#drafting this to procrastinate my stats work part 2 :)))) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

clumsyclifford · 3 years

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hi! idk if you're still doing the prompts but if you are #47? whatever pairing you're vibing with atm 😊 -🦥

HELLO! first of all, the pairing bot gave me malum after it gave me cashton twice but i didn’t feel like doing this for cashton so i wrote it malum, hope that’s cool. ALSO. one day i am going to write a real proper epistolary fic, mark my words, but for now this is all i have to offer you. i know it’s rather different from like. a Normal fic. but i had fun writing it so :)

read on ao3

Dear Calum,

My mum suggested I write you a letter because of the whole data thing in Brazil. I don’t know what that really means but apparently calling would be extremely expensive so I’m doing this now. Maybe it’s weird. Don’t really care. Deal with it.

So how is Brazil? I don’t know the time difference. Wait, I can look it up. Google says 13 hours. That means you’re a day behind me half the time. I’m in your future! It doesn’t look good for you, Cal. Future is pretty grim. If I were you I would stay in the past. Although by the time you get this it will be way in the future for both of us…oops. Oh well. I tried.

Anyway. What was I saying. Brazil? How is it? Hot, I bet. Probably playing loads of football. Luke and I have been playing FIFA but it’s so not the same. He sucks at it and he doesn’t even cheat because he’s boring I guess or has “morals” or whatever (his words not mine). I miss playing FIFA with you. Always beating Luke is not fun. Okay it’s a little fun. But I still miss you. As soon as you’re back you’re reclaiming the player 2 controller. Did I mention that I miss you? You probably get it.

What can I update you about here? There’s not a lot to say. Nothing has really happened. At least not in my life. Oh! I can tell you a secret but don’t tell Luke I told you because he will definitely kill me. Not that you have any way to reach Luke. Don’t go behind my back and write a letter to Luke telling him I told you this. Anyway: Luke fancies Ashton! I totally got him to admit it during one of the FIFA games I mentioned. It was almost cute if I’m honest. He turned really red and got all blushy and stammery. I am now wondering if I should meddle or not. On the one hand, Ashton must like him back, right? Have you seen the two of them? I don’t want to deal with intra-band sexual tension. Unless it’s ours. We’ve already claimed the “insufferable band boyfriends” role though, so do we really want this to happen? I don’t really know what I’m arguing anymore. I don’t think I’ll do anything for now. Will keep you updated in case anything dramatic happens. Then again I have no idea how long it’ll be before you receive this. Something very dramatic might happen while this is in the post. Let me ask my mum. Okay she says it could be two weeks. That’s fucking long. You might just have to come back and get the Luke/Ashton updates in real time.

Besides from that there isn’t much to report. Everything is the same. Except I’m a lot lonelier now. This is what you’ve done to me Calum. I’m returning to my natural introvert state. I need you here, Cal!! Otherwise I’ll just have to become a turtle and by the time you’re back it might be too late.

I’m joking by the way. I hope you’re having a good time at football camp. Making new friends and learning Brazilian(?) Portuguese and kicking everyone’s arse and showing them up. I’m sure you are. I just miss you lots. :( Counting down the days!

Sending you lots of kisses and cuddles through the post,

Mikey

Dear Michael,

I don’t care either! I think writing letters is cool. We’re like lovers at war. Except neither of us are going to die. Probably. (Some of these footballers are CRAZY good. You never know!)

Actually, Brazil is pretty nice. It’s winter so the days have actually been not too hot, thankfully. It’s exhausting enough playing as it is. If it got any hotter, I might actually pass out. Forever. They’d have to ship me home in a body bag. (Are those only for dead people? Maybe not a body bag.)

It’s been almost two weeks since you sent your letter (I assume you sent it soon after I left?) which means there’s a good chance this one won’t get to you until I do, but in case it does I’m going to write and post it anyway. I hope by now you’re getting on better with Luke. If I’ve said it once or a million times, you guys have a lot in common and I really think you could be best friends if you weren’t both such stubborn shitheads. Which I say in the nicest way possible!

Of course Luke fancies Ashton, he’s liked Ashton since…honestly I don’t know when. Months and months at least. And Ashton clearly likes him back. I’ve never seen two people less capable of hiding their feelings. I’m surprised you didn’t notice before. Please tell me you decided to meddle in the end. You’re right, we can’t handle more sexual tension in the band. Don’t worry, they can’t possibly be more insufferable than we are. We are the most annoying boyfriends on the planet. We’re writing each other letters. Basically, it’s best for everyone involved if they get over themselves. Suck it up and kiss already! My friend Gustavo agrees with me. Also he says hi. (Well he says “oi” but I translated for you. See, I can do stuff like that. Kinda cool, right?)

I miss you too, you know. Very much. This might sound weird, but I keep having dreams about you? Like…I’ll be dreaming about whatever (usually football these days) and then you’ll just be there. Clearly my subconscious also knows I miss you. You know Ashton says that when you dream about someone, it’s because they’re thinking about you, so I hope that’s true. It’s kind of a cute idea. I hope you’re thinking about me. I’m thinking about you. Obviously. A lot. A lot.

There is one thing I want to tell you, though. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this, and the more I think about it the crazier it feels, but also more right. So…I think I’m gonna do the band. Not football. This is cool and all, but everyone here is so scary good, and…I don’t know. Maybe this is stupid but I don’t like the idea of a future without you when I could have a future with you. Like with the band, I mean. And I know it’s not the most practical dream, but imagine how cool it would be if it actually worked out. You know I like a challenge. So, anyway…that’s kind of where I’m at now. I’m going to keep thinking about it for the last two weeks here, but I don’t think I’ll change my mind. Don’t tell anyone, please. I just wanted to tell you as soon as I knew. My parents are going to be soooo mad. Not excited to tell them, but this feels like the right decision.

Anyway…this got weirdly deep. Sorry. Here’s something super not-deep to make up for it: one of the football coaches here has a dog whose name in English is pasta! PASTA! (It might be apple. Apparently they’re the same word just spelled differently and the Brazilians here can clearly tell the difference. I cannot. But I think it’s way funnier if the dog’s name is pasta so I’m going with that. Not that apple is much better? Imagine seeing any dog at all and thinking, “You know what this dog’s name should be? A common food item.” LOL.)

This letter is so long and I’m running out of space on the page and I also really need to go to sleep! The boys are telling me to turn off the lights. I miss you so much. Football camp is fun, but I can’t wait to be back. Counting down the days!

Thank you for the cuddles and kisses I am sending them right back to you,

Cal

“Oh my God,” Michael mumbles into Calum’s shoulder, “you smell.”

Calum laughs, but he doesn’t loosen his grip on Michael. “Seriously? I haven’t seen you in a whole month and that’s the first thing you say?”

“Ugh, I missed you so much, but that’s boring to say, you already knew it,” Michael says, drawing back to kiss Calum for a second. Then he buries his face in Calum’s neck. “Seriously, I’m not joking, if you ever leave me alone for that long again, I will die.”

“You had Luke. And Ashton.”

Michael groans loudly and overdramatically. “Ashton is busy with family stuff all the time and don’t you dare compare yourself to Luke.”

“We’re going to talk about this,” Calum says. “You’re going to be friends with him if it kills me.”

“Then prepare to die,” Michael says. Calum laughs, pressing a kiss to the slope of Michael’s neck. “I tried, okay? I promise I did. I said in my letter we were playing FIFA! Did you get my letter? I didn’t know how to check if it ever actually arrived.”

“I got it,” Calum says, stomach lurching with nerves. Ignoring them for the moment, he squeezes Michael and then steps back to give him a full once-over. “I loved it. It made me laugh. God, I really missed you, you know?”

“Join the fucking club,” Michael says, smiling. He’s been smiling this whole time, Calum realises; he’s just good at sounding like he’s whining even when he’s smiling. That’s probably the most Michael thing Michael can do.

“Alright, boys,” Mali says from a ways away. “Come on. Let’s go. And seriously, Calum? You hug Michael but not me?”

Calum throws his arms around Mali, and Mali wraps him in a hug. “Missed you,” Calum says sweetly in her ear. “Thank you for coming to get me. And for bringing Michael.”

“You’re welcome,” Mali says drily. They separate and Mali just gives him a small smile. “And I missed you too, you punk. Come on, you both. Baggage claim awaits.”

Mali takes off and Calum lingers behind until he can throw an arm over Michael’s shoulder. Michael leans heavily into him. It’s been so long since the last time Calum had Michael in his arms, but it’s so immediately familiar that it almost knocks Calum off his feet.

“So…” Calum bites his lip. “Did you get my letter? I sent it just after yours arrived, but I don’t know if it got here before me.”

Michael shakes his head. “Nope, nothing.” Something in his voice tells Calum he’s making no mistake. He’d probably checked the mail every day, just to see. There’s a pang in Calum’s chest, all mixed up with the anxiety flitting out to his fingertips from inside his rib cage.

“Oh,” Calum says. “Well, there was something in there that I wanted to tell you, but I guess I’ll just tell you now. Um.” He drops his voice to a half-whisper, clears his throat. “I don’t want to tell Mali or anyone yet, but…I decided I’m not going to do football.”

Michael jerks. “What?”

“I want to be in the band,” Calum says quietly. His heart is racing, but at least it’s racing towards the finish line instead of away. This is the right decision. He’s…ninety-five percent sure. That’s enough to know. It has to be enough to know. “I just, you know, football is fun, but music is more fun. To me. And anyway, um.” He rubs the back of his neck. “If I have a choice between a career that has you in it or one that doesn’t, I choose you. Obviously.”

“You’re gonna be in the band?” Michael repeats lowly, looking over at Calum like he’s seeing something he’s never seen before. “Seriously? You’d give up football?”

Calum shrugs, nods. “Yeah. I know my parents are going to kill me, but I don’t care. This is what I want.”

Michael stares at him. “I love you,” he says, and then kisses Calum too fiercely to give Calum adequate time to process that.

By the time they break apart, he’s processed it. And as he inhales to catch his breath, licking his lips, he knows with one-hundred-percent certainty that this is the right choice.

“I love you too,” Calum says, like it’s the easiest thing in the world. Where Michael is concerned, it usually is.

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weaverofthreads · 4 years

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On the process of writing a novel...

Ok, so this began as a DM to a very dear friend who had said they were super excited to work on a novel of theirs that they'd abandoned for years, but they felt a bit lost when looking at the project again. They had "too many characters, too many intrigues" and they didn't "know how to create order" for all their ideas. They didn't know "what to keep, what to remove, what to change" and wanted to know if I had any tips.

I began to reply in messages and then realised I needed to make a whole post out of it, so here it is! All 3k words of it. This is for you, darling! I hope it helps.

Things I found extremely helpful when planning my novel for NaNoWriMo this year, after also taking some time off from it.

Most of this comes from Alicia Lidwina’s Four-Part article on her NaNoWriMo prep process, and setting up a writer’s notebook, for 2018. You can find the link to the first part here and I highly recommend you check out the whole series of articles for a more in-depth read.

Content of this ‘essay’:

Preparation, Groundwork, and Materials

Project 'Stats' & Overview

Mood, Moodboards, and Key Imagery

Things to Consider, and Important Bullet Points

Get to Know Your Characters

Chronological Order

Tangential and Preceding Events

Basic Premise, Plot Definition, Sub Plot Ideas

List of Locations

Scenes

Chapter Outline

NaNo Plan

Additional Notes and Tips for Writing

Ok. Let's begin.

First of all, I'm not saying that this is the only way to write or organise a novel. It can be tackled in as many ways as there are writers in the universe. This is just the method I used to get my ideas crystallised and organised.

Preparation, Groundwork, and Materials.

Take your preparation seriously. I bought a cheap but still nice A4 sketchbook with blank paper for maybe £2 at the local hobby store, and used it solely for the purposes of being my Novel Notebook. It doesn’t have to be a pretty, perfect, Aesthetic(TM) journal at all. Its function is to act as a route-guide through the process.

I bought a cute sticker from Etsy and used it as the front cover design so that I liked the book and that it felt a little bit special, without being too intimidating to put a mark in. Then I left the very first page blank, and opened it to the first double page. On the left, I wrote ‘Contents’ and then moved on to the right and wrote ‘Project Stats and Overview’.

I used a pen that was comfortable to write with, which for me was important. I’m a very tactile person, and having nice paper and pens (not necessarily fancy), made the process feel good.

Project Stats and Overview

This is the bare bones of the book, and includes details such as:

Project Working Title: (in my case it’s Weaver of Threads)

Targeted Wordcount: (to give yourself an idea of the scope, but it’s not necessary. For me it’s 50-100k)

Genre: (for me, fantasy)

Series: (will it be one book or more? For me, probably more than one, and at least two).

Inspiration: (here you can jot down all sorts of things which inspire your world and your writing, and it can be anything. In my case, I began with “density and lore, and feeling of being grounded in a real world from LOTR and Tolkien.” And I went on to include other writers and novels in the fantasy genre, as well as elements from our own world, such as Mongolian herding communities and way of life, the history of the Persian Empire, and Renaissance Florence!).

Project Timeline: Give yourself a structure, and be realistic. If you know you’re a slow writer who’s prone to distractions, be generous, but if you’re someone who responds well to short deadlines, tighten the time frame up a bit. I said “November 2020 - November 2021 for the whole manuscript” because I know I’m a procrastinator who gets dejected if they shoot past intense deadlines….

Editing Deadline: December 2021-January 2022. I know I can edit fairly quickly, so I made this one much shorter.

Main Requirements Prior to Starting: What do you need to get sorted before you can get going? It could be purchasing a laptop or figuring out a magic system. In my case, it was the latter.

What Happens in your novel?: This is not ‘what do your characters do?’, but what, in one sentence, actually happens in the book. For Fellowship of the Ring, you could say ‘a diverse group of people assemble and set off together with the goal of destroying the Ring’. LOADS more stuff actually takes place, obviously, but that’s probably the key thing that happens in that book. So, write the same thing for yours. I’m not going to tell you what happens in mine, because that would spoil it :).

That took up the first A4 page of my writer’s notebook, and after that, I moved on to Mood and Key Imagery.

Mood, Moodboards, and Key Imagery

On the left hand side of the page, I wrote down the words and concepts that sprang to mind when I thought of the novel itself. These were in no particular order or placement — just a random cloud of ideas in a rough column on the left hand side of the page — and they included: history, mystery, love, friendship, betrayal, nostalgic, homesick, sense of belonging, sense of place, searching, closeness, secrets… etc. etc.

Then on the right hand side, I wrote down five key words that I wanted to associate with the novel. These would form the ‘visual aesthetic’ in the background of my mind, and could be very easily expressed with a moodboard.

This same process (writing down words and creating a moodboard) could be achieved on a website like Pinterest. Take your time with it, find the right visual clues that really match the essence of your story, and create a final mood board with a limited number of panels that will be your novel’s ‘true north’ when it comes to feelings. If you're artistically inclined too, you could draw sketches of things relevant to your world too.

While this stage is really important for solidifying the feeling and mood of the novel, don’t get stuck here and spend forever procrastinating on Pinterest or whatever. Once you’ve crystallised that ambiance, it’s time to move on. It’s also perfectly fine to come back to this at a later stage if you find yourself running out of inspiration or drifting a bit. Daydreaming, drawing, mood-board-ing are all great ways to work on your novel on days when you don’t feel like writing.

Things to Consider:

Alicia Lidwina asked herself some questions which helped me get past the ‘block’ that I’d created when thinking about the novel, and those were:

What scares me about this story? (in my case it was the scope of it - it was easy for me to get lost in over-thinking tiny details and get too overwhelmed to handle the big picture)

What will readers take away from it? (in my case, I hoped that it was a sense of friendship, people from desperate cultures finding common ground, and a sense of being grounded in a real, tangible world.

What is its selling point? (essentially, why would an agent/publisher choose yours over the next one in the pile?). Don’t be bashful about this. This is your notebook, so if you’re proud of a feature or aspect of the story, write it down. In my case, there is no ‘Big Bad come to destroy the world’, no Chosen One who is the only one who can stop it. There is an antagonist, but it’s on a personal scale, and that’s the selling point. It’s about two people going on a personal journey to uncover a lost piece of knowledge that’s arguably not all that world-changing on its own, but which means the world to them.

What will be the three biggest issues in writing the first draft? Identify the three biggest roadblocks, and then take a bulldozer to them. For me, it was time management, getting mentally stuck, and the sheer darned effort of it becoming overwhelming!

Important Bullet Points

These are five key facts about your novel, distilled from the sections above. They include: What’s at the heart of the story? How long is the story? What’s the narrative focus of the story? What are the maximum number of main characters? And the maximum number of supporting characters (this obviously doesn’t mean you can’t have other, less important characters too!)?

Relationship between the two main characters is forefront

50-100k words

The novel’s focus is on the characters’ main goal (had to be more vague here so I didn't give it away)

2 main characters

3 supporting characters

If you find you’ve got too many main characters (not necessarily a bad thing to have a lot of characters - look at A Song of Ice and Fire after all!), then figure out whose story you want to tell here. You can always write another story with other characters in a connected novel, or a sequel. You don’t have to tell everything all at the same time.

Speaking of characters…

…Get to Know Your Main Characters:

Here you can write character sheets for each of your main characters and cast. There are hundreds of these templates available on the internet, asking questions like ‘how would your character react to [insert event]?’ etc. to get to know your character. If this isn’t your thing (it isn’t mine) then at least write down some useful information about them. Rough height and weight, hair, eye and skin colour, general temperament, and any other defining physical or mental traits.

Next came the Chronological Order

This does not have to represent the final order of the novel’s structure, nor the order in which you write the manuscript, but you need to know what happened within the timeline, and when, in order to be really clear when you’re telling the story. You can write the manuscript out of order, and you can tell the story with flashbacks or in a different order, but you need to have the underlying chronology securely in place so that your writing makes sense and so that you don’t confuse yourself or the readers in the process.

Preceding and Tangential Events

These don’t need to be in the novel itself, but it may be important to define the sequence of events that also led up to the moment where we pick up your story, and what is happening elsewhere so that you can be sure of these too. In my case, I defined the events that concerned one of the supporting characters’ lives so that I knew how and why they were at the point they are in the story. It relates directly to - and heavily influences - the events of the novel, so I needed to have this person’s history nailed down as well, even though I don't tell it all explicitly in the book (because that would be unnecessary and a bit dull).

Basic Premise, Plot Definition, and Sub-Plot Ideas (plus writing a synopsis)

Alicia Lidwina defined the story premise helpfully with the following formula:

Story Premise = Main Character + Desire + Obstacle

Pick a different colour for each of these components, and write a short paragraph to explain them in the context of the novel. Alicia Lidwina used the following:

[Main Character] “Harry, an orphan who didn’t know that he’s a wizard, [Desire] got invited into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and wanted to live his school life to its fullest, [Obstacle] but a certain Dark Lord who killed his parents is trying to rise into powers again and kill him in revenge.

Do this for your novel, and keep it really short.

Plot Definition: This is even shorter than that! It’s a single sentence!! It’s most closely tied to the desire of the character, and lies at the heart of the story. It’s most likely a distilled version of the ‘what happens in the story’ from the Project Stats page, so check that to see what you wrote there.

Sub Plot Ideas

Five bullet points (no more) for things that are happening concurrently and which are related in some way to the main story. For me, Kae and Tomas are doing their research, so that’s the main theme, but beneath that there are a few other related incidents.

Writing a Synopsis - developed out of the points in this section, and includes:

Who the main character is

What the stakes are (the story premise is your guideline)

What the main plot line is

How the MC resolves the problem in the main plot line

How the book ends.

List of Locations

Start with the main ones and add to it as you go on. Write a little bit of information about them so that you have something to refer back to. I also drew a big old map which I found very helpful and also really fun to do.

List of Scenes

It’s very important to map out every single scene that happens in the novel. Use your timeline to help with this, but remember a scene is not necessarily a chapter. You can have more than one scene within a chapter, but try not to have too many.

I used small post-it notes (sticky notes) and wrote down things like “M joins K’s clan at the fire and K learns about magic” and “K studies at Citadel, intro to Citadel, magic, and characters” as separate scenes. Once you’ve written down everything that is going to happen (this will take some time! Get a drink and some snacks ready, and go slow), you can stick them into your notebook in the order you’d like to tell the story. Some chapters may have just one scene, while others may have two or three. I didn’t have more than two in any of my chapters, and actually ended up splitting some scenes that I’d made too vague in this section into more chapters. It doesn’t have to be set in stone, but it will form a road map.

Additions and Notes:

I left a section of the Scene Outline bit of the notebook blank for things to add in as I went along. I haven’t used it yet, but I might.

Chapter Outline

I arranged the scenes into the chapters already by sticking them in order, but you could do a chapter outline separately after this. It’s up to you.

NaNoWriMo plan:

I did this back in October, and wrote down the main goal for nanoprep, which was to finish the background info. Breaking that down further, I listed - magic (how does it work exactly), geography, and politics.

After that, it was just a case of writing the 1667 words a day. *spoilers, I got distracted and didn’t do NaNo this year* . What I should have done, was break it up into chunks and write down my goals so that I had something tangible to use as a road map, and I will be doing that now for the novel as I take it up again outside of NaNo. Having check boxes and manageable goals really works for me. Find what will work for you, and if it turns out not to, adapt!

Some final pointers and tips:

Set regular goals for yourself. Whether you work by saying ‘I’ll write 1000 words a day’ or ‘I’ll write something every day’, make a structure for yourself. If you slip and miss a day, week, or month (I didn’t meet NaNo this year because I chose to work on another project instead *slaps forehead*), don’t beat yourself up. Writing is a craft and it takes a long time and a lot of discipline to master a craft.

Your first draft does not have to be good. At all. Your first draft is just words on paper. A first draft is the block of marble taken from the quarry, and subsequent edits and reworking is the process of carving the sculpture itself. The editing that is done by the publisher or the professional you employ to edit it for you later, is the final polishing. Don’t be demoralised if the block of marble seems very rough when it first lands in your studio. That’s ok!

Take regular breaks. Writing is hard work, and most people can’t concentrate on something successfully for longer than 55 min's, and if you’re doing that, you’re already doing really well. Personally, I’m at 15-20 on a good day. Write in little sprints of ten minutes or so, and then get up and stretch, look out the window, maybe leave the room, come back in with a fresh approach.

Stretch your hands, and wear wrist braces when you work. Seriously. I gave myself tendinitis on my first major project, and couldn’t use either hand properly for weeks. The ones I have are these, and they allow me to work safely for much longer.

Keep hydrated. Have a bottle of water on the desk in front of you between your arms as you type and sip it, otherwise you’ll forget. 2 litres a day is usually recommended, but know your body and drink accordingly.

Treat yourself. Whether that’s something as simple as a decadent hot chocolate after your first chapter/chunk/sprint is done, or a new notebook or a pen or that sticker set you wanted on Etsy or literally anything nice, reward yourself for the hard work you’ve put in, with tangible things you can look at or experience and say ‘I have that because I did the work’. It’ll help with your sense of achievement, especially if the project is a long one.

Join a local writer’s group for feedback. With the current Covid-19 chaos, this is probably not possible right now, but getting constructive feedback on your work from someone who hasn’t been cocooned in the project in the way you are, but who respects you as a writer and wants to help you grow, will be invaluable. It’s too easy to exist in a little isolated bubble and think you’re doing ok, when in reality you could be creating bad habits which will be difficult to break later. By these, I mean things like ‘filler words’ you don’t realise you use, or other pit-falls it’s easy to tumble into when you can’t see the wood for the trees…It’s intimidating, and it might take some courage to work up and do, but I promise it’ll help you grow. You don’t have to do what the people suggest, but it’s great to get outside opinions all the same.

Submit work to writing competitions. This will help with showing agents and publishers later down the line that you’re not only committed, but hopefully talented, and will help you to push yourself. Use the world of your novel for the setting, and get to know it by writing short stories on the competition’s theme set there.

Read. Read the writers you admire, and read them ‘actively’ - figure out exactly what it is about ‘that’ sentence that made you shiver, and use the same techniques in your own work (don’t plagiarise, obviously, but if it was alliteration that made the sentence work so well, use it yourself! Perhaps it was the metre of the line? Great, now you know a rhythm that will drive a sentence forward or slow it down etc.)

Enjoy it. If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, it’ll show in the work. Take a step back if you start floundering, and ‘interview’ yourself about why it’s not fun any more. Refer back to the sections in the notebook that helped to clarify the plot/process, and see if you’ve wandered away from them. Make yourself answer questions like: ‘What is the main reason I don’t want to do this?’ ‘What is the character’s motivation?’ ‘Should I scrap this section?’ (don’t delete it, but cut and paste it into another ‘scraps’ document, and then start afresh from the last place you were happy with. Nothing is wasted - it all goes into building the world and getting to know the characters, even if it doesn’t get explicitly told in the finished product, so don’t be afraid to do that last bit).

Good luck!

I hope you found this helpful, and if you have any questions or things you’d like to add to this, please feel free to send me an ask here on Tumblr.

If you’re a new writer hoping to get an agent or publisher, you might also find this post on ‘talking to a published author’ helpful or interesting.

If you would like to keep up to date with my own novel’s progress, you can follow me here on Tumblr, as well as on my writing Instagram @rnpeacock

#writing #writeblr #writing process #how to write a novel #novel writing #nanowrimo #national novel writing month #writing a book #writing advice #author #authors on tumblr #how to structure a book #long post

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soysaurus · 4 years

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a year of improvement (ramble/storytime/reflection/whatever this is)

so, maybe this counts as too personal or….maybe too much? to put on here. but i don’t really think anyone would read it anyway lol. but!! i’m really proud of myself, to be honest. it’s...been a good year for my writing, i think. which i’m actually super surprised by ngl.

i know this is a lucky feeling bc i have many friends who...feel a lot of discomfort in their own writing. and that’s valid. it’s a mood. it’s very common and it’s almost an inextricable part of being a content creator haha (it feels weird saying that...i don’t want to sound like a professional but...yeah! that’s what we do. we create content for ourselves and others and that’s really cool).

so, when i think of the past year and how much i’ve improved since i started writing on ao3 in oct 2019 (wow, it’s been more than a year holy shit), it’s definitely what i would consider surreal. i used to hate my writing a lot. no matter what i would do, i would be so ashamed of myself. i don’t think it’s just a writing or artsy thing for me—it’s probably linked to my mental health and idk other jazz that i’m too tired to really think about right now, but yeah. that’s why this is so important to me ig? that’s why this little pride in myself that i’m feeling means so much, because usually all i feel is shame. in everything—whether it’s writing, doing art, or just walking around.

so yeah. i had a bit of a point to this but ig it’s turned more into this random ramble lol. but this year of writing has been very interesting. i’m not saying that i haven’t felt shame in my writing, bc wow god yeah. it’s been….very strong at points. especially because i was kind of in spaces where….not a lot of people that i interacted with actually saw me as much of a writer, i think? which is fine. I’m still a baby writer, i know. but ig it’s kind of hard to feel a little invisible when you’re trying so hard. but!! i actually do like my writing a bit now. and i’ve improved sm since oct 2019 and i think seeing that improvement really helps in kind of forgiving myself for not being at the level of writing that i would like to be.

i have a lot of people around me who i really look up to. it’s good, because i can see what they’re doing and kind of analyse what i like about their writing and what i can do to improve, but at the same time, i need to kind of remind myself to not put people on pedestals. seeing my improvement has definitely helped with that bc i know that at the rate that i’m improving, i will get to their level. someday. i’m still pretty young so i’m telling myself i have a lot of time to grow, and i’m really excited to see that growth.

so yeah. i told myself i wasn’t going to do resolutions this year bc 1) i felt like new years kind of just...happened. like without any fanfare. (i actually went to bed early bc i was so exhausted haha. and woke up around a few mins after midnight when i heard all the fireworks) 2) resolutions are hard to stick to. it’s as simple as that, really. i never stick to them and either i become too tired and stop caring, or i feel like a complete and utter failure

but i want to make some writing goals. and i want them to be easy and reasonable.

so….here they are, ig:

enjoy my writing

try to post something without worrying about the hits and kudos and whether or not it would count as a flop

slow down

i think the last one is really important. i...feel like i’ve been writing a little too fast this past year. these are stats for more than a year (since oct 2019) but since then, i’ve posted 43 works. and this is just stuff i’ve posted. i have a fic that’s over 11k in drafts, and i think it’ll just get bigger (i’ve been procrastinating on reworking it bc i feel like i just need to scrap it and start again ngl and...losing all that time and effort that i put into it in the first place is a little scary), but now that i’ve established a writing style for myself and know how i want to write, and really just have a bit more of a clearer vision of what i want to do, i want to focus a little more on quality over quantity.

i’m at my most productive when i have deadlines, but it exhausts me. i’m a procrastinator through and through and while i love that rush of pumping out 20k in four days, it’s very tiring. and i don’t want to burn myself out.

so, this year, i want to slow down. or well, from now on, i want to slow down. i started the year in a bit of a panicked frenzy. i joined a new fandom (jjk hehe) and...i thought, yknow, this was my chance. to actually be seen? ig? since the fandom is pretty small atm. but yeah, i’m still very invisible but that’s okay.

i don’t want to sound ungrateful bc i know there are a lot of people who do see me. and who do like my writing. and it feels great. (im looking directly at one of my friends who’s been my biggest cheerleader this year. tysm yus. you’ve really made this year...kind of bearable. so thanks. i really don’t know what i would do without you haha.) but i’m greedy. i want to grow more and grow bigger. i want to be on the same level of writing as some writers that i really admire who i won’t name bc the shame is starting to settle in again lol. but, yeah i think it’s okay.

so yeah. cheers to this shitshow of a time and, good luck future me :)

#reesesbrain #im cringin as i put this out there but fgjkdkgjdfgfdg #but oh well #i'm trying to get better at not being so ashamed of myself w every little thing i do

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writers-hq · 7 years

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Here we are at the very beginning. You’re going to write a novel. Cool, huh?

Over the course of this, err, course we’re going to help you build a comprehensive plan to help you get through the first draft of your story. Before we get into the nits and the grits, let’s do a bit of housekeeping and get our ducks all nicely lined up so we’re all on the same page (and other mixed metaphors).

DUCK 1: WHY DO YOU NEED A PLAN?

Look, we’re not going to get into a whole planning versus pantsing thing here. There’s a whole internet full of that. What we will say is that a novel is a big project. It’s 100,000 words or thereabouts. It has multiple characters, sub plots, locations, themes, fiddly little clever bits, smooth dialogue and so on and so forth. If you can manage all that in your head, then great. Go for it. Do it. Enjoy it (and your exploding brain). But we can’t even make it to the shop to buy milk and eggs without writing it on the back of our hands. Really that’s all plotting is: an elaborate novel shopping list. Nothing to be scared of. Stops you forgetting the chocolate biscuits, is all.

DUCK 2: HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO IT?

When you read a book, a really brilliant book that takes your breath away with its flow and grace and immersive wonder, it’s easy to think that it just fell out of the writer’s fingers in a five-minute sun-flared montage scene, and then they sat down to a celebratory glass of beer on the porch of their weather-boarded house.

Let us be clear: this did not happen.

Actually, what happened was weeks and months and years of layering and layering and tinkering and frustration and more layering and more tinkering, until the final product finally emerged.

Also, plenty of this:

I’m currently reading a novel by an author I happen to know. I was lucky enough to have read a few early draft chapters several years ago. I can spot bits that I’d seen before, but overall the difference is immense, and I can see how the story has evolved, how repeated sweeps have developed the initial idea into the published book.

And that’s what we’re going to be doing here. Starting with a simple premise and adding layer after layer, until we get a cohesive whole. You bring the idea, we’ll provide the know-how, exercises, discussion and hand-holding, and at the end, you get a roadmap that leads to your first draft. Yays.

DUCK 3: GET THE FAFFING OUT THE WAY

Much like a story needs a bit of exploration before the true beginning becomes apparent, the process of story writing needs a bit of pomp and ceremony before we can crack on. Don’t get me wrong, at some point very soon (like the next unit) you’re going to have to put finger to keyboard and start writing, but right now, let’s have a little faff.

Buy a notebook and write your name in it neatly with a lovely black pen. Make a folder in My Docs and call it ‘My Motherfucken Novel’. Install Scrivener or update your subscription to Word 32,052. Buy another, smaller notebook to keep in your handbag or manbag or nappy bag or whatever be-handled pouch you transport your essential items around in. Buy a packet of 10 pens. Clicky, not lids. Start a new document in your new folder and write in it: ‘My Novel. Draft Zero. Notes and ideas’. Save it and close it. Have a cup of tea. Get excited. Be scared. Get excited again. Make sure all your digital stuff automatically backs up to the cloud. Get a USB stick and make sure you back up to that too.

Do all this stuff now and you won’t have to do it when you should be writing. Productive procrastination. Aces.

DUCK 4: BRACE, BRACE

Writers, on the whole, are delusional beings. Roughly 90% foolish optimism and la la make-believe to 10% crushing doom-laden reality. It has to be this way otherwise no one would ever stick a novel out to the end, or ever believe that someone else might want to read it. The gleeful insomniac obsession and gut-twisting fear are two sides of the same coin. Accept them both, young Padawan. They will guide you.

We write for all kinds of reasons, but mainly because we love it, right? But also wrong. Someone at some point in history said something like “Don’t like to write, but like having written.” (Dorothy Parker? George R R Martin? Could be anyone.) While some moments of writing your novel will be exquisitely perfect and everything will chunk into place, you must be prepared (dib dib dib) for some moments to be the norovirus of the literary world.

You need to brace for utter suckery, and for that you need to be both brave and forgiving. But you’re badass. You can do those things. And remember, after sucking comes editing, and after editing comes a finished book. Eyes on the prize.

(Re: sucking and editing – we know they say you can’t polish a turd but they lie. Turd is manure, and from manure comes mango trees, and cut into a mango and sunshine bursts forth and goddamit if mangoes aren’t the most glorious thing ever created by nature. So to summarise: put your pants on, let the shit out, your novel is a mango. Ok?)

DUCK 5: WHEN ARE YOU ACTUALLY GONNA DO THIS?

This is a duck of two parts. Firstly, do not spend a week carefully constructing a revision timetable and colouring it in with a new set of Caran D’ache pencils because you will not follow said timetable and that is a week of planning that could’ve been used for Novel Actual. Secondly, very few of us can commit, without fail, to set aside a dedicated period of time every day to write. But you have to summon your magic powers and dedicate a period of time most days to write. This is because, as 7 Ideas In 7 Days alumni are all too aware, you have to Do The Work.

Know that this is important to you. Know that some things are less important. Your allotted writing slot doesn’t have to be at the same time every day. We won’t rap you on the knuckles if you write at 7am one day and 7pm the next. You just have to commit to twenty minutes, or thirty minutes, or sixty minutes a day, whenever you can fit it in. (For help with this, let us highly recommend 750 Words – an online word processor that rewards you with stats and smugness when you bash out a couple of pages each day.)

When you find yourself with space – when you’ve finished work and the kids are asleep, or when you’ve woken up before everyone else and the house is quiet and maybe even slightly tidy, or when you’ve finally given in and put CBeebies on and everyone is distracted – decide to give yourself twenty minutes to get some ideas in a notepad instead of twenty minutes to check Twitter. Decide that when you’re hanging out the laundry, instead of chuntering over the news headlines in your head until you’re in a rage, you’re going to think about scenes or themes or characters. Ditto for when you do the food shopping, or the school run, or the commute to work. Pick out the solitary moments. Guard them like a really scary dog with big teeth and drool. Use them wisely.

Right then. Expectations managed: check. Faffing out of the way: check. Put your knickers on, fellow writers, we’re going in…

#plotstormers #how to write a novel #novel planning #novel plotting #novel outlining #writing #writers on tumblr #writing advice #writing tip #writing tips #writers' hq #nanowrimo

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almaasi · 8 years

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Hello! I'm an amateur writer and a lover of your fanfics! (THEY ARE PERFECTION!) I was wondering how long it normally take for you to write your stories? Sometimes I've been writing for an entire afternoon and then realize I've only written 500 words. It can be frustrating, especially, when it's only a rough draft.

hi there~ (replying 4 days late?? sorry) (also thank you!!! glad you like my stories~)

writing for hours and realising you’ve written almost nothing is something that happens to all writers, i think. it definitely happens to me. (also 500 words ain’t bad?? i think that’s maybe a standard day’s writing for writers who aren’t fic writers)

so. basing this solely on my currently published+completed works: from the point of writing the first word, to the point where i hit publish on ao3, my fics can take me anywhere from 1.5 hours (What's a Hickey?) to 8 months (Angelhawke - although almost all of that was written in a 2.5 month block, the rest was procrastinating and editing). and an average of 4 months isn’t even correct, given the massive expanses of time between some fics.

when i actually get to typing, and the world disappears and i become one with the keyboard, i type about 1,000 words per hour. more if it’s largely dialogue or a sex scene, because for some reason that goes faster. less, if i’m tired or i’m writing a block of narrative text. (again, 500 words is perfectly reasonable, anon. you crafted those 500 words with great effort. therefore they are worthy words.)

when I was writing Angelhawke I was writing 8 to 10k per night. it was the most bizarre, intense, and mentally freeing part of my life, hands down. i did nothing except write, eat, and sleep. but you know what? that was perfect. because for two years prior, all i’d done was eat and sleep. writing Angelhawke filled a void in my soul that has never become fully empty since, even at my worst times. (is this relevant? i dunno. but 8 to 10k is a HELL OF A LOT, even for me. one night i even did 12k and i have no idea how, i think i typed for 14 hours straight. nowadays i count 5k as impressive, 4k as a good point to stop if i’m tired.)

fff i wish i could just answer “lol a long time” but I’M REALLY BAD AT SHORT ANSWERS. the answer varies so much as well!!! you deserve an accurate answer dammit, and besides that i’m kinda interested too

also i should note that i’m not really sure what the concept of a “rough draft” involves, since i’ve never worked like that. i just put the whole thing down and tweak until i’m happy. (i lost marks in school for this. teachers want complete rewrites and AIN’T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT, especially now when my work is often novel-length.) sometimes i’ll scrap a scene if i’m stuck and take the story a little way in another direction, but i’ll never write the same scene a second time. i mean, if it didn’t work the first time, i’m not doing it again. i don’t even understand how rewriting is meant to help. (wouldn’t you just end up with the same words again?? if the same thing happens???) (in case it’s not obvious, i failed all my classes at school. i’m good at writing, i’m not good at knowing how to do things the way teachers like)

in comparison:

Try-Something Tuesday (42k) took me five days, while Drop Anchor (also 42k) took me about 2.5 months.

Welcome All Winchesters (60k) took me 2 months + about a week, and i deleted a third of what i wrote. Held in Your Tender Hands (59.8k) took me 4 months almost to the day, including a month’s break.

Shadows Across the Camera Lens (13.7k) took me two days, each day being six months apart, and then a couple days of editing. Roost (12k) took me exactly a month, writing for only 6 of those days. (which is weird, ‘cause i remember it taking two days right next to each other. i must’ve enjoyed it so much it made time fly.)

the time a fic takes is so completely relevant to my health at the time. if i were healthy i’d probably write more consistently. i honestly have no idea how long it takes anyone else to write, but i’m trying really hard not to compare, because the only person whose record i need to beat is my own. and even then, i gotta learn to go easy on myself, because if i don’t meet my own ridiculously high standards all the time, i’m just going to be miserable. to all writers, especially struggling or chronically ill writers, i recommend being gentle with yourself, and making your goals relative to your current ability, not anyone else’s, and not your previous self’s.

tl;dr -- at a guess, excluding outliers, the average fic probably takes me about a week. maybe. that’s probably wrong. i’m always probably wrong. spoiler alert, i am not a credible source for my own information. and i’m really bad at answering messages, both concisely and on time.

ALSO I HIT 1400 AO3 SUBSCRIBERS WHILE TYPING THIS AND GOING TO MY STATS PAGE FOR LINKS THANK YOU THAT WAS FUN TO SEE

#THIS IS WHY I SO RARELY ANSWER MESSAGES how the hell do you respond to a thoughtful question with a one-sentence reply #I'M SORRY EVERYONE WHO SENDS ME THINGS I NEVER RESPOND TO #also fyi i never check the instant messaging thing so if you've sent me a message that way i haven't seen it #oh god i'm terrible i'm so sorry #anon #replies #Elmie writes things #Destiel #Destiel fanfic #long post #milestones #OH DEAR GOD THIS IS SO LONG WHY AM I LIKE THIS #Anonymous

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theestaticmarketing · 7 years

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5 Productivity Hacks to Bring Content Creation From Failing to Flying High

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OnlineMarketingSEOBlog/~3/_-M0ewKtg8Q/ <img width=”600″ height=”360″ src=”http://ift.tt/2EHBeBb; class=”attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image” alt=”Hot Air Balloons” srcset=”http://ift.tt/2GfDhJP 600w, http://ift.tt/2o7ODbp 300w” sizes=”(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px” /> <img class=”aligncenter wp-image-23815 size-full” src=”http://ift.tt/2EHBeBb; alt=”Hot Air Balloons” width=”600″ height=”360″ /> Let’s just get this out of the way: I don’t know anything about hacking. I’ve never hacked anything in my life, unless you’re describing my golf swing, or you count using a <a href=”http://ift.tt/2o2msv9; target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Game Genie</a> to cheat at Sega Genesis back in the early ‘90s. In general, I find terms like “life hacks” and “growth hacking” to be… well, hackneyed. But you know what? Blog titles that include “hacks” — or other strong and compelling descriptors such as “surprising” or “critical” — have a <a href=”http://ift.tt/2o7Kc06; target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>greater tendency to gain viral traction</a>. Sometimes a simple data point like that can be the springboard you need to uncover inspiration. Which brings us to the purpose of today’s post. Here at TopRank Marketing, <a href=”http://ift.tt/2o0UArx style=”font-weight: 400;”>we have an insanely talented Content Team</a>. Legitimately some of the best writers and strategic thinkers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working alongside. But even these awesome pros are not immune to the occasional creative rut or swoon in productivity. It comes with the territory. Recently the team came together to discuss some of our personal methods for overcoming content creation slumps and getting back on track when we’re dragging. I figured I would share some of the most salient pointers to come out of that meeting here, so other marketers can benefit and maybe adopt a few of them during their own periods of stagnation. Hacks, insider tips, pearls of eternal wisdom — whatever attention-grabbing name you’d like to apply, I just hope you find these practical tips helpful in enhancing your productivity and elevating your content marketing success. (And feel free to comment with your own if you have tricks that work for you.) <h2>#1 – Embrace the 5-Second Rule</h2> <img class=”size-medium wp-image-23816 alignleft” src=”http://www.toprankblog.com/wp-content/uploads/5-Second-Rule-213×300.png” alt=”The 5-Second Rule Book Cover” width=”213″ height=”300″ />Last year, Mel Robbins published a book called “<a href=”http://ift.tt/2o8qzoW; target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage</a>.” The premise behind this guide to conquering self-doubt and procrastination is rooted in psychology. Basically, the crux is that because our brains are wired to avoid risk, we are innately predisposed to abandon many ideas and plans almost as quickly as they arrive. Robbins challenges us to overcome this inclination by forcing ourselves to take some sort of action to move an idea forward within five seconds of the thought crossing our consciousness. It can be small and it doesn’t always have to lead anywhere. But it’s all about getting past your initial misgivings and, in some way, turning an idea from concept into reality. So, next time the notion of a blog angle passes through your head, take the step to jot down a note, or even a loose outline. When you’re struck with the spark for a content campaign, but not quite sure about it, discuss it with a colleague or at least record a quick voice memo on your phone. Basically, stop saying “later” and start saying “now.” By following this approach, you’ll find yourself with a whole lot more to work with, and it might just be that a passing fancy you’d have otherwise pushed out of mind turns into something great. [bctt tweet=”Stop saying “later” and start saying “now” when an idea crosses your mind. – @NickNelsonMN #ContentCreation #ContentMarketing” username=”toprank”] <h2>#2 – Start with Your Conclusion</h2> A classic writing tip from fledgling novelists is to draft the ending of a story first, and then work your way up to it. This same advice can be aptly applied to any content writer who is struggling to get a piece off the ground. When I’m sitting down to write something new, I frequently find that getting started is the toughest part. You need a strong, compelling introduction, and in many cases can’t proceed until you’ve got one worked out. Another issue can be that once you’ve surpassed that initial hurdle, you start wandering and get sidetracked from the main points you’re trying to make. Writing your conclusion before anything else can remedy both of these issues. Since it’s always smart to have the beginning and ending of a post tie together, you might find the pathway to your intro by taking this approach. And as you progress through the drafting process, you’ll always know exactly what the end destination is. <h2>#3 – Keep a List of Recent, Authoritative Statistics</h2> Sometimes, statistics can provide the backing we need to substantiate a point. But finding the right one isn’t always a quick or easy task. Getting bogged down in research is often one of the primary culprits in waning productivity. If you have a team of writers on hand — particularly ones who cover similar topics or niches — it can be helpful to create a central doc with up-to-date stats from trusted sources, such as respected media publications or verified research organizations. Trim off older items as they lose relevance, and continually add in new ones. You’ll want to be careful to avoid the trap where everyone on your staff starts using the same numbers and sources over and over again, but in general I find this practice to be a strong productivity-booster and time-saver. <h2>#4 – Dig Into Data</h2> Stats are not only able to contextualize and reinforce a case we’re trying to make, but they can also illuminate a case worth making in the first place, or provide direction on how to proceed. For example, the insight I mentioned earlier about “hacks” being a clickable blog post title made me wonder: “What ‘hacks’ do I actually know? What kinds of hidden pointers could I surface that might actually be useful to our audience of smart marketers?” Revelations can be found in insights about particular types of content that resonate within your industry (articles and studies about trends are good sources), or a conclusion drawn from your own Google Analytics (“Wow, look at how well posts about Topic X have performed!”). Data points are stories waiting to be told, and they are almost infinitely abundant in every industry and vertical. [bctt tweet=”Data points are stories waiting to be told. Dig into them to find inspiration & overcome #ContentCreation slumps. – @NickNelsonMN” username=”toprank”] <h2>#5 – Reckon with Writer’s Block</h2> It can be tough to get unstuck when you hit a wall in content creation. There’ve been countless instances where I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit wordsmithing one particular sentence, or figuring the best way to transition from one idea to the next. In these cases, it never hurts to move on to something else for a while and then circle back later. You can leave yourself a placeholder, as simple as [XXXXX] or more referential like [something about hacking and Game Genie]. This enables you to accomplish other stuff and return with a fresh mind. Painful as it may be, you should even consider simply getting something down on the page in these moments, even if you don’t think it’s good. A 2012 article in Psychology Today on the subject of <a href=”http://ift.tt/2o5GS6P; target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>overcoming writer’s block</a> argued that this can be necessary to achieve that frequently elusive “flow.” “Here’s the truth about writing (or any other form of self-expression): If you can’t accept the bad, you can’t get to the good,” wrote Barry Michels. “It’s as if the flow is pure, clean water trapped behind dirty, disgusting sewage. If you can’t welcome the sewage and let it flow through you, you’ll never be able to get to the pure stuff.” Such a lovely metaphor, isn’t it? <h3>Put Your Content in Flight</h3> Ready to see how high your content can fly? Try incorporating these tips into your routine and see if they can help give your productivity a lift: <ul> <li style=”font-weight: 400;”>Challenge yourself to take action on every content creation idea as soon as it strikes you.</li> <li style=”font-weight: 400;”>Try breaking your routine by writing the conclusion to your next post before anything else, and see if it helps make your process more efficient.</li> <li style=”font-weight: 400;”>Create a centralized doc with your most-used sources of stats and insights, then share it with your team and encourage them to add.</li> <li style=”font-weight: 400;”>Analyze data trends from your own past content as well as the industry at large to identify hot topics for your audience.</li> <li style=”font-weight: 400;”>Alter your writing approach to overcome writer’s block.</li> </ul> Otherwise, if you’re interested in learning more about how we do <a href=”http://ift.tt/2o7OFQz; target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>content marketing at TopRank Marketing</a>, check out our services page or reach out and give us a shout. We’re all about driving growth, without any hacking required. The post <a rel=”nofollow” href=”http://ift.tt/2EEzJUr Productivity Hacks to Bring Content Creation From Failing to Flying High</a> appeared first on <a rel=”nofollow” href=”http://ift.tt/2wbPbmy Marketing Blog – TopRank®</a>.

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befoundonlinemarketing · 7 years

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5 Productivity Hacks to Bring Content Creation From Failing to Flying High

Let’s just get this out of the way: I don’t know anything about hacking. I’ve never hacked anything in my life, unless you’re describing my golf swing, or you count using a Game Genie to cheat at Sega Genesis back in the early ‘90s. In general, I find terms like “life hacks” and “growth hacking” to be… well, hackneyed. But you know what? Blog titles that include “hacks” — or other strong and compelling descriptors such as “surprising” or “critical” — have a greater tendency to gain viral traction. Sometimes a simple data point like that can be the springboard you need to uncover inspiration. Which brings us to the purpose of today’s post. Here at TopRank Marketing, we have an insanely talented Content Team. Legitimately some of the best writers and strategic thinkers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working alongside. But even these awesome pros are not immune to the occasional creative rut or swoon in productivity. It comes with the territory. Recently the team came together to discuss some of our personal methods for overcoming content creation slumps and getting back on track when we’re dragging. I figured I would share some of the most salient pointers to come out of that meeting here, so other marketers can benefit and maybe adopt a few of them during their own periods of stagnation. Hacks, insider tips, pearls of eternal wisdom — whatever attention-grabbing name you’d like to apply, I just hope you find these practical tips helpful in enhancing your productivity and elevating your content marketing success. (And feel free to comment with your own if you have tricks that work for you.)

#1 - Embrace the 5-Second Rule

Last year, Mel Robbins published a book called “The 5 Second Rule: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage.” The premise behind this guide to conquering self-doubt and procrastination is rooted in psychology. Basically, the crux is that because our brains are wired to avoid risk, we are innately predisposed to abandon many ideas and plans almost as quickly as they arrive. Robbins challenges us to overcome this inclination by forcing ourselves to take some sort of action to move an idea forward within five seconds of the thought crossing our consciousness. It can be small and it doesn’t always have to lead anywhere. But it’s all about getting past your initial misgivings and, in some way, turning an idea from concept into reality. So, next time the notion of a blog angle passes through your head, take the step to jot down a note, or even a loose outline. When you’re struck with the spark for a content campaign, but not quite sure about it, discuss it with a colleague or at least record a quick voice memo on your phone. Basically, stop saying “later” and start saying “now.” By following this approach, you’ll find yourself with a whole lot more to work with, and it might just be that a passing fancy you’d have otherwise pushed out of mind turns into something great. [bctt tweet="Stop saying “later” and start saying “now” when an idea crosses your mind. - @NickNelsonMN #ContentCreation #ContentMarketing" username="toprank"]

#2 - Start with Your Conclusion

A classic writing tip from fledgling novelists is to draft the ending of a story first, and then work your way up to it. This same advice can be aptly applied to any content writer who is struggling to get a piece off the ground. When I’m sitting down to write something new, I frequently find that getting started is the toughest part. You need a strong, compelling introduction, and in many cases can’t proceed until you’ve got one worked out. Another issue can be that once you’ve surpassed that initial hurdle, you start wandering and get sidetracked from the main points you’re trying to make. Writing your conclusion before anything else can remedy both of these issues. Since it’s always smart to have the beginning and ending of a post tie together, you might find the pathway to your intro by taking this approach. And as you progress through the drafting process, you’ll always know exactly what the end destination is.

#3 - Keep a List of Recent, Authoritative Statistics

Sometimes, statistics can provide the backing we need to substantiate a point. But finding the right one isn’t always a quick or easy task. Getting bogged down in research is often one of the primary culprits in waning productivity. If you have a team of writers on hand — particularly ones who cover similar topics or niches — it can be helpful to create a central doc with up-to-date stats from trusted sources, such as respected media publications or verified research organizations. Trim off older items as they lose relevance, and continually add in new ones. You’ll want to be careful to avoid the trap where everyone on your staff starts using the same numbers and sources over and over again, but in general I find this practice to be a strong productivity-booster and time-saver.

#4 - Dig Into Data

Stats are not only able to contextualize and reinforce a case we’re trying to make, but they can also illuminate a case worth making in the first place, or provide direction on how to proceed. For example, the insight I mentioned earlier about “hacks” being a clickable blog post title made me wonder: “What ‘hacks’ do I actually know? What kinds of hidden pointers could I surface that might actually be useful to our audience of smart marketers?” Revelations can be found in insights about particular types of content that resonate within your industry (articles and studies about trends are good sources), or a conclusion drawn from your own Google Analytics (“Wow, look at how well posts about Topic X have performed!”). Data points are stories waiting to be told, and they are almost infinitely abundant in every industry and vertical. [bctt tweet="Data points are stories waiting to be told. Dig into them to find inspiration & overcome #ContentCreation slumps. - @NickNelsonMN" username="toprank"]

#5 - Reckon with Writer’s Block

It can be tough to get unstuck when you hit a wall in content creation. There’ve been countless instances where I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit wordsmithing one particular sentence, or figuring the best way to transition from one idea to the next. In these cases, it never hurts to move on to something else for a while and then circle back later. You can leave yourself a placeholder, as simple as [XXXXX] or more referential like [something about hacking and Game Genie]. This enables you to accomplish other stuff and return with a fresh mind. Painful as it may be, you should even consider simply getting something down on the page in these moments, even if you don’t think it’s good. A 2012 article in Psychology Today on the subject of overcoming writer’s block argued that this can be necessary to achieve that frequently elusive “flow.” “Here’s the truth about writing (or any other form of self-expression): If you can’t accept the bad, you can’t get to the good,” wrote Barry Michels. “It’s as if the flow is pure, clean water trapped behind dirty, disgusting sewage. If you can’t welcome the sewage and let it flow through you, you’ll never be able to get to the pure stuff.” Such a lovely metaphor, isn’t it?

Put Your Content in Flight

Ready to see how high your content can fly? Try incorporating these tips into your routine and see if they can help give your productivity a lift:

Challenge yourself to take action on every content creation idea as soon as it strikes you.

Try breaking your routine by writing the conclusion to your next post before anything else, and see if it helps make your process more efficient.

Create a centralized doc with your most-used sources of stats and insights, then share it with your team and encourage them to add.

Analyze data trends from your own past content as well as the industry at large to identify hot topics for your audience.

Alter your writing approach to overcome writer’s block.

Otherwise, if you’re interested in learning more about how we do content marketing at TopRank Marketing, check out our services page or reach out and give us a shout. We’re all about driving growth, without any hacking required.

The post 5 Productivity Hacks to Bring Content Creation From Failing to Flying High appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

5 Productivity Hacks to Bring Content Creation From Failing to Flying High posted first on http://www.toprankblog.com/

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christopheruearle · 7 years

Text

5 Productivity Hacks to Bring Content Creation From Failing to Flying High

#1 - Embrace the 5-Second Rule

#2 - Start with Your Conclusion

#3 - Keep a List of Recent, Authoritative Statistics

#4 - Dig Into Data

#5 - Reckon with Writer’s Block

Put Your Content in Flight

Ready to see how high your content can fly? Try incorporating these tips into your routine and see if they can help give your productivity a lift:

Challenge yourself to take action on every content creation idea as soon as it strikes you.

Try breaking your routine by writing the conclusion to your next post before anything else, and see if it helps make your process more efficient.

Create a centralized doc with your most-used sources of stats and insights, then share it with your team and encourage them to add.

Analyze data trends from your own past content as well as the industry at large to identify hot topics for your audience.

Alter your writing approach to overcome writer’s block.

The post 5 Productivity Hacks to Bring Content Creation From Failing to Flying High appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

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r-andm-s · 8 years

Text

Two days ago, i wrote in here. Two days ago, i came up with a blog that wasn’t about how my day had gone or about a person. The last blog became an outlet of My Failure Self and how i think i ultimately sucked as a person, not knowing what i’m doing with my life anymore, losing track of literally every aspect of my life, and the list goes.

But since I am here again, i guess i can say i am proud of myself for overcoming everything and not letting all the negative thoughts go in my head. Instead, i slowly made my way back up and eventually found the light that lead me to the correct path. It is Him. I will always be thankful that i have You ☝🏼️

The blog for today is about how i celebrate myself.

I find it funny and pretty ironic but still so fascinating how just last couple of days i was wallowing in self-pity and how i’m not gonna make it and how i’m ready to drown in my own Quicksand of Procrastination when just this Sunday morning, i realized the big change that happened within a span of days.

Suddenly, i find myself progressing at school, being productive with my friends and finishing our requirements together within completion week, catching up with my relationships with some close friends, having a great time at home with the fam, doing even better in pleasing my teachers, not coming after and being bothered about that one toxic person who i used to always think about, and so, so much more blessings lately that i am grateful for 💘

I don’t intend to sound or look boastful or having possessed “crab mentality” when i say this but i guess i am one great witness of the saying, “Karma is a bitch”.

And indeed, it is. Sobrang lakas pala talaga ng impact niya lalo na when you haven’t been a good person. Yung kapag alam mong may magawa kang kasalanan sa tao but you haven’t found a way to sincerely apologize for it.

Example nalang dito yung tinukoy ko kaninang “one toxic person”. He used to be my best friend. But he stopped talking to me. That’s it ayoko nang pahabain but there’s more to the story pero dahil may pending school-work pa ‘ko that needs to get done today because exams na tomorrow, 'di ko muna ikkwento lahat. Mahaba talaga yung kwento namin (awow).

So ayun, Toxic Person is practically a Math wizard. He has always told me that it is his most-loved subject. Ang task lang namin this 4th quarter sa Math is yung Statistics na ohmygod pinapatay lahat ng grade 10. Mas malala sa section namin because iba yung teacher namin compared to other sections; ours is ten times strict and hindi talaga pumapayag sa “pwede na”. Kailangan maayos ang sulat, malinis ang papel, simple lang yung design, may borders at complete sa details. Kasi 'pag hindi siya na-please sa work mo, uulit ka. And if our friends from other sections are either paired up in this project or grouped into three’s, kami naman individually.

So ayun, to cut the story short, wala pa siyang nagagawa. At sooobrang habang proseso nitong Stats. Gagawa ka ng exam, ipapa-photocopy, bibilangin ang frequency ng mga scores, may chapter 1, chapter 2 at chapter 3 pa at maraming computation. Isa pang masakit dito is, sabi nga ng teacher namin, kapag nagkamali ka sa isang computation, uulitin mo ulit lahat.

So in-announce yung kulang isa-isa dahil nga naghahabol na ng oras. My name was skipped and not to sound mayabang or anything, i’ve seen it coming because may naipapakita naman akong draft sa teacher namin. Graded din yun and thank God matataas yung scores na binigay saakin. Jusko, for the past quarters Math and i haven't really been friends and here's me trying to make effort so mababawi ko yung merit card ko that i had nung first quarter. As surprising as it is, his name was called and the quiet classroom was filled with, idk, disappointment? From both his classmates and our teacher. Kasi 'di namin ineexpect na siya pa, eh basic na basic lang sakanya yun kung tutuusin. Tinanong siya at pinagsabihin na bakit daw ganun, ano na nangyayari sa kanya. My teacher also said mas gusto pa niya yung hindi matalino pero masipag. Pati hindi na din siya umaattend sa CAT form ng officers. At andami ding nagbago sakanya.

But you know. What goes around comes back around.

This is the part when i choose to spare myself the love i used to give to the wrong people. Sobrang relieving at saya lang kasi akala ko 'di ko kakayanin 'pag wala siya.

Whereas, eto, mas lalo ko palang kinakaya nung nawala siya. So thank you.

Mas nabigyan ko ng time yung sarili ko. Time spent impressing other people is now time spent making myself grow.

This is for the betterment of myself, for myself.

#dear me #personal

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