Top 12: Advice and References for Authors after 12 Years of Writing

I've been writing about twelve years now and have indie published seven novels and multiple shorter works and a couple of magazine articles, so I know a thing or two about the indie publishing world and writing in general. I still have a bunch to learn, but I wanted to share a few bigger things I've discovered over the years, especially since this is my last post as a regular blogger for Lands Uncharted. I have a busy publishing schedule and life changes that made it advisable to step away. I've loved the blog and look forward to keeping up with it. If you'd like to keep up with me and learn about my new releases, you can sign up for my monthly newsletter here (note this is for my fiction books, not for writing advice). 

But on to advice and references. I've chosen twelve things to talk about, one for each year of my writing journey.

Advice for Writers

1. Be wary of advice. 

Yes, I get the irony of this statement, but I also know how much wasted time and frustration I've endured due to listening to poor advice. Or advice that didn't fit my genre. Unless you write romance, don't listen to romance authors. Seriously. Or be very careful about what you do listen to. The expectations are widely different. Literary agent Steve Laube likes to tell a story of an outstanding speculative fiction book proposal he received, but when the author sent the requested full manuscript, it was awful, even the initial chapters that Mr. Laube considered brilliant had been rewritten. Guess what? The author's romance-writing critique partners had advised him on how to "improve" the male MC, and it didn't work, not for the genre he was writing. Also be wary of people who adhere to strict rules rather than principles (rules are guidelines to help you follow principles derived from studying what works). Be wary of those who don't have credentials. Remember that those who spend a lot of time on social media giving advice may not be the ones actively publishing and finding success. Some are, but many successful authors are too focused on writing and publishing to hang out on social media, except with their fans.

So when considering advice, ask if it fits your genre and if the person giving it has credentials or an agenda. They may have a product they want you to buy, and that's fine. Just be aware. Do they sell advice and books, or just advice on how to write? And consider whether the advice resonates with you. I've wasted a lot of time and energy following "authors should have/do such and such" advice that didn't feel right at the time. For example, trying to build fans through social media. My instinct was why waste time on Twitter when I have nothing to say? But I tried anyway. It stressed me out and failed miserably. If I haven't a reason to be on a social media site unrelated to selling books, I shouldn't be there. I should love the site and have more to say than "Buy my book." Do you know what helps me sell books? It's not Twitter or Instagram. It's writing more books (especially in popular genres like fairytale retellings), connecting with other authors in author groups and newsletter swaps, doing sales and using promo sites, and using reader magnets. Readers first want great books. That should be your goal.

2.  Understand the principles behind the rules and ignore the rules as needed. 

It's easier to follow a rule than it is to understand and apply a principle. Find writing teachers who talk about principles of great writing rather than merely preach rules. Principles were derived from studying great stories, and rules were developed to make following the principles easier. So rules come from good stories, not good stories from rules. Study good stories for yourself and understand the principles of good storytelling.

3. Remember your readers. 

Readers have nothing to read from you if you're chasing followers on every new social media platform. Think about them when choosing how to spend your time and in what to write in your books and in your newsletters, etc. As I said earlier, readers first want great books. That should be your goal.

4. Don't give up learning and reading.

Feed your imagination. Yours books need it. You likely love to write because you first loved to read. Don't lose that joy in story.

5. Don't be afraid to give your characters real traits, flaws, and struggles.

Ever watch a Hallmark movie? Do you even need to to know what's going to happen? Big city person gives up job for simple life and/or picturesque little town. What about Disney? Depending on the era,  there's likely a busy or undependable parent involved. Dad must get straightened out. 

Sometimes, it feels like there's only a handful or character flaws and arcs in the movies and books, and that the issue must be a huge part of the story. There must be a huge moment--with the appropriate music--where Dad realizes he really loves his kids after all, etc. Go a little deeper for your characters than what's easy or is commonly portrayed in most movies and books. What have you dealt with or been influenced by? Can you redeem those struggles by using them in your writing? I used a lot of my own struggles in one of my male MCs. He wasn't a near-perfect hero. He was messy, but he was working through his struggles. I was afraid readers would be dissatisfied to have a less-than-handsome hero dealing with non-typical hero weaknesses, but a few readers told me they'd never connected so much with a character before.

It does depend on your genre and style how much the flaws and character arc influence the story, however. Some stories don't need to delve into a hero's insecurities, for instance, even if they are evident in him.

6. Keep writing. 

Even if you have to schedule it. Even if it's hard. There may be seasons when you have to give it up, but before you do that, take a hard look at your schedule and see if you're trading doing something with what God gave you (imagination and writing skill) for extra hours of Netflix and CandyCrush. Allen Arnold reminds us that we are called to be co-creators with God. Even if you don't publish what you create, you're creating with God when you write or paint or sing or whatever else gives you joy. Don't give that up for a life of absorbing what others are creating or simply wasting time scrolling through social media. What do you want to have done with your life when you are old?

7. Study the successful. And the failures.

Do you love someone's book? That makes them a success. Ask yourself what you like about the book, the cover, the blurb, and if those things should be applied to your own books. Also, recognize what you don't like in books and movies and avoid those things in your own work. And just because you like something in someone else's book doesn't mean it has to be in yours, but ask that of enough books and you might find what fits you.

Does someone have lots of a great reviews and lots of books out and seem to be doing all the things you want to do? Study them. Do they run ads? Chase followers on social media platforms or quietly cultivate their own tribe of readers? Publish often or slowly, letting anticipation build? But you need to ask, is their genre comparable to yours? The numbers of reviews, downloads, etc. for romance books and fantasy books should not be compared, for instance. Even the hosts of the Six Figure Authors Podcast will tell you that and they're obviously doing well for themselves. Romance tends to sell a lot more, like it or not, so don't get discouraged when you see posts on how some newbie romance author broke six figures on their one book.

8. Find a great critique group or beta-readers.

The qualifier "great" is extremely important here (see Advice #1). Critique partners and beta-readers are essential to improving your craft and catching things in your novels (at all stages, when new and even when you have the craft down pat) that you might be too close to to see. And some beta-readers are just super wise and experienced in things you aren't and so serve as sage counsels and topic experts.

9. Avoid lotteries.

A lot of people push social media for authors and tell them to chase fans on every platform that pops up. It may work for a few, especially those who got on early or just love the medium. To me, trying to grow a following on social media sites is like trying to win the lottery. It costs a lot in terms of time, energy, and creativity for very little, if any, results. Even if you get fans on social media, are they also readers? Your readers? Are they looking for free entertainment or are they willing to put aside the phone to purchase a book? 

If connecting with people and influencing them whether or not they buy your book is your goal, that's great. If you enjoy social media itself (the content you produce, not getting followers or likes), that's also great. But if you feel pressured to get on social media to sell books--because books are how you influence people or hope to support yourself--please realize you don't have to do social media. Maybe connect with the fans you have in a private group (or set up a group so they can interact with one another and you occasionally pop in). But you don't have to be on every platform. My fans on social media are people who liked my books before they sought me out. The people I follow are those whose books I liked first. Do you know where most readers are? Amazon. That's right. They are at the places where they can buy books, and also on Goodreads and book review sites. 

Readers might play around on the other sites, but they most likely go to stores or review sites to find books to buy. You can reach them by writing more books, asking for reviews, and doing ads. Readers are also on or reachable through sites like Bookfunnel, MyBookCave, StoryOrigin, BookBub, ENT, and other newsletter swap, reader magnet, and book promotion sites. If social media is not your thing, rejoice! It doesn't have to be. Write great books first and foremost, then network with other authors with similar genres to reach each others' fans (because your readers want to know about other books they'd like while you are writing your next novel), and use the reader-focused sites I mentioned. It might be less daunting to hang out on social media than do the hard work of writing a book, but do consider how you steward your time and your gift. 

You might not want to hear "write to market," but if you're an indie trying to break in, you might consider writing a few books in a popular niche genre, one where it's easier for readers to find you. But only do this if you also like that genre. I like clean fairytale retellings. I've written several and loved it, but it's not what I want to write the rest of my career. But writing the standard "girl in a pretty dress" fairytale retelling (again, a genre I enjoy) has helped me gain readers who have (at least some have) followed me into other genres. If they learn to trust you as an author in a beloved, easy-to-categorize genre, then they'll follow you into other worlds. For me, this is clean girl-in-a-pretty-dress fairytale retellings to "Jane Austen romance meets fantasy adventure" and epic fantasy fairytale retellings and steampunk.

References for Writers 

9. Books

Reading on the craft is extremely helpful. Here are a few of the many books out there. I particularly enjoy James Scott Bell's books.

Writing Craft

First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman

Plot versus Character by Jeff Gerke

Writing Fiction for Dummies by Randy Ingermanson and Peter Economy

The Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson

The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell

Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell

Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell

Structuring Your Novel by K. M. Weiland

Outlining Your Novel by K. M. Weiland

Grammar, Editing, and Proofreading

Self-editing for Fiction Writers by Rennie and King

Proofreading Secrets of Best-selling Authors by Kathy Ide (my constant companion when editing)

Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’Conner

The Elements of Style by Strunk and White

The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition

The Copyeditor’s Handbook by Amy Einsohn, 3rd edition

Getting Published and Marketing

Writer’s Market by Robert Lee Brewer

Guide to Literary Agents by Chuck Sambuchino

The Christian Writer’s Market Guide by Steve Laube

10. Informational Podcasts, YouTube Channels, and Blogs

I love listening to non-fiction while doing hands-on work, driving, or walking. Here are some resources I recommend for craft and the marketing and the business of writing.

My current top three resources for craft, marketing, and general publishing world information:

Brandon Sanderson on Youtube (lectures on writing science fiction and fantasy)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6HOdHEeosc&t=4s

Six Figure Authors Podcast and YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkgP6WIFsg3vWga2XVs619w

Novel Marketing

http://www.novelmarketing.com/

I have also listened to in the past and found helpful:

Helping Writers Become Authors by K. M. Weiland

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/podcasts/

Writing Excuses

http://www.writingexcuses.com/

For blogs, read the blogs of literary agents, especially those in your area. They can be very informative. Here are some other useful websites.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

https://www.sfwa.org/

Writers Beware

https://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/

K. M. Weiland, author and writing instructor

https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/

The Creative Penn (Joanna Penn's podcast of the same name is also good)

http://www.thecreativepenn.com/

Alliance of Independent Authors

https://www.allianceindependentauthors.org

11. Promotion Helps

I recommend reading this blog post by David Gaughran to learn about promotion sites and which sites are recommended.

https://davidgaughran.com/best-promo-sites-books/

12. Conferences

Learn, network, and find your people at writers conferences. I have thoroughly enjoyed attending Realm Makers and ACFW conferences. You can also meet authors at local author events at libraries.

So that's my advice. I hope it helps or encourages you. What's your best writing advice?

Writer's Life: Running Your Race (Sarah)

In writing circles, I witness frequent discussions on writing speed, daily word count, and the number of books written and released per year. In fact, a few days ago I heard someone who published four books a year call her pace slow…if she is slow, I suppose I’m glacial.

In actuality, I can draft at a decent rate, turning out 1500-2000 words an hour, but I have a relatively minimal amount of time to write, and I also tend to proceed slowly in the editing phase, wanting to layer in detail and nuance and polish words until they shine. Of course, it’s likely that my pace and process will continue to evolve through the years, and I generally find I get faster the more books I write, but that’s where I am now.

And I’ve had to continually remind myself not to compare to other writers. There’s no inherent virtue in cranking out a book a month (nor conversely, to taking a year or ten to write one novel). It’s about cultivating excellence in craft and creativity in your work and finding the pace and methods that fit you as a writer and your particular season of life.

No two people are alike. Our personalities and life circumstances are unique. We each have  responsibilities, values, and challenges that shape how we live our lives. It doesn’t mean we can’t learn, grow, and become more effective in how we carry out our responsibilities and pursue our dreams and desires, but we’re working from different starting points and even with different creative or career goals in mind. 

Right now, I’m in the season of young children (ranging from 20 months to 6 years). While sometimes stories press upon me, demanding release, and I dream of long blocks of focused time to birth them onto the page, in reality, I wouldn’t trade this season with my kids for anything. I’m thankful that I get to pour my time and energy into them by homeschooling and sharing everyday life with them. If I chose another path, such as sending them to school, I would have more time to write—but this is the choice that’s right for me and my family. That means I simply focus on carving out time to write as consistently as I can, working it into the fabric of our family's schedule—and not comparing my output to someone who writes for four, eight, or twelve hours a day.

I love the Scripture that says “and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” I’ve found when I do that, I’m not distracted by comparison and can be more joyful and productive. I can learn and glean from others, from their methods along with their successes and failures, but I keep my focus on running the race set before me—not someone else’s race.

What about you? Do you struggle with comparison? If you write, what is your natural writing pace? Has it changed with the changing seasons of life?

Writer's Life: Haunted by a Story (Rachel)

For most of September, I was feverishly writing the first of two novellas for my new series (clean romantic fantasy novellas featuring elves, gargoyles, and other fantastical creatures). My goal was to finish the first novella before headed out with my family on a road trip for vacation. But, as I typed my last few pages, concluding the story, the characters of the second novella began invading my headspace. So, despite my desire to go on vacation without any work hanging over me, I wrote on my vacation.

One of the joys and trials of a writer’s life is that one must follow the inspiration. True, one needs to be professional, write on a schedule, in season and out, and put the time in while one is inspired or not. However, occasionally a story idea comes along that blows all of your I-am-a-plotter-now plans out of the water. A shadow elf beckoned with an atmospheric flare, and I was off and writing like a pantser again.

So, how does one write while on a family vacation? For me, it was in dribbles and bits. Using my OneNote on my phone, I wrote in the long hours on the road when it wasn’t my turn to drive. I typed in the downtime between activities with the family. Also, I tapped away as I waited for my turn while we played Catan or other games with my siblings. Once, I opened my laptop and sat next to my hubby as he slept because I couldn’t rest because of the scenes parading through my head.

This comes with a caveat, though. Should you do this, don’t be rude. I worked hard to be present when my family was available. My phone disappeared when we played faster games or during conversations. The point of the trip was to be home, spend time with extended family, and enjoy each other. I sat and watched movies with my mom, sisters, brother, and kids. We played board games, video games, and card games. What can I say? We love games. But those down moments when everyone was busy with other conversations or activities, I was typing away on my phone or laptop.

So, did it work? According to my alpha reader, it did. She loves the story. I am less than five thousand words from the second rough draft in two months. All in less than a month despite vacation, homeschooling, and flaring from the trip. Not bad at all. I am very thankful that inspiration struck, though its timing left much to be desired.

How about you? Have you ever been haunted by a story or characters?

Writer's Life: The Nuances of Fantasy or Fairy tales versus Epic Fantasy (Kimberly)

Writing in different sub-genres within the same fictional world is easy. Did you laugh? Me too. In truth, writing in different sub-genres in the same fictional world comes with its own series of challenges. In this case, let's talk fairy tale retellings versus epic fantasy.

During the course of my career I've written in a number of different sub-genres within the fantasy world realm that do not include my two ventures outside of fantasy. I started in urban fantasy then added fairy tale retellings and have now expanded the fairy tale universe to include an epic romantic fantasy. Sub-genre or niche bouncing is something I consider to be normal for many authors, so don't be alarmed if you're the same way. Not all of the shiny ideas fit into the same box and that's okay. However, there are going to be challenges when you hop sub-genres because each niche brings its own nuances.

Urban fantasy and fairy tale retellings set in a secondary world have very obvious differences in setting and world building. However, even if two sub-genres are set in the same fantasy world, there are still  challenges ahead. I'm going to focus on three of them.

Challenge #1 - Fairy Tales vs All Original

The biggest difference between writing fairy tale retellings and creating an all new story comes down to plot points. With fairy tale retellings, I have a road map to reference because the fairy tale I'm adapting provides defined points that must be incorporated inside the story framework. When examining the original tale I want to adapt, I look at the key elements and decide what can be dropped, kept, or twisted on its head. Which plays into decisions for how the story will unfold because there are certain parameters that must be met in order to qualify as a retelling or a looser reimagining. 

With all original stories, such as my Unseelie of Sonera trilogy, I have more plot flexibility because I do not have a specific road map I need to follow. This can also be an additional challenge because if you get stuck in parts, going back to the fairytale for inspiration will not help. 

Challenge #2 - Subplots Everywhere

Epic Fantasy is known for its subplots buffet. Everybody has a subplot! The world building is often massive and the main plot is created or carried by an ever-evolving group of subplots. Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time series are some of the best known examples of epic fantasy and its layers of subplots. Even if you are in the same broad universe as your less subplot-heavy fairy tale retellings, there will still be a big difference between them and your epic fantasy. Some subplots will be political, personal, and romantic, which will feed into the overarching series plot. With Unseelie, I have a lot of subplots in play due to the complex nature of the villain's plans and the obstacles faced in each book as Tatiana and Ramessu work toward their final goals. I also have a lot of family related subplots since there is a strong theme of found family and mother's love. This is partly due to the fact my epic fantasy trilogy is a continuous series in the vein of Lord of the Rings. They must be read in order to make sense.

With my fairy tale retellings, the books are far more stand-alone even though they each contribute to the overall series arc. I feature a different couple and their romance in each book so the subplots do not build on top of each other on the same scale as they do in the epic fantasy. There are fewer subplots contained in each book and only one or two background subplots carry over. With Love's Enchanted Tales, the primary background subplot was the curses connecting the different books. They are built more like the Chronicles of Narnia. They do not absolutely need to be read in order to make sense but there's some spoilers if you read them out of order.

Challenge #3 - The Size of the Cast

Epic Fantasy is known for large casts and for featuring multiple POVS. When I began Unseelie of Sonera, I had my two main characters, Tatiana and Ramessu, and a couple of side characters. The number of featured side characters grew in Book Two due to the demands of the story. When I started writing Book Three, the number of POV characters grew to eight due to the demands of the story once again. This combined with the complex layering of subplots makes for a challenging writing experience because you must avoid accidentally dropping characters and subplots.

By contrast, my fairy tale retellings usually only feature two POVS, the main couple. This makes it far less challenging to keep track of who is speaking and where. Other fairy tale retelling authors only feature one POV, usually the female main character. Even with fairy tales featuring larger casts such as Twelve Dancing Princesses or Month Brothers or Six Swans/Children of Llyr, a retelling usually only follows one or two POVs. The smaller POV cast also makes it easier to prevent dangling subplots that are not a part of the series arc.

With each of the these challenges, having a shared world does not negate them because they are rooted in the different nuances and expectations associated with these two different sub-genres. This is especially true if you plant your niches in different parts of the fantasy world like I did with Sonera. The fairy tales are set in a fairly contained corner of the world that draws on medieval Europe and India while Unseelie is set on a different continent that draws from ancient Greece and Rome. 

As challenging as it can be to write in these different sub-genres, I must admit that I love doing it. I love exploring a fantasy world full of different cultures. I love exploring the different ways of telling a story that can be more centralized around my main couple or can expand to include the villain and important side characters who will bring their own subplots and growth arcs. Fantasy comes in so many different flavors and nuances. It is not always easy to move between them as a writer, but I find it more than worth the effort of rising to each challenge.

Happy writing!

Kimberly A. Rogers

The Truth about Release Day (Laurie)

 You've worked for months - years, maybe - writing your story. You've gone through countless rounds of edits, striving to get every word and phrase just right. You've squealed at cover designs and the advance copies that showed up on your doorstep and planned every last detail of your marketing strategy. You've waited patiently (sometimes agonizingly) as the months passed until you could finally get your precious book into readers' hands.

And then, at long last, it arrives. RELEASE DAY!!!

You do an excited little victory dance when you wake up. You throw in some bonus calories with celebratory treats. You post on social media and check on Amazon for the tenth time to see if any reviews are up yet, both grinning and trembling about what your first readers will say. Then, you realize the dog still needs to be walked and the kitchen counter hasn't cleaned itself and a pile of dirty laundry continues to clutter the floor of your room and... You get the idea.

In my (admittedly limited) experience, release days are a funny thing. SO MUCH excitement, anticipation, and hard work leads up to it, which somehow sets an expectation that it will be magical. An extraordinary day. But it can also be exhausting, and other aspects of life don't seem to acknowledge the specialness of the occasion. Chores still need to be done, children and pets still need to be cared for, and work or other obligations don't disappear in a puff of congratulatory confetti. As a personal anecdote, the night before the publication date of my debut novel, my young son woke up with a stomach bug around 2:00 am, and I was up with him for hours, comforting and cleaning soiled bedding. Not quite the fairy tale I'd dreamed of! On a sadder note, a friend recently lost a loved one just days before her latest book release. Her publication day consisted of attending a memorial service, doing far more grieving than celebrating.

The other odd thing about release days is that if you work with a publisher, you will likely have no idea what the sales numbers for your book look like until months later. The Amazon ranking or number of reviews can give hints, but royalty statements with actual sales figures won't show up until long after the release hoopla has passed. So don't be surprised if authors look a little lost when you ask something like "How did your book release go?" Because while social media buzz and glowing reviews absolutely produce smiles on our faces and gratitude in our hearts, we're likely in the dark about how the book is actually doing, even if we had some kind of benchmark goal for that landmark occasion (which often we don't).

If you're a published author, what have your experiences been? If you're a writer who dreams of a future release day, don't lose hope! The publication of your story with your name on the beautiful cover is truly an extraordinary thing, and the wonderful day it releases into the world feels sprinkled with a bit of otherworldly fairy dust. But keeping your expectations realistic can make a huge difference in avoiding disappointment if other aspects of life besmirch the perfection you might've otherwise envisioned. And preparing an answer when caring family members and friends ask about your release can be a great way to steer clear of awkward pauses and stammering...at least if you're anything like me :)

I wish you all many happy future release days! And an appreciation for and positive attitude toward the messier aspects of life that so often accompany them.

Thanks for reading!

Laurie

Writing Takeaways: Notes from Realm Makers Conference (Lizzie)

 My good intentions of going over my notes from the Realm Makers Conference (a conference for Christian writers of science fiction and fantasy) soon after returning were never realized, as one thing after another came up to claim my time. But I am excited to look over the notes now and share some of the things I thought I most should remember. Hopefully those things will be of value to you as well.

As I began going through my notes, however, I found too many to type up (the sign of a good conference), so I've chosen a few inspirational comments and a few practical tips from the first few sessions I went to.

1. Don't worry about running someone else's race. Make what you can do work for you--even if it's one book a year. -Michael Anderle

2. You can make yourself do amazing things. -Michael Anderle

3. You need a short term and longterm perspective.  -Frank Peretti

4. The man who walks in integrity walks securely. -Frank Peretti quoting from the Bible.

5. A hero is someone who does something. You have to fail in half of the things you tried to know what you're capable of. Write failures into your plans so you don't get upset when you fail. Jesus is still leading. What's worth doing is worth doing poorly. You don't start walking well but have to keep failing and trying. This is part of the longterm perspective. -Frank Peretti

6. You and God are co-creating when you write. God has given us the power to create so we could do that with him.-Allen Arnold

7. Satan wants to make us believe we can't hear God's voice and tells us lies--that God is holding out on us, that the world doesn't need more books, etc. -Allen Arnold

8. Your book is not for everyone. But there is someone your book is for. Understanding this will help you handle rejection. -Nadine Brandes

9. Study the blurbs in Bookbub's newsletter and see what works to help you learn to write blurbs.  -Michael Anderle

10. Pitches are important because they help others share about your books. -Nadine Brandes

11. A pitch needs a setting/genre; a golden nugget (like a unique challenge or character); and a problem. Practice on other books. For example, "The Hobbit is a fantasy novel where a young man is hired to steal from a dragon--but he's never left home." -Nadine Brandes

12. Your pitch needs to be short and confident. Short is memorable, long is easy to forget. Short allows them to ask for more. Explain your book in a concise way to create more curiousity and wonder. Create questions, not confusion. 

13. Improve to serve your readers. -Sharon Hinck

There are always so many things to remember from a conference. What are some of the most memorable things you've learned at a writers' conference?

Writer's Life: Dreamers of Dreams (Sarah)

For as long as I can remember, dreams have played a role in my writing life. I’m not talking about daydreams, though certainly those are vital, but actual dreams that come by night. In my current manuscript, a gaslamp mystery novel, the first glimpse of the protagonist came to me in a dream. Jessa has evolved a great deal, but those initial glimmers of appearance and personality sprang into being in the night, as did the core concept of the murder mystery (in another dream, years apart). These glimpses and glimmers take daydreaming, brainstorming, and creative work to become an actual story, but I love discovering story seeds in dreams.

And apparently, I’m not alone. CS Lewis talks about having many dreams of lions, before Aslan sprang into his mind, and from there, the entire Narnia series took flesh. Tolkien speaks of recurring dreams of a tremendous wave consuming a city which gave rise to his tale of the Downfall of Numenor. There’s even a book on writers dreaming (which I have yet to read, though the subject is certainly intriguing) including authors such as Stephen King and Anne Rice.

Our thoughts and creativity run unfiltered by logic as we dream, so it makes sense that we would find in them unusual ideas and inspiration. When I find story seeds in dreams, they’re often dreams carrying emotion that bleeds over into waking, which in turn makes me eager to dig deeper, furthering creativity and story-telling. Certainly, I can’t make these inventive dreams happen, and I have my share of the peculiar or nonsense dreams (and nightmares, unfortunately) alongside those that provide a creative spark, but I appreciate the way God designed us to dream and create even in our sleep!

Are you a dreamer? And if so, do dreams ever fuel your stories? I’d love to hear your experiences. 

Writer's Life: Reviving Creativity After Personal Trauma (Desiree)

*massive hugs* 

Let’s just start there—with a hug. One spanning over cyber space to wrap you in comfort and to reassure you that you aren’t alone in this world. 

If you’ve landed on this post, then you’re probably here for one of two reasons. 

1) you’re curious as to what juicy details I could share about the issues tormenting my life. In which case, you’ll leave disappointed. LOL. This isn’t the time or space to unpack my drama. 

Or 2) like me, you’ve also battled grief and trauma and are grappling for a glimmer of hope that reviving a dead creative heart is possible. That, my friend, is the light I’d love to share with you today. 

A reassurance that your current pain isn’t a permanent end to your creative journey. 

Quick Disclaimer:  I am not an expert in anything. LOL. This is not professional advice or a resource to self-diagnose. 

I am just one woman who has had her heart broken, shredded, trampled, killed, and misused more times than I can remember. 

And yet … I’m still here. I’m still creating. 

[side note: I give all credit to my Heavenly Father for being where I am. It is by His strength alone I stand.] 

So what I share here are recommendations from one overcomer to another, for the one reading this who is desperately trying to not give up. 

Recommendation One:

Prioritize Healing 

Not only physical healing! But emotional, mental, and spiritual healing are important for our overall wellbeing and for reviving our creative heart. 

I’ve met some individuals who wear their pain like a badge of honor. I, for one, would rather bury the pain and grow stronger from gaining the victory found in healing. 

A lesson I’ve learned: I only extend the time endured in sorrow when I choose to carrying around the baggage instead of releasing it. 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve keep myself in dark seasons because I thought there was no hope. Friend, please know that there is always hope! 

It’s okay to give yourself time in your schedule to book appointments with qualified counselors and / or pastoral staff. 

It’s okay to step down from certain administrative responsibilities while you give yourself time to process and the mental space to grieve (regardless of the type of trauma, grief and mourning tend to walk hand-in-hand with pain and sorrow). 

Quick note: I don’t recommend making the decision to quit jobs, projects, etc. while in the state of heartache (unless advised by a professional). Stay within your trusted groups and friends. People were made to be with people. Unless of course, those areas are adding to the trauma, are toxic, or cause triggers.

It’s okay to take a step back so you can learn to breath again. 

There’s no shame in being broken. Just know that you don’t have to stay broken. 

*more hugs* 

[there’s a lot more I can unpack here, but for the sake of time, we’ll move on to the next point]

Recommendation Two: 

Create for the sake of creating, not with the pressure of selling 

Now don’t get me wrong, I fully understand the weight of towering bills. The pressure of making sure everything stays current and you don’t fall behind, which would create an even harder situation. 

Definitely make sure yours and your family’s needs are met. 

Although from the perspective of reviving a creative heart, I’ve found that it’s best to be gentle and move forward in small increments. Too much pressure to “perform” for others will cause me to procrastinate like I was born an ostrich instead of human. 

So in the journey to heal and revive creativity, allow yourself blocks of time to create just for the sake of creating. 

Take a skill you know and love—i.e. crafting stories—or explore those you’ve been too self-conscious to try. 

Here are a few to get you thinking (listed out in random order): 

• painting (with oil paints, acrylics, water colors, etc.) 
• photography (it doesn’t have to be with a “fancy camera”, this is honestly about seeing the world in a fresh way) 
• ceramics / pottery 
• flower gardening (yes, it can be an art form! Have you seen some the elaborate flower gardens people have been designing?!) 
• baking / cake designs 
• thread and yarn workings (needlepoint, croquet, knitting, and other yarn things I don’t know about) 
• graphic design 
• pyrography / woodburning art (just please don’t burn yourself!!!!!) 
• handlettering 

[side note: if you tell me you have “no time” then I will tell you to make the time. I’ve learned that we give our time to what we love most. If you list out all the things you do in a day, then you’re revealing to me your priorities in life. That can either be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the direction of your focus. Don’t use the excuse of “having no time”. Revisit your priorities, and allow yourself to have a fraction of what you’re giving to others.] 

Recommendation Three: 

Change the medium in what you use to write with 

I remember a time when I couldn’t sit at my desk without my whole body shaking. Just being in my office or at my desk would cause an onslaught of dark emotions. I would spend hours crying, and then it would take me days to recover from the emotional setback. 

[If you’re in a similar situation as I described here, please be sure to revisit Recommendation One and focus on healing.] 

Thankfully, writing (or other forms of creating) is only as stationary as we make it. 

Here are some alternative mediums I’m exploring (or have explored), in case one inspires an idea for yourself: 

Ideas involving actual words: 

—go “old school” with pen and paper 

Yeah, I know we can’t turn in a stack of notebooks to our editors, LOL. They would reject the project in a heartbeat. ;-) However, please remember these ideas are to help climb over hurdles and knock the dust off our creative muscles. We’re not after perfection; we’re focusing on reviving our creativity. 

—record your words using a device and transpose the content 

This can be done a few different ways. Either by a recorder or a software like DragonSpeak. 

I’ve actually used the voice memo app on my phone before. Then once the scene was finished, I set my phone and headset side-by-side to have DragonSpeak transcribe the words for me. That way I didn’t have to be at my desk. 

Bonus: try these options outside for a more therapeutic setting. Nature is amazing! 

Ideas not involving actual words: 

So the following ideas won't help with deadlines, but they are great for exploring your story from a different angle. Thus stimulating your creativity. 

—paint a scene from your current work-in-progress 

It doesn’t have to look like a profession created it! Lessen the pressure! But playing around with the colors and visual elements of a scene is so fun. 

And if painting really isn’t your thing, you can always play around with Photoshop and create a digital art image of your scene. 

Or even try modeling clay, welding (if you have the skill and access to such things), sculpting. Anything that gets you out of your own head and doing something creative with your hands. 

—complete an item on your character’s “bucket list” 

This one is so fun! What is an activity or an event your character would love to accomplish within the story that you could do or achieve in real life (within reason and within safe boundaries!!). 

I love this one for several reasons: 

• It will get you out of the house. Which—for those on the path toward healing—is something you will argue with, however, it really is good in the longterm for your wellbeing. 
• Depending on the activity, the moment could be a great way to explore the sensory elements for world building. 
• By putting yourself in your character’s shoes, completing their “bucket list”, would be a great opportunity to deepen your understanding of who they are and what motivates them. Bonus: there’s a good chance your character will teach you more about yourself in the outcome. Not that I would know, of course. *cheeky grin* 

*more virtual hugs* 

I wish I could sit across from you, face to face, and share the hope my heart longs to pour out. *even more hugs* 

Trauma—regardless of its form or cause—effects everyone differently. But there is hope that one day you will regain your creativity. 

It may not look the same—or even feel the same. In the midst of heartache and sorrow, it may feel like your creative heart died. However, with a little time, love, support, and a whole lot of Jesus, your heart can live again. 

Then … you can turn your personal experience into a story and share the triumph and victory that resulted from pressing through your darkest hour. I sure plan to! 

One last disclaimer: 

If you’ve experienced trauma, please do not go the journey alone!! Even when we try to convince ourselves no one cares or we’re all alone, that isn’t the truth. Please find a trusted friend, family member, or pastor to share your story with. It’s okay to be broken, but healing is possible. 

And for those who have noticed a friend or family member becoming more isolated and withdrawn, DO NOT BE SILENT! Please reach out to them! You may be the only light shining into their dark world. 

Blessings, 
Desiree 

Got an idea for reviving a creative heart? 

Please share! I’m always up for trying new things that leads to story inspirations. 

Drop your idea down below, and I may try it on my next adventure outing. :-)

Writer's Life: Juggling Fails (And Recovery) (Kimberly)

How many balls can you juggle in your life? How do you recover when you inevitably drop one or more?

Most, if not all, writers are juggling multiple balls every day. You have these brightly colored balls labeled neatly with Writing, Editing, Research, Publishing, Marketing. Those are just the balls related to the writing side of life. Then you add in the balls labeled Exercise, Social Life, Family, Work, Illness, and everything else that makes up Life. And it is a lot for anyone to keep all those balls in the air all the time. Inevitably, each and every one of us is going to drop one or more of them.

Last May I wrote about living with a chronic illness and how that impacts my writing life. I described flares as periods of time when the symptoms take on acute and constant pain directly impacting and interfering with navigating life due to your energy being sapped. The same energy we use to get through each day juggling as many balls as possible. I've been caught in a severe flare of my chronic illness for the last five months and I'm still working on recovery. This means I've dropped a number of balls, including the fact that I have not completely finished and published a new book in five months.

Juggling fails are not fun. They are often discouraging and can make you question why you're trying to juggle at all. That's okay. You are allowed to feel disappointed when you drop those balls. Sometimes you have to drop a ball or two in order to recover and start again. Even when I haven't been able to write, I have been researching and refueling through reading and watching genre specific movies/TV shows. They're not the primary balls I wanted to be juggling, but they were the ones I could handle even in the middle of a very bad flare.

When you have a juggling fail, what matters most is you do not let that fail convince you to quit. There are writers in all walks and stages of life, from busy moms to full-time workers/part-time writers to chronic illness warriors, who have shared their writing successes no matter what they're juggling. One of the biggest defining factors in their success was their perseverance. They chose to pick up the dropped balls and try again. They chose not to quit.

There will always be times in life when you experience juggling fails for one reason or another. Sometimes the solution is to take a hard look at everything you're juggling and choose which balls are going to be your priority for this season. Choose a different set to put aside for now in order to pick back up the Writing, Editing, and Publishing balls. Juggling is about balance and timing. Recovering from our juggling fails requires our willingness to shuffle priorities at times and, most of all, our willingness to keep trying. If you've dropped a couple of balls (or more), it is not a loss. It's merely an opportunity to reassess, readjust, and try again.

Keep juggling and persevering!

Kimberly A. Rogers

Author Collaborations (Laurie)

Most authors I know don't consider marketing to be among their favorite aspects of publishing. While it's wonderful to make genuine connections with readers, it feels overwhelming to keep up with the latest advice and social media trends. Not to mention the sense of drowning that comes from knowing how many other writers are also out there trying to reach new readers and the ever-changing algorithms that cause the same posts that reached a large audience three months ago to now be seen by only a small gathering of crickets. In the absence of a large budget for paid advertising or a hired virtual assistant, what's an author to do?

One strategy that I've found to make marketing both more fun and more effective is to collaborate with fellow writers! Whether it's a blog, Facebook group, or virtual event, teaming up with other authors means less work for each individual plus a broader reach overall if everyone shares within his or her own network of friends and readers. Not to mention the enjoyment of getting to know your fellow authors better along the way - totally a win-win! 

But not just any collaboration will work well. The wrong partnership could lead to stress and frustration, a failed project, or even damage to your author brand. As the fortunate beneficiary of a number of successful author collaborations over the years, I have a few tips for helping make your team efforts with other writers successful and enjoyable.

1. Every group needs a leader (or two). I love the idea of a group that runs entirely by committee, but my practical experience has been that a group without a leader doesn't go anywhere. We all lead full, busy lives, and if no one is willing to step forward and take responsibility for a group or project, nothing is likely to get done. And while some decisions and plans are great to make with everyone's input, too many group e-mails can get tiresome and may take you in circles rather than in any forward direction. The leader doesn't have to be overbearing or forceful, but it's helpful to have someone take the reins and make executive decisions as needed to keep the project moving and avoid getting stuck in a rut. If you like the idea of working with other authors but are intimidated by the prospect of being a leader, find a co-leader! If you work well together, co-leading a project can be a fantastic way to have someone to bounce ideas off of and to build momentum together, plus it takes a bit of the pressure off!
2. Know Your Goals. No marketing effort will reach every possible reader, and you wouldn't want it to! Every book has a target audience, and you want to make that the target audience of your collaborations with fellow authors. So if you write contemporary fantasy and you met a fun writer at a conference who writes historical romance, unfortunately she wouldn't be the best person to work with on a marketing project. For Lands Uncharted (a group writing effort that I like to think has been a big success!), the focus when we started the blog was young adult fantasy and science fiction. We've expanded to now cover clean fantasy and sci fi instead of just young adult and our posts have branched into other genres like historical fairy tale retellings, but having a focal point in mind has helped keep our posts interesting and relevant for our specific audience and hopefully has put our books in the hands of more readers who will enjoy them!
3. Hand-Select Participants. As I mentioned above, for marketing opportunities you want to work with authors who write in a similar genre or otherwise meet specific criteria to make them a good fit for the project. But you also want people who will be fun and pleasant to work with! For a short-term project like organizing a Facebook party, it might work well to post a general invitation for collaborators and see who responds. But the larger and more long-term the project, the more important it is to work with the right people. Let's face it, certain personalities don't work well together. It's frustrating for everyone involved if one person never responds or always drops the ball. And it makes it unpleasant for both the writers and readers if someone insists on bringing up hot-button subjects or can't respond to others in a professional manner. But, just because you don't know someone well or you're not sure you'd want to collaborate with someone long-term doesn't mean you have to leave them out entirely! We love having guest authors stop by Lands Uncharted for a post or interview - it's a fun, easy way to allow more authors to share about their books and expand our own reach in the process. Plus, what starts out as a one-time guest author interaction on a blog, Facebook group, etc. can turn into a bigger collaboration later on! Many of our current Lands Uncharted bloggers first stopped by as a guest, and those positive experiences caused us to think of them when a slot for a regular blogger opened up :)
4. Set Clear Expectations. Most authors have family obligations, many have a job outside of their writing, and all want to set aside plenty of time for their current and future works-in-progress! So you'll make your fellow writers a lot happier, and have much better odds that they'll actually accomplish the task you're hoping they'll complete, if you set clear expectations right from the start. For Lands Uncharted, every blogger has access to a calendar where we can see what posts we have coming up. When we invite a new contributor, we make clear how often each blogger is expected to post, how long posts should be, etc. so they know exactly what they're getting into if they (hopefully!) agree to join. In a new Facebook group I co-founded (which I'll share about below!), we set the expectation that every core member should aim to post at least once per week. Communicating clear, reasonable expectations both helps your fellow authors know what's expected and allows them to make informed decisions about whether they can truly commit to your project.

Since you're here, you probably know that Lands Uncharted is a group effort among many authors to keep a steady stream of book recommendations, snippets of the stories we're working on, and insights into our lives as writers coming to you several times a week! I'm so grateful to this blog for providing a level of engagement and quality that I never would've had the time or energy to maintain on my own, plus the opportunity to work with so many amazing authors!

And as I hinted above, I'm part of a new group endeavor I'm SO excited about! I've teamed up with Allison Tebo, Hayden Wand, Kirsten Fichter, and fellow Lands Uncharted blogger E.J. Kitchens to form the Facebook group Faith and Fairy Tales! We all write clean fairy tale-inspired stories and are having a blast hanging out with so many fellow fairy tale enthusiasts :) If you're a fan of fairy tales and retellings, I hope you'll join us! (And if you're an author who writes clean fairy tale-inspired books, we'd love to feature you on a Special Guest Saturday!)

Have you ever been a part of an author collaboration, or is there a group of authors you follow on social media or elsewhere? What have you found to be helpful in working successfully with others? Do you have any questions for me about organizing group projects?

Thanks for reading!

Laurie

Writer's Life: The Little Art Matters Too (Mary)

 I don’t remember exactly when I stopped writing short stories, just that it was several years ago. It isn’t as if I made a conscious decision to abandon short fiction in favor of longer works, it just...sort of faded away.

Ever since I can remember, as a tiny child I would make up stories in my head and then act them out in my play (with my Yorkie Terrier, Ezmerelda, as my co-star and trusty sidekick). When I learned to read and write, I wrote and illustrated picture books. When things scared or upset me, I processed them through story. (I can recall one particularly traumatizing event, when a coyote snatched one of our geese from the yard in broad daylight and ended up killing her—that got a multi-page spread in my art and writing notebook.)

Image Source: Pixabay.com

 

Somewhere around age eleven or so I separated my drawing and writing from each other. Drawing went into a sketchbook, and writing suddenly took on more life as I began writing a collection of short stories that I called “legends” (I don’t know if I actually knew the technical term “short story” at that time or not). I discovered poetry around the same time, and very few nights went by when I wasn’t using my little sister’s night light to scribble late into the night.

I was incredibly prolific during that time, churning out at least one or two new stories and/or poems every week, plus countless journal entries.

Oddly enough, I had no clue at that point that I was a writer. I unconsciously assumed that everyone had stories constantly growing and developing in their heads, that everyone mentally narrated their day-to-day lives in third person, that everyone filled life’s little delays and in-between times with planning out new plots and characters and descriptions. I was utterly unaware that what I was doing was unusual in any way.

I was fourteen when I had what was, for me, a world-shaking revelation: My newest story idea was too big to be a short story—it was a book. And I was going to write it, which meant...that I was a writer!

That was a major turning point in my creative journey. From that moment forward I began calling myself a writer—something I had never done before—and threw myself with wild abandon into my new book-sized project.

One book quickly grew into a slew of ideas. Now that I was writing books-length stories, the ideas came faster than I could finish them, and I started developing a backlog.

Finishing my first book brought with it the most incredible high I think I’ve ever experienced in my entire life—far beyond anything I got from finishing any of my short works—and I was hard at work on the sequel within six hours.

As one would expect of the work of a fourteen-year-old, those first books were utter garbage. But I was learning, growing, developing my craft, and loving it, and that was what mattered.

I still wrote short stories and poetry on occasion—in fact the first work I ever published, at age nineteen, was a poem—and I published quite a few of them over the next few years. But gradually, I thought of myself more and more as a “novelist,” rather than just a “writer” or “author.” I began assuming that more and more of the story ideas that came to me were destined to be novels one day, which meant that of course I couldn’t write them just yet, I would have to wait until I worked my way through the ever-growing list of story ideas that came before it. The list of unwritten ideas got bigger and bigger, and the percentage of ideas that were actually getting written got smaller and smaller.

Then late last year, I was invited to contribute to a Christmas anthology that I was incredibly excited about. When I sat down to figure out what to write, I had a sudden realization: I hadn’t written a short story in years.

Somewhere along the way, I had stopped thinking of short stories as mattering or being valuable. I had developed the mindset that writing an idea as a short story was somehow “wasting” it, or not giving it everything it deserved—that novels were somehow more valuable in terms of artistic merit than short stories. That novels were serious literature, written by serious authors, while short stories were...something less.

Of course, at an intellectual level I absolutely knew this to be untrue. Who would make the argument that a tiny scrap of vellum bearing a sketch by Leonardo da Vinci is worthless simply because it isn’t Mona Lisa? Or that Michelangelo’s David is less important than the tomb of Pope Julius II, just because it’s smaller? Or that Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories or the Sherlock Holmes collection don’t matter because the stories aren’t novel-length?

No one with a grain of sense would argue that, and I knew that.

But somehow, somewhere along the journey, in my desperate pursuit of becoming a “serious” writer, I had let myself internalize the idea that shorter = less valuable, less serious.

So as I planned and wrote my story for the Christmas anthology, I decided to change that.

Since the beginning of 2021, I’ve published one short story and written two more, both of which have been submitted for consideration to different magazines, as of this writing. My main writing project is still a novel, but I’m slowly retraining my brain to allow for the possibilities of short stories, not just novels, whenever a new idea pops up. Those ideas don’t have to languish on a back burner for years until I can make them into novels—they can go out into the world as short stories and still matter.

I long ago made my peace with the fact that I will be leaving many, many ideas behind me, unfinished, when I die. But maybe now that I’m letting go of my weird subconscious need to turn everything into a novel, now that I’m remembering that small works are important too, maybe that number can be a little smaller.

And if you are a writer who maybe doesn’t feel like you deserve to taken seriously as such, because you’ve only written or published short works, rather than a novel so far—remember that the little art matters too.