Erin Radniecki • Book Coach

Category: Writing Craft

Learn the basics of how to write a novel.

  • Are Writing Prompts Actually Helpful?

    Are Writing Prompts Actually Helpful?

    You’re staring at a blank page, and the words just aren’t coming. What do you do?

    Maybe you turn to writing prompts to help you get the ball rolling. 

    Writing prompts are thought starters. They provide some type of instruction or parameter for you to fulfill. They might be a single word, a phrase, a setting, or a question to answer. Their goal is to provide some inspiration to help you start writing.

    I’ll be honest, I have mixed feelings about writing prompts.

    I see them posted all over social media, and I know they are frequently used in writing workshops. And while using them as a warm up exercise or a fun distraction seems harmless enough, if you’re working on a novel, I question their usefulness. 

    Here’s why.

    I’m a big believer in context – the background that informs a scene and gives meaning to the details in it. It’s because of context that we understand if a reveal or plot twist is positive or negative in relation to your protagonist and their goals.

    A writing prompt is unrelated to your story. It has no context to connect it to your protagonist.

    When you rely on writing prompts, instead of spending time and energy exploring situations that would be meaningful for your main character, you’re writing about something that may lack any connection to your story.

    How Writing Prompts Can Lead You Astray

    Let’s look at a potential situation to give us context. (Hey, there’s that word again!) 

    Perhaps you’re at a difficult point in your novel, like the murky middle, and you don’t know what comes next. You’re sitting, your head is spinning, and none of your ideas seem right. In that situation a writing prompt can feel like a valid way to generate some ideas.

    And that may work. But here’s the problem. 

    Let’s say that a writing prompt really inspires you, and sends you in a completely new direction from what you’ve been writing. The words are really flowing and you love what you’ve come up with, to the extent that you want to include it in your work in progress (WIP). 

    So you start looking for ways to shoehorn it into your story. You twist character motivations and redirect your protagonist’s actions to integrate this new piece of writing. 

    Suddenly a plot that was making sense goes off the rails. The protagonist loses their agency because now you’re trying to set up the dominoes to accommodate this new information that you’re introducing. 

    If you’re making plot decisions based on whims (and I would classify a random writing prompt as a whim), it’s a sign that you need to do more work to understand your protagonist on a deep level.

    How to Use Writing Prompts Successfully

    So, how can you use writing prompts to your advantage when you’re in the midst of your novel? Here are a couple tips.

    First, ask yourself if you’re hiding from something. Why write pages disconnected from a WIP when you could write your WIP?

    The answer to this could be that you’re looking for a little mental stretch break from your novel. But it could also be that you’re avoiding your novel because the writing has gotten hard. Being aware of what’s making writing prompts appealing can help you avoid giving them more attention than they deserve.

    Second, look at the prompt as a way to explore your protagonist’s personality or backstory. This might require zeroing in on the essence of the prompt and adjusting the specifics to align with your WIP. 

    For example, the prompt could be to write a break up scene. If your protagonist isn’t in a romantic relationship or romance isn’t key to your story, you might choose instead to write a scene where they fight with a friend or family member, or you could write about an impactful relationship from their past.

    Use the prompt as a way to add complexity and nuance to what you know about your protagonist, not as a means to add unnecessary details.

    Now, I know not every writing prompt will resonate with you, let alone provoke you to jump ship on the current trajectory of your WIP. But those that do can result in a huge detour of energy and writing time. And once you’ve gone to the trouble of writing something new that you’re excited about, it can feel hard to abandon it.

    So be honest about your goals when using writing prompts. And if you think you’re using them as a replacement for cohesive plot development, it’s time to pump the brakes.

  • Orienting Your Reader

    Orienting Your Reader

    Have you ever woken up the first morning of a vacation and wondered, where am I? 

    In the foggy moments of early consciousness your brain is grasping for landmarks, looking for something familiar. It’s disorienting for a moment, before you recall where you are and why you’re there.

    When someone is reading your novel, they are having that experience repeatedly. 

    This happens most dramatically in the opening chapter of your novel, but it also occurs at the beginning of each new scene, and when you switch between point of view characters.

    Any time that you quickly change location, day or time, or the people in your protagonist’s company, your reader is forced to reorient themself.

    These moments of reorienting are pivotal for your reader. They are feeling off balance and are searching for answers. It’s your job as the author to quickly and succinctly ground the reader with just enough details that they understand where they are and what’s happening. 

    Leave them with too many details and they will be overwhelmed with information, unsure which parts are most important. But if you don’t give them enough information, they won’t have the context to understand what’s happening. Either way, you risk losing their attention.

    Let’s look at the biggest, most important “where am I?” moment of any novel: the first chapter.

    When your audience reads the first pages of your book they have no understanding of what they’ve been dropped into. Even if they’ve read the jacket copy, they don’t know the specifics of the precise moment they are occupying in the book.

    As they are reading the opening pages, they are thinking:

    • Where and when am I?
    • Who am I? (As in, whose head am I in?)
    • Am I alone? If not, am I with friends or enemies?
    • Am I in a safe place? A dangerous place? An embarrassing situation?

    Until the reader understands those basic things, their brain is quickly handling every piece of information available, looking for threats and discarding anything that doesn’t answer the questions above. They are looking for landmarks that can orient them. 

    This is an important time for you to give them precise pieces of information that help them feel grounded. It is not the time to introduce an extensive cast of characters, describe your fictional world in great detail, or explain large amounts of backstory.

    I know it can be hard to hold back at this moment. After all, you are so excited about the story you’ve written, and you can’t wait to tell your audience all about it! But remember that you have a whole novel to reveal your creation to your reader. 

    Overwhelming them with details at any point of the story is never good, but it’s especially dangerous at the beginning of the novel when they’re not yet invested in the story. 

    How do you choose the information to include to provide the guidance your reader is looking for?
    Here are some guidelines to help you decide.

    Include specific details

    When you’re trying to quickly convey a setting, the more specific the details you include the better. This does not mean you want to include loads of details. One very clear description is better than a paragraph of vague adjectives. Choose a few details that will best express what’s happening in the moment and work to make them as evocative as you can.

    Share the protagonist’s feelings

    If your main character is afraid, then the reader knows to be afraid. If they are annoyed, then the reader knows to be annoyed. Having this information from the protagonist helps set the tone for the reader and allows them to settle into the reality of the present moment in the story.

    Consider that you can provide an extra layer of insight if the setting and the protagonist’s feelings are mismatched. For example, if the story opens in a setting that is calm or jovial, but the main character is feeling tense, worried, or fearful, that gives the reader clues that something is happening under the surface.  

    Avoid backstory that can’t be conveyed in one sentence

    Early in the story it’s often sufficient to apply a label to something that holds significant meaning for the protagonist. For example, the protagonist referring to an “ex-best friend” lets the reader know how to feel toward a side character without wading into the history of the relationship just yet. Or if the protagonist mentions a place that always makes them feel sad or happy or nostalgic the reader knows that location holds meaning without sharing all the details in the moment.

    Now, when you hint at backstory you’re making a promise to your reader that you will explain the details later. So make sure you eventually provide that detailed backstory in a later scene or chapter, when the reader is grounded in the story and ready to receive the information.

    Limit the number of characters involved

    If you were to show up to a gathering of new-to-you people, would you want to meet them rapid fire, each of them peppering you with their personal details? Of course not! That would be overwhelming and you likely wouldn’t remember much about anyone. 

    Your reader is in a similar position in the opening chapter of a book. Not only are they juggling many details about the setting and what is occurring in the scene, but if you introduce a whole cast of characters on top of that they are likely to get overwhelmed. Try to limit yourself to just the essential characters for your opening scene.


    Whether it’s the opening pages of your book, or a scene change somewhere in the middle, abrupt shifts in time, space, or point of view require that your reader reorient themself in the story.

    Giving them cues to help them feel grounded in the details of the moment ensures that they feel guided throughout your story. It allows them to stay deeply immersed in the world that you’ve created, and that means they’ll keep turning the pages until The End.

  • How Many Books Should You Write at One Time?

    How Many Books Should You Write at One Time?

    Fun fact: most writers have multiple book ideas floating around in their heads at any given moment.

    We’re creative beings, after all, and most of us like to play the “what if?” game.

    What if someone wakes up and discovers their life has moved forward 40 years overnight?
    What if someone reaches into their mailbox and gets bitten by a small monster? 
    What if someone uncovers a family secret that makes them rethink their whole childhood?

    Those three “what ifs” could be three completely different novels. And each idea is shiny, new, and chock full of possibilities.

    But what about your current book? If you start working on something new are you cheating on your work in progress (WIP)? If you pause to play around with a new idea, are you avoiding the hard work of finishing your current novel? Or is it all just a big creative playground and the more ideas the merrier?

    Truth #1 is there are no hard and fast rules here.
    You can certainly step away from your draft or manuscript and play around with a new project that has captured your imagination. Maybe you have two or three projects and you rotate through them, spending time on each one as your inspiration directs.

    Truth #2 is project hopping can absolutely be a form of procrastination.
    If you’ve reached a difficult phase of your writing project, your brain says “woah, this is getting hard, you’re spending a lot of energy on this, let’s find an easier path.” Suddenly you feel compelled to explore a brand new idea, and you are absolutely certain that this premise or this character are what you should be working on.

    So what should you do? Open the floodgates and let all the ideas frolic? Or have a strict one-novel-at-a-time policy?

    Your approach is going to be personal, but here are some tips to help you be thoughtful and deliberate about your choices. 

    Jot it down and tuck it away.

    It’s always a great idea to write down some notes about the things that inspire you. I mean, who hasn’t had a fabulous idea, only to lose it forever because you didn’t jot it down in the moment? Record those shiny ideas somewhere safe, and then see if that’s enough to help you focus on your primary project. If that doesn’t scratch the itch, you could consider spending more time on the new story idea.

    Identify what you’re avoiding. 

    Most of the time we chase new ideas because our current project has gotten hard. So ask yourself, what is it about my current WIP that am I avoiding? Another way to ask this is, if I could fix one problem I’m struggling with in this WIP, what would it be? Once you’ve identified the issue, decide if you want to tackle it, either on your own or with help, or if giving yourself some time away from the problem might help unlock a solution. 

    And if you do decide to give your current WIP some space, put a date on your calendar when you’ll check back in. You don’t want a little break to turn into a three month hiatus.

    Use it as a reward. 

    It’s valid to worry that new projects are just avoidance masquerading as brilliant ideas. If that’s a concern for you, make progress on your main book a prerequisite for playing with your new idea. Set reasonable goals for your primary novel, and after you meet a goal, reward yourself with playtime with your new idea.

    Create a schedule. 

    If you want to make regular progress on two or more projects, you might need to put on your project manager hat. Create a schedule that includes all of your projects and balances your time between them. Also schedule pockets of time where you get to choose in the moment which project your energy is directing you toward.

    Check in with your goals. 

    Multiple projects means slower progress, but that’s not necessarily a deal breaker. Ask yourself, if it takes me six months longer to complete Project A, am I okay with that? You might choose to prioritize fun and inspiration over speed.

    Be sure to factor in any deadlines that are looming. For example, if you want to pitch Project A at a writing conference, then that project has to be given priority, and Project B will likely have to wait. 

    If this topic is resonating deeply with you because you’ve been in this place before, or you’ve been stuck here for a while, this may not be a problem you can crack on your own. You’ve likely tried all the DIY fixes, and it’s time to get some help. 

    If that’s the case, it might be a good idea for us to have a conversation and put together a high level plan for you so you have a strategy to stay on track. You can book a free call here.

  • 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.