This is a strange season, is it not? We’re all holed up in our houses. Many of us are bored. Most of us are restless. And yet, it can be very challenging to focus long enough to get much writing done.
If you weren’t doing your schooling at home prior to the nationwide measures being put into place, you’re likely doing it now. That’s a huge adjustment for anyone, especially if additional family members are suddenly at your elbow, and especially if you or your loved ones are directly impacted by COVID-19.
People are sick and others are out of a job, and we’re supposed to write?
With bad news hammering away on the television, and popping up on every web page we surf, it can be very difficult to focus. That has certainly been the case for me.
A couple weeks back I made a decision. Come hell or high water, I’d stick as closely to my writing schedule as possible. Even with my kids suddenly home all day, even with my office commandeered for distance learning, even with the publishing industry tipped upside down, and even though it had become quite clear I was going to miss my self-imposed deadline.
In the middle of the chaos, I craved normalcy.
So, I committed to working every day while my kids did their schooling, but I decided not to work on the weekends. With every day looking exactly like the next one, I needed to set Saturday and Sunday aside for reading and relaxation with family. This, I decided, would be the answer to all my problems.
Every day that week, I showed up. Sat down at my laptop at 8am and got to work. It was slow going. Trudging uphill. My mind wandered. My phone vibrated with notifications. I found myself reading the news.
And still, I made progress. Scenes were written. They were thin scenes, but I could fill them out later. The important thing is that my story was moving forward and new settings were being discovered.
My hard-fought discipline had yielded results.
And then came Saturday. Saturday was to be one of my two days off, remember? I wasn’t supposed to write, and yet, I woke up ready to go. Not just ready, but excited. I had a scene in my head and I couldn’t wait to get it down on paper.
And so you know what I did?
I sat down and I wrote.
It was fantastic. I adored every moment in my story, a feeling I really hadn’t had all week. It was, BY FAR, the most productive two hours I’d had in a long time.
And it never would have happened if I’d rigidly stuck to the plan I’d laid out.
We’re living during strange days, friends. It’s not the first time humanity has had to persevere through worldwide tragedy and confusion, but it’s the first time for many of us. And it’s going to take some adjusting if we’re to find any way at all to be productive.
And though scheduling has worked for me in the past, and though I’m going to do my best to continue to fight for those hours during the week, I’m not willing to let the urge to write fly by right now.
These moments are too infrequent in today’s world. Too hard to summon on our own.
When that urge comes, I’m going to sit down and take advantage of all the energy it brings.
And I wanted to hop on here today to tell you it’s okay to do the same. The schedule that worked for you before the world got sick, may not work for you now.
It’s perfectly okay for you to grab an inspired hour here and an inspired hour there. If you’re good to respect those moments, you’ll continue to move your story forward.
Tell me, how have you been faring during this unsettling season? Have you managed to write at all? Any tips or tricks you’d like to share with the rest of us?
Shannon Dittemore is an author and speaker. Her books include the Angel Eyes trilogy, a supernatural foray into the realm of angels and demons, as well as the fantastical adventure novel Winter, White and Wicked. Its sequel, Rebel, Brave and Brutal is due out January 10, 2023.
Shannon’s stories feature strong female leads grappling with fear and faith as they venture into the wilds of the unknown. She’s often wondered if she’s writing her own quest for bravery again and again.
It’s a choice she values highly. Bravery. And she’s never more inspired than when young people ball up their fist and punch fear in the face.
To that end, Shannon takes great joy in working with young writers, both in person and online at Go Teen Writers, an instructional blog recognized by Writer’s Digest four years running as a “101 Best Websites for Writers” selection.
For more about Shannon and her books, please visit her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
I’ve written a little bit. I’m doing NaNo camp for the month which will help me to continually write for the month. We’ll see where I am come May.
I love this. It’s so true. Sometimes you have to force yourself through the dry spells to reach the fun parts, sometimes you need to seize the inspired moments while you have them, and sometimes you just need to rest.
With the end of my rough draft in sight, I’ve decided to compose a system of mini deadlines, rewards, and fun story-related activities to get me psyched up about this milestone. I think this will give me more writing energy.
I’ve been keeping a regular schedule, too. I think it’s important.
I’ve had a rough writing week, though. Not sure if its just confusion or a dry spell. I participated in a critique thing & as much as i want to be all fine with it, some comments get in my head. Hopefully, to be worked out in time.
I’ve only had one day of writing. Well, two, but the second wasn’t nearly as productive as I was hoping for. I struggle with writing tons of words one day, and for the following days or even weeks, I have nothing. But schedule and disciple are two huge struggles for me. So, yes, I have written. Just not as consistently as I was hoping.
*discipline, not disciple, haha!
I haven’t been able to write much since school has gotten out. Today has probably been the day that I’ve been able to write the most, and it hasn’t even been a page. My parents have allowed to me to use my Language Arts time for writing, so I hope to get a lot more done now.
Yeah, sometimes you just have to make yourself write, even if it’s a lousy and very unproductive. But eventually, sometimes after days and days, it will start to flow and your enthusiasm will return!
I’ve been feeling really torn in my writing. I’m a new writer. Trying to think of an idea for a book feels hard. Writing an entire book feels overwhelming, like I could never do it well enough.
I’ve heard some believe you should start with short stories. At first I didn’t like the idea bc it’s not a book but now I’m thinking maybe I should try. It’s less overwhelming. But then I’m Like how many short stories do I need to write before I try a book?
Every time I try to work on a book, I keep thinking I should be writing a short story. Every time I try working on a short story, I feel like I should be trying a book.
You could try writing some short stories first and see if you want to grow any of them into novels. I think I’ve heard of authors reusing short stories for that, although I’ve never tried it. I do know how it feels to be stuck like that, though. You’ll get through it!
Hope you find something that works!
If writing a full book overwhelms you, maybe start with short stories. Then you don’t have the pressure of a whole book hanging over your head and you can let your creative juices flow without worrying about all the long term aspects of it. Then, when you feel more at ease, you can find ways to grow and expand your writing. Maybe do what Xoe said and turn one of your short stories into a full novel.
I don’t think there’s a set number of short stories that you have to write before you try a full book. The rules of becoming an author are not ironclad. Everyone’s path looks different. I think when you’re ready to go all in on a project, you’ll know. And from there, it’s just a matter of taking it piece by piece. (I’d check out Shannon’s post from last week about “doing the next thing” if you haven’t already. I think it applies nicely to the concerns you’ve expressed.)
I personally started writing with short stories just for fun, and eventually found enough plot material in one to begin a book. Like Em Elizabeth said, there’s no right or wrong way to start writing. Since you are still working on finding a good story idea, I recommend looking up story prompts or doing the writing exercises GTW has posted in the past as a starting point. Hopefully that will spark some creative ideas for your book! Wherever you end up in this writing journey, just know that everybody here is cheering you on. You can do this!
Thanks everyone, I feel a little better today. Sometimes my mind jumps of a cliff :/
I’m finding that even though my schedule is technically more free, it’s really hard to sit down and write.
However, I’ve been learning while editing my book that your book/writing means more to you the more you fight for it. (this type of phrase I did first learn of from S.D. Smith) I’ve had to fight to sit down, get to work and clear my mind of distractions. But I have learned to love the process so much more and appreciate the time that I do get.
With great fight comes greater value! So when it gets hard, don’t give up!
Felicity,
I know how you feel! I’m editing a book right now and trying to make my word count higher is always frustrating to me.
My advice would be to never give up on a story just because of the word count. It is so hard not to, I know, but keep persevering. You’ve got this!
I’ve found it hard to sit down and write, even though I have a technically more free schedule then I did before.
But one thing I’ve learned (this is not my own quote, I learned it from S.D. Smith) is that your book/writing will have a greater value the more your fight for it. I am fighting to sit down and work on my book, but because I’ve fought for it I am learning to love the editing process so much more.
So don’t give up, friends! The harder you fight, the more it will mean to you in the end!
The idea of a stronger fight equaling a stronger book is so powerful! Thank you for sharing. (And I love S.D. Smith!!)
Thank you, Camille! I agree with you about S.D. Smith! My family is reading his latest book right now and I’m loving it.
I just finished it yesterday! Enjoy. 🙂
Sorry everyone! I didn’t mean to repeat everything twice but my computer is glitching and I could not see that the other two comments went through.
This is an encouragement to me as I’ve had a hard time writing because it’s so hard to focus with everything going on. I feel like with all the time I now have I should feel motivated to write…but I just don’t. Thank you for this reminder that our schedules, even our work loads, don’t have to be the same as before.
I know how you feel, Kristianne!
I did great for a few weeks in terms of motivation and I’m really struggling right now, no matter how hard I try. I’m also working on fleshing out my characters in the editing of my book and I can’t stand working on characters, so that probably doesn’t help. 😉
I hope that motivation strikes you soon!
I’m getting by. I’m trying to get the most out of this time at home, so I too have created a schedule, which I’ve found to be very helpful.