Motivation – Lyndsey Hall

My Top 3 Tips for Drafting

Writing the first draft is one of my favourite parts of the writing process. (World building and creating magic systems take the top spot). But I know it’s a lot of people’s most hated part, and some of you even prefer editing *shudder*.

So, I thought I’d share a few quick and simple tips for getting that first draft done, whether you’re a plotter or a pantser. Here we go:

Tip 1.

Write a scene/chapter summary at the top of each new page to refer to whenever you get stuck.

Okay, this one is more for the plotters amongst us, but even a lot of pantsers have a general idea of where the story needs to go before it reaches its ultimate conclusion. If you know some of the essential beats or big plot events that will happen in your story, jot them down and paste them throughout your document so that when you finish the first beat you have an idea of the next one. Or, if you’re an outline obsessive, like me, you can write a paragraph at the top of every single chapter so you never find yourself staring at a blank document with no idea what’s supposed to happen next.

Tip 2.

Stop in the middle of the action so you know exactly what’s happening when you come back to it.

This is the one I find the hardest to put into practice, I much prefer ending a writing session with a complete scene, but if you want to hit the ground running the next day, this one works a treat. Just close your laptop mid-battle/kiss/argument/revelation and when you open it again tomorrow you can carry on from there, easing you into a new writing session with as little pain or procrastination as possible.

Tip 3.

Leave yourself a short note about what needs to happen next at the end of each writing session.

This one works if you’re like me and hate to stop in the middle of a scene. When you’re in the flow of the story, you probably know exactly where it’s going next, but you have to stop at some point to eat/walk the dog/socialise with your friends or family. It’s a drag, I know. Just kidding, but if you quickly scribble down a summary of the next scene before you stop for the day, you’ll thank yourself tomorrow when you don’t have to spend ages rereading your last few pages or trying to think of what to write next.

And there you have it, three very simple and effective ways to help yourself get that first draft finished and move on to the next phase of your publishing journey!

Lyndsey

When to shelve your manuscript (and when to just take a break)

Does anyone else find it almost impossible to DNF a book?

What about you, writers, how hard is it to abandon a manuscript you’ve worked on for a long time, but know will never be ready for publishing? Or even, that you’ve simply fallen out of love with?

There’s this concept called the sunk cost fallacy, and I think a lot of us can identify with it. In a nutshell, it means you refuse to give up on something, even when it’s terrible or has come to its natural end, because you think the time and energy you put into it so far will have been wasted if you quit.

It’s used a lot to explain why people stay in relationships and jobs that no longer serve them or make them happy. But it also applies to your creative projects and WIPs.

So, how do you decide when it’s time to abandon your current novel and start working on something new?

Should you shelve your current WIP?

There are a few questions you could ask yourself to determine if it’s time to move on from that book you’ve been writing for years, or that hasn’t gotten any requests from agents or publishers:

Are you hoping to publish it one day, or are you just writing it for fun? (There’s nothing wrong with writing something you’re passionate about but have no intention of sharing, it’s good to have a comfort WIP you can turn to when you need a break)
Does it fit into a recognisable genre and have clear comparative titles?
Is the genre you’re writing in selling/popular right now? (If not, it doesn’t automatically mean you should abandon your WIP, trends come back around and it could be the next big thing!)
Have you had beta readers and editors look at it, and did they enjoy it?
Do you feel as though there’s still work to be done, revisions and edits that will make your story better? (If you feel like you’ve done everything you can and the story still isn’t working, it might be time to shelve the MS)
Do you enjoy working on your story? Do you fall asleep thinking about it and daydream your way through the work day, jotting down snippets of dialogue and ideas for plot twists? (Then it’s probably not quite time to abandon your story! Another round of betas might help you get closer to being publication ready)
Is there another idea or plot bunny that’s been nagging at your brain? (You’re not alone, we all get shiny new ideas, but if you give up on your current WIP every time you get a new plot bunny you’ll never finish a book, so make all the notes you want, and then get back to your WIP!)

We all hit road bumps in our writing journeys, and some days getting the words down is like pulling teeth, because writing is hard. It is hard. But we’re all in this together, even when writing feels lonely, there’s a whole community of us out here who you can reach out to for support and encouragement.

And even if you shelve an MS, that doesn’t mean you can’t take it back out months or even years later, dust it off, and get it ready for the world to read. We need your stories!

Lyndsey

You Are Enough

It has been a long and stressful couple of years. I think it’s safe to say we’ve all been challenged, we’ve all found it difficult or exhausting at times, and we’re all looking forward to the day this pandemic is considered officially over.

If you’ve found yourself feeling down or hopeless recently, you’re not alone. Many of us feel exactly the same, and it might be difficult to pinpoint the specific feeling or the reason for it, but it’s likely that your resources are completely drained after a second year of being asked to give more than you have, to endure more than you can feasibly endure, to live under the weight of an unbearable weight.

What has been asked of us these past 22 months has been beyond anything we were prepared for or could ever have anticipated, and it will have an effect for years to come, but we’re all in it together.

It’s Not Possible to Give Your Best All of the Time

If you’re anything like me, you probably find yourself thinking or even muttering aloud “I’m doing my best” at least once a day. Well, I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to give your best all the time. Stretching yourself to the maximum isn’t supposed to be sustainable, it’s there for when you need an extra little boost to reach a particular goal or achieve a dream. Your basic level of productivity and activity is absolutely good enough for your day to day life. Anyone who expects more is asking too much of you and may need a reminder of your boundaries.

You are good enough, you weren’t put on the planet to produce and you don’t owe anybody anything, certainly not “your best” 100% of the time.

Write this on a post it note and stick it to your mirror:

If you were always at your best, it wouldn’t be your best, it would be your normal.

You Are Enough

Just being yourself is enough. So, next time you find yourself wondering why you’re struggling, remember: you’re finding it hard because it is hard.

Next time you find yourself thinking “I’m doing my best”, remember: your best is not required 100% of the time, you’re normal is good enough.

Next time you find yourself feeling like you’re not doing enough, being enough, giving enough of yourself, remember: you are enough.

Lyndsey