I think we are all asking ourselves the same thing…
Why isn’t it Friday yet?
What you’ll find in this newsletter:
Why I had a bad writing week
What I was doing instead
The 3 most important parts of my writing process
I had a bad writing week. I wrote MAYBE 2000 words this week (and they were very bleh.)
I think there are a lot of reasons for this:
My day job (professor) has been stressful. Thankfully, summer is around the corner.
LOVE, LISTS, AND FANCY SHIPS has been out for a little over four months, so sales have slowed way down (as they do, but still, you always hope you are the exception).
LUCK AND LAST RESORTS comes out in four months. I love it so so so much (even more than LLFS), and I worry that no one will buy it. Nothing happens four months out, so it makes you wonder if your book even exists sometimes. (Have you pre-ordered it yet? You should.)
POTENTIAL BOOK 3 is the first book I’ve written as a published author. I wrote LUCK AND LAST RESORTS before LLFS came out.
What did I do about this bad writing week?
Honestly, I have accepted that I’m likely not getting any good words in until the semester ends. I changed my writing schedule so that I don’t have to write anything until then. If I do get good words in, it’s a bonus. Basically, I’m taking a break.
I am still having a hard time not feeling panicked about taking a break, even though I know it’ll be fine.
So if I wasn’t writing, what was I doing instead?
If I were incredibly wealthy, I would spend all my time dabbling in my various creative pursuits. Writing is obviously number one, but I also love to sing and make music. I’ve always wanted to learn how to draw so I can do my own character art.
I’ve spent a lot of my free time taking classes on Skillshare and practicing drawing and animation on my iPad. Here’s a GIF I made of a young Nina and Ollie from LUCK AND LAST RESORTS.
The three most important parts of my writing process…
The three most important parts of my writing process are 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
1. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆
I don’t write every day, but I have spent the last six years writing consistently. I was a lot more rigid about my writing schedule back then because it was new for me. Now I write so often that it feels weird NOT to write. It’s a habit. It’s part of my life. Consistency is really important to my process because it makes accessing that creative headspace when I’m writing (and even when I’m not) a lot easier.
2. 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿
Rough drafts are…rough, so I try not to take myself too seriously. I don’t cringe when I write an awful line, I laugh. Accepting that bad writing is part of the process (and is a bridge to good writing) takes a lot of the pressure off. I love to share my awful lines in my IG story. Having a sense of humor about the less-than-perfect parts of the process helps me to get through those rough parts, take more chances in my work, and have more fun on the page.
3. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
I am constantly evaluating not just my writing, but my writing process. Is my current writing schedule serving me? Is this a book I need to push through or one that requires breaks in between chunks. If part of my process isn’t working, I adjust. Your writing process is the vehicle through which your writing is transported to the page. If your car breaks down, you’ll have a hard time getting to the finish line. Make sure you are doing frequent maintenance on your writing process!
Of course the writing process includes so much more, but these three elements set me up to keep growing, avoid burn-out, and stay motivated.
Love this post. As an aspiring writer, I'm grateful that you, Sarah, an author I admire and whose books I love, is so transparent and relatable about the writing process.