A small tip: if your characters have a traumatic experience, and they have nightmares about it, more often than not, those dreams will not be a play by play of what happened, but will often hold symbolism to the event than the actual event itself
These dreams can often not be genuinely scary but can leave you feel shaken and unrested when you do wake up. It may take your characters hours to let go of the feeling
It is also common to have the same dream roccur often. It might be unsettling enough that your characters will try to avoid sleeping for as long as they can, or will they to self medicate in some way to try to make the dream go away
A common reoccurring dream I had after my mom died was I would be watching her die, similar to how she did, but it was faster, and then we had her cremated. But the next day [in the dream] she would be back on the couch, just like any other day, as if she had not died the day before. But then futher on into the dream she would slowly start to decinigrate into ashes, but it would be ten times slower and it would be like losing her all over again
I would sleep completely through the dream and not wake up in some cold sweat or hyperventilating, tho that’s not to say that’s never happened before , but the next morning I would be shaken when I did wake up and it took me hours to get back to normal. I had that same dream several times over the last few years, and it still makes me shaken, but not to that same extent as the first time. That can happen over time with desensitization
Flashbacks work the same way. They’re not often a perfect play by play of what happened, but can be flashes of what happened. Or it can not be visual at all
You have five senses, and certain tastes or smells or sounds or touch can be just as impactful as visual flashbacks. For the most part, unless you have a disability that prevents otherwise (like being d/Deaf, or blind), all five of those senses are working together at the same time and each can carry their own weight in trauma
Especially when traumatic things are happening, adrenaline is rushing through you, or you are in a high stress situation. Parts of you are processing things faster than other parts of you. Your brain is working to take in everything that is happening and sometimes things are not always remembered correctly
Everyone talks about how being a writer, requires discipline… It seems unnatural and weird but it is absolutely true! Writing is sometimes difficult though. Sometimes, you want so badly to say something but the words feel lodged in your throat; your fingers feel broken, joints lacking the strength to create the proper movements to press down onto the keys and it hurts.
I feel like it compares to being nauseous but never being able to throw up and relieve yourself from that uncomfortable feeling until one day… it happens. Word vomit everywhere. You sit down and you force yourself to write and there it is… The end of the discomfort. Some people might call this writer’s block but I think it’s more like “ ” or “ .”
I’ve noticed that most of the time when I feel like I can’t write, it’s because I haven’t sat with myself and the emotional issues or energy issues I have been having. For me, it’s easy to write when I’m sad but not when I’m angry, annoyed, frustrated, feeling helpless, etc. Those feelings tend to send me more into a little depressive season than anything else and lately, I’ve been a little angry or a lot angry, if I’m honest. So, I’ve been sleeping. I’ve been practicing my French (a lot), I’ve been washing my face more (which is crazy… I’m the worst at this kind of thing), I’ve been watching TV, answering emails, and messages… No writing.
Then two nights ago, I decided to take to my manifesting journal and write an entire page for someone who I care about so deeply who is going through a rough patch and boom… I felt better. I wrote about how I wished I could manifest a life for her, one that she so deeply deserves but never seems to get her grasp on and put all the things that I thought she deserved into a beautifully painted image with my words.
I wrote a gratitude list for the first time in a week after that. Then I received a reminder for a deadline for an anthology that I was thankful to be invited to submit to and here I am writing for you now. I’ve written two poems this morning and am now going to work on two different anthology projects because it’s like I have remembered what I wanted to say…
Our energy and our feelings/emotions have so much control over everything in our lives; even writing. So if you have been feeling “blocked” lately… Try to sit with yourself and figure out, what emotion/feeling/problem/bad energy is blocking them? I’m not a guru or anything (yet?) but it’s worth a try right?
The very best writing tip you will ever hear is this:
Analyze stories.
Don’t just listen to what other storytellers say you should do, figure out what you like about the stories you enjoy and learn to replicate that.
Want to learn about pacing? Examine stories you think flow fantastically. Want to learn about description? Study your favorite author’s descriptions. Want to learn about characterization? Critiqueyour favorite characters. Want to learn about foreshadowing? Explore how it’s done in stories where the plot twist blew your mind.
Storytellers giving advice to other storytellers is fantastic and useful, but you will never know something as thoroughly as you know the things you figure out for yourself.
And by analyzing the stories you love instead of listening blindly to advice, you’ll never be swayed by the bias of other writers and you’ll never take in advice that’s suited for a story you wouldn’t enjoy writing.
So put on some thinking caps and go analyze those stories.
Now, prepare for the third volume, the most in-depth behind-the-scenes of writing books yet…
Every book that you read has a story to tell. Not just the one in the pages, but so too the behind-the-scenes hell.
I documented what writing a book looks like from Day 1 to Release Day. The work never ends. You write wherever and whenever you can.
And when I say write, I mean, you have to WRITE
Like….DON’T STOP.
Here’s a secret: the more you write, the longer the book gets!
Sometimes you’re gonna be absolutely STUMPED. Like the entire universe is just being petty and conspiring against you.
When all else fails, drink coffee. Worship coffee. Sacrifice your first-born child to coffee.
Sometimes you’ll show up at your regular writing spot AND SOMEONE WILL HAVE STOLEN YOUR SEAT, THE STUPID, FAT HOBBITSEES
So you’re forced to write out of your element, totally distracted as you figure out ways to make it look like an accident…
And remember how your teachers always said you’d need to use math everywhere in life? Well, they weren’t wrong…
Every day, you persist. Inching closer. And closer. Every word pushing the story toward its close.
It might take a week, or a month or two or three, but every time you add another 10k, you can’t help but feel a swell of pride.
There will always be the days you miss writing, but that’s absolutely okay! Don’t beat yourself up! You can make time for it. Writing is art, and art takes time, and shouldn’t be rushed.
And one day you’ll sit down and stare at your screen and realize….the end is near. You can feel you’re closing in on those final words, those last sentences with the characters you’ve spent the past year with.
When you write those last words, a wave of relief will slam into you. You might shed some tears, because writing a book is difficult, and finishing the first draft is an incredible feat to achieve. Treat yo self. You deserve it.
Then…..take a break. Take as long a break as you need. Some people might need a month, some a year. Whatever your rhythm is, find it, stick to it, and never give it up.
No matter if you edit by hand or by computer, print out that first draft. Hold it in your hands, feel the weight of the words you wrote. The words that were stuck in your head for months, even years. Flip through those pages and look at what YOU created.
Then, when the time is right, edit that book.
Maybe you’ll finish editing a chapter in a day. Maybe it’ll take a week. For me, it’s usually an hour per page! Edit at your own pace. It’s not a race!
And then…..voila. You’ve edited the first draft!…….
If you have other books out, don’t let them fall to the wayside! Keep marketing, keep telling people about them (and showing them your work on the newest one!!), and get book signings and events whenever you can! Bookstores are ALWAYS looking for authors to feature. Just ask!
And of course, make it fun for yourself, too! Book flare and merchandise? Um, YES PLEASE.
Aaaaaaaaaaand now you need to focus again, and, you know, actually put all those edits in. Which usually turns into an entirely new round of editing in-and-of itself.
Keep putting those edits in….
And more, and more, and more edits…
Did I mention sometimes you’ll need to go to extreme lengths to fit in writing days?
Although art itself is so, so, so rewarding, we’re all still human. Some days will be more difficult than others. Some days, your mind will weigh you down. These can be the hardest days, but push through. Find an anchor and hold tight and take care of yourself.
Other times, you’ll be traveling! Take your writing with you. I find that when I’m on vacation, I’m a much more productive writer! The atmosphere is usually more relaxed. You’re not in a familiar place, so it gets your creative juices flowing stronger!
When you’ve edited your book a few times, FIND BETA READERS. These can be friends, followers on social media, or someone random you meet in your coffee/tea shop! Get fresh sets of eyes looking at your work! They will make suggestions, edits, and faun over your book.
Sometimes they’ll make corny jokes.
You will get a TON of feedback, and you will have to compile them all together, chapter by chapter, reading and considering every single comment and comma.
Your beta readers will love you forever when they finish reading your book. Guaranteed. Always. So in love. Yes.
Eventually, your beta readers will finish, and the countdown to publication will begin…
As you near the end, the Universe might have some surprises in store for you. Me? It took me back to the exact seat and window where I wrote the entire first draft of the first book in the series….a very poetic twist of fate.
Finally, the day will come when every major edit is done. When you’ve skimmed and scanned and combed and proofed. When you have a cover design and formatted all the pages to books, it’s time to order those first copies.
And then….the day comes….when your book finally arrives. You see the mail truck pull up and you see the boxes, and you just KNOW it’s for you.
And then you open them and look inside….
And you get to hold it in your hands for the first time ever…..
And you get to put it next to the other books that come before it….
And then you get to ship some of them out to ARC readers who will be reviewing your book before it’s released!!!!
And then you get order an entire shipment for upcoming book signings, and copies to send out to people who pre-ordered, and seeing them all stacked together will ALWAYS be a beautiful sight. Cherish it. Take a picture to show off to potential readers, that image of YOUR books all stacked together.
This is what writing is like. This is what goes into all those thousands of hours of sitting behind a computer. This is how books come into existence. It’s not the same steps for everyone, but the process for all of us is similar. It’s not easy. You won’t see a dime for your work for years, unless you already have books being sold.
But it’s worth it. Pouring your soul into writing a book, or making music, or graphic art… This is the beauty, the struggle, the dedication, the pain, the hours of lost sleep, the gallons of caffeine, the barista friends you make along the way….
Even though they might catch you in your candid element…..
But you will form a bond with them. They will learn your favorite order, have it ready the moment you walk in the door. And if you ever leave, it will be a heart-wrenching day…
They might give you a keepsake, too, to remember them by….
Stay humble, and remember every moment. Every experience. Appreciate everyone who helped you along the way, from giving you free drinks and food, to all the support and encouragement, to the avid fans who rave about your books. They’re all here for you, following your journey as you write.
For this particular book, the journey was 23 months, from December 2015 to October 2017. It takes a long time, even when you work every single day, and stick to a strict schedule. Some days you won’t want to write at all. Some days you won’t want to stop. That’s okay. Just hold true to your passion, and celebrate your accomplishments.
Don’t let anyone tell you not to write. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re doing it wrong. We all live through the same process, from the great artists to the starving artists. If you want to write a book, this is what it looks like. Though writing a book isn’t easy, the reward of holding it in your hands is worth the days, the months, the years. You will have created something beautiful. You will have created art.
“i don’t think this pen helps with my creativity, I gotta buy another one”
This is the third notebook I bought this month I need to s t o p. I don’t even write in them anymore
That overwhelming feeling when you found the perfect song for your work
One-word horror story: titles
Sequel to one-word horror story: summaries
“I know exactly how to start and finish this…I just…need to figure out how to bridge them…”
Me while reading an older work: what the fuck are you talking about :)
Me while reading a recent work: what the fuck are you talking about :)
Physically stops myself from using fucking as an adverb…again
Hello, constant self-doubt, my old friend
That one song you listen to on loop when writing a scene that by the end of writing it you’re already sick of the song and ready to fight anyone if you have to listen to it again
Me while writing a character intelligent in something im not: what the fuck should I talk about :)
Writing for a fandom and seeing people make passive-aggressive posts about fanfictions as if fanfic authors are fandom slaves
why are tenses so fucking difficult
That feeling when making a playlist for your wips
Writer’s block is so fun huh
Daydreaming about your wips
“is ‘fuck’ a curse word during the 1700’s”
Thinking of the dialogues/banter and not noticing that you’re saying it out loud until you see someone giving you a weird look
“im self-projecting too much aren’t I :)”
Looking for writing tips and following none of them because ‘you have your own style’
Someone seeing your google history and wondering if you’re a murderer because why the hell do you have ‘how to hide dead bodies’ in there
Not knowing how to feel when people are liking more the thing you half-assed than those stories you shed tears writing
This is a ridiculous idea but would make an interesting story
Me while writing: im never gonna be good enough I cant im horrible I should give up - | me when I finished something: I am god no one can stop me now I will take over the world | repeats cycle
Spends three hours researching about lamps
That one person you want to impress. You know, them.
Writing dialogues: okay, good, so poetic, much majestic | writing descriptions: the sky is blue and the water is blue too because of it
“wait, fuck, I already used this scene in my other story”
Me while writing using my third language: im using this word correctly right
Me while writing using my first language: im using this word correctly right
I thank god for the creation of thesaurus
That conflicting feeling when you read someone’s work and it’s really good, so so amazing that you’re both inspired and envious and you feel bad for feeling envious
I have 167 ideas and im writing none of them
Don’t listen to that voice in your head that’s telling you you should take a quick break when you’re on a writing roll. Just don’t. It won’t be a quick break.
When you have the time to write but you choose to do other things that there’s really no need to do
Like me writing this post
And you browsing tumblr
Open a document now
Write
Your wip is waiting for you
And it’s gonna be amazing and all so worth it
So don’t be too hard on yourself.
Someone out there fell in love with your style. Someone out there will fall in love with your style.
“June weather. Still, bright, fresh. But my mind is very bare to words—English words—at the moment; they hit me, hard, I watch them bounce and spring. I detest my own volubility. Why be always spouting words? I can write nothing. Also I have almost lost the power of reading.”
I don’t know what’s more amazing to think about; the idea that I fell in love with someone like you or the fact that after all this time and all that we’ve been through, I still do.
I built these walls around me to protect myself, but I didn’t ever think of the fact that no matter how many walls I build or how confined this space becomes, I won’t ever be able to build walls to protect me from my greatest obstacle… myself.
E.G. I am only limiting.. // I guess I continue building the walls anyway because I feel more at ease letting myself down than getting hurt by others I trusted.
