I grew up a few hours’ drive from cozy PEI, the crags and cliffs of Newfoundland, and the bustle and hustle of Halifax, Nova Scotia. People from this part of the world pride themselves on their practicality, their resourcefulness, and their ability to endure harsh weather extremes. And for good reason. Grappling with freezing temperatures and snow storms are not for the faint of heart. The highest compliment you could get from my neck of the woods is to be called practical. You didn’t want to be labeled ‘creative.’ With the label ‘creative’ came the associations of ‘flighty,’ ‘careless,’ ‘wishy-washy,’ and, of course, ‘poor as dirt.’

There are ancient and modern reasons for this attitude – and I won’t rabbit-hole you down those reasons. Suffice to say – being practical could save your life, and being forgetful or unfocused could spell danger if not mortal disaster. You can’t forget to fill the car with gas or to buy a winter jacket when frostbite can steal your nose and your toes.

Unlearning Being Practical

So.

In order to fully embrace my own creative side, I have spent the second half of my life unlearning biases and unsticking the digging fingers of criticism and logic that have formed my very soul. It is hard work. It’s a lot of ‘I made so much progress!’ and then realizing I am still dampening my art with the diminishing lens of ‘what profit will this net me?’  Or, ‘What is the practical end of this creative thing I am doing?’

I tried making pottery a couple of weeks ago and a funny thing happened. I imagined what the clay might tell me, what shape it wanted to be, if it could talk to me. And I didn’t even chide myself for being ridiculous and insane for imagining it. Progress! The theme of this last part of 2023 is bringing all different types of creativity into my life, not just the written word. Opening myself to aspects of creativity I don’t normally think of. 

I recently had the opportunity to participate in a course (Infinite Imagination) with artist and poet Holly Spaulding that is bringing more art into my life. “Art wrapped up into life,” she would say, or, “catalyzing unexpected outcomes.” Doesn’t that give your little heart a thrill? I want more catalyzed unexpected outcomes!

Meander. Explore. Be flighty.

If you’re a word witch like me, throwing some paint on a canvas, molding a bowl of clay, or sewing a patch of yarn with bright colors, it can crack you open and it only feeds into your other creative endeavors. It’s an opportunity to do something badly. To meander, to wander, to try new mediums and to fail to execute my vision, and to flit off to a different medium. I understand there are loads of people shouting ‘how to focus’ from the rafters. Screaming at us to narrow our goals and execute. Be productive. Be profitable. Be useful. Respectfully, screw that. Screw them. Don’t throttle your creativity with demands.

Listening to Holly talk about growing up in a house of artists, with her mother painting and her father working with wood and making mountains for her with his own paint, my heart contracted with longing. The image of little Ange surrounded by written and visual art. Maybe a row of misshapen pottery bowls on a sunny window sill. An open, loose childhood that could have nurtured my creativity. And then, how can I give that to myself (and my own children) now? In between working and dentist appointments, making healthy dinners and doing the mundane tasks that need to be done, how can I pull in more magic? I want more of the beauty and flow and frustration and glee and freedom that comes with giving myself permission to be creative, somehow, every day. I want permission to be impractically creative. Just creating for the sake of creating.

The question I want you to ask yourself is, how can I bring more art into my life? Can I take a walk in the woods and sketch the falling light? Take a photo of a bright red raspberry in a field of yellowing vines? How do I carve out time to sit still and make art for the purpose of thrilling my own soul?

I want you to ask yourself, how can I intertwine art into life? Are you already doing this well? Please tell us all about it!

Angela Yeh is an East Coast Canadian native who grew up a stone’s throw from Stephen King’s Maine. She now lives in Texas and sees Chuck Norris on the always. Angela is a short tall-story-teller who loves to garden, write about magic, and eat cake. If you’d like to check out her first published novel, A Phoenix Rises, she will send you cookies. She lives with her husband, two human children, and three fur babies. You can follow her antics on Twitter and Instagram or on her website.

The post Permission for the Dismissed Creative appeared first on DIY MFA.

Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter especially for our podcast listeners. Every month, you’ll get an email from our podcast producer with recaps of the most recent episodes, a curated Listening List of episodes on a particular theme, and other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it’s free to join! The theme for September is International/Travel, and you can become an insider by signing up with your email at diymfa.com/insiders.

In this episode Helen and Lori discuss:

• How to create, maintain, and use a story bible and style guide.
• The importance of allowing your writing process to evolve as you change.
• How to decide whether traditional or indie publishing is right for you.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Helen Scheuerer

Helen Scheuerer is the fantasy author of the bestselling trilogy, The Oremere Chronicles and the Curse of the Cyren Queen quartet. Her work has been highly praised for its strong, flawed female characters and its action-packed plots. More recently, she has also delved into publishing advice for authors with her debut nonfiction book, ‘How To Write A Successful Series’.

Helen’s love of writing and books led her to pursue a Bachelor of Creative Writing at the University of Wollongong and a Masters of Publishing at the University of Sydney. Now a full-time author, Helen lives amidst the mountains in Central Otago, New Zealand and is constantly dreaming up new stories.

You can find her on her website or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

How to Write a Successful Series

Do you want to learn how to design a series that will hook readers for life and set you up for long-term success?

Whether you’re a new or experienced writer, How To Write A Successful Series is a comprehensive guide that will have you writing addictive, bestselling book series that lay the foundation for a lucrative career.

In How To Write A Successful Series, you’ll learn:

• The REAL reasons you should write in a series
• How to approach a series from the start (for both outliners and discovery writers)
• How to use foreshadowing and cliffhangers to create binge-worthy installments
• How to maintain consistency across a long-running series for plot-hole free books
• How to protect your career with series exit and expansion strategies
• How to sustain readers over multiple books with a compelling cast
• How to find and use your target market to satisfy hungry readers
• And much, much more

Packed with actionable advice, numerous examples and personal anecdotes, How To Write A Successful Series is a must-read for all authors.

If you decide to check out the books, we hope you’ll do so via these Amazon affiliate links: How to Write a Successful Series, Heart of Mist (The Oremere Chronicles – Book 1), and A Lair of Bones (Curse of the Cyren Queen – Book 1) where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Instagram: @domwritesbooks
Twitter: @domwritesbooks
TikTok: @domwritesbooks

Heart of Mist

In a realm where toxic mist sweeps the lands and magic is forbidden, all Bleak wants is a cure for her power.

Still grieving the death of her guardian and dangerously self-medicating with alcohol, Bleak is snatched from her home by the Commander of the King’s Army, and summoned to the capital.

But the king isn’t the only one interested in Bleak’s powers.

The leader of an infamous society of warriors, the Valia Kindred, lays claim to her as well, and Bleak finds herself in the middle of a much bigger battle than she anticipated.

Instagram: @domwritesbooks
Twitter: @domwritesbooks
TikTok: @domwritesbooks

A Lair of Bones

A deadly contest. A vaulting ambition. How far will one cyren go to win?

Mighty cyrens have ruled the ancient lair of Saddoriel for centuries. A cavernous fortress, a subterranean labyrinth of tunnels and levels, powered by magic and music…

From the moment she was born, Roh, the daughter of an infamous criminal, has been despised by her own kind. Restricted to the Lower Sector and forced to work as a common bone cleaner, she has always believed she belongs above: where lies adventure… and power.

Opportunity arises in the form of the Queen’s Tournament, a treacherous set of trials that could see the victor crowned ruler of the entire lair. Up against the most cunning, dangerous cyrens in all the realms, does Roh stand a chance?

Link to Episode 428

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 428: A Masterclass in Planning and Writing a Series – Interview with Helen Scheuerer appeared first on DIY MFA.

What follows is a reconnaissance report on these enemies. Read with caution, write with bravery, and arm yourself with these little-known defenses against the 6 Creativity Killers.

Killer #1: Self-Criticism

Defense: Conquer your inner critic

What does your inner critic tell you? What sick nothings does it whisper in your ear? Listen to the voice and write down what it says, then look at what you’ve written down and translate the language.

Let’s look at an example.

Your inner critic might say: “You’re no good. You’re kidding yourself. You’re an imposter.”

Translated, the self-critic’s words become “When I reread that passage and realized it’s not as exciting as I remembered it being, I felt scared, because I need to be completely confident in this novel before self-publishing. Can we try to make that passage better?”

Broken down into these terms, your inner critic shrinks from an imposing bully to a frightened worrywart. Now you can have empathy for it, and you can have empathy for yourself.

Killer #2: Busyness

Defense: Write in small chunks

You might be too busy to write for hours at a stretch, but don’t let Busyness win. Condense your writing time into micro sprints.

First, separate your thinking time from your writing time (if you have only 10 minutes to write, you can’t afford to spend the first 5 brainstorming). Plan your next writing session at times in the day when you can’t write but can think (re: toilet time, shower time, driving time).

After you have a writing road map, make writing your default “dead time” activity. Dead time comes in batches of 5-10 minutes when you’re in the pickup line at little Timmy’s preschool, or during a group call at work when you won’t be required to talk. 

Most people think 5-10 minutes isn’t enough time to start a task, so they scroll social media or listen to the radio or stare off into the distance. But that’s a trap. 

Keep your WIP on Google Drive so you can write from your phone if necessary, and use these 5-10 minute chunks of dead time to crank out some words.

Killer #3: Stress

Defense: Become antifragile

Meditation, gratitude journals, workouts, and dozens of other activities can relieve you of stress. But sometimes nothing you do works. Then, it’s time to be antifragile.

There was a chess prodigy named Josh Waitzkin who used to get songs stuck in his head while he played. He would divert his concentration from the chess match to getting rid of the melody, but sometimes it just wouldn’t leave.

What was his solution?

He stopped trying to get rid of the songs. If the melody stuck in his head was fast, he played more aggressively. If the melody was calm and musing, so was his strategy on the board. Instead of trying to avoid stress, he used it. He wasn’t at risk of being broken by stressors; he grew because of them. He became antifragile.

See the Creativity Killer of Stress not as an enemy, but as an unknowing ally. Use it to your advantage, as fuel and as source material, and your writing will never again suffer at its hand.

Killer #4: Marketing Anxiety

Defense: Insulate yourself from future worry

Imagine this. You learn from what happened yesterday, you set goals that extend several tomorrows forward, but you’re insulated from future worries (including those about selling your book), because you exist completely in today.

Sounds great, right?

But how in the world can we be so grounded in the present?

One method involves exporting your anxiety. Take 20 minutes and write down everything you’re worrying about. Then, for each worry, ask yourself what the worst-case scenario is. 

For example, if your writing goal is to be traditionally published, you may worry about the process of trying to get an agent. What’s the worst-case scenario? Every query you send out will be rejected. 

Accept that possibility, recognize that the consequence, though painful, will not kill you, and brainstorm solutions. Could you work with a query specialist? Could you save up for conventions that would allow you to connect with agents in person? 

Taking small actions—or even making small plans—will loosen the worry’s grip on you.

Killer #5: Fatigue

Defense: Create enjoyable writing sessions

What requires more energy: a 2-mile walk to the gym or a 2-mile walk to the ice cream shop?

It’s easier to summon energy for pleasure than for pain. Consequently, if you craft your writing sessions to be more pleasurable than painful, you’ll find a deeper well of energy for it.

Step one in creating an enjoyable writing session is to “creatify” your writing environment. Put up some plants, some candles. Hang a curtain divider from the ceiling to create yourself a little nook. Find a comfortable chair. Play relaxing rainforest sounds in your headphones. Build yourself a happy place.

After creatifying your writing nest, it’s time to tackle your writing process. To ensure optimal enjoyment of your writing, you can find a writing partner, dress comfier while you write, drink a glass of wine or sparkling water…anything that helps transform your writing from a chore into a treat.

These feel like surface-level improvements, but they’ll combine to fill your writing with pleasure. Your energy will rise as a result, and your fatigue will fall.

Killer #6: Distraction

Defense: Recover your focus as fast as lightning

There are apps and focus techniques that can help you avoid distractions. But sometimes those things don’t work. The challenge becomes this: how do you resume your writing after the unavoidable interruption?

The answer is to ring the bell.

You’ve heard about that guy Pavlov and his dogs, right? He rang a bell every day before feeding time and the dogs salivated in anticipation. Eventually, he could ring the bell without feeding the dogs at all and they would still salivate.

What’s the bell for your writing?

What will instantly put you into a creative mindset or return you to a creative mindset after an interruption? Is it a particular chair? A candle scent? A type of music?

If you can find your bell—or if you can create a bell—you can turn your writer-mind on and off like a switch.

One more secret about Creativity Killers…

These defenses will protect you from the Creativity Killers, but you might find yourself struggling with the same one or two killers. Why? What makes you vulnerable to those killers, and how can you escape their influence?

There are six components of creative wellbeing, and if one of your components is weak, you’ll always be susceptible to the corresponding Creativity Killer.

For years I’ve been building a creativity-supercharging video course, and I’m only just now releasing it. That means you can take the creativity assessment, diagnose your vulnerabilities, and protect yourself from the Creativity Killers for good. And because this course is just hitting the market, you can do it all for free.

To apply for this free, creativity-supercharging video course, click here.

Tell us in the comments: What Creativity Killers do you suffer from? And how will you defeat them?

Mason Engel is the Amazon-bestselling author of 2084, the director of bookish documentaries for public television, and the founder of ClimbWrite.com. ClimbWrite’s video courses are designed for fiction writers who are looking to supercharge their creativity and pen the next bestseller.

You can find him on his website or follow him on Instagram.

The post The 6 Creativity Killers: A Reconnaissance Report on Creativity’s Greatest Enemies appeared first on DIY MFA.

Adult readers want topics that produce a strong emotive response. They want to know they are not alone in their struggles. They want to relate to characters who share their own painful journeys. Self-help books and memoirs often tackle these issues, but fiction readers also want stories that give voice to tough topics.

In particular, women’s fiction deals with themes that are part of our national dialogue. My debut novel A Week of Warm Weather explores sensitive subjects such as abandonment, addiction, and both physical and emotional abuse. Having experienced these issues—either myself or with people close to me—it was important to me to portray these experiences with empathy and authenticity for my readers.

Here are five tips for writing about sensitive subjects in fiction:

1. Don’t Sugarcoat

Sure, fiction is supposed to be entertaining, but unless you write fantasy or sci-fi, it should also be real. When writing about tough topics, don’t be afraid to be raw and put it all out there. Sensitive subjects resonate with readers when they are written realistically, not glossed over.

In A Week of Warm Weather, my protagonist Tessa was abandoned by her biological mother as a child. This affects her profoundly and informs every subsequent choice and behavior. Because she’s internalized her feelings and not worked through them, she feels inadequate and damaged. She is a people-pleaser to the point that she sacrifices her own emotional well-being. 

Most of all, she is terrified of further rejection and abandonment. This causes her to put up with abuse from her husband that will have readers screaming out loud at her. To sugarcoat such a trauma would be to minimize the severity of it and may alienate readers who have endured a similar experience.

Writing authentically about difficult topics results in a powerful novel that resonates with readers.

2. Draw on Your Own Experiences Whenever Possible

As the author, if you’ve experienced the sensitive issue(s) yourself—as I have—understand that you will be exposing a part of yourself. Don’t be afraid of that—it’s a good thing. 

My own experience gave life to Tessa’s emotions and actions. As an adult, I’ve worked through my trauma; therefore, I was able to draw on not only my memories of going through it as a child, but also how it affected all my later thoughts and actions.

I channeled that energy into creating Tessa. Though it was hard to dredge up painful memories, it was cathartic to embark on the journey through my character. 

My hope is that, while no two people who experience trauma react in exactly the same way, my book’s themes will resonate with readers and initiate a dialogue that helps them find ways to work through their own difficulties. 

Writing about a subject that matters to me helped me to treat it with the weight it deserves.

3. Do Your Research/Ask the Pros

When writing about sensitive subjects that you have not personally experienced, speak to people who have. They will ensure you portray characters authentically including how they talk, dress, and behave. 

Also, recruit beta readers who are members of the marginalized community or have lived through the experiences in your book. There is no better authority to determine if any part of your writing comes across as not believable. They will help you avoid stereotypes or “token characters” that add nothing to the story’s arc and are a sure way to alienate readers.

For my book, though I have personal experience with abandonment, addiction, and abuse, I sought the expertise of others with similar experiences and also professionals who have helped people through them. 

I attended AA and Al-Anon meetings where I spoke to people (after disclosing that I was writing a book) whose lives have been affected, and some destroyed, by addiction. I spoke to counselors who know firsthand the behaviors and responses of real people dealing with all forms of abuse. 

Even if you have experience with the difficult topics in your writing, research them thoroughly.

4. Have a Purpose

Even in fiction, readers want to know why you are writing about a topic, especially a sensitive one. It’s offensive to readers if a delicate subject is “thrown in” or does not advance the story. 

If you set out to write about a sensitive topic, commit to it. Learn everything you can about the topic so you can give it the authenticity it deserves. Don’t incorporate “buzz words” or “hot topics” to attempt to show you are in tune with what’s going on in the world today. 

Readers are smart. They will know immediately you are seeking attention, not deeply exploring an important subject to begin a dialogue or enact change. Don’t try to tackle multiple issues or characters that “tick a box.” This will result in your readers tossing aside your book in favor of one that deeply explores a topic that matters to them.

After reading my book, I hope people who have gone through similar experiences—either personally or relating to someone they know—will realize that secrets make us sick. Only through acknowledgement and dialogue can change occur. 

Decades ago, people did not openly discuss how it felt to be an adult who was abandoned by a parent. They were ashamed to admit they or someone they love was an addict. They hid abuse, especially emotional abuse, for fear of not being believed. 

Today, largely due to the impact of social media as a platform for discussion and debate, these issues are part of our nation’s ongoing dialogue. Make sure readers know your writing is part of that important conversation.

5. Bring Closure

In the end, we are all hopeful that better days are ahead. Try to give readers hope that they can overcome difficulties. That’s not to say you should patronize readers or pretend that every problem has an easy—or any—solution. 

When I write women’s fiction, I am mindful that although I am not writing a traditional self-help book, my readers are real people with real challenges. They are the sum total of their experiences, and within the pages of my book, they are likely to see a bit of themselves or someone they know. They want to be part of a community of people with shared experiences, even if those people are characters in a novel.

My book explores the effects of abandonment with the hope that readers know it is possible to break the cycle of generational trauma. It explores addiction with the hope that readers recognize and break free from codependent behaviors. It explores abuse with the hope that readers will shed their denial and shame. Mostly, I wrote my book to inspire readers to start a dialogue that helps everyone going through challenges.

If you have an idea for a novel that contains sensitive subjects or controversial issues, these tips should help your writing to resonate with readers. Hopefully by using these suggestions, you will compose a meaningful story that will affirm to readers that others share their struggles. 

Though my protagonist’s problems are not all solved by the end of the book, she finds her voice. Shouldn’t that be our wish for our readers?

Tell us in the comments: What tips are you going to use the next time you write about sensitive subjects?

Born and raised in a large family in eastern Pennsylvania, Lee Bukowski has always had an interest in reading, writing, and storytelling. She holds a BA in English and Secondary Education from Millersville University and taught seventh grade English and writing for fifteen years. In 2017, she obtained an MFA in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. Currently, she teaches writing at the college level and freelances as a proofreader and editor. When she’s not teaching or writing, she loves reading and traveling, especially visiting her grown daughters in Boston and Fort Lauderdale. A Week of Warm Weather is her debut novel. Lee lives with her husband in Reading, PA.

You can find her on her website or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post #5onFri: Five Tips on Writing about Sensitive Subjects in Fiction appeared first on DIY MFA.

Sophfronia is a novelist and essayist whose work has appeared in Time, People, O: The Oprah Magazine, as well as many other outlets. Her first novel, All I Need to Get By, was nominated for best new author at the African American Literary Awards and Sophfronia was hailed by Henry Louis Gates Jr. as “one of the best writers of her generation.”

She is a prolific writer whose work spans both fiction and nonfiction, and her other books include Unforgivable Love, Love’s Long Line, and This Child of Faith: Raising a Spiritual Child in a Secular World, which she co-wrote with her son Tain. Her essays “The Legs On Which I Move” and “Why I Didn’t Go to the Firehouse” are listed in the Best American Essays series. Her next book is The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton, and is out now from Broadleaf Books.

The recipient of a 2020 Artist Fellowship Grant from the Connecticut Office of the Arts, Sophfronia holds degrees from Harvard and the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is currently director of Alma College’s MFA in Creative Writing, which is a low-residency grad program based in Alma, Michigan.

This interview is a little bit of a departure from our usual subject matter of authors talking about their latest books and instead Sophfronia and I will be doing a deep dive on MFA pedagogy. As you know, the DIY MFA philosophy is not anti-MFA, and we strive to complement what MFA programs are already doing quite well. And, of course, when I build new curriculum for DIY MFA, I draw from my own experiences as a MFA student, along with several other sources as well. I am beyond thrilled to have Sophfronia on the show to talk about writing, MFA programs, and a writer’s education.

In this episode Sophfronia and I discuss:

• How her background in journalism, ghostwriting, and her desire to coach other writers inspired her to pursue an MFA. 
• What a low residency MFA program can prepare you for a full time career as a writer as well as the logistics and benefits of attending one.
• Why reading and building community are imperative to the DIY MFA experience as well as a writer’s life and growth.

Plus, their #1 tip for writers.

About Sophfronia Scott

Sophfronia Scott is a novelist, essayist, and leading contemplative thinker whose work has appeared in Time, People, O: The Oprah Magazine, and numerous other outlets. When her first novel, All I Need to Get By, was published, she was nominated for best new author at the African American Literary Awards and hailed by Henry Louis Gates Jr. as “one of the best writers of her generation.” Her other books include Unforgivable Love, Love’s Long Line, and This Child of Faith: Raising a Spiritual Child in a Secular World, co-written with her son Tain. Sophfronia’s essays “The Legs On Which I Move” and “Why I Didn’t Go to the Firehouse” are listed among the Notables in the Best American Essays series. Her next book, The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton, will be published in March 2021 from Broadleaf Books.

The recipient of a 2020 Artist Fellowship Grant from the Connecticut Office of the Arts, Sophfronia holds degrees from Harvard and the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is currently director of Alma College’s MFA in Creative Writing, a low-residency program based in Alma, Michigan but she lives in Sandy Hook, Connecticut where she continues to fight a losing battle against the weeds in her flower beds.

Find out more about Sophfronia on her website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Goodreads.

The Seeker and the Monk 

What if we truly belong to each other? What if we are all walking around shining like the sun?

Mystic, monk, and activist Thomas Merton asked those questions in the twentieth century. Writer Sophfronia Scott is asking them today.

In The Seeker and the Monk, Scott mines the extensive private journals of one of the most influential contemplative thinkers of the past for guidance on how to live in these fraught times.

As a Black woman who is not Catholic, Scott both learns from and pushes back against Merton, holding spirited, and intimate conversations on race, ambition, faith, activism, nature, prayer, friendship, and love. She asks: What is the connection between contemplation and action? Is there ever such a thing as a wrong answer to a spiritual question? How do we care about the brutality in the world while not becoming overwhelmed by it?

By engaging in this lively discourse, readers will gain a steady sense of how to dwell more deeply within–and even to love–this despairing and radiant world.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 351

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 351: The Education of a Writer – Interview with Sophfronia Scott appeared first on DIY MFA.

1) A Push to Write (Or Finish) Your Book

This one is a bit obvious, but it’s worth repeating. It’s why NaNoWriMo has taken off the way it has. Because there’s never enough time and there’s often not enough motivation, but in November, writers set that aside, knuckle down, and write. Whether you’re starting something completely new, or needing the last push to finish the draft you’ve been working on all year, NaNoWriMo is a great kick in the pants to get words on the page.

2) An Excuse to Tackle a Difficult Goal

Is there an area of your writing life you avoid like the plague? Maybe it’s social media, or drafting, or finally fixing the world-building problems in your trunk novel. NaNoWriMo is the perfect time to slay the beast. It’s only one month–anyone can work on something for a month–and with all the built-in support from other writers, you won’t be tackling anything alone!

3) A Moment to Prepare for the New Year

Here at DIY MFA, we’re big fans of goal-setting. The New Year is always a great time to take stock of where you are in your writing, and where you want to be in a year. But reflecting only one day a year will probably not yield the best results. NaNoWriMo is a perfect time to look around, see where you were, and where you want to be, so you can start forming realistic, but ambitious goals for this year and beyond.

4) A Chance to Develop a New Habit

Habits are powerful, and can have a positive impact on our writing lives. Thirty days is the perfect amount of time to develop a new one. If you want to set a habit of writing every day, but 50,000 words is just unfeasible, set a goal that is. This will look different for different writers. Maybe you can commit to 1,000 words a day–so, 30,000 total. Or 500, for 15,000 words total. Maybe you want to journal every day, write a piece of flash fiction, or write with the internet turned off for an hour daily. Be creative! Think about the writer you want to be, and see what you can change to make that dream a reality today.

5) A Reminder that You’re Not Alone

Writing is a lonely endeavor, but it doesn’t have to be. The internet is always a great place to find writing buddies, but in November, with thousands of writers setting aside time for NaNoWriMo, the place is abuzz. Whether you find buddies for writing sprints on Twitter, or in the forums on NaNoWriMo’s official site, you can count on there being other writers in the same sleep-deprived, caffeine-buzzed state you are!

Bess Cozby writes epic stories in expansive worlds from her tiny apartment in New York City. By day, she’s an Editor at Tor Books, and Web Editor for DIY MFA. Her work is represented by Brooks Sherman of the Bent Agency. Tweet her at @besscozby, contact her at bess@diymfa.com, or visit her website at www.besscozby.com.

The post #5OnFri: Five Benefits of Aiming High During NaNoWriMo appeared first on DIY MFA.

If you’ve ever experienced writer’s block, you know that you have to get through all these stages to be able to get back to writing. Writer’s block is painful, but not writing is even more painful.

Listen to the episode below for details about the five stages and how to overcome them.

Stage 1: Denial

“I don’t have writer’s block. I’m just really busy.”

If you’re going to get past a block, you have to acknowledge that it is there and that any excuses you have for not being able to write are just a way of avoiding writing.

Stage 2: Anger

“I never have time to write. It’s not fair!”

Anger is a defense mechanism. It masks the truth that you’re not writing by shifting the blame to someone or something else. The cure is simple. Just start writing. Use your anger to fuel your creativity.

Stage 3: Bargaining

“If I don’t write today but I write twice as much tomorrow, it will even out, right?”

Bargaining is just a fancy word for denial. Don’t let the cycle of procrastination pick up momentum. Sit down and write, even if it’s only for 15 minutes.

Stage 4: Depression

“Why bother? Everything I write is lousy.”

Up until now, the focus of your inability to write has been external, but now it is internal. This phase happens when you let your frustrations about writer’s block become personal. It’s important to remember that this is just a temporary phase. The best way to work through it is to sit down and write something. It doesn’t have to be good. Failure is ok. Mistakes are what teach us so that we can do better next time.

Stage 5: Acceptance

“Maybe I have writer’s block, but it’s ok. I can still sit down and write through it.”

All it takes is one small step at a time to get back on track. Just sit down and write. When we carry our stories in our head, it’s like we’re carrying all of this excess baggage in our brains. We need to dump it onto the page so that we can clear our minds and so that we can make it into something beautiful.

Link to Episode 13

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available. Also, if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please share!

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome.

The post Episode 13: The 5 Stages of Writer’s Block appeared first on DIY MFA.

But setting limits for your writing can be a good thing. It’s only in limiting your choices that you are able to start writing and create a story. Also when you have fewer options, you are all the more likely to make the most of the resources you have. In this episode I’ll share with you exactly why setting limits are the key to unleashing your creative spirit.

Having too many options open can be paralyzing. It’s like when you have a blank page in front of you it’s so hard to write, but when you put something (anything!) on the page, the writing suddenly becomes easier.

Here are 5 Reasons to Set Limits:

1. Limits give you freedom. Sometimes having too many choices can be paralyzing and the best thing we can do for our writing is to set some limits.
2. Limits give you focus. When you focus, your writing becomes more potent and concise, instead of scattered and dilute.
3. Limits make you stop and think. When you pause and think things through before writing, you’re more likely to get it “right” the first time and you can avoid costly mistakes.
4. Limits give your writing voice distinction. Sooner or later, you have to own your voice and start having opinions. When you share what you really think, you may not appeal to everyone, but you’ll connect with your ideal readers.
5. Limits give your story shape/structure. Every choice you make when writing is a limit that you set for yourself, your characters, and the world you are building

Some Ways to Set Limits:

1) Use prompts.

Prompts are a great way to challenge yourself by setting limits, and we have some for you to try! Our Conquer the Craft writing challenge is going on right now! With 29 prompts in 29 days, this challenge is the perfect way to set some limits and improve your writing.

2) Put something on the page.

A quote, a sentence from your previous writing session, whatever. It doesn’t matter what you put on the page as long as you just start writing. Something on the page will get you focused, thinking, and most importantly… writing.

3) Close a door for your character.

If there are too many directions where your story can go, then it’s not really a story. Limit those options. Eliminate some possibilities and watch your character take decisive action.

4) Leave something to chance.

Pick prompts at random. Roll a die to decide which way your story will go. Do something that leaves the choice up to chance, then work with the result that you get.

Resource Recap:

Conquer the Craft: Try the Conquer the Craft writing challenge, 29 prompts in 29 days. This challenge is not only designed to help you write more, but to make you write better. For more details or to join, go to DIYMFA.com/challenge.

In case you’re curious, here’s a link to the research article about that Iyengar jam study. There’s a lot of statistical details in there, but this article will give you the most detailed view about the study.

Link to Episode 4

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available. Also, if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please share!

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome.

The post Episode 4: Why Setting Limits is a Good Thing appeared first on DIY MFA.

Not sold on the concept? Here’s how a writing challenge can help you write more, write better, and write smarter.

1) Write More

Most writing challenges focus first and foremost on making you write more words or pages. This is because writing more is the first step to getting that book published and in the hands of your readers. The only way to get there is to start putting words on the page. But wait, there’s more.

Writing is is like Newton’s 1st Law of Motion. The more you write, the easier it is to keep writing. Just as “objects in motion stay in motion and objects at rest stay at rest,” the more often you write, the more momentum you build up. Writing regularly also helps you build stamina and mastery. You’ll be more confident each time you sit down to write because you know you can do it. After all, you just did it the day before.

On the flip side, if you haven’t written in a while, it can be harder to get back on the bandwagon with each passing day. Here’s the good news: you can use a writing challenge to jumpstart your writing or get back in the groove after a long break. Just make sure you’re gentle with yourself, especially in the beginning. The last thing you want is to try leaping too far too soon. If you do that, you risk setting yourself up for failure, which in turn might make you feel miserable and maybe even give up.

2) Write Better

While many writing challenges might seem like they focus on quantity, they can also have an impact on the quality of your writing. The more words you write, the less precious each one will feel and that will make it easier for you to rewrite or cut things altogether. Writing is re-writing, and every true writer knows that the first draft supposed to be an ugly mess. The key is putting words on the page so you have something to work with later on. You can fix just about any problem in revision, but you can’t revise a blank page.

While you may not produce a polished piece during a challenge, that habit of writing regularly will improve your skills and techniques. In fact, it’s not uncommon for the later parts of a draft to require much less revision than the beginning. This is because when you first start a project it takes time to find your voice and figure out the direction of the story. After you get in the groove, though, the writing may flow more easily and become better overall.

The #1 way to increase your odds of getting published is to write the best book possible. There are many factors that play a part in getting you published: talent, luck and the quality of your writing. Unfortunately, you can’t control how much talent was handed to you at birth and luck is just… luck. Skill, on the other hand, now that’s something you can work with, it’s something you can control. The better you get at writing, the better your book will be. And if your book improves, so will your odds of seeing your name in print.

3) Write Smarter

One of the best ways to approach a writing challenge is to treat it as a testing ground for writing habits that you can continue after the challenge is over. After all, let’s be realistic. Unless you live in a cabin in the woods and do nothing but write, there are likely other things in your life that take time away from writing. A writing challenge forces you to find the time to write and make all these pieces of your life fit together.

It might be tempting to put real life on hold while doing a challenge, but I would caution against it. Instead, try to establish sustainable writing habits so that you can keep up that momentum for the long haul. Otherwise, you might find the challenge will give your writing a momentary boost, but it won’t have a lasting impact.

Also, make sure you have a before-during-and-after plan for your writing. The “before” piece is all about easing yourself into a challenge so you build mastery and avoid setting yourself up for failure. And the “during” component is also straightforward since most writing challenges have a structure to guide you through. The trick is figuring out what to do after the challenge is over. This is why you need a plan.

Whatever writing challenge you choose, make sure you sketch out a few milestones for the months after it’s over. This will give you a set of goals to work toward after the safety net and structure of the writing challenge is gone. I see many writers get stuck in that “serial first draft” rut where they keep jumping from challenge to challenge, producing new drafts but never following through and submitting the manuscript. Other writers query too soon and don’t take time for that all-important revision step after the challenge and wind up with a slew of rejection letters.

Instead, take time to map out your post-challenge goals before the challenge even starts. Just assume that you’ll finish the challenge and plan your next steps accordingly. Not only will this give you a roadmap to follow after the challenge is over, but these goals will motivate you even more to win the challenge in the first place.

Conquer the Craft in 29 Days!

Speaking of  challenges, check out Conquer the Craft in 29 Days (#CTC29).

It’s a prompt-a-day challenge designed to help you write more, write better, write smarter.
There’s still time to join, but it’s happening now so hurry and sign up. Click the link for more info.

The post How a Writing Challenge Can Help YOU appeared first on DIY MFA.

Since then, I’ve split my time between writing for various media publications and sending fiction shorts to literary magazines. I call myself a storyteller, but the truth is, storytelling comes in many different forms.

Being a reporter is rewarding: Besides the byline, you’re informing the public of what’s going on in the community and writing about real people, real stories. But being a reporter can also be difficult: You have to stick with facts, and you have to tell them in the most compelling way. Surprisingly, one of the best things about being a journalist has been learning skills that have also helped me be a better creative writer.

Research is Essential

Before I begin a story assignment, I take about 20 minutes to do background research on related issues and prepare for interviews. Who are the key players – members of the town council? The school board? What impact does the issue have on future policy decisions? I also read recently written articles to make sure my angle hasn’t been covered yet. This helps me understand the issue better, so that when I pick up the phone and start making calls, folks on the other line know I’ve done my homework.

As tedious and boring as it may seem, research is important for every writing project – even novels. Delve into the background of your characters. Look up the meanings of different names. If your novel takes place in, say, Boston, then find out what the most popular hangouts are and what the city is best known for (thank goodness for the internet). If your main character is a sports fanatic, then you’ll need to know where Fenway Park is and who’s on the Red Sox team. All of these details will affect your characters and their daily lives as they are unfolded in the story.

Good Writing Starts With a Punchy Lede

Your third grade language arts teacher was onto something when she told you, “Hook the reader from the very beginning.” I used to start every news article with a cold hard fact: “On Saturday, the town council voted unanimously on Bill X, which will affect such-and-such.” Bor-ring! It wasn’t until I started writing weekly feature articles for the local newspaper that I learned how to write a good beginning. Short sentences are better than long-winded ones. Appeal to the reader’s senses and universal experiences. Word play can be effective as long as it’s not too, well, punny.

Fiction is no different. Good stories start out with a “punchy lede” that the reader can somehow identify with. Sometimes, I open up a story with a character anecdote, or start right in the middle of an action scene. Dialogue easily catches a reader’s eye. A punchy lede provides just enough information to lock your readers in and keep them intrigued.

Here is the opening of my short story, “The Colors of Sound,” which was published in the spring 2012 issue of The Collegiate Scholar.

“People tend to think that when you’re blind, you also can’t hear. Or talk, even. Sometimes when I catch those whispers over my shoulder I feel inclined to tell the whisperers that I’m Helen Keller’s twelve-year-old twin. I know there’s really no point but it’s kind of interesting to sense their astonishment through the silence once they find out I’m just like them. Almost, at least.”

Deadlines and Timeliness Matter

Journalists thrive on deadlines. The rush keeps them going. They receive an assignment at noon, hunt down the story and find a way to have copy in their editors’ hands before the paper goes to press the next morning. The story itself needs to be timely as well. I mean, news isn’t news if it does not report what’s happening right now.

You may wonder what deadlines have anything to do with creative writing. After all, your story is fiction – not breaking news. Ask any NaNoer what the most important part about the writing challenge is, and he or she will say, “Speed. Time. Getting the words down.” As an avid NaNoer, I agree. Without creating a timeline for myself, I would have never reached 50,000 words on Nov. 31, 2008. I resolved to write 1,700 words every day, and sometimes wrote whole chapters in one sitting. All that mattered was reaching that 50k mark by deadline.

While quantity over quality may not be everyone’s motto, time is still a crucial factor that can make or break your literary success. When you plan to send a short story to a literary magazine, you have to meet a submission deadline. If you resolve to self-publish a novel by Christmas, you’ve set a target date. Procrastination isn’t an option, unless you want to push everything else – the editing, the cover design, the promo events – back a month or two or three. Without pacing yourself and checking your progress as time passes by, that novel may never get done.

While some days are harder than others, I love being a storyteller. On face value, journalism and creative writing may seem like polar opposites that require different talents: Journalists get to the point and strive to be objective, while creative writers are anything but. Still, they use similar skill sets for their respective crafts – they both use words to transport their readers elsewhere. They both need to know how to persuade you and grab your attention. Above all, they’re both good communicators. Perhaps they aren’t so different after all.

Wendy Lu is the entertainment editor for Blue & White magazine, a former book publishing intern and a NaNoWriMo 2008 winner. She writes a little bit of everything and blogs about creativity and happiness at wendyluwrites.blogspot.com. Her work has appeared in The Daily Tar Heel, The Collegiate Scholar and Chapel Hill Magazine’s The WEEKLY.

The post Creative Writing Lessons from a Reporter appeared first on DIY MFA.