Oh, hello there!
It has been A WHILE since my last real newsletter, but the good news is I have plenty of stuff to share.
What you’ll find in this newsletter:
Pre-Pub Anxiety
Craft book recommendations for writers of every level
What I’m reading
Why I’m rethinking my writing process
Recent and upcoming releases I’m excited about
A writing exercise for you
Luck and Last Resorts: Panic Mode Activated
Luck and Last Resorts is out in 66 Days! With Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships having been out for six months, I am doing a little reread before Luck and Last Resorts drops and live-tweeting all my secrets.
BTW, Have you watched The Luck & Last Resorts Book Trailer? I’m pretty proud of myself, TBH.
Pre-pub anxiety is now in full force. Will people buy this book? Will they like it? Why haven’t I gotten any trade reviews yet? When will things start to pick up?
So yeah, it’s been hard to focus on anything else. But I also can’t wait to share this book with all of you!
Let’s get crafty!
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I have a few books on writing I recommend constantly. Here’s what I suggest based on where you’re at in your writing journey. Note: If you are in the advanced category, I still recommend ALL of these books!
Story Genius - Lisa Cron A really great introduction into how to build a story with real movement.
Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott Excellent insight into the writing life. Lamott talks about getting started, shitty first drafts, and so much more.
Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert Really motivating for creatives of any type.
The Emotion Thesaurus- Angela Ackerman, Becca Puglisi Are your characters always shrugging and nodding and smiling? Wish you had some other ways to describe how your characters express emotion? This is a great resource.
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel- Jessica Brody When you’re ready to write that novel but don’t know where to start. This book is invaluable.
Structuring Your Novel - K.M. Weiland Another useful structure book. K.M. Weiland provides a slightly different approach than Save the Cat! I suggest choosing one to start with and then see what works for you.
The Emotional Craft of Fiction - Donald Maass Do I even need to bring this one up? Ya’ll know this is my favorite craft book. It teaches you how to take a story from good to great.
Steering the Craft - Ursula K. Le Guin Le Guin is a master storyteller. This is a quick, straightforward book with some excellent writing exercises.
Both of these books are excellent resources for writing instructors (or educators of any type…or creatives…or all humans…!) on how to cultivate anti-racist spaces.
Craft in the Real World- Matthew Salesses
The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop - Felicia Rose Chavez
What I’m Reading
Anyone else in a reading slump? I think I’ve only read 15 books so far this year—I haven’t been good at logging them, and I don’t really rate books anymore either.
If you aren’t a huge reader, you might be thinking, Uh, fifteen books is not too shabby. After all, the average American reads about 4 books a year.
However, if you live in Book World, especially on social media, you might be used to seeing folks reading 15 to 125 books a month. (That’s not a typo. Some people can really read that much EACH. MONTH.) I’m lucky if I finish 1 or 2 books a month.
I tend to read between 40-50 books a year. That doesn’t mean I read a book a week, though. I’ll have a week where I read 3 or 4 books, and then I won't be able to read a single book for weeks.
I just…don’t worry about it. Reading is supposed to be enjoyable, so find the pace and mode of reading that works for you. (And yes, listening to audiobooks counts as reading.) I am an enthusiastic mood reader/DNFer (Did not Finish…er). If I’m not feeling like picking something up, I don’t. It doesn’t mean the book is bad. It doesn’t mean I won’t read it eventually and love it.
I’ve been struggling to read fiction lately, probably because I’ve spent the last two months struggling to figure out how to write my own fiction. I can’t even focus on books I’m enjoying.
The thing that is digging me out of this reading slump very very slowly? Nonfiction audiobooks, mostly on topics of psychology, neuroscience, and general science.
It might surprise you all to know I love science and always have. I think my love of learning anything is why, despite of my ADHD, I’ve always done well in school.
Nonfiction audiobooks (which I’ve mostly been downloading from my local library through Libby) are quick and interesting. As a busy parent, I can’t always have my hands free to read an actual paperback or book on my kindle, so audiobooks are great for in the car or while I’m doing chores around the house. Audiobooks are also one of the ways I get my ADHD brain to do the tasks I hate. Folding laundry is a LOT more enjoyable when I’ve got an interesting read playing.
One of the topics I’ve really been interested in is the science behind creativity. There are some fascinating insights into how doing nothing and taking breaks can make our creative process better.
My fave recent reads:
Do Nothing - Celeste Headlee A fascinating mixture of history, science, and personal reflection related to labor and our tendency to overwork why working more isn’t really getting you anywhere.
Rest- Alex Soojung-Kim Pang A scientific look at the importance of breaks. Excellent advice, though it glosses over issues of class and gender. Still, some valuable ideas for creatives to add to their practice.
The Order of Time- Carlo Rovelli
Time? It’s not real. Find out why in this mind-bending explanation of time.
Rethinking my Writing Process
My recent nonfiction reads have me rethinking my writing process.
I tend to be an all-or-nothing person. When I’m working on a project, I try to finish it as quickly as I can. I tell myself that I do this so I can take a break when I’m done.
But…that never really happens. There’s always the next project. As soon as one is done, you’re working on another. I’m already brewing an idea or two for book 4 in the back of my head.
For years, I’ve been waiting for my life to “calm down.” When life calms down, then I can relax. When life calms down, I can finally have a clean house. When life calms down, I’ll exercise, read more, [fill in the blank].
But then I realized that this is my life. My life isn’t calm. Things won’t calm down. I need to stop thinking about later and start thinking about how to make my life and work more sustainable right now.
Inevitably, I tend to rush through projects, rewrite 50% of it because I pushed through even though I knew something wasn’t working, try to get it done as soon as possible, and when a book is done for real…I miss it desperately.
Why am I killing myself to beat deadlines? It isn’t like the book will come out any sooner. It doesn’t make the book any better.
My process for Last Call at the Local has been significantly different from my first two books. I think there is a lot of merit in writing a quick and shitty first draft, especially if you have never finished a novel before. But with a few books under my belt, I’ve developed a better sense of when things are “off” early on and have been revising as I go. I trust my intuition more. I’ll draft a chapter or two and revise it until it feels right. (If you’re a perfectionist, this probably won’t work for you. But I am..definitely not that.)
The biggest change in my writing process?
I’m writing less.
Fewer words in my sessions. Fewer hours writing overall. I used to get about 2-3k on an average writing day. Now, it’s about 500-1500. I used to write for 4-8 hours when I wasn’t teaching. Now, it’s 1-4.
I’m spending a lot more time walking. Thinking. Participating in non-writing related activities. When I encounter a problem, instead of forcing myself to work on it relentlessly, I back away. If, on a writing day, I’m not feeling it when my 10 minutes are up (my only goal for a writing day). I actually stop. If I need to change gears and brainstorm or free write instead of drafting or revising? I do that.
I haven’t taken a nap yet, but I have been lounging around in my bed for an hour or so most afternoons. I haven’t done that in years.
Why? Why am I slowing down and writing less? Why waste time “doing nothing?”
Because the science suggests rest is just as important to creative work as the actual work itself. Your brain needs it. (And the definition of what counts as rest might surprise you!)
When you rest—and I mean really rest, not just scrolling social media and bingeing the latest season of Stranger Things—your brain is actually hard at work learning new skills, storing memories, and subconsciously working on problems you’ve faced throughout the day.
I realized this in a very real way last weekend when I decided (for no reason) to learn how to crochet. The first day I spent over eight hours struggling to figure out what I was doing. I couldn’t do a SINGLE round of a granny square. I ended the day frustrated and defeated.
After a night’s sleep, I woke up and tried again, and BOOM, suddenly it all made sense. I understood what each stitch was doing, I could zip through 3 or 4 rounds without having to start over twenty times (though they still look really wonky), when twenty-four hours before, I could hardly get through one.
Long story short: taking a break gave me a breakthrough. Since implementing more intentional rest into my writing life, I’ve noticed the same with my creative work.
I’ve spent the last five months spinning my wheels in the same place with book 3. No matter what I did, the first half didn’t feel right. I kept writing the same section over and over, anxiously picking at the problem so I could solve it.
The problem was I kept trying to solve the same problem in the same way. So instead of trying to push through, I decided to stop and try something new. I took a few weeks off writing. I spent less time consciously working on and thinking about the book. I started incorporating story walks into my routine.
And then…magic. On Tuesday, I woke up for my morning writing session already feeling defeated. I didn’t want to write, so I decided to brainstorm instead. And BAM, an hour later, I had an outline for the first half. One I knew was right. Excited, I headed out for my story walk and voice noted Beta Reader Dani my ideas.
When I got back, I typed them up into my Scivener document. I had zero plans to outline beyond the first half. But BAM! Suddenly, the second half, which had always been a murky “maybe this happens” mess, fell into place.
Finally, finally, finally, this book feels like it has a shape. It has cause and effect and character development.
And I doubt it would’ve come to me so soon or so “easily” if I had continued working and stressing. Walking away and taking a break made my process more efficient, not less.
I have no illusions about this book being a piece of cake from here on out. But I know I’m in the right direction. And if this isn’t it, it is definitely very close. I always have a sense when something is off, and I’m always right. And just as often, I know with some degree of certainty when I’ve finally the right solution to a problem. And I think I’ve found the right solution this time.
So do the research on rest and creativity for yourself. Examine your routines. Be intentional about when and how you rest. If you’re stuck or struggling, give rest a chance and see what your brain can do.
New Releases I’m Excited About
Neruda on the Park -Clevis Natera
Everything for You - Chloe Liese
Every Summer After- Carley Fortune
Part of Your World- Abby Jimenez
A writing exercise for you…
Another thing the second example does that the first doesn’t? It doesn’t just tell you something about Clara, but the narrator too.
Exercise: Look for a place in your manuscript where you tell the reader what someone is like. Take each adjective and turn it into something more specific.
(If you don’t have one in your MS. Write a sentence that describes a character, then take each adjective and make it more specific.)
A few reminders:
The e-book for Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships is available for $1.99 until June 6th! Be sure to snag your copy (or share this deal with your friends, family, and mortal enemies!)
You can pre-order signed copies of Luck and Last Resorts from Quail Ridge Books!
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