Dear one, you’ve reached a glorious yet perilous stage of writing: revision.
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Bestselling author Jessica Brody will show you the 15-point “Beat Sheet” that functions as your road map for writing a novel and what to do when you’re overwhelmed by how much ground you have to cover in your book.
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Joyce Carol Oates says that Public Enemy #1 of writers is... Interruptions. Fun fact: It takes about 25 minutes to re-focus on your writing task after an interruption. That's a half-hour lost. Here's a simple and wildly effective strategy to access deep focus during your precious writing time.
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In this mini-workshop with Renee Long, you will:
Take back control of your calendar so you're calm, focused, and motivated to write (no matter how busy you are)
Uncover the real root of procrastination and distraction so you can finally stick to your dedicated writing time
Practice simple strategies to quiet the inner critic so you can access deep focus during your writing time
You can't set an electrifying writing goal if you're scared pantsless by rejection.
Can you relate? You want to sink your pen into a new story or essay, but what if...
You're rejected with a form letter: "Sorry, your work isn't for us. Good luck." Ugh, the worst.
You publish to the sorrowful sound of crickets. 🦗
You publish and readers hate it. They send you hate mail and call your work "A blazing dumpster fire of horrendous writing!" 🔥
When you're in a "what if?!" rejection spiral, it's easier to crawl under your down comforter and spend the rest of 2019 in the fetal position than set a writing goal.
Tame your Fear of Rejection Monster before you set any writing intentions for the New Year. 👹
Here are 3 truth nuggets that will help you move through the fear of rejection so you can publish proudly in 2020:
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This week, I have the honor of sharing my interview with poet and editor, Charnell Peters.
Charnell Peters is the author of the poetry chapbook Un-Becoming from 30 West Publishing House. Her previous work has appeared in Foundry, Hippocampus, Crab Creek Review, and elsewhere. She is the editor of Ruminate Magazine’s online publication The Waking.
I love our conversation here because we got to go deep into a discussion around craft plus very practical tips for poets and writers to overcome procrastination, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome.
In this interview, we touch on a few things like:
How to honor whatever emotional state you're in and write anyway
A brilliant and simple strategy for poets to outwit perfectionism, which I'm going to start using myself
How to think like a poet in daily life when you're out in the world
How new writers can manage the pressure of “creating a brand” and be content in the present moment, wherever they are in the process
Plus, Charnell shares a lovely poetry reading with us at the end, so be sure to watch all the way through
It’s September in NYC.
I’ve traveled from LA for a big book release (it’s bibliophile season!), and I’m meeting colleagues I’ve only known online.
I’m eating lunch with friends at a Chinese restaurant in Midtown, savoring every delectable bite. (Oh, east coast food, how I’ve missed you!).
Starting tomorrow, our schedules are packed with event activities. I’ve planned to spend the rest of the day alone wandering through lower Manhattan.
Megan, who’s brain holds more book and publishing knowledge than anyone I’ve met, asks, “What are you up to this afternoon, Renee?”
Suddenly, gamboling by myself through Manhattan sounds excruciatingly lonely, and I respond, “Walking to Chelsea Market and Washington Square Park. Wanna come?”
I hear the eagerness in my voice, but I’m keen for the company of another book nerd.
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My dad is visiting from Florida this month, and like many handy fathers, generously spends his time fixing things around the house.
One of his projects was to fix the door leading into the garage. The seal was falling off and the door wasn’t shutting properly, which was a big PITA.
So Dad got to work. After an hour or so of banging, clanking, and scraping, I heard the door shut smoothly, followed by a long sigh and this nugget-of-wisdom:
“Still sucks. But it’s better than it was.”
I burst out laughing. Like many fathers, my dad is notorious for zingers. This one struck me as particularly relevant to writers and artists.
To me, the mantra of “Still sucks. But it’s better” is a snappy equivalent to the popular credo of “Done is better than perfect.”
Plus, it acknowledges the inevitable reality that for many artists, we’re never really satisfied with our work. But at least it’s better.
Writers: We don’t have to be paralyzed by perfection and we don’t have to sacrifice quality in our writing.
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Author Sophfronia Scott's latest novel is Unforgivable Love, a vivid reimagining of the French classic Les Liaisons Dangereuses. She’s also the author of an essay collection, Love’s Long Line, from Ohio State University Press’s Mad Creek Books and a memoir, This Child of Faith: Raising a Spiritual Child in a Secular World, co-written with her son Tain, from Paraclete Press.
Her essays, short stories, and articles have appeared in Killens Review of Arts & Letters, Saranac Review, Ruminate, Barnstorm Literary Journal, Sleet Magazine, NewYorkTimes.com, and O, The Oprah Magazine. Her essay “Why I Didn’t Go to the Firehouse” is listed among the Notables in Best American Essays 2017.
It was so cool to talk to her about the importance of taking our work seriously, because, as you'll see in this interview, there's a lot at stake when you're called to creative work.
Sophfronia is a paragon of consistency and devotion to her craft as a writer. It was so cool to talk to her about the importance of taking our work seriously, because, as you'll see in this interview, there's a lot at stake when you're called to creative work.
In this interview, we talk about:
what to do when essay or story ideas come to you in the shower
how to breathe new life into a classic tale
steps you can take to honor your writing life
the importance of non-writing writing and what she calls "creativity play dates"
how being a "project-oriented" writer can ease overwhelm so you can show up and do the work
Plus, Sophfronia offers a kick-in-the-butt pep-talk for writers at the very end, so you'll want to watch all the way through.
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Melissa Reeser Poulin is the author of Rupture, Light from Finishing Line Press and co-editor of the anthology Winged: New Writing on Bees. Her poems and essays can be found in Relief Journal, Entropy Magazine, Writers Resist, Ruminate Magazine, Hip Mama, Coffee + Crumbs, among other journals. She writes a newsletter and blogs at melissareeserpoulin.com.
For any of you who have struggled to integrate your writing life into daily life, family life, and your other creative interests, this interview is for YOU. Melissa Reeser Poulin is one of the most curious, creative, and nurturing people I know, and you'll see from this interview she has a lot more going on than just writing poems. She is the epitome of a life-long learner––diving into biology, acupuncture, community development––and it all informs her creative process. In this interview, we talk about
How it's okay to "write less" and let go of the guilt of not writing "enough."
How we writers need to ditch our "should" and be kinder to ourselves.
We talked about how she deleted ALL of her social media accounts while remaining a fierce advocate for the benefits of community.
And you'll learn how to create a narrative arch out of a collection of poems
And so much more!
When’s the best time to write? That depends on one thing: YOU! Fighting your body’s natural biorhythm is a recipe for disaster.
By disaster, I mean: depression, anxiety, procrastination, fogginess, and all the other juicy goodies awarded with sleep deprivation.
When you study the data, you’ll quickly find that not all great writers rise at 4 or 5 AM to work. Looking closely at their routines, productive writers align themselves with their body’s natural sleep schedule (called a chronotype) and capitalize on the peaks and valleys.
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This fear makes me procrastinate writing, prevents me from “flow,” and can send me into an anxiety spiral in seconds. Is this your fear, too?
I’ve worked hard to hone strategies that help me show up for my creative writing, anyway. Join me in moving through this fear so you can share your own soul’s work.
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Creative work requires risk. It requires vulnerability. It requires an unmooring of epic proportions. It requires dancing with the lightest of light and the darkest of dark.
This is why great writers cling to grounding habits because ritual provides certainty and a refuge from the uncharted space of creation. Writers cling to ritual so they can show up to the page with courage… where the most intense nightmares and fantasies come alive.
As Flannery O’Connor said, “Routine is a condition of survival.”
If you’re ready to start showing up for your creative work, ready to create a consistent writing routine that overcomes procrastination and helps you finish projects, here’s a simple way to make your writing habit stick in 60-seconds.
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“One of my proudest achievements is the fact that I finished a first draft.”
Are you struggling to develop a consistent writing schedule? Maybe you're having trouble sticking to your dedicated writing time? Perfectionism? Imposter syndrome? Maybe you feel frozen when you sit down to write. My friend, today's LitHabits Alumni Spotlight interview is just for you. My workshop student Christal Mancari is a speculative fiction writer, and she had all of those same doubts and fears. She moved through them and finished the first draft of her novel using the strategies she learned in my workshop. Watch the full interview and learn how she did it.
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A few weeks ago, I was shaken to my core when I learned that a writer I dearly loved–– someone who'd impacted me and millions of others through her work––passed away suddenly at 37 years old. Though she left us too soon, her good works will continue to ripple out and change lives for years to come. And that's what we're talking about on this week's broadcast. News of her passing was a violent wake up call: We don't have time to waste!
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Is there anything better than a good book in the summer? Reading may be my most sacred ritual as a writer. It opens perspective, checks my biases, and encourages me to stay endlessly curious about our wide, wonderful universe. It brings me joy. Here’s my summer reading list for the joyful writer with 10 titles (in no particular order) to feed your hungry mind and soul.
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Want to write a better finale for your story than Game of Thrones? This video will help you use the a critical storytelling element the HBO writers forgot.
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This morning was rough.
Actually, it started off beautifully. My morning self-care routine is solid these days. My magical morning of journaling, meditation, affirmations, and a long sunrise walk is the bedrock on which I build a life of meaning.
I’m aware that’s an obnoxious #humblebrag, but this routine was hard won. It took over three years to craft into an automatic ritual. Yeah, the “28 days” theory is total caca.
Most days, my morning routine sets me up nicely for a few hours of solid writing. I feel focused, calm, and ready to face the blank page with courage.
Today, however, was rough. For no particular reason other than it’s Friday, and my energy reserves are on E after a long week.
I sat down at my dedicated writing time at 8 a.m. and opened a blank Google doc. Instead of typing, guess what I did?
Yup, opened Facebook in a new tab. 🙄
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Many non-writing writers are so weighed down with fear, unworthiness, and overwhelm that “just write” sounds like “climb Mount Everest without oxygen.”
They give up before they begin.
Fruitful and productive writers have an intrinsic muscle set that helps them write with courage, keep the ass in the chair, and finish their most cherished projects.
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This is the story of a writer.
As a little girl, she's quiet and spends a lot of time drawing. When she enters high school, she becomes the art editor for the school paper. She's enthralled by story and art and the depth of human experience.
When she’s 12 years old, her father is diagnosed with lupus and quickly passes away. She turns to art for comfort.
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