How to Manage a Book-Length Project

finish your book Sep 18, 2023

The gap between writing smaller, individual pieces of work -- short stories, poems, essays -- and writing a full book sometimes feels like an incredible chasm.

With individual pieces of work, no matter how challenging, the satisfaction of an ending comes much sooner and more frequently, generating a sense of momentum that is inspiring in and of itself.

With a book however, the ending can seem a long way off. And the distance between where we are now in the project, and a final published version of our book on the shelf can feel like a literary Ironman marathon.

How to Manage a Book Project

If how to manage the enormity of a book-length project is keeping you up at night -- or leading to avoid your writing (uh-oh!) -- then here’s how I suggest you get yourself organized to help you manage some of the stress of a project of this size.

Stop Doing Research (and especially “Research”)

If you have been spending a lot of time on research, or “research” -- the...

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How to Overcome the Fear of Writing a Book

You can be forgiven for thinking that writing a book is all about the craft: how to write compelling characters, or how to structure a mystery novel, what to leave out when writing your memoir, or how to handle backstory, or how to curate a collection of stories or poems so it hangs together well as a whole.

Of course, these are elements of writing a book. But truth be told, they are not what gets in the way of most writers.

For a lot of writers, the story of writing a book goes like this…

  • Have brilliant idea for a book.
  • Get excited about the book and start writing.
  • Write about a third or perhaps half of the book just by riding that wave of excitement.

Then...start to worry. 

  • Worry about the middle. ⁉
  • Worry about the ending. ⁉
  • Worry about the language. ⁉
  • Worry about the structure. ⁉
  • Worry about how to make the book GREAT. ⁉
  • Worry about finding an agent.  [Note: book still not yet finished!] ⁉
  • Worry about finding a publisher. ⁉
  • Worry about people reading it. ⁉
  • ...
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Four Ways to Tell If You Can Really Write a Book

Put your heart in it.

There’s an old writing joke that makes the rounds (I think I first heard it from an article about Margaret Atwood) about a writer and a brain surgeon chit-chatting over drinks at a cocktail party. The brain surgeon pipes up:

“When I retire, I'm going to write a book."

And the writer, in a very wry and dry Peggy Atwood kind of tone, says: "How fascinating. When I retire, I'm going to take up brain surgery."

I mean, it’s not ROFL funny; it’s a joke about writers after all.

The brain surgeon’s operating assumption (haha) being that of course anyone can write a book.

If only, my medical and non-medical friends...IF ONLY.

But then, who can write a book? Is it as easy as the Internet makes it sound?

One Internet guru promises you can finish a book in 30 days.

So then the next dude has to promise you can do it in just 3 EASY STEPS!

Hang in there, writers -- we’re just weeks away from a book requiring no steps at all!

I...

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Real Talk About Finding More Time to Write

more time to write Sep 18, 2023

 

“I just wish I had more time to write.”

If you’ve ever said that to yourself, you’re not alone.  The vast majority of writers are writing while also doing #allofthethings: working, parenting, volunteering, going to school, spending time with family and friends.

We are all always busy and often getting busier with every year that passes. But writing -- and writing well -- simply takes time. What’s a busy writer to do?

Here’s the straight-up truth: the world will not find you time to write.

In fact, today’s world is designed to work against your ability to create and sustain a writing life you love. No one is going to find the time for you...you have to find, and protect, that time.

Here are 3 important actions to take if you really want to find more time to write right now:

Finding More Time to Write: Train Your People

Tell the people who love you that you need time to write. Explain to them how important your writing life is...

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Facing Failure: 3 Different Ways Writers Fail

fear of failure Sep 18, 2023

Fear of failure personified: your very own sad Frankenstein. (Photo by Ashkan Forouza)

Because facing failure is such an important issue for writers, I wanted to share some thoughts on the topic here on the blog for you.

Take a deep breath...and let’s dive in!

Facing Failure: Some Ways Writers Fail

  • They fail to get stories or poems published.
  • Then the writer has some stories or poems published, but their book is rejected.
  • Then the book is published, but the critics hate it.
  • The critics hate it, but readers love it.
  • Most readers love it, but a few really hate it.
  • The book is nominated for an award, but doesn’t win.
  • The book is nominated for multiple awards, but still doesn’t win.
  • The book wins, but some people still hate it and most people don’t read it.
  • The book wins, but the author still knows all the ways it has failed.
  • The book ends up in the “Sale” bin and then returned to the publisher.
  • Then the author writes the next book, which is always...
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Outlining a Book: Beyond Pants

Uncategorized Sep 18, 2023

You've got choices!

Let’s talk pants! If you’re anything like me, you gave up on anything without an elastic waistband early on in this pandemic -- leggings, yoga pants and sweats are all I’m wearing, when I’m not in my pyjama pants.

If you’ve seen me on Zoom, be assured that no matter how much I may be rocking the mascara, with a bright top and some snazzy earrings, down below it is all comfy pants.

(Fortunately, the folks I write with in The Writer’s Flow Studio are very much a come-as-you-are kind of people!)

But the pants I want to talk about today are part of that age-old writing debate…

Outlining a Book: Pants On, or Pants Off?

There are fierce proponents on both sides of this debate, which essentially boils down to should we outline our book in detail -- down to the scenes and even the beats in the scenes or the individual moments that comprise the scene -- or should we just take it one page at a time as the story comes to us?

Folks...

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The Path Through Biography, with Merilyn Simonds

 

How does one end up writing a biography? 

In the case of Merilyn Simonds, she was asked to write one by her friend Louise de Kiriline Lawrence. And though Merilyn didn’t like or read biographies at the time, she agreed. 

It left her with two tasks: searching through years and years of records, and figuring out how she was going to structure this biography. A conventional biography just wouldn’t do—Merilyn needed to be intrigued by the path she chose to follow in the telling of Louise’s story. 

The Path Through Biography, with Merilyn Simonds

Listen to learn: 

  • Merilyn’s unique approach to writing a biography 
  • How to organise records and research for your writing
  • About the use of language at the sentence and paragraph level
  • About moving from shorter to bigger writing projects

 

Here’s a sneak peek… 

[05:20] What bothers me about biographies is that sort of know-it-all stance. “I know...

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But what about Second Book? With Jane Baird Warren

 

Writing is a process, one that requires us as writers to continue learning. Or to start learning, as was the case for author Jane Baird Warren. 

Jane took to writing when she was searching for something that could be just for her, at a time in her life when she was a stay-at-home mom with two young kids. Jane fell into unexpected success after placing second in a short story contest, and for a while, felt like she was on top of the world. 

But Jane soon found that she didn’t have enough knowledge about writing to improve her work the way she wanted, and made the decision to return to school and get her MFA. 

But What About Second Book? With Jane Baird Warren

Listen to learn: 

  • The importance of continuing to learn about writing 
  • The value of having a writing community in your genre 
  • About getting published when you’re completely new to the publishing process 
  • About breaking the rules in your genre and the obstacles you might...
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How to Find More Time to Write

 

Being able to sit down and write for a long period of time is many a writer’s dream—but it can be hard to do. 

Life tends to get in the way, and as a result, we may end up putting our writing off. But staying consistent with our writing is important, and easier than you might think!

There are short periods of time in our lives that we can take full advantage of, if we know how to find them. Not every writing session needs to be long in order for us to produce good writing, or for us to see progress. 

How to Find More Time to Write, with Rhonda Douglas

Listen to learn:

  • Why writing consistently is important 
  • About how writing in Short Time sessions can help 
  • How to fit more writing into your schedule 
  • The importance of staying connected to your writing 

Here’s a sneak peek of today’s episode: 

[03:34]  I think it’s really important for us to have those times in our writing life, but sometimes...

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Writing a Memoir in Essays, with Rona Maynard

 

Just because we don’t know where a writing project is going, doesn’t mean we can’t work on it with intent. 

Rona Maynard didn’t set out with the intent to write a memoir. In fact, what is now her latest book Starter Dog started as a series of Facebook posts, then grew into so much more. 

But those posts wouldn’t have existed if Rona hadn’t been looking for something to write—and if she hadn’t experienced a change in her perspective. 

Writing a Memoir in Essays, with Rona Maynard

Listen to learn:

  • About writing memoir in essays 
  • How to create structure for memoir in essays 
  • How to turn something that isn’t a book into a book 
  • How being grounded in our senses can help our writing

Here’s a sneak peek of today’s episode…

[03:04] I just wanted to figure out this great, big, complicated problem. And I thought it was all going to happen in my head.

[10:48] There are the ones...

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