Scenario #2:
You give a chapter draft to a friend, spouse, relative to read.
You're pleased with it. You imagine they will be too. Maybe even
impressed. They bring back comments. Even if they say, "I loved
it," a flood of (1) fear, (2) anger, or (3) shame hits you. You can't
bear to look at the writing, to use their suggestions. It's all sucky
anyway, and you really shouldn't waste your time.
Friday, May 27, 2016
When Does Your Inner Critic Appear? Three Scenarios of Self-Sabotage and How to Renegotiate Your Contract
Scenario #1: The new chapter draft is going
pretty well. You're writing steadily, enjoying a renewed commitment to
your book. Suddenly, from some dark place in your mind, a switch goes
on. An unrelated thought or feeling slips in. Maybe something you
forgot to do or say. A small mistake or failure. The thought distracts
you and you slowly leave the story flow. You begin to hate the
writing--or at least, it feels less delightful. Even a little boring,
unoriginal? You're derailed.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Character Loops--Reader-Pleasing Techniques for Using Characters in Your Story
I'm
getting ready to teach a new online class this summer (starting June 8)
about characters, so I'm having fun going through all my techniques,
tips, and exercises learned and taught these past twenty years, trying
to find
Friday, May 13, 2016
My Favorite Tool for Checking Story Sequence
Two
of my private clients are working on nonfiction books. They have a ton
of expertise to share, but they normally teach in person, so putting
their techniques and theories into a logical sequence on the page
has proven challenging for both. They found my website and decided to
work with me to check the structure of their books-in-progress.
I
start them with basic structure analysis techniques, which I learned as
an editor at different publishing houses. Most writers just
write--they don't necessarily know anything about structure. Editors
used to take care of that, but they don't anymore, so we writers must
learn to analyze the structure of our own books and get them in shape
before we submit the manuscript.
Friday, May 6, 2016
Writing versus Structuring--Why Both Are Important and How to Toggle Between Them in Your Writing Sessions
John,
from Texas, is writing a memoir--his first book. He's a good writer
and he's accumulated about 30,000 words so far, writing in what he
calls "flow writing," where he just sits down each day and lets the
memories pour onto the page.
John's story is good--riveting, in fact. But a few months ago he reached a point of being confused about where he was going with the book. He'd written as much as he could remember, but now he felt stuck. He found me through my website and contacted me for private coaching.
John's story is good--riveting, in fact. But a few months ago he reached a point of being confused about where he was going with the book. He'd written as much as he could remember, but now he felt stuck. He found me through my website and contacted me for private coaching.
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