After losing two family members in the pandemic, I had a month-long severe reaction this spring to my second Covid shot. When I resurfaced, feeling practically comatose, I was behind on one Christmas mystery book deadline and a novel (set in 1850s England.) None of my decades-old “get started” techniques worked, which induced a near […]
perseverance
From Panic to Focus: Save Your Writing Project
In the fall of 2019 I spent several weeks researching a mystery series set in a small village in the North Yorkshire Dales. The locals who own the shops depend on tourist trade from daily bus tours and mountain bike groups. In early 2020 villagers sent out a plea for the tourists to please stay […]
Talent, Passion, and Discipline: a Balancing Act
As a writer, don’t ever underestimate the power of self-discipline. Talent, passion, and discipline are needed—but the greatest of these is discipline. Best-selling author Elizabeth George speaks to this point on the first day she faces her students in her creative writing classes. Study this quote from her book, Write Away—and read through to the zinger […]
How the Chunky Method Saved My Life
A couple of months ago, after being sick and traveling and meeting two book deadlines, I stalled when given some unwelcome health news which required tests and more tests. I got really, really behind on an adult mystery, and for hours I would struggle to write, only to throw it all out at the end […]
Wise Words: Persistence in Writing
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Nothing. So today I’m bringing you three recent posts on the topic of persistence in writing. Each article approaches the subject in a slightly different way. All are though-provoking and encouraging. So if you’re thinking of quitting, read these articles first. You just might change […]
Unlocking Your Potential
Winston Churchill once said, “Continuous effort–not strength or intelligence–is the key to unlocking our potential.” I believe he’s right. Over the years, the writers I’ve seen succeed weren’t the most talented. They were the ones who refused to give up. Plugging Away I pondered that principle last month during NaNoWriMo when I was sick or gone […]
Press On to Finish Strong
Typically, writing students are excited two times: at the very beginning of the writing course and again at the end (because they are graduating and/or being published.) Book writers are also excited at the beginning of a project (when their idea and characters are new) and at the end (when the final draft is complete or it’s […]
Staying Afloat in ToughTimes
Recent events–the economic recession plus all the changes in publishing–have left many writers in a quandary. Is being a writer still a viable option to earn a living? To quell the rising panic, it helps me to remember that things have always gone in cycles. This isn’t the first time of upheaval, and it’s likely […]
Stage Four: Survival and Growth
Okay, you prepared (Stage One). You explored your options (Stage Two). You got started (Stage Three). Now you’re ready for Stage Four of “The Five Stages of Success”, where you survive and thrive. Start-Up Speeds You might have had a very fast start. That would be the writer who published the first thing he submitted, […]