Writing tip #1: Make time for writing regularly through short windows of opportunity
It's dreamy to think about writing but let's ACTUALLY write too!
Dear reader,
Thank you for subscribing to Doing the Write Thing! I love writing, and I really hope that what I’m sharing in these newsletters helps you feel good about writing, make progress with your writing goals, and actually write.
I’ve been writing since I was five years old and that writing passion has only grown, leading me to a post-grad certificate in publishing, a career as a writer, piles of stories and poems, multiple novels I hope to publish, and a lot of writing knowledge I hope to share. There’s always so much to learn through writing.
Please feel free to share your writing goals and questions in the comments. Feedback is welcome!
And, again, thank you so much for subscribing!
In this newsletter…
The Heart of Storytelling: Writing tip about making time for writing regularly
The Writing Life: Surprisingly, working on multiple writing projects at once!
Writers’ Corner: Let’s talk about focusing on one writing project versus several
The Heart of Storytelling
This is where I’ll share writing, editing and publishing tips, based on my experience.
In this issue of Doing the Write Thing, I’d like to share with you one of the tips that had the biggest positive impact on my writing. This tip is about making time for writing.
When I was a kid, I wrote something new almost every day. When I became an adult, I would wait for a weekend day with multiple hours of uninterrupted time in it and then I would write. Of course, as you get busier, waiting for multi-hour stretches means fewer writing opportunities.
In March of 2018, I decided to avoid social media for one month and to use those short snippets of time (that would have been spent editing an Instagram post) as opportunities to work on my book instead. I didn't use social media that often but I knew that I was spending at least some time writing and editing posts, and wanted to challenge myself to use that time to write and edit my book instead.
That same year, I participated in NaNoWriMo and was introduced—through the help of an amazing online writing group—to the concept of writing sprints. We would meet online and spend 10 or more minutes focused solely on writing as much as we could without interruption.
Both of these experiences showed me that you can do a lot of writing in 30, 20, or even 10 minutes. Because I started to use even short windows of time as writing opportunities, and short windows of free time happen more frequently than long ones, I started to write more often and, therefore, write more. Also, the more often you write, the more you’ll want to write—the writing and ideas will come more easily to you, plus it just feels good to write!
The stronger your motivation, the more time you will make for writing. Ten or 20 minutes may not sound like a lot of time, but it adds up—to a poem, a short story, a novel, or whatever you want it to be.
I hope this shift in perspective can be helpful to other writers too. I truly believe that every little bit counts. Keep writing!
The Writing Life
This is where I’ll share updates on what I’m writing and working on.
Usually I’d say I’m focusing on editing In Your Dreams, my new-adult, science-fiction novel about a girl and a guy who run into each other in university and recognize each other—from their dreams.
Recently, however, I decided to do something that isn’t my usual style—I gave myself permission to work on multiple writing projects at once! (I have a writing tip about that, which I’ll share in an upcoming newsletter.)
While I’m still super focused on getting In Your Dreams out to literary agents soon, I’m also writing articles for Parent Ink, the parenting magazine I’m launching soon, and this newsletter (in fact, tonight I didn’t work on In Your Dreams at all because I really wanted to make some progress with Parent Ink and Doing the Write Thing).
My long-time, number one writing goal since I was five years old and knew I loved writing has been to traditionally publish novels (I’m now open to considering self-publishing too, but I want to try traditionally first). Later, when I was still in elementary school, I realized that I wanted to use my writing to help share positive messages to help make the world a better place.
That goal led to the idea for my novel In Your Dreams. I wrote this story in 2006 and 2007 and sent it to publishers several times, with each submission followed by a direct or implied rejection.
However, along the way, I did receive valuable feedback, which I am happy to share with you. First, please remember that feedback for one book might not be good feedback for another book, and not all feedback you receive is a good idea for your book—you know your story best!
One editor suggested I reveal answers to the mystery throughout the story instead of saving so much of the reveal for the end of the book. That was a valuable lesson! Another editor suggested I remove the prologue, which I considered and then decided to do. While I was a student in Centennial College’s Book and Magazine Publishing graduate certificate program, my teacher, Chantel Guertin—who is also a writer—suggested submitting to literary agents instead of publishers (there are benefits to both approaches, so it’s up to you!).
In 2016, after sharing my manuscript with supportive friends and submitting and revising, submitting and revising, I decided it was time to do something different to help bring my book closer to publication: I worked with an editor I trust to get her input on my manuscript. That editor (and writer!) is Alisha Sevigny, and she provided very encouraging, helpful feedback on my manuscript (I can expand on this helpful option in another newsletter).
Since then—it’s been more than six years!—I’ve been going through my book from start to finish, rereading each scene and applying some of my edits while keeping Alisha’s suggestions in mind too. My goal is to submit In Your Dreams to literary agents later this year or next year. I’ll keep you posted!
Writers’ Corner
This is where we’ll gather around the virtual cozy fireplace to talk about writing and participate in fun writing exercises and contests!
How about you—what are your writing goals? Are you, like me, usually focused on one novel at a time? Or are you juggling multiple books or writing projects?
Or, perhaps, are you experiencing a swirling collection of ideas and wondering which one to choose from?
If you’re comfortable with it, I encourage you to share your writing goals by leaving a comment below!
Stay tuned: our first-ever Q&A with talented author and illustrator Meaghan McIsaac is coming soon! In this interview, we talk about how Meaghan organizes her writing time and approaches the editing process, among other writerly topics.
Early access will be granted to paid subscribers later today and access will be available to all subscribers in a few weeks.
I’d like to express a huge THANK YOU for being the first subscribers to Doing the Write Thing! I really hope this newsletter helps you feel connected to your writing, to yourself and to fellow writers. It means a lot!
Your feedback is welcome. Happy writing!