I'm Going to Shock You With What I Have to Say Today (A Love Letter)
Undogmatic writing advice and encouragement from an unconventional romance author. If you’re in need of instruction and inspiration for your writing, read on. Upgrade to paid for classes and access to a friendly, vibrant writing community.
Hi lovies,
Since I got you here with that click-bait (but true) headline, I’ll get right to the point.
Sometimes it is best not to write.
I know, I know. I’ve built my whole brand, such as it is, on urging you to write. Every day-ish, even.
But sometimes—rarely, I will admit, but still—that’s not the best course of action.
Earlier this week, in my early morning writing session, I was happily working on my WIP. It’s been going well and I’m pleased with it. But gradually a feeling came over me. A feeling that while the scene I was working on was pretty great, the overall flow of the story needed something.
It felt like the story was galloping away from me.
And let’s be clear, this is a good thing. It means you are letting the story be what it wants, no needs to be. And I believe that it is times like these that your true writer’s voice comes out.
But, A. I also believe that stories don’t always know what is best for the reader and it is our job as the writer to figure that out.
And B. That nagging feeling that something is wrong? Pay attention to it. 99.9% of the time, that feeling is correct. (As is the case with all intuitive feelings.)
I also had just happened to read an email1 in which a big-time author announced a contest around pre-orders for her upcoming release. A novel in which letters from a dead person figured prominently. Have I mentioned that letters from a dead person are a huge element in my WIP?
That email didn’t help because I panicked. Oh no, letters from dead people are going to be a trend. Oh crap why isn’t my novel out now to take advantage of it? And double crap, Barbara is going to think I copied her idea.2
So I did what I always do in such instances. Turned to side writing. I use side writing in two ways: first, to figure stuff out in my writing. Like plot and character and setting and all the usual. And second, to get the ya-yas out when they threaten to overwhelm me.
But on this particular morning, something stopped me. Luckily, the worst of my panicked feelings passed quickly. But I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss in the novel.
But it wasn’t time to side write yet.
The feeling wasn’t big enough. I could feel particles swirling around in my brain, colliding with each other but not congregating yet. They needed time to twirl and flirt with each other. (But here’s the key: do this with intention. Set thoughts aside purposefully to let your brain cogitate.)
I, gasp, was not yet ready to get words on the page, even if they were words about the story, rather than in the story.
In general, I believe STRONGLY AND PASSIONATELY that writing is always the way in. But on this day, I pushed back from the desk and gave up on the chapter. And here’s the key: I did this with intention. I set my thoughts aside purposefully to let my brain cogitate. I did not wring my hands, obsess, or wail about how hard it is to write. I calmly told myself that the ideas needed to compost in my brain and went about my day.
The amusing addendum to this story: I remained true to my decision not to write about my novel’s issues and got in the shower. And the download for this post came to me so full and fast I barely had time to rinse the conditioner out of my hair before grabbing my phone to get notes down.
Moral of the story: sometimes you might choose not to write because something else needs to come through. Or, put another way, FOLLOW YOUR FREAKING INTUITION, PEOPLE.
So once in a while it’s okay to wait. Just don’t wait forever, okay?
Love, light and good writing,
Charlotte
P.S. Also, how is your summer of not worrying going? Mine is going shockingly well. Except for brief plunges of despair over the ways of the world. If I start to worry about something, I remind myself, I’m just not going to worry about that. And then I shrug.3
P.P.S. Keep an eye out for some summer coaching specials that I’ll announce this week.
P.P.P.S. I almost forgot! The first day of July is Tuesday. And you know what that means: prompts!
AMA/Open Office Hours
I thought I had such an original idea, but now I see this everywhere! That must mean it’s a great idea, right? Let me explain what I’m talking about.
On summer Fridays, I’m starting something new. It’s my version of an AMA (Ask me Anything)/Open Office Hours. And you can ask me anything related to writing, creativity, be it process or craft.
Our first gathering will be July 11, and it will start at 11 AM Pacific. (Pretty sure that 11:11 thing is a good omen, right?) All calls will be recorded.
NEWS FLASH
Since this is an experiment, for our first outing, all subscribers, free or paid are welcome to join the first week. In the future I will be paywalling.
And if you’d like to read more, there’s info on last week’s post.
Articles and Resources
And speaking of mantras, you might be interested in this Rachel Herron class: Beyond Affirmations. I just signed up for it.
As my WIP spins out of my control, this article reassured me.
Just for fun: the NYT put the hotel we stayed in in London in their guide to best European hotels under $300 a night. Scroll down to see Ruby Stella listed. We loved it! (gift link)
Books
Greenteeth, by Molly O’Neill. Amazon Bookshop. This is a cozy fantasy with the main character a lake monster named Jenny Greenwater. It’s delightful. I’m not sure how I heard about it, but I’m glad I did. Update: Almost done and loving this book. It’s a good old-fashioned quest adventure tale, and some of it takes place in the area of England where I visit each May. Though I will warn you there is some violence that maybe cants it out of the cozy category. Second update: Since I first wrote this yesterday, I’ve finished. Oh my, the way she pulls mythology in is incredible.
One Golden Summer, by Carly Fortune. Amazon. Bookshop. Again, summer of reading bestsellers. Carly Fortune burst on the scene a few years ago, shooting onto the best seller list and continues to hit it with each new release. I’m digging into this one when I finish Greenteeth.
A Technique for Producing Ideas. Amazon. Bookshop. I first read this in a journalism class years ago. (Not going to tell you how many or there will be more shocking going on.) It’s a handy little primer for letting the ideas come through and I highly recommend it.
Watching
The Poop Cruise. Yes, we really did watch this. I could blame it on the fact that the thirteen-year-old and the nine-year-old were hanging out with us, but no, that wouldn’t be fair. Because it was I who chose it. The show confirmed my bias against taking a cruise, ever.
Overseas Workshops
We’re pretty much full up for our France workshop (but if you beg, we may be able to accomodate you). Soon, however, we’ll be releasing dates for 2026 workshops, when we’ll be returning to both England and France. In the meantime, check out our Let’s Go Write site to get an idea what we offer.
And writers local to Portland, we have two more summer sessions coming up. (In-person workshops.)
Other places to connect with me:
My website (badly in need of an upgrade so maybe best to ignore it)
Our Let’s Go Write workshop website
My original blog (now for archive purposes only, no longer updated, but damn there are a lot of articles on it).
Yes, I did exactly what I caution people not to do: when I got stuck, I checked my inbox.
Okay, if you must know the author is Barbara O’Neal, who I have met and had lunch with in person. She is a lovely human and would never think that. She’s also a fabulous writer and she talks about her upcoming release here.
Shrugging is a physical beat I use for my characters all the time. Some might say too much. So I thought I should do some shrugging myself. Also, the thought has occurred to me that declaring Not Right Now is an excellent corollary to not worrying.
So much in this post I not only had to take notes, I did research!
First, AI's takes on 1111. "The angel number 1111 is often interpreted as a powerful sign of new beginnings, spiritual awakening, and manifestation. It suggests that your thoughts and intentions are aligning with your desires, and the universe is supporting your goals. Seeing 1111 can also indicate that your guardian angels are nearby, encouraging you to focus on positive thoughts and maintain a positive outlook." (I'm in for the office hours, yay!)
Also signed up for the Rachael Herron class, sounds like a good place for woo to meet craft. And Poop Cruise. A real-life version of Triangle of Sadness. That series is named Trainwreck for a reason and it's now one of my guilty pleasures.
And, I stepped away from my query yesterday evening after sending you a scatter shot of frantic emails. I slept on my quandary and sure enough, as soon as I woke up, I knew where I needed to go. 👍🏼
Read, enjoyed, and shared...as always. :-) Yeah, I take a similar approach...esp when it involves research. I gather the info and shove it all in my brain, then I'll do some chores and let it all jumble about in my mind. Great news that France workshop is about full!! Write on!