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| Amanda Cabot |
Hey everyone, Annette here. Have you ever tried following writing advice only to find it didn't work for you? Our guest today, Amanda Cabot, shares some of the best advice on this subject. Read on!
Finding Your Writing Rhythm
by Amanda Cabot
* “If you want to be successful, you
need to get up early every morning and write for at least an hour without
interruptions.”
* “The best time to write is late at
night when the kids are in bed and there’s nothing exciting to watch on TV.”
* “The only way to write a book is to
have a detailed outline before you begin. You need to know what scenes will be
in every chapter, whose POV each scene will have, and make sure that every plot
point is outlined.”
* “Outlining a book before you write
destroys creativity. The best way to write is to simply sit at the computer and
let the ideas flow.”
If you’re like me, you’ve heard this
kind of conflicting advice, whether presented in a workshop at a writer’s
conference, posted in a blog, or simply expressed as part of a casual
conversation among writers. Again, if you’re like me, you’ve gone home shaking
your head, trying to figure out which one of the statements is correct. You may
even have despaired of ever being a successful writer, since you don’t do any
of the things you were told were essential.
What’s a writer to do? I propose a
three-step program. Ready? Let’s go.
Step
One: Take a deep breath. If you’re a chocoholic, have a piece of chocolate.
If you’re a jogger, this is the time for a nice long run. If movies are your
favorite way to forget about the world, watch one. In other words, relax.
Step
Two: Repeat after me, “I am a writer. I am unique. What works for someone
else may not work for me.” Relinquish the guilt and sense of failure that no
matter how many times you tried, getting up at 4 AM to write only makes you
tired and cranky, not creative, and that even though you would like to let
ideas flow as Mega-Selling Author advised, that doesn’t work for you. I know
I’m making this sound simple, when the reality is that it isn’t, but it’s an
essential step. Even though you want to have Mega-Selling Author’s success,
it’s important to remember that you’re not twins. What works for Mega-Selling
may or may not work for you. And that leads us to the final step.
Step
Three: Find your own writing rhythm. There are several aspects to this. The
first is determining the time of day and days of the week when you’re most
productive. You don’t need to be a scientist to do this. Simply observe
yourself over the period of a couple weeks, noting when you feel most energized
and writing down both the day and time. It may be that Tuesday
through Thursday early evenings are your best time. If you know that, your
goal should be to devote that time to writing. There’s no reason to waste your
creative time doing laundry or watching TV, is there?
Secondly, consider yourself. Are you
a left-brained person who needs everything organized? When you take a trip, do
you have a detailed itinerary and avoid detours? If so, it’s probable that
you’re a plotter and will be more productive creating an outline before you
begin writing. If you’re an explorer who finds more pleasure in the journey
than the destination, you may be a seat-of-the-pants writer (sometimes called a
pantser or pantster). It’s also possible that you’re a combination of the two,
that you may start with an outline but find that your story takes you in
unexpected directions when you write. That’s good, but so too is being a pure
plotter or pantser, if that’s where you’re most comfortable and most
productive.
The essential thing is to discover
what works best for you. I’m not telling you to ignore the advice you’ve
received, but I am saying that you need to consider whether the techniques that
are being touted as the only way to succeed are ones that fit you. One size
does not fit all. The truth is, there is one right way to write. What is
it? The one that works for you.
~~~~~
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| At Bluebonnet Lake |
Her life is set to
warp speed. His is slowing to a crawl. But love has its own timing.
Marketing maven Kate Sherwood’s
world is fast-paced, challenging, and always changing. The last thing she wants
to do is grind to a halt at Rainbow’s End, a dilapidated resort in the Texas
Hill Country. Still, she cannot deny her ailing grandmother’s request to visit
the place where she and her deceased husband spent one glorious week fifty
years ago. There, Kate meets Greg, who appears to be the resort’s unassuming handyman.
But there’s more to Greg than meets the eye—billions more, in fact.
Kate isn’t looking for romance,
but she can’t deny the sparks of attraction that fly every time she and Greg
are together. Could there be a future there? Or will Kate’s long-sought
promotion take her back to the big city?
Amanda
Cabot invites you to step into a place away from the pressures of the day. You
might be surprised by what you find at Rainbow’s End.
~~~~~
Amanda Cabot is
the bestselling author of more than thirty novels including the Texas Dreams trilogy,
the Westward Winds series, and Christmas
Roses. A former director of Information Technology, she has written
everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries
for teenagers and romances for all ages.
Amanda is delighted to now be a fulltime writer of Christian romances,
living happily ever after with her husband in Wyoming.
Connect with Amanda here:
