thewritinglifeofjac

[thewritinglifeofjac]

Writing tip:

▪️ Take advice, but always trust your instinct.

▪️ Don’t be afraid to take chances. Writing is about exploring, learning, growing.

▪️ Listen to your characters. This is their story, after all.

[thewritinglifeofjac]

Writers never can be convincingly normal.

We’re too busy hunting down rogue characters

chasing side plots

inventing monsters that keep us up at night

dreaming up relationships that break our heart time after time

Don’t waste your life being normal.

Be boldly, beautifully, uniquely weird.

[thewritinglifeofjac]

some highlights from my writing seminar with honestly one of my favourite authors of all time who shall remain nameless bc i dont want her to know i was spilling her secrets online

The first trick is to detach yourself from your idea. You don’t have just one novel inside you, and it’s not a big deal if you don’t finish this novel.

She was skeptical of the common advice “just write!!1!” - she talked about how long ideas for her most popular novels were marinating inside her before she properly wrote them

As a continuation of that, she was a big believer in knowing what you want to write before you write it. Not what you’re going to write, what you want to write. 

The first thing she decides about a novel is what the mood is going to be, and this informs every other decision (e.g. the mood for Shiver was bittersweet)

Ideas should be personal, specific, exciting and they should exclude secondary sources. A personal idea isn’t necessarily autobiographical (which should be avoided), but it speaks to your emotional truth. 

She said she had been read Ronsey fanfiction and she couldn’t view her car in the same way since. 

Story is the thing that seems most important to reader but is most changeable to the author - story is subservient to your mood and your message. Change what you like in the plot as long as your book retains its sense of self.

Story is conflict, exploration and change. A good story has active tension -the characters want something, instead of just wanting something not to happen (e.g. wanting to kill an enemy instead of simply defending a stronghold against an enemy) 

A story needs to have a concrete end, something to be done. 

Satisfaction is important - deliver what you promise to the reader. The other shoe has to drop. Ronan Lynch doesn’t ever talk about his feelings, so its rewarding when he does. 

Earn your emotional moments (she threw shade at Fantastic Beasts lmao)

Forcing a character to be passive is dissatisfying to the reader. 

Characters are products of their environments, consistent/predictable, nuanced and specific, moving the plot, and subservient to other story elements. 

She always starts with tropes for ensemble casts like sitcoms. Helpful for building good character dynamics.

Write scenes with characters saying explicitly what they’re thinking and then go back and make them talk like real people in the edit. 

An action can also prove what they’re thinking, instead of making them say it or another character guess it (e.g. Ronan punching a wall). 

Move the reader’s emotional furniture around without them noticing. 

All her books follow the three act structure. Established normal -> inciting incident -> character makes an Active Decision -> fun and games -> escalation -> darkest moment -> climax. 

Promise what you’re going to do in the first five pages. 

Read your book out loud. Record yourself reading it. 

If you have writer’s block, it’s because you’ve stopped writing the book you want to write. She likes to delete everything she’s written until she gets back to a point where she knew she was writing what she wanted to write, and then carrying on from there. 

[thewritinglifeofjac]

[thewritinglifeofjac]

It’s possible I may have a book addiction. . . .

[thewritinglifeofjac]

Tip Tuesday: Dare To Dream

Tip Tuesday: Dare To Dream

If you’re like me, you’ve found yourself saying no to your dreams. Dismissing them as “too far-fetched” or “impossible.”

When, in reality, dreams are the very thing that push us forward.

We have become used to hearing no. Have closed ourselves into the safe little bubble of what we can do, where we’re protected and there is little chance of failure.

Finding success means stepping out of that…

[thewritinglifeofjac]

Why Writers Should Be Readers

Why Writers Should Be Readers

“I don’t have time to read.”

I hear that comment frequently from other writers, and, to be honest, it baffles me. A life without reading?

How do you even live?

Without a steady diet of reading, my brain grows lazy and it becomes far more difficult for me to write. [Cue five hours of staring at my laptop.] I scroll social media and find myself growing restless and bored. People who spend more time…

[thewritinglifeofjac]

Tip Tuesday: Remember To Live

Tip Tuesday: Remember To Live

  Exhaustion can shut down our creativity. Schedule breaks to take a short walk, take a nap, read, eat snacks, whatever relaxes you.

Our brains need time to process.

And, most of all, we need time away from writing to refresh our creativity. It’s impossible to write accurately about life without experiencing it.

Don’t be afraid to shut your laptop and take time to just be you. Explore. Find…

[thewritinglifeofjac]

Writers Tell All: More Writing Myths We Hate

Writers Tell All: More Writing Myths We Hate

“‘You must write what is popular to succeed.’ This one….ugh! It gets me every time. Popular trends are trends and trends fade out. Real passion stands the test of time.”  —K.B. Cox

“That. This. Is. Easy!!!” — Justin Edison

“Write what you know. Pffff…there’d be no fantasy or sci-fi if that was true!” — Jacqui Greaves

“That you need to write every day. That causes anxiety, resentment of projects,…

[thewritinglifeofjac]

Tip Tuesday: Beating Writer's Block

Tip Tuesday: Beating Writer’s Block

  Struggling with a scene?

Backtrack.

See where your interest deviated. There’s a chance you took the wrong step with the story and it’s fighting back. More often than not, writer’s block lays siege because we, the writers, took a path the story didn’t want to follow.

Listen to your story.

Start over from the spot where you lost interest.

And see where the words take you.

[thewritinglifeofjac]

10 Things Writers Don’t Want You To Know 10. We aren't always productive. Some days, the words refuse to transfer from our brain to our fingers and we're left wordless and empty.

[thewritinglifeofjac]

Tip Tuesday: Focus

  Struggling with focus today?

Close your eyes and imagine how it will feel to hold your finished book in your hands.

The pride of accomplishment.

The utter bliss of all you have created and the characters you have brought to life.

Hold to that feeling. Remind yourself that it is all worth it.

Now, get back to writing.

You have a story to tell, after all.

  Exercise: Create a spot you use only…

[thewritinglifeofjac]

10 Ways To Boost Your Creativity

10 Ways To Boost Your Creativity

Ever stare at your laptop and feel like the blank page is mocking you?

Yeah, that feeling. We’re writers, after all. We’ve all been there. We push ourselves until our creativity disappears and we’re left hanging on to the thin web of our sanity, screaming for our brains to KEEP WORKING.

(Maybe that’s just me?)

So how do we boost our creativity?

10. Ask yourself “what if.” Explore the options.…

[thewritinglifeofjac]

How Well Do You Know Your Writer? Take The Quiz!

How Well Do You Know Your Writer? Take The Quiz!

Your writer asks for some alone time. You:

A. Strike up a conversation. That should cheer them up.

B. Leave the room, but talk very loudly outside the door.

C. Give them space.

D. Give them space. . .for ten minutes. After all, they probably changed their mind by now.

  You find your writer crying over her laptop. She tells you she just killed her favorite character. You:

A. Tell her to bring her…

[thewritinglifeofjac]

Writers Tell All: The Best Writing Advice We Ever Received

Writers Tell All: The Best Writing Advice We Ever Received

We may be superheroes (let’s hear it for writers!), but some days we could use a helping hand and a little prodding to keep writing.  After all, the writing journey is filled with unexpected twists, dead ends, and endless backtracking.

Things like writer’s block.

Rejection letters.

So how do we motivate ourselves to keep writing when we feel stuck?

“Just sit down and write! Doesn’t it matter if…

[thewritinglifeofjac]

How To Become A Good Writer

How To Become A Good Writer

Have you ever felt like something was missing? You sit down to write, but fear seizes hold, shuts down your creativity. Or maybe you’ve sent out query after query, only to receive a stream of rejection. Beta readers praise your story, but then comes that ominous pause. “But….”

Maybe the culprit is stilted wording. Lackluster characters. A confusing plot. Sometimes it’s something as simple as…

[thewritinglifeofjac]

10 Myths Your Characters Believe

10 Myths Your Characters Believe

I sat down with your characters for a little heart-to-heart this weekend. Over endless cups of coffee (we connected instantly), your characters spilled a secret: they don’t fully understand you or the story world they inhabit.

Here are 10 myths your characters believe.

Myth 10: Survival is an option. I mean, I survived this far, right? Nothing bad happens near the ending.

Truth: All the bad…