Maybe Planning and Plotting Are Inspiring After All

 

Lately, my creative well has run dry. Yet, despite my strong belief in the power of a writing habit, I could no longer return to my usual creative processes. 

Usually, I start a short story based on a particular scene in my mind. I will keep writing, meandering about, hoping to discover the plotline, character, and overall theme along the way.

This is not something I can do anymore. 

To move forward in our writing, we must be willing to do some self-reflection on what is working and what isn't. 

For me, pantsing has only led to notebooks filled with short stories that go nowhere or never get done. I have countless stories that end up so scattered that rewriting would be like starting over.

And it's not like this hasn't been (eventually) successful for me. I have had stories published.

Yet, it's just too much work in the long run. My revision process is undeniably slow. Part of the hesitation to revise is that I'm going to a story with a lot of work to be done.

This has led me to often work on the same darn story for years. And they aren't even long stories or anywhere near novel length.

Lately, I decided to return to a short story of mine, "You Spelled Carrot Wrong," about a marketing company called "Hawk Eyed Advertising" and an unusual word that starts to go viral. I felt inspired to return and build up that story's "world."

I began by creating a Google Doc. I added all the characters within the story I wrote, what I knew about them, what I knew about the company, and any important scenes from the original story. 

Then, I started adding more characters. I added two more client service people who were in a prank war with each other. 

I also started adding goofy scenarios, such as someone hacking into the system to turn everyone's desktop background a glittery, safety cone orange. I also added a scenario where the same person is coming to the office to interview for a job, but just in different disguises and made-up names.

And I've also kept an eye out lately for inspiration. I start with my own day job and pay attention to any company or coworker quirks I can use, tweak, and add to my story. I browse Reddit for work scenarios, from the petty to the dramatic. 

These moments have become little nuggets that help create the world of Hawk Eyed Advertising.

I wanted the company and the people within to come to life before I started writing a word. 

The amazing thing is that it's inspired me. 

I recently got a scene in my head and jotted it down on my phone. I was cautious, though. I stopped before the scene became aimless. I reminded myself of my goal to make Hawk Eyed Advertising and the characters within more real. For me. And one day, for the reader. 

If you're struggling with inspiration lately, take a look at your own processes. Are you a planner? Try pantsing for a while. Are you a pantser? Try plotting. Are you a poet? Try fiction. Are a fiction writer? Try some essays.

We get stuck in our old ways sometimes. Sometimes this is okay, if they work, but sometimes it can dry up our creative well. I know we're not supposed to rely on inspiration, but sometimes we need more than a simple habit to grow as writers. 

I'm feeling cautiously optimistic that I'll somehow turn into a planner. And I hope I do. Because maybe one day a short story idea of mine will blossom into that elusive novel I've been avoiding.

Nicole Pyles is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. Her writing has appeared in Sky Island Journal, Arlington Literary Journal, The Voices Project, The Ocotillo Review, and Gold Man Review. A poem of hers was also featured in the anthology DEAR LEADERS TALES. Her short story, “The Mannequin of Lot 18,” was nominated for Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy for 2024. Since she’s not active on social media very much, stay in touch by following her writing blog at World of My Imagination or her Substack, Nicole Writes About Stuff.

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4 comments Nicole Pyles, planning, short stories

End of Year Thinking

This is the time of year when I do a lot of thinking.

And I don’t mean like when my kids were small and I’d try to take a tiny nap and tell them not to disturb Mommy because she is thinking. I mean, sure, my eyes are sometimes closed and I will often fall asleep during all this ruminating, but honestly, I’m seriously thinking. 

It’s important, this thinking. I will start with taking a look at what I’ve done in the past year and that informs new dreams, new plans. Because dreams do change, y’all, but how often do we take the time to really think of how we’ve changed and how that impacts our wants and needs and goals or dreams?

Certainly, my writing career has come a long way from where it started. When I left teaching, the principal of the middle school where I worked asked what my plans were, and at that point, my “plans” were to write. But I sensed she was expecting me to say something a bit more substantive, more impressive, if you will, and so I blurted out, “I’ve got an idea for a novel, a cozy mystery.” And the principal must have been truly impressed since she announced my plans at the end-of-the-school-year gathering. Everyone clapped and I tried to crawl under my chair. A novel? What was I thinking, saying I planned to write a novel? 

Well, I wasn’t thinking at all. I read an awful lot of mysteries and believed I could write a mystery novel, if I put my mind to it. And I actually did attempt a novel that first year. But after ten or so pages, and slap out of ideas, I was done. Good heavens, how did authors get an entire novel written? 

My end-of-year thinking pushed me toward flash fiction and essay-writing and I became a better story-teller. I used those skills to try my hand at web content and though I made a steady income, my thinking about that sort of writing made me realize that the money wasn’t worth the dream-sucking work. 

Throughout the many years, taking the time to think about what I was enjoying in my writing (my dreams) and weighing the pros and cons of different projects (the reality) has led me down lots and lots of varied writing paths, some wonderful and some, not so much. 

There are those of you who hold steadfast to your original writing dreams through all your ups and downs, both personal and business. And that’s the right way for you. But if you’re facing dissatisfaction, ennui, or even a writer’s block that’s more like a boulder, maybe this is the year to do some serious thinking. 

Ponder what you love in your writing, what you want in your writing career. Then think a bit more concretely about what it will take to get there. Are there habits you need to develop, or even bad habits you need to drop? Classes you could take? Webinars to attend? How will you spend your money on your career? How can you make money with writing? Is the money important to you? If not, what is important? 

See how a little thinking can lead to who-knows-where? There's the adventure, the excitement, friends, so happy thinking and happy writing in 2022! 

(And P.S. Where I am now is back to the beginning, writing a cozy mystery, and finally able to bring together enough words and ideas to complete it! I wonder if anyone sitting in that school cafeteria will see my hopefully-published novel one day and say, “Didn’t Cathy Hall start working on that book fifteen years ago?” And I will say, “Yes. Yes, I did!”)

~Cathy C. Hall

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4 comments Cathy C. Hall, planning, writing dreams, writing goals

Friday Speak Out!: From Pantser to Planner

by Stephanie Dethlefs

I love lists. I love maps. I love schedules, routines, and plans. I’m spontaneity-challenged. I want to know what’s coming, always. I know these things about myself (and, perhaps more importantly, my husband knows them about me.) I’ve always leaned into this characteristic in all areas...except writing.

I hated prewriting activities when I was in school. I just wanted my stories to emerge from the pencil like water from a faucet. I would avoid writing outlines with a pout and a touch of procrastination. I turned in first drafts and pleaded innocence.

In elementary school, this plan worked fine because I had no inner editor. As I got older, that voice got a little louder, turning the stream of words into more of a trickle or – on the worst of days – not a drip.

But still, I remained a “pantser." I wanted my characters and topics to shape themselves on the page. Scenes would arrive in my mind with no context, and I wrote stories around them. I wrote my first middle grade novel backwards, with the climactic scene being the first thing I wrote. I had no idea who these kids were or how they got there, so I had to write my way out of the predicament.

That’s what worked for me for the first half of my writing life. But last year, as I rounded the bend toward 50, I took two actions which changed everything.

First, I read Lisa Cron’s Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel ((Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere). It had been recommended to me and, if I must admit, it had taken me longer than three years to write a first draft of that middle grade novel. I’d gotten stuck over and over (and over and over), quitting more times that I can count.

The second thing I did was enroll in a rigorous book coach certification program. I’d been working with writers in several roles for decades, and this seemed like a perfect next step during an uncertain year. Alongside learning the curriculum, I decided to put the tools to the test with my current work-in-progress. I was shocked at what I uncovered. Not only did asking important questions help me understand what my book was about and who it was for, I was shown how to create a roadmap for the story in an intuitive and emotionally engaging way. I now know exactly where my book is going and, more importantly, why it’s going there.

Will my next book be better than the first one? I don’t know. Do I believe “pantsing” your story is wrong? Not necessarily. But I’ve discovered the power of intentional planning, and it fits beautifully with everything else I know about myself.

* * *

I am a writer and book coach living in Pacific Northwest Washington with my family and a pandemic puppy. I enjoy writing middle grade fiction and creative nonfiction essays. My writing has been featured in numerous publications and my first book was published last year. A free course and additional offers for authors of contemporary fiction for middle grade, young adult and adult audiences can be found at https://hellowriters.net.
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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
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1 comment Friday Speak Out, novel writing, pantster, planning, Stephanie Dethlefs, writer inspiration

Leaping Before I Look: Fast Action

Take care preparing your query. One incorrect punctuation can mean a rejection!

Twitter pitch parties are a great way to get your work in front of an agent. Take this class to prepare. If your pitch isn’t perfect, agents will pass it over. 

Warnings like these are legion. As a result, one writing friend takes a week or more with every query letter she writes. I refuse to tell her that I write mine in at most 90 minutes. 

Still I often use the need to plan, or write and rewrite, as a way to delay taking action. In an attempt to get beyond this I’ve been looking for ways to take “fast action.” For me, this means moving forward without every single detail mapped out. 

My first foray into fast action wasn’t writing but it was writing related. My office is a monumental disaster. It doesn’t help that 2020 turned it into OUR office which means that any cleaning up I do takes place around my 6’2” office mate. Two weekends ago when he was at the cabin (3 hours away), I had an epiphany about decluttering the office closet. This would require emptying said closet. Instead of measuring shelves and drawing plans, a requirement for any team effort, I pulled everything out. Two hours later, we have an amazingly well-organized office closet. It isn’t perfect but when someone needed a padded mailer yesterday, he could find it. Score one for leaping without looking. 

My second foray into fast action was last week’s PBPitch on Twitter. Somehow it had escaped my notice that this was coming up so I didn’t have time to run things past my critique group. But I read a blog post about an author who, for an earlier PBPitch, wrote her pitch in a parking lot and sent it out on the spot. This was how she landed her agent. I spent an hour writing and revising pitches for three books. I posted them on Thursday and got a request. Posting my pitches instead of talking myself out of it meant that a top agent has one of my manuscripts. I count that as a win. 

My third fast action foray involved my web site. Given that I’m querying, I need to update my site. But it wasn’t just the content that was a problem. My old design is dark and dated. I’ve been trying to talk myself into working on this all year, and I have to update my GoDaddy listing by November 10th. What if I expanded my blog into a site? I picked out a new theme and got started last week. I still need to add graphics and fix the menu, but leaping into the project got me moving. 

Fast action isn’t going to work for everything. But sometimes if I dive in with only a sketchy plan? I end up moving forward. 

--SueBE

Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 25 books for young readers.  To find out more about her writing, visit her blog, One Writer's Journey.

Sue is also the instructor for  Research: Prepping to Write Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults (next session begins December 7, 2020) and Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults (next session begins December 7, 2020). 

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7 comments pantsy, planning, plotting, taking a chance

Getting Out of a Writing Funk

A couple weekends ago, I attended a leadership and strategic planning meeting for the Missouri Writers Guild, in honor of its 100-year anniversary. If you are unfamiliar with the MWG, it was founded in 1915 by Walter Williams who was the dean of the Journalism School at the University of Missouri Columbia at that time. Over the years, the organization has encompassed writers of fiction and nonfiction who are professional writers, however you want to define the term "professional."

One hundred years is a long time for any organization, which will surely have its ups and downs during its history, and MWG has had some of those. It seems in recent years, volunteers were few, and the work was plenty. Besides this, with all the changes in the publishing industry and the need for writers to connect with one another and improve their craft, the MWG has to realign its goals to the needs of its members and create a sense of passion and enthusiasm for writing, too.

But what does any of this have to do with you if you don't live in the Midwest? (which by the way ANYONE can be a member of the MWG) I started thinking of my own career of 15 years, which isn't as long as 100 obviously, but it also has had its ups and downs, and I'm currently in some sort of a writing funk. So what can I learn from my weekend of planning with the MWG? Here are a few things:

1. People do still care about books and writing! When the market becomes saturated with authors and new books, it's hard to remember that each writer and each book makes a difference to someone. Even if you are not on the bestsellers list or receiving a movie contract, your book can still touch the lives of your readers. If you have a story in you, write it--no matter what happens with it. Big success is great, but so are the little ones!

2. It's important to take some time to look at what works and what doesn't for me. Just because my writing buddy can sit at the computer on a Sunday and churn out 5000 words doesn't mean I can. I have a beautiful four-year-old daughter and freelance work, so I have to fit in creative writing when I can. I shouldn't get down on myself because I have a self-publishing idea with a friend, but we haven't written a word of it yet. I am making goals and seeing what works for me, and what I need to change, so I shouldn't compare myself with anyone but myself. 

3. Whatever makes me feel enthusiastic, stay with it! What project is calling to me at this time? The self-publishing one and another Maggie Mae picture book. I tried to force myself to work on a novel, which I do like, but it just wasn't flowing. It will eventually, and in the mean time, I need to stick with what is working.

Although the MWG conference wasn't a usual one with editors, agents, and workshops, it was still motivating--it was a group of writers, brainstorming together to make a strong, professional, and helpful organization for its members. And it showed me that I can do the same for my own career!

Margo L. Dill is the author of the picture book, Maggie Mae, Detective Extraordinaire: The Case of the Missing Cookies, to which she wants to write a sequel soon. To check out more about Margo and her two novels, please see her website at http://www.margodill.com or the novel writing classes she teaches for WOW! at http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/WOWclasses.html.

keyboard photo by orangeacid on Flickr.com

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4 comments effective writing goals, Margo L. Dill, planning, writers group, writing funk

Updates from a NaNoWriMo Battlefield

Photo | EKHumphrey

This is the blog post where I admit that I’m still on the battlefield, but I have no plans for winning the battle. (I refuse to call myself defeated.) Two weeks ago I braved jumping into NaNoWriMo without a plan, a story outline, or a writing schedule. (Thank you for all the cheering after my November 1 post! I appreciated it!) Diving into NaNoWriMo was less pressure for me than in other years, but I knew it would still require a commitment of my time.

I wish I could claim that I haven’t been writing for the contest because of some other fantastic project. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. In this time, the biggest realization I’ve come to is that—writing or no writing—I’m not putting aside enough time for me.

For example, those times when I had a spare moment, my focus shifted from writing to helping my daughters clean their room during a crisis—a buyer contacted us to buy their beds we were replacing and we would do some repairs. Or I was diving into the launch of my email list free gift. (That excitement was lessened by some last-minute editorial changes that took time.) These were not the only things that became a bump in the road. Unfortunately, I’ve let individual bumps grow into a mountain that was between me and my writing.

For the next two weeks, I’m going to shift my focus. Obviously, I’m not going to finish a novel in the next fifteen days. But I know I want to finish it. What I can do is I can put a plan in place to at least get writing during this busy time. And these are tips that are applicable post-NaNoWriMo.

• Refrain from reading (too much). Don’t get me wrong, I love to read. Lately  I find that if I check my phone or email, I start clicking on links. Thirty minutes later, I’ve started reading the longest article in the history of the world. It’s a sign of my procrastination, which I need to curtail.
• Plan better. The bed fiasco sucked more time than necessary because I let it. I could have stepped back and allowed my kids more autonomy while I supervised. I thought by jumping in, I would get return to writing time. Instead, I was pulled deeper into my kids’ activities. (Totally worth it, mind you, but I still could have planned better!) This weekend, we are throwing a birthday party...and I've been planning!
• Better buddy contact. I needed to check in with my NaNoWriMo friends and give them support. I find having those writing conversations energizing, but I haven’t made time for them…yet!
• Shuffle writing time. I’m a morning writer, so I often tell myself I can’t write creatively later in the day. So, for the next two weeks, if I don’t write in the mornings, I vow to write during my lunch hour or before bed at night. I will be writing, no matter the time of day.

What have you been doing to reach your writing goals, NaNoWriMo or others? What have you had to rearrange or stop doing in order to make progress on your work-in-progress?

Elizabeth King Humphrey is a writer, editor, and teacher. Her free guide, Harmonizing: Find and Communicate to Your Audience, helps health and wellness professionals communicate with their potential clients.

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2 comments achieving writing goals, daily writing, Elizabeth King Humphrey, NaNoWriMo, planning, work in progress

Recovering from Hitting a Speed Bump

Photo courtesy | Flickr: Andrew Rivett

On Friday, a blog post by Mridu Khullar Relph put me in a contemplative mood. One of her great lines from the post is: “The writing life is full of surprises, some of them good, and some of them upsetting.” To me, the upsetting part of a writing plan may be when you find a speed bump (or two) in the path you've decided to take.

No matter how we try, our writing life may not follow the plan we had set for it. Recently I had a chance to experience a couple bumps I hadn't expected.

Last year I wrote the gluten-free eating book and was thrilled with the experience. Capitalizing on the momentum I was feeling, I focused on some fiction I've had rattling around in my head. I expected I would be able to write another book and looked forward to completing it. This spring, I was contacted to write another book for the same publisher.

I put the fiction aside and hit the ground running. I Googled. I went to the library. I started checking out books on the book's subject. I downloaded medical reports. I visualized writing the book and following the same pattern that worked so well last year.

And then I looked at my life. Really looked at it. I looked at it more than just clearing the proposed deadline date in my calendar. There was too much going on in my life as it is: My mother-in-law and ailing father-in-law have moved to town. I have a different, more demanding job than I had last year. I accepted several teaching gigs this summer, which I had rarely done before. I'm traveling a bit in the next couple months. And I wanted to relax and explore new avenues, such as recipe development.

So, I returned the books to the library. Recycled the medical reports I had printed. I removed my name from consideration and scratched my name off the imaginary byline I had already envisioned.

While I enjoy writing and think the book would have been a great challenge, I'm glad I made the decision I did. I’m picking the fiction up, albeit a slower pace than previously, and spending quality time with my in-laws. 

I’m just trying to enjoy my life right now, even if I've hit a speed bump in my writing plans.

Do you make plans with your writing life? How well do they pan out? What do you do when you hit a speed bump?

Elizabeth King Humphrey is a writer and editor living in coastal North Carolina. When she’s not at her computer, she is happily playing in her kitchen.

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2 comments Elizabeth King Humphrey, planning, plans, writing plan

Career Advice: Getting Ahead in the Writing World

A couple years ago, I interviewed Kate White, who, at the time, was editor of Cosmopolitan magazine. It was an interesting interview for a couple reasons. First, I always felt like I had to balance home and work, and she gave me some great tips about finding balance between the two. Second, in our hour-long chat, she convinced me that I needed to be a gutsy girl when it came to career options. I needed to be proactive, be my strongest supporter.

That can be difficult, especially if you don't like to toot your own horn.

I was rereading the notes from our talk the other day and I drew four pieces of advice from it that I have put into practice recently.. Each of these are basic approaches that can boost not only your writing career but your personal life, as well. Think about these hints and how they can help you:

1. Learn to say 'No.' This is one of the hardest steps I have had to take. I'm a people pleaser, so saying 'no' tends to be difficult. I find that I want to smooth things over or make things better. Yet, there comes a breaking point and sometimes I KNOW I need to tell an editor 'Thanks, but no thanks.' In the last year, I've pushed myself to say 'no' more often, especially to potential projects that are going to suck my time and not offer fair compensation.And guess what? I am not as stressed and I can devote more time to better paying projects.
2. Learn to negotiate. I hate to negotiate. But, if I don't stand up for me, who will? I ran into a situation requiring negotiation just a month ago. I did my homework and found information from a variety of sources that helped negotiate a higher paycheck than originally anticipated. The editor didn't even balk at what I asked for. Lucky, I know.
3. Learn. Period. Make every attempt to accelerate your learning curve. I have always wanted to learn French, but seriously, how will that advance my employ ability? Most likely, it won't. For a new gig, I use InDesign. A lot. I know the basics, but I need a class that will give me a bigger range of skills. By taking a class now (and juggling my schedule to do so), I'm showing my new editor that I am willing to take the necessary steps now to ensure I am qualified for the position, rather than waiting until later. And P.S., I can tell my new boss appreciates my efforts.
4. Learn to plan ahead and look behind in your career. In other words, evaluate or reflect on your growth as a person and writer. Discovering what you've done in the past can help chart a future course. 

While some of these pieces of advice are easier than others to accomplish, I've discovered by being proactive and treating my career seriously, I have a boost of confidence that I had not noticed previously. Maybe it's because I'm more serious about my writing. Maybe I've found balance between personal and career choices.

And maybe, I'm becoming a bit more gutsy.

by LuAnn Schindler. Read more of LuAnn's work at her website.

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3 comments advice for writers, advice from editors, cosmopolitan magazine, kate white, learning, LuAnn Schindler, negotiating, planning, saying no

Why Do Writers Trash Their Efforts?

I'm not talking about tossing the latest page into the trash can in your office or on your desktop. I'm talking about trashing our own efforts to make it as a writer.

Stop it! Stop with the self-defeatist attitude. If you believe you're going to fail, more than likely you'll achieve that goal. If you believe you can and will succeed, then your self-fulfilling prophecy may come to fruition.

Nobody said freelancing was going to be easy. (Well, nobody said it to me.) But, how many times have you caught yourself in one of the following situations? And more importantly, what can you do to stop finding yourself in this type of predicament?

• Prioritize. If you don't make writing a daily priority, how will you succeed as a writer? I know, some days I feel like I don't write anything. I'm too busy reading press releases or developing story ideas and leads, but let's be honest: not every day can fall into that pattern. If you're going to write, write. Even 15 minutes worth of writing can keep you focused and turn into a worthy project.
• Plan. If you're serious about freelancing, you have to treat it like a business and know how this business operates. Not only do you need to understand the intricacies of the publishing world, you also need to understand the basics of running a business operation. Consider tax preparation, contemplate important purchases, and confer with fellow writers. 
• Procrastinate. Whoa! No, I'm not encouraging you to put off until tomorrow. It's a bad habit (and unfortunately, I mastered in it while working on a master's). You have to look at the root of the problem. Not submitting queries? Why? Not able to schedule writing time? Why? Stop waiting for success to knock on the door. YOU have to make it happen.
• Promise. If you accept an assignment or promise to submit three pages to your critique group or set dedicated office hours, then keep the promise! It's so important to follow through, whether with an editor, an agent, a trusted writing pal, and yes, yourself.

Why do we writers trash our efforts? We're human, yes, but until we learn that the journey requires hard work and dedication, we will continue to sabotage our efforts.

Do you trash your writing efforts? How do you overcome this problem?

by LuAnn Schindler 

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3 comments follow thorugh, LuAnn Schindler, planning, prioritizing, procrastination, self-sabotage, trashing your writing, writing as a business