Dear Rhonda: A Monthly Writer’s Advice Column
Welcome to a brand new monthly feature here on the Resilient Writer’s Blog.
Each month, I’ll answer the most common questions I get from writers, and you’ll be able to submit your questions for consideration as well.
This month’s question comes from a First Book Finish member who is feeling creatively burned out due to her day job.
Q: Dear Rhonda,
I’m having a hard time focusing on my novel-in-progress because I’m giving all of my creative energy to my day job. At the end of the day, I have nothing left for my own writing.
How can I maintain my creative writing habit when I write full-time for a living?
— M.
A: Dear M.,
This is such a common struggle, and most of us who aren’t dedicated to our own writing full-time can relate.
Anyone with a job that requires high creative and cognitive output, such as writing, teaching, or design, knows there’s a price to pay in terms of your creative...
Choosing the Right Narrative Structure for Your Book
Are We Losing the Plot?
“Begin at the beginning,” the King said gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”
— Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
I love this quote because at its heart, this is narrative structure. This is storytelling. And it’s simple.
You could follow the White Rabbit down the hole and come out with one heck of a story. Pun intended. All you have to do is follow the world’s simplest directions for telling a story.
Yet, it’s not as easy as the King would have us believe, right? Otherwise, everyone would be a writer, and we’d all be wildly prolific.
In the spirit of keeping it simple, let’s break it down…
What Is Narrative Structure?
A narrative is a story.
Structure is “the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex.” (Source: Oxford Dictionary)
At its core, narrative structure is how you tell...
2 Unruly Beasts All Writers Must Tame
The Two Unruly Beasts You Must Tame In Order to Create a Writing Routine and Writer’s Life You Love
How do you create and sustain a writing routine? Is it even possible in today’s hustle & ping world of distractions and demands?
That is the question.
The goal of this consistent writing routine is not necessarily to be a prolific writer and pump out hundreds of thousands of words.
Our true goal is to LOVE the process (most of the time), so we can LIVE the writer’s life for the rest of our days.
It’s no secret that I believe the key to all of this is becoming a resilient writer. And I’ve talked about what that means before.
But how do you get there from where you are now? Why do so many writers struggle to find the time to write?
There are two beasts we must tame, in order to become the writers we want to be…
Tame Your Expectations
You’ve always loved stories. And you’ve been a writer for as...
Why Publish?
And believe in your book.
Dear Rhonda,
Enclosed please find the cheque for your million dollar book advance.
Love and kisses,
Your Publisher
Ah, no. I’ve published book-length work a few times now, and sadly, this was not the outcome for any of my books. I do get lovely Christmas cards from the publisher of my short fiction collection, Freehand Books, along with my royalty statements...but they fall far short of the million dollar mark.
I’m not expecting things to be any different for my next book either, which will be another poetry collection.
And yet, when I received positive responses from my publishers and knew the books would find their way in the world, I was SO excited. My heart-rate soared and I felt like I would burst if I didn’t tell someone the great news right away. I think I floated around the world for a few weeks at least. There was definitely champagne involved!
Having spoken in whispered detail to lots of writing friends about...
How to Feel Less Alone with Your Writing
Are We In It Together?
It’s a lonely life, the writer’s life. Or is it?
We love the myth of writing as a lone activity, the writer huddled in a cold loft wearing fingerless gloves and turning out pages by the light of a single candle.
(Just me? Possibly my English degree has steered me wrong here!)
In my own experience, this has been an important challenge in building a writing life I love. Writers need enough alone time – and I say this as someone who needs a LOT of alone time – to get our writing done, but if we’re not careful we can also isolate ourselves and end up feeling alone.
For years I didn’t share my writing with anyone, and I didn’t have anyone to talk to about writing. It took a long time to feel comfortable sharing work-in-progress, and to feel like I could contribute something useful to writing discussions – particularly on the technical aspects of craft which often felt more like magic to me in those early days.
But as...
Three Sneaky Types of Writer’s Procrastination Keeping You from Finishing Your Book
[photo credit: Annie Spratt via Unsplash. Isn't it great?]
Let me guess…
You have one (or 12) unfinished writing projects stashed in the back of your desk drawer, or buried 22 subfolders deep on your hard drive.
These unfinished writing projects might include:
- Stalled novel manuscript(s)
- Illegible memoir notes on napkins
- Scattered bits of short stories
Sound familiar?
If you’re like the vast majority of writers I work with in the First Book Finish program, it’s probably far too familiar.
You may be comfortable with things the way they are. In fact, you may even believe your fate as the “half-finished creative” is sealed because you think:
“That’s just how my brain works.”
“I’ve always been like this.”
“I enjoy having multiple projects to choose from.”
“Who has the time to actually finish a book anyway?”
I’ve heard every single line above and more.
When it comes...
What It Means to be a "Resilient Writer"
In Season Three of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I tried to ask every writer I interviewed what they felt that meant. What did it really mean to be a resilient writer?
And so there's some fascinating things that came up that have really made me reflect more on what it means to me to be a resilient writer, which is why I'm in this at all.
You know, I always joke: they're going to take the pen from my cold, dead hand. And it's not really a joke. Like I want to be writing when I'm 95, 97, 104, however many years I'm lucky enough to get.
I want to be writing until the end. That's my dream. But that means that I'm probably going to have to cultivate the art. of being a resilient writer. So it's really worth it to me to be thinking about what does that mean? Like, how do we do that on a daily basis?
The writing life is a life that is filled with rejection for sure, but it's also filled with self doubt. We often find ourselves wondering: Is this story...
8 Lessons I've Learned from Helping Almost 200 Writers Finish Their Books
This is the final episode in a mini-series I’ve been doing on the podcast, which I think of as “The Finishers Series.” It’s designed for those writers who have “Finish My Book in 2024” on their list of writing goals.
Links from today’s show:
First Book Finish Waiting List
The Brass Queen, by Elizabeth Chatsworth [novel]
Extreme Healing: Reclaim Your Life and Learn to Love Your Body, by Mari Ruddy [non-fiction]
Better to Beg, by Kirsti Mackenzie [novel]
The Resilient Writers Radio Show: 8 Lessons I’ve Learned From Helping Almost 200 Writers To Finish Their Books -- Full Episode Transcript
Rhonda:
Well, hey there, Writer. Welcome to The Resilient Writers Radio Show. I'm your host, Rhonda Douglas, and this is the podcast for writers who want to create and sustain a writing life they love.
Because, let's face it, the writing life has its ups and downs, and we want to not just write, but also to be able to enjoy...
Finishers Series: How to Fit Finishing A Book Into Your Busy Life
This is the last episode in a little mini-series of episodes I did at the start of 2024, for writers who have finishing their book on their list of writing goals for the year ahead.
Links from today’s episode:
First Book Finish Waiting List
30 Ways To Find More Time To Write
The Resilient Writers Radio Show: How to Fit Finishing A Book Into Your Busy Life -- Full Episode Transcript
Intro:
Well, hey there, Writer. Welcome to The Resilient Writers Radio Show. I'm your host, Rhonda Douglas, and this is the podcast for writers who want to create and sustain a writing life they love.
Because, let's face it, the writing life has its ups and downs, and we want to not just write, but also to be able to enjoy the process so that we'll spend more time with our butt in the chair getting those words on the page.
This podcast is for writers who love books and everything that goes into the making of them. For writers who want to learn and...
Finishers Series: How to Manage a Book-Length Project
When you start writing a book, you’re excited. You want to work on it, and you’re so excited to finish it!
But then the work keeps going, and going, and going. And all of a sudden continuing the work seems impossible.
That is the lack of momentum talking. Don’t listen to it—finishing your book is within your reach just as much as finishing anything else you've done in your life.
You just need to manage the writing of your book the right way, and I’ll tell you exactly what you need to know in today’s episode.
The Resilient Writers Radio Show: How to Manage a Book-Length Project
Listen to learn:
- How to manage a book-length project
- How to get and stay organized
- The value of seeing your book as a project
- What to avoid when working to finish a book
Here’s a sneak peek…
[02:18] It gives you this sense of momentum that is inspiring in and of itself, but with a book, the ending...
