While September has not been a month in which I’ve only worked during the weekday, I can say that most months, I’m able to keep my working hours . . . manageable.

The truth is I’m no expert and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t work at night after my daughter went to sleep or never turned on my computer on a Sunday morning. But over the past year, I’ve made it a priority to strive toward work-life balance and I’ve learned that I’m far more effective when I’m rested and not overworked. I don’t write particularly well at midnight. I don’t do anything particularly well at midnight, except binge Netflix and then regret staying up until two because my body doesn’t allow me to stay asleep past 7 am no matter what time I go to bed.

So yes, I’m writing this on a Saturday, but yesterday I took the day for myself. I spent the afternoon with a friend, relaxed, had a lovely dinner, came home, tackled a few emails, and then spent the rest of the evening with my family. I traded Friday off for a Saturday workday and, to me, that is one of the best things about having an author’s schedule.

It wasn’t always like this. 

The first five years of my writing career were a blur of deadlines, late nights, and juggling two jobs. I was hungry for storytelling, my brain was on fire with ideas, and I sucked at time management. I tried to work from 8pm until midnight, then sleep, go to my day job, where I would forgo lunch so I could squeeze in twenty minutes of authoring, then sneak in another hour before I drove home, picked up my daughter, tried to mom and make dinner, and tackled bedtime with a child who thought sleep was for the weak.

Wash, rinse, repeat. 

Needless to say I became an overworked, overwhelmed shell of a person. I knew that even after I quit my day job, I’d have to figure out the best way to manage my time and while I’m not a master, I think I’ve come up with effective strategies for creating a work-life balance.

Have a Plan and Write It Down

Lists are your friend.

I love lists. They’re a visual reminder of what needs to be done and every time I put a checkmark beside an item, I experience a surge of gratification. I start most days with a list, especially if I have a number of things that need my attention. I organize the list from most important/pressing to least important. 

Some days I get everything done. Some days the least important items get moved to the following day. But making a list keeps me accountable and helps me stay focused.

Set Realistic Goals

Pick a writing goal that is manageable for you. If you’ve never written ten thousand words in one day, don’t set that as a goal. I think the most I’ve ever written in one day is 8k and the next day I was basically useless. I was exhausted and my brain felt like it was leaking out of my ear. I had that one banner day, but was it really worth it in the long run? Probably not.

When I was writing part-time and working another job, it was very, very challenging to move projects ahead. Carving out writing time between family obligations, work, and life can be difficult. Writing time is precious, and setting reasonable word goals is essential to avoid feeling defeated. Some authors can write like the wind, some plod along slowly. 

Know your pace, set your goals accordingly.

Set Long and Short Term Goals

I’m a planner. To a certain degree. 

I like to know what I’m going to write and when. I work with multiple publishers which means I’m often juggling multiple projects and deadlines. We block off time for each project, including the brainstorming, writing, and editing phases. Over the years we (my agent and I) have modified and adjusted my writing schedule based on the evolution of my writing.

When I’m scheduling writing months, or time to write, I’m also taking into account when I’m going to receive edits for different projects. When I can slot things into timelines, set reminders, and make sure those goals are realistic and attainable, it’s much easier to find work-life balance and compromise with my time.

Know Yourself and Learn from Your Mistakes

I can’t work on two projects at the same time. My brain does not work that way. I get overloaded and I can’t accomplish anything. 

This month has been particularly heavy. I have a book to finish writing, but with so many other projects requiring my attention I need to set it aside until next month. Is that hard to do? Absolutely. But I have deadlines to meet. And stepping back gives me space and perspective.

It takes time to learn your process. This year I made a rookie mistake. I’m eight years into this career. I should know better. But I made a decision in February and I’m feeling the ramifications of that now. I tried to cram too much into my schedule and while in the end it turned out okay, I’m aware I don’t want to lock myself into another unforgiving writing/publishing schedule moving forward. 

The important part is learning from mistakes so you can avoid repeating them.   

Give Yourself Grace

We’re all human. Some days we just aren’t the most productive versions of ourselves. Life happens. We need to grocery shop. We need to have coffee with a friend. We need to sit on the couch and do nothing. And guess what? That’s perfectly okay.

Writing is my full-time job. And at the beginning, I felt like I needed to account for every single hour in my day. I don’t think it helped that writing is one of those careers where people have these romantic notions that we all sit around waiting for the muse to hit and ponder our existential existence. 

I work my butt off. 

For a while, I felt like I needed to prove that I was, in fact,, working. All the time.

Now when I’m on deadline, sometimes my work hours are longer, but for the most part I’ve learned to break it all down into manageable pieces. The work is still going to be there tomorrow. Life, on the other hand, is fleeting, so remember to appreciate it and the people in yours.

Find your balance.

Tell us in the comments below: How do you manage a work-life balance?

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting lives outside of Toronto with her amazing family and her two awesome cats, who think the best place to sleep is her keyboard. She writes all things romance — contemporary, romantic comedy, sports and angsty new adult. Some of her books include Meet Cute, Pucked, and Shacking Up. Helena loves to bake cupcakes, has been known to listen to a song on repeat 1512 times while writing a book, and if she has to be away from her family, prefers to be in warm weather with her friends. Learn more at https://helenahunting.com, or catch up with her on Twitter: @helenahunting

The post Finding Work-Life Balance as a Full-Time Author appeared first on DIY MFA.

Quitter.

Let’s be honest. Writing is swimming upstream with a thousand pounds of hope, expectations, and manuscripts strapped firmly to your back. Publishing is a subjective industry at best and more akin to Russian roulette on the worst days. Great authors take forever to get published. Mediocre authors hit the sweet spot and snag six-figure deals. Inspiration is fickle. There are moments when being a quitter feels more realistic than being a writer.

In times of doubt, I like to turn those nightmare words on their heads. I offer to you five times when throwing in the towel will help your writing so you can quit like a champ.

1. Quit comparing yourself to others. 

Social media has turned this hobby into a full-on Olympic sport. Someone is always snagging an agent, debuting a book, or inking a dream deal. While it is important to support your writing tribe, it is equally healthy to recognize when this is damaging. 

Remember, most writers don’t Instagram the fiftieth rejection email they received that day. We internalize the losses, which makes social media a breeding ground for jealousy and playing catch up. Your path is your path, and it is the right one for you. If success stories cause perspiration instead of inspiration, step away.

2. Stop trying to resuscitate a dead manuscript. 

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome. In other words, let go of the work that just isn’t working. I spent the better part of a year writing a short story collection, convinced it was destined for indie chapbook fame, but editor after editor said the same thing to me. The stories worked on their own but didn’t hold together as a collection, and never would.

I considered self-publishing. I listened to my critique group who loved me too much to tell me the editors were right. Finally, after putting the collection away for a time, I reread and realized it was time to pull the plug. 

Just like a good relationship shouldn’t be terribly hard work, a good manuscript shouldn’t make you pull your hair out. Listen to feedback. Don’t be afraid to let go. Another idea waits around the corner or at the bottom of a giant cup of Starbucks. If you are brave enough to step away, you deserve the Venti.

3. Quit letting classic rules of writing smother you. 

Studying those tried-and-true writing maxims may be a good starting point, but particularly in the world of writing, no one rule is set in stone. The beauty of being a writer is the limitless possibilities a blank page offers and the rewards for venturing beyond the norms.

When I started writing, I was paralyzed by write what you know. I grew up in a small, uneventful Pennsylvania town where what I knew filled approximately three teacups. Thankfully in college a wise professor gifted me four magic words: Write what you feel. She also told me that rules were training wheels, meant to be removed once I found my voice.

4. Stop letting little wins escape you. 

Bring your finish line closer. If your idea of success is publishing a New York Times best seller, take a number and have a seat. It’ll be awhile.

Unrealistic goals overshadow the daily steps that are required to reach those big wins. I found myself collaging enormous ambitions onto ridiculous vision boards without ever giving myself credit for the little moments. I also made those wins solely about my journey. Once I expanded them to include the wins of the amazing women in my writing circle, every day felt like an achievement.

Possible wins you are overlooking? The new book idea that you will write when you have time. Cutting out the character you loved like family. Discovering a new journal to submit your work. Attending that virtual conference and making contact with an agent. Finding the right word after toying with all the wrong ones.  

5. Quit chasing trends that you will never catch. 

A huge mystery fanatic, I was thrilled when Gone Girl and the likes started flooding the shelves of my local Target. I hadn’t written a mystery before but felt like this was the time to start even though it wasn’t authentically what I enjoyed crafting. 

First, I struggled because I was trying to match my voice with the greats ranging from Agatha Christie to Tana French. Then I discovered to my horror that every other writer on the planet had the same idea. 

The people who benefit most from trends are the trendsetters willing to step out onto that island alone and dare to be different. You are just as likely to catch a trend as you are a unicorn. That’s not to say you shouldn’t do your research and consider what agents are looking for. But rather than catering your writing to someone else’s vision, look for those interested in what you’ve got to say.

It isn’t inherently a bad thing to quit, particularly when you grow as a writer and learn what is keeping you from sitting down, pen to paper (or laptop) and writing. As long as you don’t stop doing that, you are on the path to success.

Sarah Clayville teaches high school English in the wilds of central Pennsylvania. Her work has appeared in several dozen journals, and she is a freelance editor and ghostwriter in her spare time as well as a writing mentor for middle and high school students. View her work on her website and follow her on Twitter.

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Unnecessary Words

Editing cuts down sentences to get to the point quickly. An essential edit includes keeping an eye out for words such as Just, So, and That. These words can often be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Example: “It was just the same as yesterday”

Edited: “It was the same as yesterday.”

Vague Words

Words can be deceiving. Vague terms such as Slightly, Almost, Average, and A Bit will be interpreted differently by different readers. Essential edits include crafting a sentence so it is more specific (without being wordy).

Example: “We were a bit late.”

Edited: “We were 15 minutes late.”

Adverbs

Adverbs are words that describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. They tend to end in -ly and function to prop up weak words. Essential edits require using strong verbs to show action or emotion will engage readers.

Example: “She ran quickly.”

Edited: “She sprinted.”

Over-Describing

Over-describing actions creates pleonasms or subtle redundancies. You can’t shrug anything except your shoulders, and you wouldn’t blink anything except your eyes. Give the reader a little credit for understanding how the world works. 

Example: “She gripped the doorknob with her hand.”

Edited: “She gripped the doorknob.”

Passive Voice

Passive voice occurs when the object being acted upon becomes the focus of the sentence. Look for Was and Were before a verb and a By after. Unless done purposefully, rework these sentences to be direct with your action. 

Example: “The balloon was popped by Sharon.”

Edited: “Sharon popped the balloon.”

Dialogue Tags

When writers choose dialogue tags, they tend to get creative to avoid being boring or redundant. People don’t growl, yawn, or cry things. Stick mainly to Said and Asked. Use action to add emphasis and description.

Example: “I hate you,” she growled at him.

Edited: “I hate you,” she said, her face scowling.

Clichés

When the same word, phrase, or situation is used again and again, it becomes cliché. Avoid everything from true loves literally bumping into one another to phrases like “in the nick of time.” Create your own original descriptions instead.

Example: “He got away like a thief in the night.”

Edited: “He made an easy escape.”

Punctuation

It’s okay if you don’t get every comma in the right place, but you should at least have the basics (periods, question marks, quotation marks) down. Be consistent and review some general rules before you edit. Make this level your last round of editing.

Example: “How did you do that”.

Edited: “How did you do that?”

Extra Hints & Tips

Most people don’t benefit from editing as they go. Take some time away from your work—a day, a month, however long—then start editing. Try changing the font of your manuscript. Looking at the text in a new way will help you catch typos, repeated words, and more. You can also read aloud. If you trip over a sentence or need to take a breath in the middle of one, you might need to revise it. Finally, don’t be afraid to use editing programs, but don’t accept all changes without reviewing first. You CAN edit your work and these eight aspects are sure to tighten up your wording and make your prose shine.

Jeanette the Writer is a freelance editor and writer based in Dallas, TX. When not at the computer, you can find her crafting, teaching a scuba diving class, or posting pictures of her cats on Instagram. Visit JeanettetheWriter.com for more info and sign up for her newsletter at Jeanettethewriter.ck.page.

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Mr. Claus is a wise man.  In fact, when it comes to important things like making toys or writing books (which are almost the same thing, really) he is the head honcho, zen master, Dumbledore and Obi-Wan Kenobi all rolled into one.  I myself had the privilege of spending some quality time with him at the North Pole.  As we sipped hot cocoa by his giant fireplace, he gave me some secret tips on toy-making, writing and life.

Here are some things he shared.

Writing Lessons from Santa Claus

1) Isolate yourself.

The man in the red suit definitely knows something about productivity.  Imagine making and delivering toys for all the good little children of the world.  That takes serious commitment.  The only way he manages to get everything done is because he makes his home on the most desolate real estate the world has to offer.  Writers too should follow his lead and engage in some major alone time now and again.  It helps us stay focused.

2) Surround yourself with good people.

OK, so maybe in Santa’s case these happen be people with pointy ears and twirly-whirly shoes, but they’re still pretty darn awesome.  The truth is, Santa would get nowhere if it weren’t for his toy-making comrades, and writers would suffer the same fate if they didn’t have writer friends to help them stay sane.  These are the people who read our work, keep us motivated and let us know when we’re being a little bit crazy.  We all need them, and need to let them know how much they’re appreciated.

3) Do it for love.

No one in their right mind would dedicate his life to making and distributing toys unless he was seriously committed to his mission.  I mean, how thankless is Santa’s job?  He makes all the loot, flies it around the world in his sleigh and then on Christmas morning, the kids are all: “Thanks Mom and Dad!”  Go figure.  The only way he can make sense of it all is to do it out of love.  The same is true for writers.  Write for love or don’t write at all.

4) Sometimes you have to be a little bit in denial.

A while ago, I interned at a literary agency because I wanted to understand how publishing worked.  After spending several months reading the slush pile, I couldn’t help but feel a little discouraged as a writer.  It wasn’t because the stuff I was reading was horrible; actually it was becausethe submissions I read were on average really gosh-darn good and I still had to reject most of them.  I realized that to stay motivated, I had to preserve the illusion that I could make it to the finish line some day.  I needed to let myself be a little bit in denial about the publishing process.  Just as Santa has to be in denial about certain things (“Yes, I will fit down this chimney”), I needed to give myself permission to be jolly and optimistic or I would spend all my time criticizing my own work and never get any writing done.

5) After a hard day’s work, have some milk and cookies.

Santa knows that even he needs a little recharging snack during the long haul of Christmas Eve, so he makes time for milk and cookies after each stop.  We writers also need to remember to be good to ourselves.  So go ahead and have some milk and cookies.  Or give yourself an at-home spa day.  Or buy yourself a pair of super-comfy socks.  Whatever you do, just make sure it’s something that will make you feel special and cared for.

In the end, I think Santa’s advice applies pretty much to any calling in life, whether you’re writing a book or making toys or trading stocks or building a space ship.  It’s all about staying jolly.

But sometimes Santa doesn’t give you what you want.  Sometimes you find coal in your stocking.  Then what?

When I got home after my visit to the North Pole, I found the stocking I had hung on the mantlepiece and it was filled with… coal.  I thought: “Gee, thanks, Santa.  Coal.  That’s just what I wanted.”  But then I remembered that song: “You can’t always get what you want.  You get what you need” and I realized that maybe Santa was trying to tell me something.

Sometimes rough patches and unexpected disappointments are exactly what writers need to reach the next level in their work.  Sometimes a project we thought was fool-proof turns out to be a dead end.  And sometimes Santa puts coal in your stocking instead of that iPod you wanted.  It happens.  We all have to learn how to deal with disappointment.

Just as I was about to toss the contents of my stocking in the trash, a note fell out onto the floor.  I picked it up and saw it was penned on Santa Claus stationary with swirly gold lettering.  (Obviously the note was written by Mrs. Claus because the Big Man’s handwriting is disastrous–Seriously, I have no idea how he reads the naughty/nice list with all that chicken scratch).  It read:

Two important things about coal:It can make fire,And it’s just like a diamond, only not as sparkly.

I pondered the note for a bit and realized that these lumps of coal were the best present Santa could have given me.  Let me explain.

1)  You can burn coal to make fire.

So you got a lump of coal (READ: rejection letter, nasty critique, door slamming in your face).  So what?  Don’t let it get you down.  Instead, think about how you can use it to light a fire in your writing.  Don’t let naysayers stand in your way.  Prove them wrong.  A lump of coal isn’t a sign that your writing is bad, it’s a call to action so you can make it better.

2)  Coal is basically the same as a diamond, only not as well put-together.

At the molecular level, coal and diamond are essentially the same, just a bunch of carbon molecules.  The difference isn’t what each thing is made of but how those molecules are put together.

So suppose your writing is a lump of coal.  What can you do with it to turn it into diamond-material?  How can you rearrange those molecules to make that dull lump of junk into something sparkly and beautiful?  When you find coal in your stocking, think of it as a BIG fat hint from Santa that you need to get to work.  After all, a lump of coal is just a lump of coal until you do something with it, but under the right circumstances, coal can become the sparkliest, most beautiful gem of them all.

In the words of the Big Guy himself:

Seasons Greetings to all and to all a good Write!

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Recently, I had a chance to visit the North Pole and chat it up with Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.

Let me tell you, that is one optimistic little squirt if I ever saw one.  And a lot of his advice applies really well to writing.  Here are some super-secret tips he shared about how he made it from last on the reindeer list to leading Santa’s sleigh.

Embrace what makes you different.

Rudolph admitted to me that when he was little he wished he had a regular nose just like all the other reindeer.  But in the end, if it weren’t for his sparkly red nose Santa never would have made his deliveries on that foggy winter’s night.  Suddenly, the thing that made Rudolph different became the thing that made him special.  This is important for writers to remember.  Many times we try to “write to the market” or write what others want us to write, but in the end we’re just hurting ourselves.  Write what you love and worry about what other people think later. Or never. Because that thing that makes your writing different is also what makes it special and unique.

Develop a thick skin.

Writers are a strange bunch.  They spend years writing a book, then tearing it apart in edits.  After that, they query and collect rejection letters.  Just as Rudolph had to get used to being left out of all the reindeer games, writers need a thick skin to survive the volume of rejections that comes with the job.  Rather than letting it get to us, we need to follow Rudolph’s example and just let our noses sparkle.

Don’t let the fog scare you.

At one point or another, all writers hit the fog.  You know, that feeling, like nothing you write is ever good enough.  We’ve all been there.  But real writers don’t work only when the weather’s clear, they write in the snow and wind and fog as well.  And most of the time, it’s when they break through the nasty weather that the real magic happens.

Stay confident and sparkly in the New Year, no matter how thick the fog!

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You can edit on paper, first getting it all out and then sifting through for the nuggets to keep. But editing can also be done in your head, using some logic, some common sense and a huge dose of creativity. Whether you are working on draft material or devising a story in your mind, keep these thoughts in mind.

1) Think of a biography

A biography (or autobiography) is a life story. Clearly, you can’t pack in every detail of a lived life in a volume that fits on a normal bookshelf. Authors have to be highly selective in what they include, distilling constantly.

What to include? Clearly, the most interesting, exciting and meaningful parts of the much longer life story. This is the most exaggerated example of distillation. Think of a non-alcoholic beer versus a shot of vodka you can set on fire.

Second, biographies are written only about the most unusual of lives – heroes, survivors, the super-rich, super talented, or otherwise larger-than-life.
Moreover, a well-written biography is not just a list of facts, it’s a true story. All the ideas form a single, tightly woven rope pulling the reader through the book from opening words to the last page.

2) Think of a memoir

Okay, now we are talking about only one slice of a life, a further distillation. A person can write more than one memoir, like the wonderful Stephen Fry, because a memoir is about one event or phase in a life. Now, the content is even more distilled and purposefully interwoven into a theme. While a biography tells you ‘everything about a person’ and the reasons they are who they are, a memoir has an even more specific takeaway message.

A memoir is meant to instruct in some way – by good or bad example. A life well-lived or a life best steered clear of if at all possible. A famous opera singer or a drug addict. The point is, the whole story revolves around a single idea – a rise to fame, redemption, overcoming impossible odds, inventing a game changer, like the light bulb, the Polio vaccine or Facebook.

3) Think of fiction

In fiction, the sky is the limit because everything can be made up. So, make up the good stuff, and pack it in. Consciously skip the bland stuff. This should be obvious but sometimes it takes practice.

Don’t talk about meals, or showers, or walks to the mail box unless it’s critical to the plot. If you do put in a dinner scene, it should have a justifiably deeper meaning – like you poisoned your hero or fed him magic beans.

Why have a common scenario in the background when you could big it up? Instead of a fallback dinner scene for ‘an important talk’, why not put your characters on a roller coaster ride, or bungee jumping or talking at the exact moment your heroine finds out there really is a monster under the bed? In general, skip past any ‘everyday things’ and the reader will fill in the obvious missing bit, no problem, and thank you for it.

4) Heighten

Once you are sure everything has a place in your story, you can focus on heightening. Everyone knows how the ‘fish story’ grows over time. The joke is, a dad and son catch a foot-long fish. As the story is repeated, and the tendency to exaggerate for effect and out of pride grows, the size of the fish lengthens and lengthens. This is the art of showboating and great story telling. Who wants to hear about a foot-long fish – compared to a three-foot-long fish that fought so hard it almost capsized the boat?

Look for fish in your writing. Readers will thank you and the whole point of fiction is that it’s anything but truth. Heightening means going that extra stretch and adding the extraordinary. The love in Twilight is not ‘normal’ or ‘everyday’ love: it’s once-in-a-century love. It’s a one in a billion love. And it’s not between ‘two normal people’. It’s between a human outsider and a vampire who’s been waiting his whole life just for her.

Can you crank up the extraordinary in your story?

At the level of individual paragraphs and sentences, think about how to ramp up your verbal imagery. Increase the numbers and types of images formed in the reader’s brain. It’s the mental imagery that helps those words jump off the page and into reader’s minds in a memorable way.

5) Synergize

The biggest and best impact in terms of distilling and heightening your content is when the sum is more than the parts.

You want all the parts of your story to not only hang together, like pearls on a necklace, but to mean more to the reader because they are together and in that particular order. Would you rather have 20 pearls in your hand, or ordered by size, the biggest in the middle, on a necklace? Your book should be a fine pearl necklace – or that Ferrari. Really, whatever you chose.

Sometimes you can look at your story and crank up the ‘juxtapositions’ or ‘opposites attract’ nature of things. For example, if you have two characters working together, make one is the foil of the other – good cop, bad cop, for example. Can you ramp up the differences to highlight the nature of both?

Final thoughts

Remember, readers want gripping, compelling stuff, without slow parts, but there is always a balance. You can wind a rubber band so tight it snaps. Readers might feel breathless, left out of key parts of the story or wishing you lingered a bit longer on a scene or given them time to catch their breath.

Sometimes, holding back is the trick to heightening the tension. Anticipation is an awesome force in a reader’s mind. Sometimes the trick is to prolong the calm before the storm, or to juxtapose tranquillity with a shock surprise. It’s how you use all these tools that counts.

Dawn Field loves to read fiction and non-fiction, especially in draft form, and to try to understand what makes great writing and how writers tick. She can be contacted at her gmail account ‘fiedawn’.

The post #5OnFri: Five Ways to Distill and Heighten Your Writing appeared first on DIY MFA.

1) Think outside the box

A highly regarded  literary agent once told me that many well written manuscript submissions cross his desk but it’s those with a unique premise that really get his attention. Slush piles brim with tired themes  – serial killers for example are a dime a dozen. So that topic has had its day – right? Set the manhunt in the middle of the worst hurricane to hit the U.S. east coast in decades, as one new Canadian crime writer has recently done, and you’ve given readers a whole new look at the subject. It’s worth spending the time to craft an irresistible premise.

D.J. McIntosh, National Bestselling author of historical thrillers:The Witch of Babylon, The Book Of Stolen Tales, and The Angel Of Eden

2) Let it flow

The best advice I’ve received is to write a first draft as quickly as you can. I’ve found that my best storytelling happens not when I worry over every line and detail but when I allow story to erupt out of me—messy and unplanned. A first draft is not the finished product. It’s not a product at all. It’s an explosion of primal thought, and no explosion is neat.

Therese Walsh, award winning author of The Moon Sisters, The Last Will Of Moira Leahy, and creator of Writer Unboxed

3) Take Your Time

Don’t publish too soon. Too many new writers today are publishing because they can, and before they are ready. Take at least one good novel writing course. Learn about plot structure, viewpoint rules, the need for believable motivation and how to write dialogue. Take the time to learn your trade.  Just as a painter wouldn’t expect to sell his very first painting, a writer shouldn’t expect to sell his first work. Learn the craft.  And then – be fearless.

Melodie Campbell, author of the award-winning mob caper series, The Goddaughter

4) Know Thy Tools

Scrivener rocks. Yes, it looks complicated. Yes, you’ll probably need to take the two hour tutorial. But if you’re serious about writing novel length works, Scrivener is a godsend. Looking for a specific passage you wrote three months ago in a cornfield of fifty thousand words? Easy peasy. Want your outline visible and research and links a click away? No problem. Need to format your manuscript into a DOC file (or EPUB or MOBI or PDF or RTF) in two minutes flat? Done. Believe me, the benefits far outweigh the learning curve. ‘Nuff said.

Tanis Mallow, author of Murder At The Beach

5) Enjoy the Ride

Do it for yourself. Write for you, because you love it, because writing makes you happy, because there is no other way you’d like to spend your time. Life it too short to have it any other way. Oh, and read A LOT.

Dee Willson, author of A Keeper’s Truth, launching worldwide February 2016, and GOT (Gift of Travel)

Now that we’ve shared our best tips with you, pass them on! One of the greatest things a writer can do, is help another writer.

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Dee Willson felt the writer’s call at fifteen, when she penned her first novel and received her first rejection to go with it. Over twenty years later, Dee Willson has published short stories, interviews, contributed to blogs, and wrote the novel A Keeper’s Truth, followed by GOT (Gift of Travel). She currently resides in Burlington, Ontario, with her husband and their two daughters. Visit her online at www.deewillson.com and on Twitter @denisewillson

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Back in June, I went on my first mini writing retreat right here in my hometown of New York City. I didn’t go far from home–just a couple of miles–but I left the house, went to a hotel and spent about 24 hours immersed in my writing.

In those 24 hours I managed to knock out around 7000 words of the manuscript I’ve been working on. To give you some perspective, on a good week at home I’m happy if I get 4,000 words. That’s in a whole week! I discovered I could hammer out almost double the number of words in a 24-hour writing retreat than I do on a regular week at home. What a huge return on investment! This writing retreat taught me that occasionally putting my life on hold and immersing myself in my writing (even if just for a little while) can have a huge impact on my manuscript. Especially since my first deadline is only a few weeks away.

In this episode, I share some tips so you can create your own mini writing retreat.

How to Create Your Own Mini Writing Retreat

1) Book a hotel.

Until I booked the hotel and actually put the date on the calendar, my mini writing retreat was just a nice idea. Once the hotel was booked, it was a reality. Make sure you find something that is comfortable enough that you could spend lots of time writing there, but not so comfortable that you don’t get anything done.

2) Pack thoroughly.

Even though you’re only going for 1-2 days, packing can be complicated. Basically, bring everything you think you might need and more. You never know what you might wish you’d brought and you want to make sure you make it as easy as possible for you to focus on writing. Bring back ups of your writing, and multiple ways to back it up once you’re done. Bring your chargers (all of them). Print out your outline and anything else you think you might want in hard copy while you’re working. Headphones and snacks are a must.

3) It’s all about early check-in and late check-out.

To give yourself the most time possible to write, see if you can get an early check-in and late check-out at the hotel you’re staying at. Most places are happy to oblige if you give them enough advance notice. Make friends with the concierge, too. You’d be surprised what you can get with very little trouble if you only ask. Bottom line, though, give yourself as much time to write as you can! That’s what this little retreat is for, after all.

4) Make yourself a retreat schedule.

As soon as you check into the hotel, take yourself out for coffee and create a schedule of every minute you’ll be on this retreat, and then stick to it! My schedule included 1-2 hour blocks of writing. In between each writing block I would schedule either a nice walk, a meal, or bedtime. I scheduled time to write in different locations (the hotel lounge, the nearby coffee shop, the hotel room, etc.) because changing scenery helped me recharge.

Remember to make the schedule reasonable, but also challenging so you get the most out of your time. And the stick to it. When it’s time for a break, stop and take your break. When it’s time to write, turn off the internet and write. (In fact, I strongly advise not getting the hotel WiFi password.)

5) Keep a log. Then take stock

During my retreat, I also logged how long I wrote during each session and how many words I produced. Then, being the Type A person I am, I calculated my words-per-hour (WPH) pace. This gave me some interesting insights about my writing habits and patterns. For instance, I discovered that my best writing time was from 8-10:30pm. During that session I hammered out almost 2500 words, giving me a 973 WPH pace. My early morning session, on the other hand, only gave me a measly 440 WPH pace but that rate kicked back up to the 800’s by lunchtime.

If I didn’t keep a log and track my writing patterns, I’d have no idea of what was working. Now I know that even though I would love to be a morning person, I can’t string words together in any coherent way until the morning hours hit double-digits. This means I’ll be rejigging my writing habits and scheduling more afternoon and evening blocks.

Also, now that I know what I can expect of myself on a writing retreat, I can use the iteration method to improve on my results for next time. This time I wrote 7000 words, so next time I’ll raise that goal by 10% and shoot for 7700. Finally, make sure you take stock of what you’ve done when your retreat ends. It’s important to celebrate your wins (both big and small) and challenge yourself to do better next time.

Have you done a writing retreat?

If so, what was it like? How did it go for you? Do you have any tips or insights? I’d love to hear about your experiences so please share them in the comments.

Thanks for letting me share with you about my first writing retreat. If you’re interested in seeing some pictures , check out the DIY MFA Instagram account for images of my writing retreat as well as other writing related images.

Link to Episode 50

(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 50: How to Create Your Own Mini Writing Retreat appeared first on DIY MFA.

No matter how naturally talented you are, there are always tricks that can make you better.  Here are five quick writing tips that can keep you on track and sharpen your writing as you write your novel.

1.  Start with a hook

Make your first sentence or at least your first paragraph compelling.  Make the reader want to read the book!  In Against the Sky, my newest Romantic Suspense, the first sentence is, “Earth to earth, dust to dust, ashes to ashes…”

Everyone recognizes these words as part of a funeral service.  The paragraph goes on to explain that the hero, Nick Brodie, and his twelve-year-old neighbor, Jimmy Evans, are standing around the boy’s father’s grave.

With any luck, this will intrigue the reader enough to keep reading.  It’s also important to end the chapter with something that will push the reader into reading more of the book.  In the example above, by the end of the chapter, we are in young Jimmy’s point of view, a kid who has seen his father murdered and is in very big trouble.

Maybe he’d talk to Nick tomorrow, ask for his help.  That would give him a little more time to think, try to work things out in his head.

Tomorrow, he told himself. 

But when he went over to Nick’s the next day, the house was locked up tight.  Nick Brodie was gone.

2.  Enter late and leave early

In the earlier example, we’re starting in the middle of the scene.  We’re not arriving before the funeral starts, then standing around waiting for the service to begin.  We are charging forward.  Remember the reader isn’t interested in “Hi, how are you?”  “I’m fine, how are you?”

At the end of the scene, get out as fast as you can and move forward.

3.  Make sure there is conflict in every scene

This doesn’t necessarily mean violent conflict.  It can be man against nature, man against man, man against himself, anything that makes the reader interested in finding out how the conflict is resolved.

In my example, the conflict in the opening scene of Against the Sky is merely Nick’s battle with himself.  He’s quit his job as a homicide detective.  He doesn’t want to be embroiled in Jimmy Evan’s trouble.  On the other hand, he’s worried about the kid and he wants to help him.  What should he do?

4.  Stay in the active voice whenever possible.

Try not to use the word was too many times.

Here’s the second sentence in my example.  A rumble of thunder in the sullen gray sky blotted the reverend’s next words.  I could have written The sound of thunder could be heard in the distance. The sky was a sullen gray.  That’s passive voice.  It’s important to stay active.

I have to work at doing this.  I often go back and change from passive to active after I write the scene.

5.  Write characters that grow and change.

Writing a character arc, it’s called.  It means your characters learn something or do something that changes them.  Nick Brodie has quit the police force.  He doesn’t want anything to do with violence and murder, but what is he going to do with his future?  What will make him happy?

It’s a problem Nick has to figure out, and in doing so it will change him.

There are a lot of great tips to writing.  The five above I learned from studying very successful authors.  Dean Koontz wrote a wonderful book called How to Write Bestselling Fiction, but it’s out of print and hard to find.

All the authors I’ve studied and read have helped me immeasurably over the years.  I hope their tips will help you, too.

Best of luck with your writing and all good wishes for success.

Warmest, Kat

……………………

New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing in Missoula, Montana with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, Kat has written sixty-five Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. More than sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Kat is currently at work on her next Romantic Suspense.

The post #5OnFri: Five Basics That Will Sharpen Your Writing appeared first on DIY MFA.

But first, let me start with a crazy fact. According to a University of Scranton study, only 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s goals. For many people the new year begins with all the best intentions for making a change or doing something they’ve never done before, but within a week or two of having made them, most resolutions are broken or abandoned.

I’ve been there, too. What I’ve found is that, when I have made resolutions that actually stick, they have a few things in common. In today’s episode, I want to share with you what a good resolution is made of along with five tips to help you make writing resolutions that stick.

What makes a resolution work

• Choose a resolution that matters. There has to be something important at stake. Figure out what you’re passionate about and what you really want to accomplish. When a resolution is tied to a high-stakes goal, you’re more likely to see it through.
• Choose one small thing to change at a time. Ease yourself into the new habit you’re trying to create. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. You’ll be more likely to follow through if you feel like you can actually be successful. This concept is called building mastery and it’s super-important for keeping up your motivation.
• Don’t expect yourself to stick with the same resolution all year. Remember that you will change as a result of the resolutions you’re making. Be ready to add challenges if your resolution starts feeling too easy , or to scale back if you feel like you’re in over your head.

5 tips to make writing resolutions that stick

1. Celebrate and take stock of where you’ve been. Be proud of what you have already accomplished. Use your past successes to help plan your future ones.
2. Honor your present reality. It’s so important to recognize what your life requires right now and what you can handle. Don’t make a commitment to something that’s going to make you crazy before you can finish it. Know your limits and your needs and make sure you account for those things when you’re setting your goals.
3. Look ahead to your big dream. Write that big dream down and save it somewhere so you can refer to it when you need a dose of perspective or motivation to keep at it.
4. Make S.M.A.R.T. goals. This means setting goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-sensitive. See below for more details.
5. Evaluate and adjust your goals accordingly. Don’t get stuck in a pattern that’s not working. Figure out what does work and make changes that will keep you on track to achieving your dreams.

Setting SMART Goals:

• S: be SPECIFIC – What is it that you expect your resolution to help you accomplish? Are you going to write a novella? a book of short stories? a memoir?
• M: have MEASURABLE goals – How will you know you are accomplishing what you’ve set out to do? Are you writing a certain number of words per day? or for a certain amount of time?
• A: make ATTAINABLE goals – Make sure you can actually succeed. Break your goals down into manageable parts so you can check them off the list and see your progress.
• R: be RELEVANT – Whatever your resolutions are, make sure they are leading you toward your big dream (see number 3).
• T : set a TRIP-WIRE – Give yourself a deadline, a specific point at which you stop and take stock.

What’s your writing resolution for 2015?

Sharing our goals makes it all the more likely that we’ll actually reach them because we’ll have the support and encouragement of our fellow writers. So tweet your writing resolution using the #DIYMFA hash tag by clicking this link. Or, if your resolution doesn’t fit in a tweet, tell us in a comment below. Share your resolutions with your friends and family, too, and ask them to help keep you on track.

Link to Episode 23

(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 23: Make Writing Resolutions That Stick appeared first on DIY MFA.