Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
The holidays bring extra time off for many of us, and our office each year feels the effects of that: Come January, an avalanche of submissions hits our in-boxes with force.
Whether it’s the dreary weather, the extra time, or the impetus to get that manuscript ready to be shown by year’s end, November and December are productive months.
To help you to keep on your writing target (even if the goal isn’t to finish by the end of the year) I offer five simple writing tips.
Writing tip #1. Follow the BIC Principle. 
The most important way to be productive is to put your Butt in Chair. (For the dainty among us, you could call it the SIC Principle, Seat in Chair.) If you don’t sit down and write, you can hardly make the best-seller list or craft a better sentence, can you?
Writing Tip #2. Let someone else read your material.
I know one writer who often becomes discouraged that she’ll ever be a published author. To keep herself motivated, she lets astute readers give her feedback. They consistently return her manuscripts with high praise–and some suggestions. It’s a winning combo.
Writing tip #3. Read widely.
Reading a marvelous novel reminds you that the sky’s the limit when it comes to creative expression. Or read a nonfiction book that causes you to rethink your worldview. Yeah, your manuscript could have the same effect on someone. Read articles, read blogs, read newspapers. Read, read, read. Fill your writing well with thought-provoking, intelligent, eloquent writing. It will give you an ample supply of clear thinking for your own writing.
Writing Tip #4. Be accountable.
Find a writing partner who wants to be serious about the business. Set individual goals (e.g., so many words per day, or to finish your rewrite within the month) and then check in with each other regularly to cheer yourselves on. Just as in having an exercise buddy, knowing your writing partner is being pressing on, helps you to go and do likewise.
Writing Tip #5. Write your passion.
Sometimes we become so tuned into the market that we set aside what we feel passionate about and try to write what we think publishers want, what readers want, what seems highly marketable–everything but what you, the author, wants. I believe writers should pay attention to the market. But they should also listen to their hearts. That’s where the really great stuff resides.
So now it’s your turn. What are other writing tips to close out 2016 and keep on writing? Tell us what you hope to achieve with your writing career by year’s end.
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Great tips, Janet! I have a feeling this post will printed out and taped over a lot of writing desks.
* Perhaps my strongest motivation to keep writing is the knowledge that if I don’t write my ‘stuff’, no one will. I know that I can write tolerably well, and I know that I have a message that resonates with some readers. I can’t hide behind the ‘poor,pitiful, incompetent me’ banner; there’s enough objective feedback to nullify that particular dodge.
* Setting a routine is also helpful; writing at a time that is ‘out of the way of family time’ is important, but vital during the holidays. This may require late-night or wee hours, but if the writer’s life was easy everyone would do it.
* Pre-positioning notes and research resources in the evening, before the next day’s writing session, also helps. First, part of the job is already done, and second, seeing the material already arranged instills a sense of obligation.
* A ‘calendar whiteboard’ on which daily word counts and other goals can be recorded can also be beneficial.
* Finally, touch your work at least once a day. This is something I learned from aeroplane-building. Making the thousands of odd and difficult bits out of some of the more recalcitrant materials known to man can make one look for an excuse to avoid the job, but simply having ‘hands-on’ builds a sense of continuity, and continuity is that quality which makes the whole thing possible.
* My goals are constrained by circumstance. The blog comes first, but I’d love to finish the sequel to ‘Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart’. It needs a ‘bridge’ section written, but my ability to concentrate well enough to produce it is compromised.
* Pursuant to the last, if I don’t achieve my goals I won’t beat myself up for that failure. Letting a goal become an idol rather negates the red-letter parts of the New Testament.
‘… but if the writer’s life was easy, everyone would do it.’
True, Andrew. Most want the writer’s results and detest the writer’s effort.
Andrew, I especially appreciate your idea to touch your work at least once a day. Often procrastination means we think about working, we think about moving forward, but our bodies are in motion in the opposite direction. Just sitting down with the work is likely to make for a productive time–even if it’s a short time.
“Letting a goal become an idol rather negates the red-letter parts of the New Testament.” Thanks, Andrew, for that insight. That probably explains why I didn’t meet some of the goals I had, or if I did meet them, the achievement wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be. I was only serving me, not God, with the goals.
Thank you, Janet, and happy Thanksgiving. By year’s end, I hope to have a plot for my next work. The last two years, I’ve worked December through March, thereabouts, on my rough drafts. And then I’ve spent the rest of the year editing. I do know my main characters though. 🙂
*My writing tip that has stood out to me this year in my reading is to do your best and be intentional to include lines that people will always want to remember … even a handful is a worthy goal. And I don’t mean good writing … I mean good lines. Lines that make people stop and pause and want to write it down. Because I look for lines when I’m reading … and if a line really speaks to my heart, I’ll include it in my review. What are those lines I always want to remember? Lines I’d want to quote? Many works have them, but I’ve found that some don’t. I want to have them. 🙂
Good lines, yes! I have a journal just for good lines. I haven’t thought about deliberately developing them in my own work. Thank you, Shelli (and thank you, Janet, for starting this conversation). I’m going to read through my finished chapters looking for lines with the potential to be good–and then work to make them better and memorable.
What tips could I add? From personal experience; don’t try to edit until the entire first draft of the novel is down. I found I lost focus on the story when I did. Almost contradictory, don’t get bogged down wondering how to connect two scenes. Leave a place holder and move on; that’s one for the edit.
Thanks for the tip about January being a busy submission month. I’ll make sure I get my round 2 subs in this week, to beat the rush!
My goal for the end of the year? To get one agent to request my full. Feeling a little dispondant after four rejections now. I still want to get the bulk of my first draft done for my second novel by year end, so have to push through the negatives.
Nicholas, having fallen into editing my first draft rather than pushing forward to finish it, yours was a red-letter suggestion for me. It’s hard to over-emphasize the importance of just making it through the first draft and then going back to fixing what ails it.
I’m currently overhauling my book proposal, which will take more than a month, but one of my goals is to sit down with my “frieditor” and a bottle of wine and brainstorm every possible title for the book and each chapter. The terrible ideas will provide entertainment and hopefully we’ll stumble upon a few good ones.
*reading has been hard to come by. Single mom life with two little ones doesn’t leave much brain power. I’ve read more non-fiction this year than I was able to last year, but I need more fiction in my life! I’m asking for a Kindle Unlimited subscription for Christmas since it includes all of the audiobooks for free. Maybe I’ll look forward to doing the dishes if I get to listen to a book!
Becky, listening to audio books is a wonderful way to find time in a busy life to “read.” Folding laundry can become so much more enjoyable!
I do seriously agree with getting in the chair or seat. I’ve written hundreds of words by following the simple principle.
What else could I add? Perhaps, respond to your story. There’s this quote that haunts more than helps me. “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader…”
When I set out to write, I’d always be on the lookout for tears, but as time went, I discovered it should happen. Emotions and reactions in story aren’t forced. So, that’s a tip.
One more, Let the manuscript “reader” be a distant friend or a non-family member. Or a very blunt friend. I got a first constructive criticism yesterday from one of the listed categories. The friend has read almost all my works, with the exception of the just concluded manuscript.
The advice couldn’t have come from family – they won’t want to hurt. Besides, love sometimes makes blind.
An achievement I’d really love this year is winning NaNoWriMo. I’m far out from finishing, but I’m not giving up.
Finally, and this is a very personal opinion, listen more, say less. I learn more when I do that, I reserve more energy, and I get to observe. Three birds with one stone.
I resonate with your comment on tears, Michael! Whenever I’m writing the emotional crisis scenes, I make sure the box of Kleenex is within reach. I always need them. I might do “read by author” audio versions, but I’m not sure how I’m going to do that for a couple of scenes that make me soak a Kleenex every time.
Such a practical post, Janet. One of the things I do to keep myself writing is to make writing time an appointment on my calendar. Maybe it’s my season of life with the ages of my boys, but it’s been hard getting BIC time this year. So, I’ve been scheduling writing time as appointments on my calendar each week. This helps me to make sure I have some time to write each week.
*I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Janet!
Jeanne, scheduling writing time as an appointment is an excellent idea, especially this time of year. But it enables to frame your day around that appointment rather than hoping you’ll be able to squeeze some writing time in around the fringes of your to-do list.
Exactly! 🙂 I used to be really good at this, and now I’m getting back into the habit, because writing did slip to the fringes of my days. 🙁
Janet, my tips apply most to plotters like me. I’m writing a series (1 for sale, 3 ready for final edit stage, 2 plotted and partly written), so some of the tips apply to series writing as well.
1) As you write the first draft, frequently reread what you’ve written. Look for inconsistencies and update the earlier parts to foreshadow what is coming. This also pulls you back into the minds of your characters, which is especially important if you haven’t worked on it for a while.
2) If a possible plot for another book in the series slips into your consciousness while you’re writing, take the time to write enough to capture the future plot. That could be a single scene or a fairly complete outline.
3) Write the beginning, major crisis scenes, and final scene early in the writing process. If you know where you’re headed, it’s easier to build the road there. You can always edit them later if needed.
4) If you discover an interesting twist or a minor character becoming unexpectedly important (I’ve had that happen several times), go back to what you’ve already written and change what needs to change for consistency with the twist. Don’t feel compelled to stick to the original plot if inspiration shows you a better path.
5) Save frequent copies with the date as part of the document title. Then if you want to go back and resurrect something you deleted or radically altered as you were writing, you always have it.
6) Until your novel is actually in print or at least sold to a publisher, feel free to edit it to mesh with the others in the series. That’s one of the blessings of not getting published immediately. You have time to finetune any unpublished book in the series. It’s also fun to spend more time with the characters you loved.
Hit submit too soon. My tips help keep the content on target. For me that’s key. I find if I have the sense that I know where I’m headed, I work to get there as soon as possible.
*My goal for this year: to hear from someone who read my first book and found their faith deepened by the experience. Even better would be to hear that they shared it with a friend to help their friend’s faith grow. That single email would make me a truly successful author.
Carol, I especially appreciated your tip #4. If the story takes an unexpected turn, that’s probably a good thing. Or if a minor character takes on a life of her own, that’s probably a good thing too. As long as the author remains in control of the story. Some characters have a way of seeking the limelight, even if they don’t deserve it. But sometimes they need to be willed to stay in the shadows.
Great ideas, Janet. I can’t express how much my writing improved once I finally found a crit partner that was as serious about writing as I was. Took, 11 years of writing and looking to find her, but we have both grown so much in the four years that we have been working together.
What a blessing a mutually-minded crit partner is.
Another wonderful post, Janet! Addressing preference, do you think agents would prefer to have submissions come to them in February or March, or is it best for an author to query when a manuscript is ready, even if it’s January?
Sue, if your submission is a standout, it will glow in the dark just as well in January as in February. The only downside to a January submission is that the agent has so many “no’s” to consider to get to your “yes.”
I had the same question pop into my mind as I was reading! I’d never even thought about that before.
My biggest goal is to finish my rough draft by the end of the year. I’m even asking for a weekend at a hotel for my Christmas gift so that I can have some good, concentrated time for writing away from all the “should’s” that keep me distracted so much of the time.
I echo the idea of having someone else read your stuff. I send each chapter to my mom after I finish it. She tells me what she loves, what confuses her, and ideas for where the story would go. Sometimes I take her advice, sometimes I don’t. But having her eyes on it helps me see if everything is flowing. When I was particularly questioning whether I was even “good enough” to finish a novel, I asked someone who I’m not particularly close with, but has impeccable taste in books, if she would read my WIP and give me her honest, unbiased thoughts. Her feedback gave me the oomph I needed to finally decide to put BIC and just finish this thing already.
Other than that, I’m needing more tips than I have to offer. Ha!
I’ve been writing a long time, Jennifer, and I still need more tips than I ever have to offer!!
Janet, I was a bit hesitant about adding this, but here goes…
* If you feel that your writing is God’s calling, then your writing isn’t really ‘yours’; it belongs to the Almighty and is part of His plan. Therefore, neglecting this duty in the face of holiday expectations and traditions is disobedience at best, and a form of apostasy at worst.
That’ll hit you where you live.
Jennifer, it did that to me.
I hear you, Andrew. I’d put it a different way. It’s not a vacation when I don’t spend time writing. It’s a punishment to be kept from what I know God wants me to be doing.
*There was an old fable about a shoemaker who had a sign in his shop, “Never worked and never will.” He loved what he did so much that he’d rather do it than anything else. That’s how I feel about my WIPs.
Carol, that shows in your writing.
Janet,
Thank you for this list. As always, it’s practical and thought-provoking.
*One tip is to Pray. That’s probably a given, but in an extra-busy season, we need to remember to daily keep in touch with the One Who knows us better and loves us deeper than anyone else. Time spent with God can build us up to be more ready to meet good times–when the writing is really moving along, and the-not-so-good times–when the writing is stuck. I think that it’s in the not-so-good times, even when we’re motivated, that discouragement, self-doubt and all the rest of that gang are more apt to come calling. Time spent in prayer means we don’t even hear them knock on the door.
*A goal I want to pursue is to be more intentional about my writing, and my life. One of the pastors at the church I attend is a life-coach, and I scheduled a meeting with her.
A life-coach is an excellent idea, Peggy. I’ve worked with one (Linda Stoll), specific to my blogging, and it was an awesome experience.
Thanks for the encouragement, Andrew. I’ve been writing down thoughts and ideas prior to meeting with her.
Peggy, would you let the community here know how it goes?
Prayer is such a biggie that I tend to neglect far too often. Approaching the throne before I approach the pen reminds me of who and Whose I am, and places my vision and perspective back where it should be.
Jennifer,
I needed to make that reminder to myself. 🙂 It’s one of those things I need to be more intentional about. Thank God, He is opening my eyes and is patient with me!
*I think reading a blog like Books and Such helps me a great deal; I see the Christian faith expressed in a relevant way to the creative side of writing and the business side.