Writers...it's okay
Writers….it’s okay if you’re a pantser.
Writers…it’s okay if you’re a plotter.
Writers…it’s okay if you’re a lark who writes in the morning.
Writers…it’s okay if you’re a night owl who works best at night.
Writers…it’s okay if you write every day.
Writers…it’s okay if can only fit writing in once a week.
Writers…it’s okay if you are traditionally published.
Writers…it’s okay if you go indie.
However you like to write, whatever your process, as long as you are getting words on the page regularly it is all okay. We all have our own ways to write. You might get an idea and sit down and launch in, confident that the story will come to you. Your neighbor may intricately plan every step before she allows herself to begin.
There are so many writing experts and gurus out in the world it can make your head spin like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. (For those of you not of a certain age to remember this, here’s a clip. Trigger warning: it’s awful.) And they all, or at least many of them, offer excellent information.
However. It is not excellent if it doesn’t apply to you or throws you off your game. So the trick is to take what works for you and leave the rest. How, you may ask, do you do this? (This applies to writers who are rank beginners or those who have been writing forever. Our processes change over time.) I offer some tips:
Observe yourself
Watch and learn from how you work. Please do this with a compassionate eye! You’re not judging here, you are just observing. As in, oh my, isn’t it interesting that I sat down to write thirty minutes ago and I instead have been reading websites. Or, gee, I got so excited about this idea I leapt right in but now I feel my story is out of control.
My coach, Camille Pagán, is fond of saying, “It’s all just data.” When you observe your writing habits, you can collect data about them and decide what is working and what is not. When you learn what is working, you can do more of it. When you learn what is not working you can figure out how not to do it.
Stop down the various stages of writing
Heather Demetrios teaches a great class on finding your writing process. One of the things she encourages doing is breaking down the disparate parts of your process to figure out where you get stuck. Do you have a hard time getting to the computer and opening the file? Or do you get stalled if you don’t know where you’re going next in the story? (My particular bugaboo.) What do you do when writer’s despair settles over you? Do you have techniques to deal with the inner critic or instead do you flee your desk in favor of greener pastures? Observing these stages—again, with a compassionate eye—can be well, eye-opening.
Keep notes
I am an inveterate note-taker, mostly about stories in progress or ideas I’ve had. But I also think it is useful to write down reminders of your process. I found this note in my journal recently: Remember, my first drafts never have enough conflict in them. This applies to both the scene and chapter level. Also be aware of adding in micro tension. This reminder eases my brain and prevents a spiral into Not Good Enough Land.
Experiment
Once you’ve collected data and made note of it, you have information you can act on. Try different things. Maybe you’ve always, always, always, relied on outlining before you write. But lately you’ve felt a bit stale. My structure-loving heart hates me saying this, but maybe experiment with pantsing. Or vice-versa. Maybe you think you hate the thought of getting up early to write but then you try it and you love it.
Utilize personality tests
Becca Syme teaches a helpful class she calls Write Better, Faster, which actually could more aptly be called Writer, Know Thyself. Becca is an expert on tests such as Clifton Strengths, Myers-Briggs, and so on and in the class she helps you to understand how your results impact your writing. I’m a huge fan of writers using the Enneagram to better understand themselves and their writing process, and FYI am starting a program to coach Enneagram Nines. I’ll also have a class on using the Enneagram for writing available to paid subscribers soon. Some of these personality typing systems may appeal to you more than others. Or maybe know of them ring your bell at all. That’s okay.
You do you
In case you hadn’t guessed, I am an avid consumer of classes and coaching. One of the great results of the pandemic for me was the proliferation of writing classes available online. I love learning and I love personal growth. And, as an Enneagram Nine, I am very susceptible to going with the flow of whatever the current expert or coach tells me. My beloved coach Camille strongly encourages setting schedules and sticking to them. It has taken me quite awhile to realize that I am miserable at this. And then I read the newsletter of a indie yarn dyer who talked about how much she liked following a flexible schedule that left room for a spontaneous coffee date, or an afternoon spent reading. And I realized—she was me. I love spontaneity, flexibility, and freedom to do what I want when I want. So I need to take that into account and figure out the best way for me to keep moving forward with my writing without a confining schedule.
Hire a coach to help you figure it out
Working with a coach can be life-changing, whether you hire a book coach who will work with you as you write your book, or a mindset coach who will help you make sure you get the work done. There are so many fabulous coaches out there (I’ve mentioned several in this post). I myself have a couple open spots for book coaching on my roster. And I’m also starting mindset coaching. Comment or reply to this post if you got it via email and we will talk.
One more thing
Let’s all appreciate and celebrate our differences instead of trying to force what we think is right on someone else, shall we? Like the old song says, “c’mon people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together try to love one another right now.”