Checking In: How's writing going?
Hello and Salam alaykum friends,
How are you doing? How is your writing going? Do you need help with anything? OR are you flying through your WIP?
This week hasn’t been so great because life, and my writing hasn’t been going either. I also have a deadline for two assignments next week (don’t ask how it’s going), and while I would have been justified in skipping this week’s letter, I didn’t want to break my promise to myself.
I recently read this lovely interview with an author, focused on not being afraid to change your writing style, and I wanted to share it with you! Here’s a snippet:
Start your project with a beat sheet! As a recovering pantser, I used to think that plotting a novel to beats would turn it into a formula and strip the process of all its magic. I wasn’t a mathematician, I was an artiste. But after writing a couple of books that needed massive, torturous revision because their plots were so erratic—and signing with an agent who likes to see synopses upfront—I knew I needed a better way.
Writing habits can be scary to change because they feel so sacred. Every time I sit down to write I tap into a sort of magic that I can’t quite explain, and messing with any part of the process is intimidating. But a critique partner recommended Jami Gold’s Basic Beat Sheet to me, so I put on my big girl pants and decided to give it a try.
Have you ever explored a different approach in writing because your usual method wasn’t working? How did that go?
P.S. Don’t forget to check out this list for writing competitions from time to time if you need some inspiration!
If you found this beneficial at all, please shout about it to your family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances!
Till next Friday,
Suad