Erin Radniecki • Book Coach

Author: Erin Radniecki

  • Finishing a First Draft

    Finishing a First Draft

    This week I want to celebrate a client of mine. We’ll call her Karla. She’s been working hard on the first draft of her novel for fourteen months now, and she’s getting excitingly close to having a complete manuscript!

    As a writer on the verge of a big milestone, I wanted to get Karla’s reflections on her process so far, and share her takeaways with you.

    Karla, you’ve been working on your draft for just over a year. If you could talk to the Karla of a year ago, what would you tell her about this process?

    I would tell her that writing a first draft is a long process, and it’s okay that it’s taking longer than she thought it would, even longer than it might take other writers. Some days will be harder than others, but if you push through the writer’s block and hard days, it is rewarding to meet your weekly page goals and see how far you’ve gotten in the story. You’re also laying down the foundation of your story, so it’s fine if what you’re writing now isn’t perfect. You’re setting yourself up to build and refine what you’ve already written when you come back and do edits.

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    You’re about three quarters of the way through your draft. Is there anything about the process so far that has been easier than you thought it would be? Anything that has been harder?

    Easier: It’s [now] easier to sit down and write something. At first, I found it difficult to find the motivation to work because I saw how far I needed to go to say I’d written a first draft of something. It’s also easier to sit down because it has become a habit or a routine to work on it throughout the week.

    Harder: I still struggle with writing transitions between the scenes I planned out for my outline even though I’ve been writing for over a year. I didn’t realize how challenging it is to write a story that flows together until I had to do it myself.

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    As you near the end of your draft, has your outlook on the writing process changed at all? Is it easier to find the energy or motivation to write?

    I have more respect for the people who write or work with writers. I always knew writing a book took time, but I didn’t realize how long the process actually takes until I attempted to do it myself. It is easier to find the motivation to write now. As I gray out the scenes I’ve already written in my outline, I can see the end of my story. I find it motivational to see that I’ve grayed out almost all the boxes.

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    If someone is about to start drafting their novel, or is in the drafting process and is struggling, what advice would you give them?

    Don’t compare yourselves to other writers. Everyone has a different writing process and writing speed. If you write more slowly than the people you see online, or you don’t have as much time to write, that’s okay. Take it one scene or page at a time, your story will come out in its own time, and people will be excited to read it whenever it’s ready. If you’re stuck during a scene, take a break and do something else for a bit. I’ve found that when I’m stuck on something, I’ll go on a walk or do something around my house. Most of the time while I’m doing something else, I’ll think of an idea of what I can include to help me get unstuck.

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    Once your draft is finished, what do you think your next steps for your novel will be?

    I’m going to finish making the corrections you recommended as my book coach. Once I’m done with that, I’m going to find an editor to work with to polish up my story.

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    I’m so thankful that I’ve been able to support Karla through her drafting process with submission deadlines and feedback on her pages.

    If you’re writing a first draft, and especially if you’ve been frustrated with how long the process is taking, I hope that hearing Karla’s experience provides some reassurance that you will get to type The End. Just keep taking small, steady steps toward your goal. It may not be flashy, but as you can see, it works.

  • Is It Worth Writing in the Age of AI?

    Is It Worth Writing in the Age of AI?

    Years ago I spent a lot of time on my art-making hobby. I made 2D and 3D mixed media art in a spare bedroom that I referred to as my Studio. I never sold anything, but I did have pieces in a couple community shows.

    Let me tell you, there are a lot of supplies you can buy as an artist. Some of them are actual supplies, like paint, adhesives, cold press paper, and brayers. They are tools the artist uses to create their art.

    There are also “supplies.” Things like stencils, rubber stamps, and kits of all kinds. These always seemed to me like shortcuts to make art that would look like someone else’s art.

    I was sort of a purist. If I wanted to use a stencil, I would make the stencil. If I wanted to use fabric, I would typically alter it in some way. If I wanted to use a stamp, I would carve it, albeit badly.

    I wanted to make the elements mine, which in turn made the art I produced more mine. (I didn’t go as far as making my own paper, but there were days I considered it.)

    There’s been a lot of news about AI and writing since, well, ever since AI showed up on the scene.

    I’ve tried not to get too wound up about AI, one way or the other. I tend to lean more toward Luddite than early tech adopter, taking a measured approach and considering if the next big thing is really something to get excited about.

    But eventually I started to form an opinion about AI, and I can see that it connects directly back to my experience creating art:

    If I say I am a creator, then I should be the one creating.

    When I think about being a creator, I equate it with terms like craftsman, artisan, and maker. Someone who has spent time to master their craft. Someone who has applied themselves and developed a skill.

    That’s who I want to be, as a writer and a visual artist.

    I don’t care that using AI could allow me to do things faster or using less energy. (I’m talking about my own energy here, certainly not the energy used by AI.)

    When I write a book I want to know that I have worked hard to take an idea, cultivate it, shape it, and hone it into a unique, quality novel that has my fingerprints all over it.

    So when the questions fly regarding AI and writing, like…

    • Should writers use AI in their process?
    • Is it okay to use it for brainstorming?
    • What about for grammar and spell checking?
    • Could AI be used in place of a real live editor (or book coach)?

    …I’m not going to bother trying to answer them for other writers.

    But I do have a stance on how I will be using AI in my writing:

    I won’t be using it. And I want to work with other writers who choose not to use it either.

    I was in a meeting with Author Accelerator CEO Jennie Nash last month and she said (I’m paraphrasing) she believes the fundamental motivation to write a book, for most writers, is that you want to create something, not copy something.​

    I’m excited to engage with writers who want to create something and who are ready and willing to lean into the messy work of creating. Are you with me?

  • Is Research Helping or Hurting Your Novel?

    Is Research Helping or Hurting Your Novel?

    On my bookshelf sits a 763 page book on the history of Great Britain in the 1930s.

    That’s a thick book.

    I bought it years ago in preparation for writing a novel. I felt I needed this background information in order to write an accurate story.

    Did I mention I was writing historical fantasy for 10 year olds?

    When it comes to research for our novels, our brains can convince us we must know All. The. Things. We have to be prepared. We must be experts on our topic, or else risk being called out as a fraud.

    Or course this leads to research overwhelm, paralysis, and thoughts of ‘who am I to write this book?’ If you’re not careful you’ll find yourself awake at 1:00am researching advanced degrees in obscure histories.

    But there’s a solution to research overkill: wait until you’ve written your first draft.

    Here’s another revelation about my novel. I thought it was going to include lots of electricity. As in, the villain was going to harness electricity to carry out his evil plan. I spent time researching electricity and municipal electrical systems, thinking about how it might be used, and ultimately… not using electricity at all.

    I finished the first draft of my novel two weeks ago, and instead of 1930s history and electricity, it turns out I need to research canals and locks instead. Who knew?!

    And that’s the point. There was no way I could have known that at the beginning of the writing process.

    Most of the research I did beforehand turned out to be unhelpful for writing my novel. But now that I have a completed draft, and I understand where the gaps in my knowledge are, I can strategically research only what will be useful.

    I understand the urge to do loads of research before you begin writing. It feels like necessary preparation, like due diligence. But until you know specifically what information will be useful to you, it is easy to get lost down the rabbit hole of knowledge.

    Rather than compile pages of notes and then try to craft a story around that information, we need to create a story that works and then fit our research to match.

    If you feel you absolutely must research before you begin writing your novel, here are some ways to keep it from getting out of hand:

    Acknowledge that you know more about your subject than you realize.

    Because you do know a lot already. You’ve read a book or article, learned a tidbit on Jeopardy, picked up information here and there because you are a curious person.

    Do some ‘soft’ research.

    Watch a movie, such as a period drama set in the time and place you’ll be writing about. Don’t take a lot of notes, just observe. Let it confirm what you already know, and plant some curiosity seeds to look into later. (Like, later later.)

    Trust your ability to pivot.

    If you make a few assumptions and they turn out to be wrong, trust that you can massage your manuscript during revision so that the story still works.

    Changing your perspective on research can help you stop preparing and start writing your novel. Because your goal is to have a finished book, not to be an expert in hairstyles of the 1750s.