yet. Even after THREE DRAFTS! Any advice?
For me it happens after beta readers have commented. The book becomes about the reader, not me as the author, so I want it to be the best for them - so I cut whatever is necessary. By then I just don't care anymore :) I want it out there!
I'm off to Romantic Times this year for the first time ever. I've been to "RWA a number of times but have to admit, I find their sessions often too short and not informative enough. I'm a seasoned, pre-published author and I need something more than b eginner classes. so i'll decide about that conference a little later in the year.
Could you possibly recommend some good conferences in the UK? My Googling isn't turning up many promising results. :)
Excellent practical goals; thanks for sharing. Your post brought together some things of which I've recently become aware -- again. I'm just beginning to break out into fiction writing and heard about a structuring technique using mapping at our writers club meeting today.
Also, I've always had great learning experiences at writers' conferences, local, regional and international. This year, I am attending the San Miguel Writers' Conference in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, since I will be down there during February when it takes place.
Thank you, this feels as though I'm getting a double shot of 'writing espresso' with a guest post by a favored editor on a favorite writing site! I've already taken steps to incorporate aspects of four of the five into my writing routine, and am finding mind-mapping (using free software) to be particularly helpful. It's nice to get all the little pieces of plot, character arcs and major themes out of my mind and onto the screen where it can be more easily organized to strenthen my WIP. I hadn't even considered a writing conference at this point because I didn't feel that I was ready, but I'm going to rethink that in light of your suggestion.