I have always loved pantsing my way through a novel, throwing myself headlong into the rush of creating a story without any clear idea of where I’m going or what I’m doing. I like the huge mess that pantsing leaves me with slightly less, and the fact that I need to redraft these books two or three times before I find a plot that actually makes sense even less so. Because of this, over time, I have tried to teach myself to outline more, think through my plots at least a little before I write them so that the resulting draft is not quite such a bundle of randomness and errors.

For the most part, I am doing much better since adopting a loose outlining strategy. I’ve found a way of plotting that gives me the freedom to experiment while still coming out of it with a basic story that is solid enough to work with. Well, most of the time. My most recent Camp Novel is a bit of a failure there. But overall, planning my novels just a little bit before I begin has been really helping me write better novels overall. After all, I can weave in story threads earlier, I don’t lose my way in the plot as much, and I contradict myself way less.

And yet, I will always be a panster.

Let me explain. The novel I planned for this month, I finished in just over two weeks, leaving me with a large chunk of month in which to do more writing. So I elected rather than just stopping there, to pants my way through another novel. A novel for which I had exactly no ideas. It’s a recipe that seems slated for disaster, doesn’t it? And yet I feel like the ideas that I’m pouring into this novel are better, fresher than the ones in my planned novel (though that one has very definite issues in other ways).

The thing about pantsing a novel from start to finish is that there are no limits. My mind goes crazy coming up with little bits of ideas, stringing them together in more unusual patterns than I usually do in brainstorming. Granted, the resulting mess is usually not useable, but the ideas that I come up with on the fly are fantastic. I love them. They make no sense together and I love that too. I am more creative when I’m writing than I am at any other time. It’s like the saying goes, I don’t know what I want to say until I see what I have written. How do I know what ideas will work until I’ve tried them out? Pantsing a novel is a way of generating ideas, testing things and throwing stuff together to see what sticks and what doesn’t.

And this is why I will always be a pantser, why I will always write these terrible novels by the seat of my pants with a blank slate and no limits. Because it keeps me fresh and generates new ideas that I can use in more structured works. It exercises a freedom that my brain needs sometimes to go wild and find those connections that I don’t when I’m just planning. I am a pantser at heart, and, deep down inside, I don’t think I will ever quite give that up.

As a bonus, here is the vlog I should have posted on Monday but didn’t, all about five writing quirks I have. Let me know if you’re enjoying these vlogs!

It’s week two of Camp NaNoWriMo, and I’ve recorded another vlog about how I’m going. I’m coming to the realisation that this draft is an absolute mess. And you know what? I’m perfectly ok with that. In the vlog, I explain why.

Also, as an extra little bonus, here’s an excerpt from my Camp NaNo Novel. It is woefully unedited and first draft-y as I haven’t touched it since I wrote it, but hopefully you find it enjoyable anyway.



How is your Camp NaNoWriMo going? What are you working on at the moment? Let’s chat!

It’s Camp NaNoWriMo right now, which means that I am deep, deep into writing a new first draft. I mentioned in my bonus vlog on Mondaythat one of the things I’ve been struggling with the most so far this month is switching my brain from ninth draft mode, where things are partially polished and fairly sound structurally, to a messy, rough, plot hole ridden first draft. Now, don’t get me wrong, first drafting is absolutely still my favourite part of the writing process. But at the same time, it has been sparking quite a few thoughts about comparisons.

Have you ever read a book that blew you away with just how good it was, and then looked at your own novel only to be discouraged by how bad it is? Or read something from one of your writing friends, and then shuffled your novel under a pile of papers so no one could see the mess that you’re working on? Have you ever read your own writing and cringed at how bad it seems? I don’t know about you, but this is something I feel often.

Why does our work always compare so unfavourably to everyone else’s?

I think the first issue is familiarity. We’ve been looking at our own writing for so long, staring at it, searching out flaws, looking for problems on purpose, especially when we’re editing, until we almost hate even looking at the words. Your brain is programmed to look for the problems, the inconsistencies, the holes. We can’t see the good parts because, consciously or not, we’re searching for the things that wrong with our writing. It’s why we need to take time away between drafts, so that we can come back and see our own writing with eyes that are fresh and can see the good parts as well as the bad.

Another factor is where your book is in its writing journey. This might be your first draft, but what your writer friend is sharing could be in its fifth. Or they’ve just selected the best moments from their novels to share, revising them many times to make sure that they’re only presenting good moments. No one wants to show their novel in a bad light. It’s like watching a highlight reel of their novels, while you’re still slogging through the hours of hard work in your own. Or you’re comparing the novel you’re editing to a book that has had literally years of work put into it and dozens of eyes working on making it better. How is it fair to you, or your book to compare your first draft to someone else’s final product?

And finally, every writer is different. I personally love books with beautiful description, lyrical writing that leaps off the page in brightly coloured images, deep messages and uplifting, meandering plotlines. These aren’t the books that I write. And when I compare my books to these, mine appear unfavourably. Because it’s not fair to compare two different styles. How can you compare apples with oranges, or sparsely described, action filled novels with slower paced, musical tales wandering through thoughts and themes? Your book is beautiful, just in a different way.

My first draft compares terribly to my ninth draft. My ninth draft compares badly to many of the books that I love to read. And that’s ok. Because my first draft is only in the beginning stages. My ninth draft is written completely differently to the books I love. And I’ve been working on them both so much I can’t see where they are. Sometimes we just need to a step back and see just how good our writing can actually be.

As many of you already know, even if you’re not participating, Camp NaNoWriMo started on Saturday. For me, it’s already day 3, I’m pushing through my word count, getting into the swing of things, and I got the urge to try something a bit different and make a video to talk to you about what I’m writing, what challenges I’m facing this time, and generally chatting all things Camp NaNoWriMo.

Let me know what you think of the video, whether you’d like to see more occasionally, whether it was fine as a one off but you’d rather not see any more, any thoughts? Also, are you taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo this month? Have you ever done a NaNoWriMo or Camp NaNoWriMo before? What are you working on this month?

Camp NaNoWriMo starts in April. A month long excuse to pour out words onto the page in an adrenaline fuelled rush? A chance to banish the inner editor and the little demon who sits on your shoulders whispering judgement on what you’re writing? Count me in! It’s time to gear up with other writers to commit to writing your book.

I love every minute of it.

This will be my eleventh Camp NaNo. I’m aiming for 75k this time, or a finished novel. Either is good.  Not that I’m ready for Camp at all. My outline is half finished. My ending is sketchy in the extreme. And the only reason I know anything about the world or characters is because this is a sequel to a book I’ve already written. But that’s half the fun really, diving into the challenge half prepared and chasing after the story at top speed.

Beside, I’m a pantser at heart. I love the thrill of discovering the story as it’s unfolding on the page. I love my little, messy, plot hole filled first drafts with their millions of typos and nonsensical twists and turns. I’m learning to like outlines and knowing where I’m going, but give me a sniff of that open, uncharted road and there’s no telling where the story will take me.

Come Saturday, I’ll be cracking open a new document, probably staring blankly at the page for a good half hour as I attempt to figure out where to begin (why is it always so difficult to start a new novel?), and finally getting a start on a new tale of adventure. That’s where I’ll be. Will you be Camping too? No? No idea what Camp NaNoWriMo even is? (Don’t worry, I have a whole post on that right HERE). Are you ready to tackle April’s challenge together?

I think most writers have a dream of having long, uninterrupted stretches of time in which to write. Time when people aren’t disturbing them, time not squeezed in around study, work, and other commitments. I know I often wish for more time for my writing. Even though I can literally arrange my day any way I like, writing still has to compete with my work for my YouTubechannel, my family, emails, blogging, looking after the house, cooking, sleeping, and a host of other life things.

But something I’ve learnt is, you don’t need unlimited time to write.

I started writing seriously when I was 14. It was amazing. I had whole days in which to sit and write. And I did. I spent hours typing away on a slow desktop computer with a bad habit of overheating at bad moments. People just left me to my own devices. I did my first NaNoWriMo in 2011, won it and loved it. I had all the time in the world to write in.

And then I started university, and all those free hours disappeared.

To be fair, I absolutely loved my course. I studied writing and publishing, learned to write poetry (badly), creative non-fiction (even more badly), and learned about editors and publishing. But at the same time, there were no long stretches of just staring at the screen, letting the inspiration come to me when and if it wanted to. If I couldn’t get the words out at once, the opportunity was gone and it was back to lectures, writing essays, researching, stressing over deadlines. The long mornings of writing turned into twenty minutes before I started studying, half an hour of coffee, and whatever time I could force my tired brain to work in after everything else was done at night.

And yet, I was more productive than ever.

In 2010-2011, before I started at university, I wrote maybe 3 novels at best. In 2012 I wrote 6, plus editing at least 3 drafts. That NaNoWriMo was also my most productive, clocking in over 300,000 words. Even though I was so much busier in the rest of my life, somehow I was also writing more, finishing more books, writing so much more with so much less time. Because it’s not really about how many hours you have. It’s what you do with them.

Having more limited time meant I had to make the most of what free moments I had. I had to get those words down as fast as I could. I had to be disciplined. I had to scrape together time wherever I could, because if I didn’t, I wasn’t going to get anything written at all that day. And I never even considered quitting, which meant that that time was going to come from somewhere.

I’ve kept a lot of those habits actually. I write, sitting in the car while waiting to pick people up from music lessons. I brainstorm while driving to get my sister from work. I write notes while cooking dinner. I write while on my coffee break. I’ve even had times where I’ve gotten up an hour earlier to write because that was the only time available.

You don’t need all the time in the world to write. You don’t need hours and hours to be brilliant in. You can be amazing in the cracks of time between other things. In fact, you can be more brilliant than ever. Never, ever write off the power of a free five minutes. Trust me, those five minutes are the most important. Write when you can. You’d be surprised at how much you can actually get done.

Writing is a strange occupation. The moment we need to write, our brains instantly push us to go and do something else: post on Twitter, wash the dishes, walk the dog, create an elaborate five tiered tiramisu cake. Any, as long as it isn’t writing. And yet, the feeling of having written is one of the best. Often, we write just for the feeling of having written afterwards. But writing itself, that’s a terribly hard thing. Motivation doesn’t come easily, inspiration strikes rarely, and even the act of forcing yourself to sit down and push out a couple of words can be agony.

Sometimes I wonder why I do it.

Writing isn’t sitting in front of a desk for eight hours and pouring out ink from your soul. It isn’t days of slipping out of bed to catch the muse, armed with a latte and a fresh bagel. It’s not sitting in the sunshine with a mug of tea, brewing the perfect plot twist and soaking in the inspiration. And it’s very rarely writing through your meals because you’re so inspired that you can’t possibly stop until you’ve got all the words down.

Writing is hard. It’s messy. It’s days of forcing yourself to the desk when you don’t feel like it. It’s snatching moments between other things to crunch out a few words. It’s weeks of emptiness, where the words aren’t coming, dark nights of doubting your own abilities, staring at your book and seeing the flaws and hating yourself because no matter how hard you try, it doesn’t match up to what you want it to be.

So why do we keep putting ourselves through this? Why keep forcing yourself to eke out another few words when all you want to do is burn the whole thing and take up beekeeping? Why hasn’t this strange beast that is the life of a writer scared us to our senses yet? What is it about writing that keeps us coming back every day, asking for more punishment, bloodied and bruised still from our last round in the ring?

Because we can’t not.

We were born with stories in our souls. There are words inside us that need to come out. It doesn’t matter whether anyone will read them or not. It doesn’t even matter if we ever read them again. But we can’t do anything but show up to write them down. When we step away from writing, it’s only a matter of time before we have to come back, have to write down the words and empty the stories out of our minds. I read this great quote today which sums us up perfectly.

Writing is hard. It’s messy. It hurts sometimes. It’s riddled with self-doubt. But it’s amazing. Because writing isn’t about the difficulties. It’s about what you make, what you do. The hardships are just steps on the road. Think of how good you feel after you’ve written. Imagine what it’s like to finish something. Remember those times when the writing did come smoothly. Envision a piece of writing you were proud of. We might be teachers, artists, doctors, anything. But we are also writers. It doesn’t matter how hard the writing is. We show up anyway. Because this is what we do. How could we do anything else?

Reaching the end of a draft is such a rush. After being lost deep in edits for weeks, in this case edits of my fantasy novel The Crystal Tree, coming out the other side is an amazing feeling. Racing to hit a deadline that flashed past, lost in the rush of creating order out of chaos, struggling to find just the right words to convey the actions, emotions, and beauty of the moment. And then reaching the end and the final words, sitting with fingers poised over the keys as I wrestled with the all-important last paragraph. Hitting ‘Save’ for the last time and knowing the draft is finished.

There’s no feeling like it.

It’s hard to describe the feeling of being finished with a draft, whether it’s the first or the ninth. Somewhere between exhilaration and exhaustion if I had to try. And each time has its own moment of pride, something in particular to be proud of having done. This time for me, it’s knowing that I’ve finished a ninth draft. I’ve stuck with a book for five years. I’ve finally pulled it into a good enough shape that I can send it out to some amazing people for beta reading, to help me find the story again in the maze of words that is all I can see now.

It makes me wonder what it would be like to finish it for good.

What will it be like to close a document and know that the story is done, after all the years of rewriting, reimagining, editing, re-editing, are over? To know that my book, my creation, is ready to go into the hands of readers? That maybe it might end up sitting on someone’s bookshelf (certainly on mine) with other published works? What is that feeing going to be like to know that the thousands of hours I’ve poured into learning my craft, practicing it, perfecting my words, have finally resulted in a finished product?

I can’t imagine it. But I think it will be amazing.

Writing is a strange beast. Sometimes it comes so easily. The words flow.  The story pours perfectly onto the page. It feels like magic. Other times it’s a gruelling slog. And it changes from day to day. One day I am enthusiastic about it, powering through page after page, absolutely in love with what I’m producing. The next I struggle to put three words on paper. I’ve had a fair share of both recently as  I’ve been trying to hit a deadline, and it’s been making me think about what exactly keeps me writing, even when it’s tough.

Sometimes it’s purely because I love the story. Something about the idea captivates me and won’t let me put it away, no matter how bad the draft is currently, or how much work it needs to turn it into something that even remotely resembles a book. I love the idea I’m trying to convey. I love the story I’m telling. And I can’t let it gather dust in a corner.

Sometimes it’s because I can see where it’s going, what it can become. Even in the depths of the most intense edits, sometimes I’ll get a glimpse of what the book can be, what I can make of it, how good it could get if I keep working. Catching that flash of brilliance is a reminder of what I could achieve if I keep pushing through.

Sometimes it’s simply because I enjoy the act of writing. There’s something so calming, so powerful about pouring out thousands of words on a page and seeing them line up into something I could potentially share with other people. Good words, bad words, they’re all magical, and the feeling of writing them is amazing.

And sometimes, it’s all about being stubborn. I don’t feel the love for the story. I can’t see the progress. I don’t love writing that day. But I won’t give up, because I know that one bad day doesn’t mean that I’m not meant to be a writer, that I should down tools and leave. Because when it comes down to it, writing is an amazing thing. Bad day or good, I am a writer 

We all have a dream. Maybe even more than one. It’s bright, beautiful, fragile and precious. A dream that calls us to go out there and do amazing things. But it takes a lot of courage to share that dream with the world, to write that book, to make that music, draw that picture, create that thing that you dream about and long to do. Our dreams are magic, shining with hope and wide eyed wonder. We present them to the world with outstretched hands.

And then someone treads on them.

Usually, it’s not even intentional. It’s in a careless word, a throwaway phrase. ‘There’s no money in that’. ‘No one reads any more’. ‘How are you going to make a career out of that?’ Words that slip off the tongue smooth as oil, crushing our dreams, dimming the light somewhat. Doubts creep in around the edges. Maybe they’re right. Why are we bothering with this anyway? What if it doesn’t work, if people don’t like it, if we’re wasting all our time on something that will never see fruition? What if we never succeed?

Dreams are such fragile things.

We withdraw, hiding our dreams. They’re beautiful, but why should we share them and risk the slings and arrows of people who don’t believe in what we’re doing, what we’re creating? Why risk that dream being tarnished, risk being disillusioned, when you can keep it to yourself, perfect and whole in your imagination?

Because that’s not what dreams are for.

Dreams are fragile and bright and beautiful. But they are restless creatures. They drive us with a burning passion. If they didn’t, they would had faded a long time ago. Dreams are made to be followed. They urge us to take risks. We might fail. The naysayers might be right. But, then again, we might succeed. And oh what beautiful things might come if we dare to follow our dream.

Everyone has something to share with the world. Everyone has a dream to follow Judgement hurts. Words have a power people don’t realise. How many dreams have been crushed, lost because of harsh words and cold judgement? But we can’t let that stop us. Words hurt. But the judgement of others isn’t what decides whether we succeed or not. The only person who can decide that is ourselves. If you try, you may fail, but if you never try then you’ll never give yourself even the chance to succeed.

Every harsh word, every judgement of another’s dream is a blow. It dims the dream a little more each time, tarnishes the shine. But if no one dreams, no one dares to put themselves out there, to take a risk, to open their hearts to the world and create, to follow their dreams, no matter how impractical, where will beauty, magic, unique ideas and light come from? Dreams are impractical. But dreams have power. Follow your dreams. And tread softly. Because each of us treads on the dreams of other. And dreams are magic.

The title of this blog post comes from a beautiful short poem by W.B. Yeats called ‘The Clothes of Heaven’ which I highly recommend you check out. You can find the poem HERE.

Have you ever had days where you’ve planned your writing time out perfect around work. You’re going to utilize those evening hours to punch out some words. You’ve scheduled your day, cleared the time, found your favourite drink/soundtrack/blanket. Your novel is open on screen. And…nothing. No words, no inspiration, no motivation. Nothing. And all of a sudden there’s this intense urge to watch TV, take a nap, vacuum the house, or done of the other one hundred and one things that are not writing. If you’re anything like me, that’s probably happened a few too many times.

But I’ve found a little trick that really helps me: Start early.

By ‘start early’ I don’t mean you have to get up at four to write. (Unless that is when you get your writing done, in which case I salute you. You are a stronger writer than I.) I don’t even mean that you have to try and get everything written before midday to get it done at all. For most of us, that is never going to happen. Life is just too busy with work, school, and other obligations to give up precious daytime hours.

It’s not about getting it finished early. It’s about getting started.

One thing I’ve noticed about my motivation is that it’s easier to find it earlier in the day. No matter what kind of day I’m having, it’s easier to push myself to write in the morning, whether I feel like it or not. So use that. Getting something, anything written first thing in your day sets you up for a much better writing day all-round. Getting started for the day is the hardest part of anything, so it only makes sense to start at the time it’s easiest.

You don’t have to write much. Maybe just 100 words. Maybe edit 50. Maybe add 3 lines of dialogue. Even if you only have a moment, you can easily add a sentence to your novel. But you can’t just write a note for what you want to write later. You have to actually add something to your novel. Put some words in that document, no matter how few, and then go back to the rest of your day.

You’ve done the hard part. You’ve put your first words down for the day. Your brain is thinking about your book. All of a sudden that’s an important thing in your life again. It’ll hang in your subconscious while you’re working in the rest of your day, and when you come back in the evening, your book will be fresher in your mind. Maybe you’ve have some more ideas about where to go with your story. For me, I often find that as long as I’ve done something earlier in the day, it’s so much easier to engage with my book again in the evening when I’m tired and uninspired.

Alternatively, maybe you don’t feel inspired to write. Maybe those words still won’t come. However you did get a couple of sentences done earlier in the day. You’ve touched base with your novel. You’ve thought about it. You added to it. And in the end, whether you wrote a lot or a little, the fact that you wrote at all is what really counts.

In every creative person’s life, there comes a moment where you hate your work. Maybe you’ve felt this a few times before. I know I have. It’s that moment when you hate what you’ve made, you doubt that you’ve got what it takes, and when it feels like everything you make comes out as a pile of scrap. And maybe you just want to throw it all away. For me, this usually comes when I’m deep in edits, or when I’m stuck in an arrangement and I can’t find the right notes to go on. In that moment, we’re so ready to give up.

Please, don’t.

Yes, what you make isn’t perfect. The words you’ve written aren’t quite right. That’s ok. They’re not meant to be.

Yes, you’ve got a lot left to learn. You’re not a master yet. That’s ok. No one is.

Yes, you’re tired of looking at your work, judging it, hating it for its flaws and imperfections. That’s ok. Everyone judges their own work harshly.

Yes, you’re looking at the work someone else has made and it looks so much better than yours. That’s ok. Someone is looking at yours and wondering how you got to be so good.

You hate your work, because you’ve seen it so often. You’ve read every word a thousand times. You’ve struggled in the darkest hours of the night to find the right way to express the millions of thoughts that swirl in your head. You’ve been staring at those lines on a page, searching for the flaws until they’re all you see. You are so close to your work that you miss the beauty of your story in the details of commas. All you can remember are the problems, the imperfections, the wrongness. So that’s what you think all your work is.

Stop.

Take a step back.

Take a breath. Close your eyes.

Go away for a while. See something else. Go outside and see the trees. Sit in silence and hear music, birds, or the people around you.

Take some time away from what you’re working on. Maybe a few minutes, a few hours, days, or weeks even. However long you need. It’ll be waiting for you when you get back. Don’t give up. Just step back and let yourself forget for a little while. Come back with a fresh mind and a brighter outlook. Read it like a story, not an editing exercise. Your words have a beauty to them that you miss when you sit so close.

Your work has merit. Your work is valuable. Your work matters.

Maybe today you want to give up. But please, don’t. Because while you see the cracks in what you’re making, we see the glorious whole. And trust me, it is beautiful. It is worth it. You are worth it.

Please, never, ever give up. 

With NaNoWriMo coming up in a bit over a week, I feel it’s time again to talk NaNo strategy. NaNo is a behemoth of an event, and it really pays to go into it with a game plan. It’s especially important if, like me, you’re going to be a busy writer this November. So here is my guide to setting yourself up for a successful NaNoWriMo. If you have any other tips, add them in the comments!

Know when you’re going to write

For me, I write for an hour before breakfast. It’s a new addition to my writing schedule, and it allows me at least one hour I’m certain to have for writing. Knowing ahead of time when you’re going to write makes it easier to actually achieve writing in your day. If you wait for time to appear, it’s easy to keep putting it off and putting it off and never actually write anything.

Know what you’re going to write

Know before you start what you’re going to write. You don’t necessarily have to have a point by point outline of your whole novel. Just try to have an idea of what your story is about. Where is it going? Who is it about? What do you love about this idea? Are there certain scenes, moments, or bits of dialogue that you want to work in? It’s easier to write if you’re not jumping in completely blind.

If you have an opportunity to get ahead, take it

Never pass up an opportunity to get ahead, especially in the first part of the month. If you can write more than the average, do it. When you reach the middle of the month and you’re feeling burnt out or things outside of writing are piling up, having a buffer will take some of the stress out of those days, allowing you a break without getting behind.

Stick to your own plan

Everyone writes at different speeds. Some people write nonstop for the first week and finish before the month’s half over. Some people aim to write hundreds of thousands of extra words. Some people focus on making it to 50k. Whatever kind of speed you write at or goal you have, stick to it. Don’t feel pressured to keep up with other people. Nothing matters in NaNoWriMo except what you yourself are doing.

Write down ideas as they come

If an idea comes to you when you’re not working on your book, write it down. Use your phone, the back of a receipt, a note pad, anything you have to hand. But write down all the ideas that come to you. Then, when you’re tired or the inspiration has stopped flowing, you’ll have a source of ideas to sift through and add to your story, making those difficult days a little easier on yourself.

Be around awesome people like yourself

Buddy up with some motivated, productive people on the NaNoWriMo website, tap into the writing community on Twitter, or build your own little circle of writing friends. Being around people who are actively working towards their goals is one of the best ways to motivate yourself to write. Even when you don’t feel like writing, seeing someone else’s writing update can be the push you need to type a few words. Plus writers are the best at offering advice, support, or encouragement when you need it most.

 Celebrate your victories

Celebrate your victories and take the time to feel good about your accomplishments. Brag on Twitter about a great writing day. Reward yourself with cake when you hit a milestone. Find some way to celebrate your amazing victories. NaNoWriMo is supposed to be fun. So find little ways to keep the fun in your writing.

And most of all, don’t stress. Enjoy yourself! You’ve got this. Whatever happens, you are amazing for setting out on this journey.

Want to join up with a fellow NaNoer? I’d love to connect with you! You could:

Buddy me on the NaNoWriMo website

Or

Follow me on Twitter

Or

Follow my profile on MyWriteClub

Let me know your username down below so I can follow you too! Let's smash this NaNoWriMo together!

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot on the subject of growing as a writer. Mostly prompted by some excellent books on writing that I’ve been reading. There’s such a lot that we writers could be doing to get better at our craft. Everything from taking classes and going to conferences to buying and devouring as many writing craft books as possible. And while these are all great ways to grow as a writer, there are some more basic things we can do for no cost at all that can help you become a better writer. In no particular order, here is my list of suggestions.

Fail a Lot

Failure is just a part of writing. Every writer has to accept that. But to never fail is to never try. If you try, you’re going to fail a whole bunch of times before you succeed. But every failure teaches you a little more about writing, what works, what does, what suits you, and what you should leave to other writers. Failing is disheartening. But also a necessary part of growing as a writer. If you’re not failing, you’re sitting square in the middle of your comfort zone. And no one learns anything when they don’t try new things. The more you fail, the better you get. So don’t be afraid to fail. Learn from it, and try again.

Finish Things

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut when writing, working on the same project for months, years. Without diversity in what you’re writing, you’re not learning on growing. At some point, enough has to be enough. Finish things. Start new projects. You learn more by writing and finishing a variety of works than by spending years painstakingly perfecting a single novel. Finish and move on. Finishing projects and starting new ones pushes you, stretches your capabilities, and forces you to grow and learn as a writer.

Write What You Love

Too often writers don’t write the ideas that they’re really interested in because they might not sell, or people might think they’re weird. Don’t be afraid to write what interests you, even if it’s a bit out there. One, the world need more diverse books. We don’t need the same plots rehashed over and over again. And two, there is more value in writing a book you love than a book that is designed to follow popular trends. One will be mediocre because there’s no passion, and the other will be a work of art as your pour your soul into it.

Hang Out With People Who Inspire You

Creativity is contagious. Hang out with creative people, people who chase their dreams, people who make you want to do better, be better, write better simply by being around them. Make friends with people who inspire you to believe that you can be great. If there aren’t people in real life that can do this for you, try social media. Twitter is a great place to find awesome writing communities. Talk to creative people, help them, and learn from them. Hanging around with great creatives is a good way to grow the habit of being creative.

Love Yourself As Well As Your Work

You are a writer, and you love your work. And that is awesome! But at the same time, you’re not a machine. Take care of yourself as well as your writing. Make sure you’re rested, healthy, and happy. Good writing doesn’t have to come from being a tortured soul. In fact, your mind is much better suited to creating when it’s relaxed and well cared for.

Learn Constantly

Never lose your inquisitive nature. Learn new writing techniques. Experiment with other writing forms. Look up strange biology facts. Learn how to ride a skateboard, code a website, or speak another language. Learning keeps your mind sharp and open to new ideas and input. Plus learning is a great way to find new inspiration for your writing.

Read A Lot

Read everything. Read bad magazines, read good fiction, read books on the craft, read textbooks. Open yourself up to all kinds of writing, not just fiction, and not just good writing. You can learn as much from bad writing as from good, and find inspiration and knowledge everywhere. No reading is ever wasted.

Take Time Out To Live

Writers write. But good writers also take time away from writing to go out into the world and live for a while. How can you write people if you’re never around them to know how they work? How can you write emotions if you never feel them? How can you be a well-rounded writer if you never see the world? Take a break from writing sometimes, go and live for a while, and then come back refreshed, renewed and stronger than ever.

There are plenty of reasons why writers don’t like to share their work. Negative feedback, or just plain being ignored are two of the biggest worries. But a lot of writers are also concerned about having their ideas stolen. And it is a perfectly legitimate fear. We writers work hard to find and develop our ideas into workable plots. Our ideas are very personal to us. We pour our hearts and souls into our books. So to have that hard work stolen from us can be devastating. Now, I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve never had my ideas stolen. But I know it happens, and I thought that today I would write about some things writers should be aware of about idea stealing.

I actually have quite a lot to say on the subject, so I’m splitting this discussion into two parts for length reasons. This week I’ll be talking about what idea stealing actually is, and how to tell whether you’re inspired by an idea, or whether you’re just stealing it. And then next time I’ll be addressing the other side of the issue, where it’s your idea that has been stolen. So, without further ado, here we go.

You Should Never EVER Steal Someone Else’s Ideas

I’d like to say this straight up front, and I cannot stress just HOW important this is. It is never ok to steal someone else’s ideas and hard work. It’s perfectly fine to be inspired by someone else’s book. It’s ok to borrow elements here and there from someone’s work, as long as you’re not just ripping it word for word from their writing. But outright stealing someone else’s ideas is something no writer should ever do. Apart from the fact that it’s an incredibly lazy way of getting an idea, it can be really hurtful to other writers.

Writing is a very solitary pursuit. We spend a lot of time on our own coming up with characters and worlds, and pouring words out on the page. So it’s very important for us as writers to be able sharing our books and ideas with other writers so we can have support and companionship on the journey. It can be hard enough for writers to gather enough courage to share their writing as it is. Stealing someone else’s ideas breaks our fragile trust, and makes it that much harder for writers to share their work next time, out of fear of someone stealing their ideas.

The bottom line is, if you wouldn’t like it to happen to you, don’t do it to someone else, no matter how good their idea is.

What Exactly Is Idea Stealing?

Idea stealing is when you see what someone else is writing, then take their ideas and use them as your own. It's usually only a big problem when it's obvious where the ideas have come from, or when an entire plot has been stolen. There’s nothing new in writing, so it’s not unusual for two writers to write a book with a very similar concept. It’s the way the idea is handled that makes the story unique. But starting from the same idea and stealing a whole plot are two different things.

Stealing

“Hey, I love what you’re doing with your story about people genetically modifying dinosaurs and creating dragons. In fact I like it so much I’m going to have a go at writing it myself. But the main character’s name is going to be Joe, not Chuck. It’s going to be completely different.”

Not Stealing

“Hey, I love what you’re doing with your story with people genetically modifying dinosaurs and creating dragon. I’d love to do something similar, only it won’t be dinosaurs but horses, and actually it’s going to be set way in the future, so they’re more like robot ponies and let’s add this handful of other things while we’re at it.”

It’s ok to be inspired by someone else’s idea, as long as you don’t just take it verbatim. If you’re just copying someone’s idea directly, then you’re stealing, especially if you don’t ask for permission. If you like an idea and are inspired by it, go for it, but you have to make it your own Just changing a couple of details doesn’t count if the core of the story is exactly the same.

How Do You Make Sure You’re Not Stealing Someone’s Ideas?

If you’re worried about whether you’re stealing someone’s idea, there are a few ways to tell whether you’re borrowing inspiration, or stealing from them.

Are they offering this idea as inspiration? Some writers like to share writing prompts on their blog, Pinterest, or social media. These are designed for you to use in your own writing. If you’re taking an idea from one of these, you’re fine.

Is part of their own book? If the writer is sharing some of their own work and you get inspired by one of the ideas, you can still use, providing you’re not writing the exact same thing they are. Being inspired and using a similar idea worked into the rest of your book is not stealing.

How similar is what you’re writing to what they shared? How much of your idea has come from someone else’s book? How much have you changed it to make it your own? If you’ve been inspired to write a book along similar lines, but have created a different story and made the idea your own, you’re ok. If your book is recognisably taken from someone else’s work, you’re probably stealing.

Have you taken a large chunk of someone’s plot? Borrowing elements of a story is completely different to stealing a whole plot. Writers borrow ideas from other books all the time. We see a bit of a story we like and we borrow a bit from here and a bit from there, mix it all up and make it our own. Taking a whole plot is a different matter, and that’s what really hurts, because creating a plot takes so much time and energy and love.

Have you borrowed a concept, or a plot? Writing the same base concept and writing the same plot are two different things. Harry Potter and Star Wars have the same base concept: An orphan finds out they have powers and goes off to fight a huge evil. That’s fine. Writing a story about a boy on a distant planet who meets an old man who gives him a sword made of light and guides him on an epic quest across the galaxy to defeat a great evil is just taking someone else’s plot. And that’s not ok.

If you’re worried, check with the writer to see if they’re ok with it. If you’re worried that you may have stolen another writer’s idea, talk to them about it. Explain what idea you liked, what you’ve done with it, or plan to do with it to make it different, and see whether they mind. Most writers are really nice people, and if you show that you’re inspired and working to make the idea different and unique, they usually won’t mind. But it never hurts to check if you’re concerned.

Ultimately, if you take an idea and work on it and make it your own, then you should be safe. Stealing ideas is a lazy way of getting a plot without working for it. Having your ideas stolen can be a pretty upsetting experience though. And in part 2 I’m going to be talking about what you should do if your ideas are stolen.

Do you agree with what I’ve said? What issues would you like me to cover in part 2? Have you ever had your ideas stolen? How do you make sure that you’re not just stealing someone else’s ideas? Looking forward to part 2? 

What is this? A writing update? It has been rather a while since I posted one of these. Seeing as this month is Camp NaNoWriMo and I’m doing rather a lot of writing (well, editing) at the moment, I thought that this might be the perfect time to post an update on what I’m doing writing-wise, how I’m doing, and what I’m planning on doing in the future. Seeing as how there’s progress being made and all.

First things first, as I said, I’m doing Camp NaNoWriMo this month. This time round though, I’m editing a book rather than drafting a new one. Look at me being all responsible over here. I’m really missing the rush of drafting a new book or two during the NaNo craziness, but I’ve got more than enough books that need editing at the moment. The last thing I need is to be writing a new one. November now, now that’s a different story…

Anyway, for Camp NaNoWriMo, I’m continuing my edit of my sci-fi/superhero-ish/retelling novel Snow in the vague hope of actually completing the draft this month. If you’re not familiar with this project, here’s a quick synopsis to catch you up:

A while ago (read, nearly two years ago) I wrote a post listing three reasons writers should commit to writing regularly. Having rediscovered said post today, I thought, well, I know of a few more reasons why we should all be writing regularly, maybe this post needs a second part. So that’s what I’m doing today, writing a part two. So, here we have three more reasons why you should write regularly

It Will Force You To Be Creative

Writing regularly is hard because you need to be creative All. The. Time. For the first few days, you might have loads of ideas. But eventually, the well will run dry and you’ll have used up that initial burst of inspiration.  Which means that you will have to work at being creative and generating ideas on demand, rather than waiting for the muse to drop some in your lap like the benevolent spirit it isn’t. Which is turn means that you won’t get stuck as often waiting for the right solution to pop up, and you can make better progress.

It Will Make You More Disciplined With Your Work

Committing to a writing schedule and sticking to it requires discipline. Lots of discipline. That’s why it’s so hard to form the habit in the first place. You can’t just take a day off because you don’t really feel like writing today. It forces you to work in all conditions, whether you’re tired, not inspired, or simply not feeling the words today. And that in turn will help you to be more productive when you really need to be.

It Will Help You Find You Writing Zone Easier

You know that place you get to sometimes in your writing where you’re finally immersed in your book and you’re really focused and working hard? It can be so hard to get to sometimes. But writing regularly means that your brain is actively trying to get into that headspace more often. And the more you try to get there, the more of a habitat becomes and the easier it is to find the writing zone when you really need it.

These are just three of the reasons writers should commit to writing as often as possible. What are some of the others reasons you can think of? How often do you write? Do you find yourself writing better when you write more often? Anyone else trying to rebuild their writing routine, like me?

Related Posts:

3 Reasons You Should Write Regularly

10 Tips for Building A Regular Writing Routine

I’ve been writing for quite a long time. I’ve written 20-ish manuscripts, and I’ve even been to university to study writing. But that’s not to say that I’m particularly good at writing. In fact, for the amount of time I’ve been writing for, I have failed quite spectacularly more times than I would really care to admit to. Except that today I’m actually admitting to some of the mistakes I’ve made the most often (because how can you be quite sure that it’s a real mistake unless you’re tried it several times?). Maybe you can relate to some of these? (Please don’t let me be the only one…)

Refusing To Give Up On A Failed Idea

You know that idea that’s simply not working, no matter how many times you rewrite it, but you still can’t bear to let go because if you could just do it slightly different, just rewrite it one more time, it’s sure to work? Yeah, that’s me with most of my failed books. My first MS was like that. I must have tried rewriting it four or five different times before I finally managed to scrap it. And then there was the book about enhanced teens escaping from a world of virtual reality. That one got a good few goes round before I shelved it. To be completely honest, I do get the urge to go back to them sometimes, but for now they’ll stay gathering dust while I work on books I can actually write.

Dismissing Writing Advice Instantly

There’s so much writing advice out there. Obviously that particular piece can’t be meant for me. It sounds nice in theory, but there’s no way it’ll work if I tried it. Haha, poor silly naïve Imogen. I’ve done this far too many times. Most of the advice I dismiss comes from smart people too, who actually know what they’re talking about. Something I’m learning (very slowly) is that even when a piece of advice doesn’t work for you exactly, there’s usually something you can take away from it.

Shiny New Idea Chasing

This usually happens right when I’m in the depths of editing. I’ll be working away like the industrious little writer I’m supposed to be, and all of a sudden a shiny new idea will float by, NaNoWriMo gives me a look, or I get bored for two seconds and suddenly I’m drafting three more books and my editing pile is growing as deep as the Marianas Trench. I’m fighting this mistake at the moment actually. Oh that lovely Red Riding Hood retelling is beckoning SO hard for Camp. Must. Resist. Must. Edit…

Worrying More About Word Count Than Story

Honest talk. I hate seeing my word count shrink while I’m editing. Not that there’s any logical reason for this, but the moment a scene or two need the axe, I get all anxious, checking the book length and trying to figure out if I’m going to be able to make them up anywhere. It makes exactly no sense, but I do it every. Single. Time.

Judging My Books (And Myself) Against Other People’s

I try to present myself on this blog as a writer who knows what she’s doing at least most of the time. In actual fact, most of the time I’m reading other people’s excerpts and wondering how I can get mine to look as nice as theirs, bewailing the fact I can’t seem to get a draft good enough to give to beta readers and comforting myself with chocolate while wondering why I can’t have it all together like everyone else. I do of course realise that most people haven’t quite all got it together as we’d like people to believe, but that doesn’t always quite stop the comparisons.

So, now you know my terrible secrets. Please tell me I’m not the only one who makes mistakes like these. If you’re feeling brave, let me know one of your worst writing mistakes! Let’s be terrible (or just real) writers together. 

Wow, it’s been quite a while since I wrote any kind of an update post. Not since Camp NaNo I think actually. And, as everything’s been rather quiet on the blog for the past couple of weeks, it’s probably time to write a goodly update post to explain everything that’s been happening for me in the past couple of weeks in all important areas.

Blogging: Has been very quiet, obviously. I have plans for posts and ideas for things to do and everything, just very little time to do any of them. I am very behind on post writing, comment answering and blog visiting at the moment *sigh* However! I am attempting to sort my schedule out better so I actually have a chance of keeping up with blogging things. I feel so out of the loop at the moment…

Writing Editing: Is happening. Slowly. I’m back to editing Snow at the moment, which currently means taking about a million years over finishing the initial readthrough and making notes. To be fair, the amount of notes I’m making rivals the length of the actual book. I’m actually feeling really good about the book at the moment. Not that I’m saying it’s great yet by any means. But it’s inching closer and I can feel it and I have so many awesome plans and ideas that I’m getting rather excited.

Also I’m hoping that maybe after this round of edits it might be close to a point where I can bribe some people into beta reading it for me. Which is a terrifying and exciting thought. But we’ll see. Gotta finish this round of edits first. Which is moving a lot slower than I’d like.

As well as that, somehow I appear to be planning a Red Riding Hood retelling. I blame the people on Twitter for that one. Peer pressure! I have no idea what it’s about at the moment, but the Pinterest board looks exciting.

Music: This is kind of ruling my life at the moment. Music everywhere! From concerts to upcoming singing exams, (those things are so sneaky at creeping up on you…) and especially running my Youtube channel, which I adore, but takes a lot of time to make videos for (if you like music, maybe go over and check it out?). I'm loving all my musical things at the moment though. And, light of the fact that this is probably the area I've achieved the most progress in recently, here, have a song.

And that’s about everything that’s been happening recently. I’m being kept very busy at the moment, but in the best possible way, and with all the things that I love to do. I do apologise for being so behind on comments, and generally everything to do with blogging. I’m working on being back on track very soon.

What have you been doing lately? What are you working on? What blog posts should I be reading right now? Do you ever have times where you’ve got too many awesome things to work on all at once and can’t quite keep up?

Non-writers are amazing people. They can be super supportive, even if they don’t quite get what you’re doing, interested in everything you’re up to, and happy to dissect books/characters/plots all day. Or they can say the most annoying things writers ever have to endure in a casual conversation. I think every writer has their own list of comments non-writers make to them on a regular basis that they wish people would stop saying. Even the most well-meaning people can unthinkingly annoy a writer through an off-hand comment. I, like most people, have a list of these comments, and today I thought I’d share some of them with you. So, here are 6 of my least favourite things non-writers say to me.

“Oh you’re a writer. So you’re doing journalism then?”

No. No I am not. I have the highest respect for journalist. I did two units in university that involved journalism and from that I know two facts: a) journalists are awesome people, and b) I am not one of them. There are plenty of other kinds of writers apart from journalists. I happen to be of the novel writing variety. Those novels don’t write themselves you know.

“There’s no money in writing you know.”

This is often the follow up to the last remark, after I’ve cleared up the misunderstanding of exactly what it is I write. And I get it. You mean well. But anyone who goes into writing for the money is either delusional or not really a writer. We know most writers don’t make a fortune out of their books. We also don’t care. Writing is our passion and we’re going to write, money or no.

“So, what have you published?”

This is the point where I start squirming and wishing I hadn’t said so forthrightly that I am a writer. I mean, it’s nice you’re asking about my work, but please, not everyone who calls themselves a writer has achieved a published status yet. And every time someone says this to me, I feel like I have somehow failed as a writer.

“Haven’t you finished writing that book yet?/When will you be published?”

Used interchangeably and equally frustrating. No, I haven’t finished writing this book, because books take a very long time to get right. They don’t come out of my head in perfect polished prose. I so wish they did. And getting published takes equally as long. I so wish I knew when I was going to be published. But alas, the writing gods haven’t granted me that knowledge. Trust me, when they do, you’ll be the first to know.

“Oh, I read a book just like that.”

Thank you for crushing my beloved idea. A little piece of my writerly soul dies whenever people say they’ve already read the idea. It’s like my book is being written off before they’ve even tried it. Yes, you probably have read a book with a similar idea. Doesn’t mean mine can’t be good too. This statement is a lot less encouraging than this random person thinks it is.

*blank stare*

Well, you did ask. I am a writer of books, a creator of worlds and a lover of words. And I am very proud of that fact. Good day to you

These are some of the comments that most annoy me. Your list is probably different. What comment do you hear the most often that annoys you? What is the worst comment you’ve ever received from a non-writer?

Cait@Paper Fury has an amazing post on things you should never say to bookworms if you want more of these random comments outsiders say. You should definitely check it out if you haven't already.