Double, Double Toil & Trouble - #5 Motivation

I get asked a lot about motivation and how I find the time to write. I'm going to start with a bit of wisdom that one of my colleagues at my day job says often: The person who cares the most gets what they want. If something is important to you, you'll make it happen, no matter what. It could mean you must sacrifice something (or someone) like sleep, nights out with friends, a clean house,  (not virgins - no blood sacrifice needed) but if it's important, you find the time.

Every spare minute I have (mostly) is put into my writing work.

But really, how do I do this when I have a full time job, two kids, a husband, three cats, two guinea pigs --also Netflix, sleep, and eating?

I'm incredibly disciplined. That's it. If there's a job to do, I do it.

It's a skill I have honed over the years as a teacher, a job which requires a lot of organization and time management. It's carried over to my writing world quite effectively. I don't often procrastinate and when I do procrastinate, it's usually time being spent on some other writing related work.

I am also selfish. I know that being selfish is often looked at in a negative light but I'm going to tell you that you must be selfish to some extent if you are pursuing your dreams and goals. I don't do things to purposely hurt other people but I do put myself and my writing time first in many instances. I have learned to also say NO when I have things that need to get done. I've been on the other side, doing all the other things instead of write and that just turns me into a grumbly, pissed off lady.

I have talked to other writers who set aside certain days of the week or hours in the day for writing and that's a good start for carving out time for your writing. But if you aren't protecting that time or making up for lost time (because things happen and sometimes the one day you set aside for work gets taken over by an emergency) then you are not being selfish enough. If the writing is important to you, you'll make it happen.

I set word quotas. Daily, weekly ones that I alter depending on the time of year. I only use word quotas when I am actively in a project. I don't have time to write for the sake of writing (like journalling or stream of consciousness). I write for the sake of projects or blogging or contests or deadlines. And yes, I still enjoy writing even though I'm tackling it as a business rather than as a "creative" artist. This is why the idea of a muse doesn't work for me (see my post here), I can't wait for inspiration to strike if I'm actively involved in a project. I just have to write. So, typically I aim to get 2500+ words per day during the summer (because I'm off work) and 15-20K per week. During the school year that number decreases depending on what I have going on to about 1000 words per day and 10K per week. So far this year I have written approximately three novels and it's only July. I plan to write at least one more before the year is out but that will depend on my editing schedule...because don't forget, I'm also working on other aspects of writing at the same time. For example, blogging, marketing, editing, etc.

Where does this motivation come from?

I want to be a successful author so badly that I will work as hard as I need to to make it happen. If I'm not working as hard as I need to then I won't be ready when opportunity comes my way. I am also very "type A" and have a lot of will power when I  need to.

But that doesn't mean that failure doesn't get to me. And trust me, I've had a lot of failure...set backs, road blocks, etc. That's where external validation comes in. Creatives need external validation and anyone who tells you differently is full of shit or delusional. As the creative person, you decide what type of external validation you need and what will ultimately satisfy you. For me it was always acknowledgement from respected professionals. It wasn't until I started getting positive feedback from agents and editors that I truly felt validated as a writer. I reflect on those compliments whenever I feel down about my progress.

Another source for me is from readers. When I get feedback from readers that is positive and encouraging, it makes me feel like I'm doing something right and that I belong in this crazy writing world.

Any time I'm talking to another author who is really contemplating abandoning their writing, I always think it's because they are lacking in external validation...and figuring out what they need and from whom, and then going after that praise, is what they need to do to keep on keeping on. But it's not easy to get external validation sometimes because you totally can't control how someone else is going to react to your work. It really wasn't until I was well into my writing career that I started getting the kind of validation I needed to keep going...and it started slowly, quietly and I had to take a lot of hits, more than praise, to get the kind of validation I needed.

Which leads me to the last aspect of motivation that is important to consider: external vs internal (extrinsic vs intrinsic) motivation.

External is what motivates you outside of yourself and can be money, prizes and awards, reviews, fan mail, etc.

Internal is what motivates you within. What makes you want to write above doing all other things and despite all the negative shit that comes with it?

For me internal motivation goes hand in hand with my work ethic. I am a worker and I am efficient. I don't like sitting around when there are things that need to be done. I like writing, most of the time, and I get excited by new ideas and also by exploring new ways to tell stories. Writing is my passion and, for as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a writer so I'll do what I need to do to make it happen. I have dreams...great big dreams about long lines of readers waiting to get books signed and doing public interviews and running workshops and being acknowledged as an expert in my field in some way. So with that in mind, I keep on keeping on and I battle the hits that come, I weep a little when my soul is crushed and when I fall down I get the fuck back up and get to work.

Being a writer is hard work. If you're not working hard, then, in my opinion, you're not in it to win it. I do believe that perseverance and dedication are key components to success even when things aren't going the way you imagined.

As Elizabeth Gilbert says in her book Big Magic, you've got to be willing to eat the shit sandwich that comes with every dream in order to achieve it. Because every life pursuit comes with drawbacks, a.k.a shit sandwiches...so you have to be okay with eating that shit sandwich if you want to achieve your goals and if you're not prepared to do that then, I guarantee, someone else is totally willing to eat your shit sandwich along with their own. I know I am.

The person who cares the most gets what they want.

So there you have it...the truth about motivation, if you want it badly enough, you'll make it happen.

I'm all tied up with some writing deadlines so my blog series is on hold for a bit. Stay tuned for some announcements and I'll resume Double, Double Toil & Trouble as soon as I get some things knocked off my to do list.

Double, Double Toil & Trouble - #4 Outlining

There's a great debate among writers regarding which is the better method of writing, being a pantser or being a plotter. Since I've been on both sides of this debate, having lived in both worlds, I thought I'd go through some of the benefits and drawbacks of each.

First, a definition of both:

Pantser - a writer who writes by the seat of their pants, meaning no, or practically no, outlining is done.

Plotter - a writer who doesn't start writing until there's a basic (or complex) outline in place.

I think most of us understand the basic plot points of a story. You need a set up, you need an inciting action, rising action, climax and falling action/resolution. Your characters need some depth and you need a setting (sorry, but you really do need to name a place/town/city/country even if it's fictional).

When I first started writing, I did very little plotting. I felt, like many writers, that if I did too much outlining ahead of time, I'd lose that magical stuff that happens when you're at the mercy of whatever your mind conjures in the moment of storytelling. I didn't want to over plan and then feel married to my outline. I thought it would kill my creativity.

I'm not going to lie, I still am a little wary of outlining too much because I do really love that feeling of triumph when I discover a plot point I hadn't thought of before or when I sort out a snag that I hadn't been anticipating. But the stress I've felt when I don't outline is a huge motivator to getting some pre-planning done. I've been in situations where a lack of outline has put me into a corner with a story that stops me from continuing for weeks...which, when you are on deadline, is not a good thing. It sometimes takes months to sort out a twisty-turny plot full of problems that wouldn't be there if I had spent some time outlining before hand.

And that's another reason I didn't do a lot of outlining ahead of time...because it's hard work and it's not anywhere near as fun as the actual writing part. But I've learned that this is not a great reason for not outlining. And while I still sometimes cut corners, I'm working on improving my outlining depth. It's a good skill to have, especially if you're planning on pitching proposals to editors/agents. You really need to have some kind of idea of the complete story in that case (we can talk about writing a synopsis another time because that's a different beast).

So, after writing many, many novels (many of which are published now) without a solid, detailed outline, I have switched to the dark side and, really, wouldn't go back. Outlining has become a part of my pre-planning that I really can't do without.

I spend at least a week thinking, writing, and nailing down a new idea in an outline before I start writing. Sometimes it takes me longer (because there's a lot of creating happening here and that takes brain power) and sometimes I cut corners and leave things blank or to be determined (and regret it later). So, I'm still a work in progress. I've read a lot of books about outlining and storytelling (listed below) and have adapted my own outlining sheet with key features that make sense to me.

I'm still working on my outline sheet because as it stands now, it's still a bit huge and I'd like to streamline it more. At some point I'll share it here for others to use but ultimately, I think it's really important for every author to figure out a system that works for him/her.

What I've learned about outlining is that it really doesn't kill my creativity. I don't outline a story to death though either so I leave lots of room for the creative things I still need to figure out. If something happens that I didn't anticipate, the outline is flexible enough to allow for a change in direction. I do think that after years and years of writing, my brain is able to sort things out if given enough time so even with a sparse outline, I can make things work.

As a writer, the learning should never stop so I'll recommend some reads to you that have helped me get a grasp on outlining basics.

Save the Cat, Blake Snyder  - even if you're not a screenwriter, Save the Cat's beat sheet is a totally valuable writing tool. I know a few publishers that suggest authors use this format for outlining and I think it can help any writer grasp the basics of plot.

On Writing, Stephen King - This memoir is totally worth the read, not only because it's really entertaining but also because it's incredibly inspirational, especially with regards to rejection. The second half of the book goes through King's toolbox of writing skills. While it's not meant to be taken as a bible, there are many good gems in there that can be quite helpful.

The Story Grid, Shawn Coyne - This is, by far, the best book on storytelling that I have ever read. Not only that but there are podcasts you can listen to that supplement the book and help extend the learning. Shawn Coyne has a tremendous amount of experience as an editor and his insight really helped to clarify key storytelling aspects that I knew but didn't know how to identify. While this isn't an outlining book in and of itself, with a bit of adaptation, you can definitely pull together a decent outlining guideline from it.

Anatomy of a Story, John Truby - This is another great book on storytelling. It has similar ideas as Coyne but teases them out in a different way. It's worth a read, especially if you're having trouble understanding why we tell stories the way we do.

J.A. Huss has some great videos on writing that I found helpful. She has a great way of getting to the point of things in an easily digestible way.

So that's it for this week. Next post will be all about motivation and how to keep on keeping on. So until then...see ya!

Double, Double Toil &Trouble - #3 Inspiration

There are two ways for me to tackle this particular topic: the every-writer-way and the erotic-writer-way. Most times, when I get asked about inspiration, it's usually some creepy dude who has just found out that I write erotic romance who, in a snickering weirdo way, says, "Hey, hehe, where do you get all those sexy ideas from, huh?" And then they proceed to make a whole lot of assumptions about me, my life, and my threshold for bullshit. (I'm generalizing to creepy guys here because, in my many experiences, it has never been a woman who has asked me anything remotely close to this.)

So let's just get this out of the way right off the bat, shall we? Erotic writers have many sources of inspiration for writing sexy scenes. A lot of it comes from our imaginations (because they're vivid and typically not impeded by hangups), some if it comes from porn, some of it from reading erotica and immersing ourselves in the genre. Writing sex scenes is a lot of hard work and demands a different kind of creativity than other kinds of scenes because the sex usually comes with relationship building and with heavy emotions and also, at times, with a lot of baggage. I'm not always in the mood to write these kinds of scenes so I will, at times, outline it and leave it until the ideas start to play out more visually for me...then it's time to write. Or sometimes I rough it out and add more vivid detail later. For this kind of inspiration I usually have to go hunting (pictures, videos, conversations, stories)...research is key and curiosity is also important.

Inspiration for all other things is slightly different because I typically don't have to go searching for it. This kind of inspiration usually comes at odd random times. For example, I can be having a conversation about something totally unrelated to writing when an idea strikes me for a story. Or a plot hole is fixed because of something I saw someone do. There was one time that I needed a name for a character but nothing was really fitting. I was at work having a conversation with a colleague and he started talking about his fitness instructor and her name was exactly what I needed.

This kind of inspiration is everywhere. Sometimes you're looking for it, sometimes you're not. But I find that if you're open to it, it'll come one way or another.

Now, I'm not talking about the muse. I detest the whole idea of a muse. I would never give the power of my writing over to a non-existent entity...because once you do that, similar to writer's block, you lose control over your process. If the muse decides to stop talking, then you suddenly aren't writing. No thanks...that's horseshit if you ask me and another way to excuse yourself when you're procrastinating.

Inspiration, however, is not a muse...it's just there, all around you, you just have to be ready for it and open to the ideas. To do that you have to be actively in the writing mindset, which means, yes, you have to be writing consistently.

What I remember, when I first started down the rabbit hole of writing, was always feeling a panic about whether or not I'd have another idea for a novel once I'd finished with the one I was working on. I would also be like, what happens if I finish this and there's just nothing new for me to work on? I can tell you that that just doesn't happen. I'm always working on writing in some way. And sometimes I'll go for a month or so in between projects when my brain just needs some chill time, but I always come back to it with fresh ideas. And plot snags? They're not problem in the long run because my brain is always working them out behind the scenes. I'm a firm believer that if you let your brain stir around, eventually something will come out that makes sense.  When I was in university I used to do all my research over a few days and then I'd let it stew in my mind and I'd always come up with an interesting thesis statement after I'd slept on it.

So, what am I saying about inspiration? Keep your senses open. Listen to conversations, watch what people do. Read books (especially in your genre). Get to work and be open to whatever comes your way. And if that doesn't work, go buy a story prompt book, there are tons out there or google story prompts and get writing that way.

Also, read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Her ideas about creativity are interesting...not always in line with mine but it's worth a read.

Being inspired doesn't keep you motivated but it does give you a spark...then it's up to you to put your ass in that chair and get to work.

The next post will be about outlining and recommended reads for writers so stay tuned for that in a couple of weeks!