Blog
Don't Agonize Alone! Make and Maintain Connections to Other Writers
Why writing community matters and where to find it: coaching, critique partners, and writing organizations, with links by genre.
It Feels So Real, Can You Taste It? Using the Five Senses in Fiction
Today I want to talk about one of the most underrated aspects of writing (imho): sensory details.
It’s easy for this kind of writing to get lost, because we can rightly get focused on bigger issues of plot and character development. But starting from a sensory detail can be a great way to spark your imagination and bring new life to the page.
Because of That: A But/Therefore Test for Your Novel’s Plot
I once wrote about 145,000 words of “and then this happened.” My protagonist’s life, event after event, in order. Every scene was fine on its own. Together they added up to a very long list.
What finally helped was a test I now use on my own work and with the writers I coach. Between every pair of scenes, you should be able to put one of three connectors: because of that, therefore, or but. Each one means the first scene caused or complicated the second. If none of them fits, and the only honest link is “and then,” you have a sequence, not a plot.
Who Do You Think You Are? (the important character questions to ask)
Who is telling the story?
The simplest answer is your main character, right? But that’s not always the case. Plenty of books have multiple point of view characters, by which I mean the reader gets to experience the story through the eyes of more than one character. This is often, but not always, done by switching point of view (POV) from chapter to chapter.
So there’s your first choice: are you going to tell the story through multiple points of view or just one?
More Powerful Questions to Answer About Your Novel
Five questions to answer about your novel at any stage: your genre, plot, timeline, where the narrator stands in time, and the world of the story.
Three Important Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Novel
Did you make your November writing (or revising) plan? Have you blocked out time on your calendar and told your friends and family that this time is non-negotiable? If you did, AWESOME! If you didn’t, get after it. There’s still time.
As promised, this week we’re going to take a look at a tried and true planning tool that I use in both my own writing and my coaching practice: the Blueprint for a Book.
How Project Management Frameworks Can Help You Plan - and Finish! - Your Novel
Greetings from Project Management-land, where I lived much of my life last month. While glancing longingly at my WIP Scrivener file as I sorted through prerequisite tasks, scheduling hours, and figuring out if I could clone some co-workers, I also thought a bit about the role of project management in a complex writing project—like, say, writing a novel?!
Stick with me - I’m going to talk a tiny bit about PM work and then relate it to writing.
There are two project management major frameworks (at least in the digital world that I inhabit): Waterfall and Agile.
Is a Writing Conference Worth It? A Case for Going, Even If You’re an Introvert
Project management-land has swallowed me up lately but fortunately I had a quick break in order to celebrate book things with my friend and fellow coach Samantha Skal at ThrillerFest in NYC.
4 Project Management Tips for Finishing Your Novel
I’ve been thinking a lot about project management lately. As you may know, I accidentally fell into PM work as part of my editorial job way back in the day and as it turns out, there are a lot more opportunities for project managers than there are for editors. Go figure!
When I first started my book coaching business, my mentor Jennie Nash encouraged me to lean into these skills as part of my coaching toolkit. I had left my full-time PM job in 2016, being totally burned out on the gig (despite loving the company I was working for). Even 4 years later, I wasn’t ready to dip my toes back into those waters, no matter how much it might have helped me.
You’re Not Ready to Query
Put your best book forward! How to make sure you're ready to query
One of the most common things I have heard (and read) from agents is that a huge percentage of the work that comes across their desk, especially from the slush pile (which is where we all go unless you have some direct line or special introduction), is that the work just isn’t ready.
Let’s back up a second to look at the process:
(If your goal is to self-publish your book, or work with a vanity or hybrid press, or if you’re writing for the sheer pleasure of it, you may think today’s post is not for you but most of this advice is just as valid—it’s just not quite as critical because you have more control over the process.)
6 Ways to Fall Back in Love With Your Novel
I confess, the idea behind this came from a writing class I took with the wonderful Michele Ferrari, and when she shared it with us, it hit me particularly hard (in a good way).
Very broadly, we probably consider our works-in-progress in one of two ways
As work, a project that we have committed ourselves to and are determined to see across the finish line because of that commitment
A hobby, a creative pastime, something that we’re doing for the joy of itMaybe it’s just me, but before Michele shared this idea, I had never thought about the fact that I was in a relationship with my novel. And like any relationship, there would be ups-and-downs. It would need to be cultivated, nurtured. I would love it, I would hate it.
Beware the Bland Book on the Back of the Door
This takes me back, all the way to 2018, when I had what I was sure was the final iteration of my outline. 🤣🤣🤣 To paraphrase Leslie Knope: Kerry, you beautiful tropical fish.
No one gets it 100% right the first time. Writing a novel is a process, not an event.
What I really had, I know now, was a bunch of plot points. Their only connection was that they tracked the events of my protagonist’s life. There was no real meaning, nothing juicy–just the dreaded ‘and then this happened’. And, friends, I wrote 145K words worth of ‘and this this happened’. Blerg.
Are You a 'Real' Writer?
Have you (or anyone you know) ever said this? “Yes, I’ve written (or am writing) a book, but I’m not a real writer.”
Bullshit. Friends, this makes me mad. If you have a writer friend who says this, please, gently and with compassion, tell them they are full of it. If you say, or even think this about yourself, please STOP.
Keep Your Confidence Up When It Gets Hard
How goes it, writerly friends? Things around here have been, shall we say, tricky? Perhaps you’ll be able to relate.
In the not-so-distant past, I came at you with advice on how to create and stick to a plan to make it to your next writing milestone. I shared how I structured my own plan to make it through my final major revision.
And then I hit a wall.
What happened? As is usually the case, it wasn’t one specific thing, it was several.
Craft a Compelling Character Arc
Writing interesting characters that grab your readers from page 1 and keep them riveted to your story is easier said than done. We all know it’s important and we’ve all probably gotten the feedback that your character ‘just wasn’t connecting’ or ‘felt flat, two dimensional’.
Ugh, right? It could be entirely valid feedback—but what do you do with that? How do you solve it?
Frankly, when I started writing my novel, I figured I was halfway to home from the start. When someone asked me what my book was about, I’d say, “It’s about a female pirate in the 1700s…” and it didn’t really matter what I said after that. “Awesome! That’s so cool!” If I could sell everyone who said that a copy of my (still in progress) book, I’d have a guaranteed best-seller on my hands.
New Year, New (Re?)Start: 4 Steps to Commit to Your Novel
I am a firm believer in what I tell my clients about writing a novel: It takes as long as it takes, and you’re on nobody’s schedule but your own.
That said, I’ve been living with my protagonist and her adventures for more than 6 years now, and I’m ready to let her set sail. (Haha, she’s a pirate–see what I did there? Okay, sorry.) I spent most of last year’s creative energy rediscovering my ‘why’ and iterating on my Inside Outline. It’s time to re-start and revise.
Whether you’re germinating a new idea or revising for the nth time, there are some concrete steps that you can take to solidify your commitment to your creative self and your novel.
Why Plan? (No, I Didn’t Say Outline)
In which Kerry makes her case for how spending some time thinking about your book can save you time and make your drafting process simpler and more efficient, while also freeing you creatively!