Erin Radniecki • Book Coach

Tag: process

  • 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.

  • Will I Ever Finish This Book?

    Will I Ever Finish This Book?

    Do you know what I love? A helpful progress bar.

    Whether I’m filling out a digital survey, completing an online course, or filing my taxes, I want to be able to see exactly where I am in the process. It helps me feel grounded and secure. Without it, I feel adrift, wondering what exactly I signed up for and if it’s too late to bail out.

    One place I would be thrilled to have a progress bar is in my writing.

    Imagine if our novels came with progress bars, showing us just how much further we need to go until the book is finished. And not just a finished first draft, but a completed manuscript, revised and polished and ready for the world. Wouldn’t that make it so much easier to keep going? Sounds pretty dreamy to me.

    The reality is, wherever you stand in your writing process at this moment, you really have no idea how close (or far) you are from being truly done. 

    Sure, you may have a guess how long it will take you to finish your first draft, or how long until your current round of revisions is complete. But you don’t know if your draft is hiding a major plot hole, or how many revision passes you’ll end up needing. 

    When we write a novel, we don’t actually know how long it will take to finish the book. And when we don’t know how far we need to go to reach our destination, it can feel unreachable. 

    It’s like having a map, but no legend to tell you the scale. Does one inch equal a mile or 100 miles? Three revision passes or 30? Two years of writing or 10? 

    When I look at my unfinished manuscript and wonder if I’ll ever finish it, this is what I tell myself:
    As long as you’re still working at it, you’re still getting closer. 

    If you’re still writing, still learning, and still taking small steps toward finishing your novel, then you are moving ever closer to your destination. 

    If you keep working at it, you will finish your novel, it’s just a question of when. (This is when that progress bar would really come in handy.) 

    How do you ensure that you keep moving forward toward your goal without throwing in the towel? 
    Here are five things you can do. 


    Keep taking small steps 

    Writing a book is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes stamina and grit to complete a novel. To keep going you need to continually take small, steady steps toward your goal. Bonus points if you take a variety of steps to accommodate periods of high and low energy, and seasons of life that are busier than others. 

    For example, some days you might add to your word count, while others you might read an article about writing dialogue, or peruse your local bookstore to see what’s new in your genre.

    Keeping your book in the front of your mind will prevent it from slipping to the back burner.


    Reflect

    Once you’ve made it a habit to take small steps, the next thing to do is stop and reflect on all that progress you’ve made. Afterall, what’s the point of making consistent progress if you never stop to appreciate it?

    Reflecting might look like keeping a journal of how you’re feeling about your writing, recording your word count on a calendar, or just pausing to acknowledge, I’m doing this! Whatever method you choose, schedule time to do it regularly.


    Enjoy yourself along the way

    A sure fire way to guarantee you’ll give up is to make the writing process painful. If you think inflicting impossible-to-reach word count goals, and hours-long writing sessions on yourself is the way to successfully finish your novel, you’re going to be disappointed. 

    Instead of having high production expectations, which are guaranteed to cause burnout and avoidance, try having high fulfillment expectations. Set the expectation that writing will be fun, and then make it so.

    Try connecting your writing with something you enjoy, like a special beverage, treat, or writing ritual of some kind. I know writers who track their writing sessions in fun ways and share the tally with others at the end of the month. 

    Whatever you can do to make yourself smile when you write is worth trying!

    Remember what first sparked your interest

    Since writing a novel is such a long process, it’s possible to forget why you actually fell in love with your story idea in the first place. 

    When that little seed of a story has grown and you find yourself juggling a cast of complex characters, multiple points of view, and a fantastical world, you may look around and wonder, how did I get here?

    Occasionally reconnecting with that little story idea and remembering why it was so persistently stuck in your head can help you feel grounded and reorient your focus on your novel.

    Connect with other writers

    Humans are gregarious. We like to be part of a group. (Yes, even introverted writers!) And when you’re doing something as difficult as writing a novel, having one or more people to connect with is crucial.

    Seeing others trying, struggling, and overcoming the same obstacles you have helps you not feel so alone. 

    There are many places to find fellow writers, and connecting doesn’t have to mean swapping pages or giving (or receiving) feedback. 

    Here’s one way I’ve created this space for myself: I host two online co-writing sessions every week. There isn’t a lot of chit chat, and we don’t swap pages. We just gather, say hi, write for about an hour, and sign off. But even something as simple as that has given us the accountability needed to show up for our writing. You’re welcome to join me! You can sign up here.

    If you look around I bet you’ll find a variety of opportunities to connect with other writers, either in person or online. And if you don’t, create your own!



    When you’re deep in the writing trenches, wondering if you’ll ever finish your novel, just remember: As long as you keep working on it, you’re getting closer to the finish line all the time. If your novel had a progress bar, I bet you’d be surprised to see how much headway you’re making.

  • 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.

    ​

    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.

    ​

    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.

    ​

    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.

    ​

    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.