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Writers Listen

How To Use Storytelling To Process Your Negative Emotions

by Fausat Abiola March 6, 2023

written by Fausat Abiola

Dealing with negative emotions is a part of our experiences as humans.

Particularly for writers, dealing with negative emotions such as anxiety, stress, doubt, or frustration, destabilizes us mentally and emotionally, which causes a shift in our creative productivity.

These feelings are inescapable because we live in an imperfect world, and there’ll come a time in your writing career when you’ll have to deal with one or a confluence of these negative feelings.

What Are Negative Emotions?

Negative emotions are unpleasant or uncomfortable feelings, such as anger, sadness, frustration, worry, guilt, shame, or despair that wreck our minds apart.

Personal experiences, disputes, or difficult situations might trigger these emotions in your life and affect your self-care and your mental and emotional well-being.

Common Cause Of Negative Emotions For Writers May Include-

Life Events

Personal experiences, such as losing a loved one, a breakup, a conflict, or a traumatic experience, can trigger negative emotions.

Creative Struggles

When your writing plan doesn’t follow through, or there’s a gap in your goals or expectations, it’s natural to feel frustrated, anxious, or disappointed.

Rejection

Receiving rejection from publishers, agents, or readers can lead to feelings of disappointment and frustration.

Comparison To Others

It’s easy to compare yourself as a writer, especially a budding one, to others.

Comparing yourself to other successful writers or feeling envious of their success can lead to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.

Internal pressure

Putting pressure on yourself to complete a project on time or to a certain standard may lead to experiencing tension and anxiety.

How To Use Storytelling To Process Your Negative Emotions

How To Deal With Negative Emotions

Dealing with or processing negative emotions is extremely difficult, especially for burgeoning writers.

It takes several layers of self-acceptance, conviction, self-motivation, and sheer will to push through these feelings, including harnessing the one key ingredients you’re blessed with.

Soul-writing.

You may not know it, but writing is therapeutic, and you can use it to process emotions — negative, positive, or uncertain feelings.

There are many ways writing can help engage with your feelings, especially when you harness the power of storytelling.

Telling your story in any form you choose, is a powerful tool for self-expression and processing your negative emotions.

It allows you to make sense of your experiences, gain insight into your thoughts and feelings, and connect with yourself on a deeper level.

How To Use Storytelling To Process Negative Emotions

As a writer, you can use soul-writing in storytelling to process your negative emotions and better understand your feelings.

Processing your negative emotions through storytelling provides you with a rich source of emotional material and even gives you insight into the human experience and the intricacies of the human predicament.

7 Tips On How To Use Storytelling To Process Your Negative Emotions-

Narrate Your Experience

Narrating your experience helps clarify your thoughts and feelings.

I know it’s sometimes hard to get vulnerable on paper, but writing gives you a chance to express yourself in a safe and controlled environment.

It creates room for you to reflect on your experiences from the perspective of your pain or negative feelings.

Countless times in my life, I have used storytelling to sort through my feelings, and each time, it has helped me much.

Whenever I do this, I ask myself three questions. As my feelings surface in response to these three questions, I find my feeling flowing more easily through my story.

I ask myself these questions: How do I feel? How do I want to feel? How do I manifest through affirmation, cleaner, and healthier feelings?

If there is any leftover stagnant energy, this last question helps to deal with it.

Transform Your Story

Once you have written or shared your story, consider transforming it into something positive.

This involves re-framing your negative experiences, focusing on the lessons learned, and writing a new ending that represents your desired outcome.

Give Your Emotions To A Character

This is ideal for you as a writer. You can create a character and allow him/her to manifest your current emotions.

You can also describe the character’s traits, expressions, and feelings to mirror yours. In this manner, you are personifying your current feelings and releasing them.

Personifying your negative emotions enables you to detach yourself and separate your mind from the sensation by letting go.

Join A Storytelling Community

Joining a storytelling community, such as a writing group or therapy group, provides you with a safe and accepting space to share your story and make connections with people who have had similar experiences.

Also, a community makes you feel safe discussing your feelings because they have comparable experiences and you can trust them to help you feel heard and understood.

They can also create a safe environment in which you can process your feelings and gain new insights.

Write About Your Personal Growth

Explore the positive sides of how you’ve grown because of your struggles by documenting your thoughts and feelings in writing.

Putting your thoughts on paper can help you gain perspective, find optimism, and strengthen your resolve for positivity.

Explore Different Emotions In Third Person Form

When writing about your negative emotions, try to be specific about what you’re feeling. Write about anger, sadness, frustration, or any other relevant emotion.

This helps you get a better handle on your feelings and gives you a clearer picture of what you’re going through. There is a catch. You should do it in the third person.

By doing this, you detach yourself from your feelings and allow them to fill the space you are not a part of, as therapy.

Use Storytelling In Therapy

Therapy provides a safe and confidential space for you to explore your emotions and work through any negative experiences.

Agreeing to see a therapist helps you gain insight into your thoughts and feelings, and to develop new coping strategies for dealing with your negative emotions.

Endnotes

It’s important to note that you are different and your triggers are different, and so are your processes.

Not every tip listed here may help you effectively process your emotions, but some of them may be the right outlet for you.

By using storytelling to process your negative emotions, you can find a healthy outlet for your feelings and develop a deeper understanding of yourself.

March 6, 2023 0 comment

Boost Your Productivity Writers Listen

Poor Personal And Creative Habits Affecting Your Morning Writing Routine

by O.J Ebubeoha February 1, 2023

written by O.J Ebubeoha

You may have heard that building a writing routine increases your productivity. What no one talks about are the poor personal and creative habits affecting your morning writing routine that could ruin all your hard work if left unchecked.

What’s Your Creative Morning Routine?

Creative morning routines are a series of scheduled creative activities you have lined up to accomplish in the morning before the world awakes and distractions filter through.

It is an effective personalized system you develop to accomplish creative goals and tick off items in your writing schedule before tackling a new day.

What Are Personal Habits?

Personal habits are things you repeatedly do that can make or break you as an individual.

You subconsciously develop these habits and they lean toward being of either good or bad influence on your daily routines.

Examples of personal habits include drinking water, meditating, and exercising.

What Are Creative Habits?

Creative habits are writing habits cultivated to foster a system that guarantees productivity, consistency, and mastery in your writing craft.

These habits are conscious actions developed and nurtured to help you grow as a writer, make progress on a steady scale, achieve targeted writing goals, build your craft, and create a routine that effortlessly blends with your daily life.

Examples of creative habits: writing/ journaling daily, researching, reading, training your focus, etcetera.

Poor Personal And Creative Habits Affecting Your Morning Writing Routine

How Does Indulging Poor Personal and Creative Habit Affect Your Morning Routines?

Unconsciously developing poor personal and creative habits bleeds into your morning routine, disrupting your workflow systems or halting it entirely.

This causes glitches that could widen over time and affect your creative capacity as a writer and derail your goals.

I have made a list of 5 poor personal and creative habits affecting your morning writing routines and obvious solutions to tackle each.

5 Poor Personal And Creative Habits Affecting Your Morning Writing Routines

Going To Bed Stressed

Stress is a trigger for experiencing burnout.

Although sometimes unavoidable, going to bed stressed is a poor personal habit affecting your creative morning writing routine.

Constantly allowing your body to stretch beyond its limits without making out time to rejuvenate and practice proper self-care will eventually force your body to repair itself by shutting down entirely. Read these 5 DIY mental wellness tips for writers.

Often when this happens, it’ll take a lot more than courage and motivation to get back into your creative routines because there’s already an existing in your routine.

This may also give rise to feelings of procrastination, writer’s block, lack of consistency, and productivity toward your creative goals.

Ensure that you practice mindful self-care routines to ease your body and mind off the stress of the day before bed.

You could make a habit of going for short evening strolls, listening to soul podcasts or music, watching a movie or relaxing comedy, or taking a warm bath.

Poor Eating Habits

Neglecting to provide the nourishment your body needs to stay active, vibrant, and productive will bleed into your creative morning writing routine.

Imagine trying to concentrate at 3 am without having had any form of nourishment the previous day. It is a disaster waiting to happen.

It will slice your concentration in half and make your thoughts erratic. The constant reminder from your growling belly will only make staying up unbearable if you do not eventually succumb to its demands and go food hunting.

Maybe skipping your meals a few times won’t degenerate into this, but consistently indulging your poor eating habits will eventually affect your creative morning routine as a writer.

Not only will indulging in poor eating habits affect your morning routine, but it could also cause abdominal and clinical problems like indigestion, and ulcers, amongst others.

To curb this habit, you can create a daily meal plan for yourself and support it with a planner or checklist to ensure you stay accountable.

Cumbersome Creative Morning Work Plan

One of the best ways to have a productive writing morning is to make a creative work plan that is achievable within your creative time.

If don’t design your work plan to produce SMART results, it will affect your creative morning routine as a writer.

Instead of aiming to write 5000 words between 3 am to 5 am, choose to add writing 2000 words to your list as your smart goal.

This ensures that your morning work plan is simple enough to stimulate your creativity instead of stifling it with anxiety. Hence, you can confidently set out to write 2000 words in two hours.

If eventually you surpass that plan, it’ll become a bonus for your daily progress.

Obeying the rules of simplicity is better. Planning for less and aiming for more is much more achievable than planning for more and achieving less.

Cluttered Work Space

Waking up to a cluttered workspace taints your creative morning. It is an absolute mood killer.

It is as irritating as it is distracting to spend part of your scheduled morning creative time trying to make room for creative work when you have handled that task the night before.

It is a poor personal and creative habit to leave your workspace cluttered and unprepared for productive work the next day.

This habit not only eats into your time, it sometimes turns off your creative flow and creates room for distractions to follow.

Always ensure to leave your workspace de-cluttered before bed, to allow you to dive straight into work when you get up in the morning.

Project Heavy lifting

A simple word for project heavy lifting is lack of a working outline.

Predictably, you won’t get any productive work done if the outline of your work isn’t ready.

Imagine scheduling to write a blog article between 3 am to 5 am, but you have no topic to write on?

Scheduling to do your project heavy lifting within your creative time will give rise to creative fatigue because you’ll rapidly stay stuck in that research cycle instead of writing, which doesn’t count for having a productive morning except that was your plan for the day.

You can avoid wasting your morning by preparing your work outline beforehand. That way, you only channel your focus on completing your scheduled work for the morning.

Endnotes:

Having a productive, creative morning is achievable when you set your priorities in order before it’s time to work.

Stop allowing these habits to ruin your hard work and bleed into your creativity.

It may seem like nothing, but a combination of two or three poor habits could have devastating effects on your productivity and consistency in the long run.

February 1, 2023 0 comment

Guests Posts Personal Development

6 Intentional Growth Strategies For Burgeoning Writers

by Toby Funsho January 27, 2023

written by Toby Funsho

You may have made firm resolutions to pursue intentional growth as a writer this New Year. To achieve that, you will need new intentional growth strategies and a plan to elevate yourself, even as a burgeoning writer.

A lot happened in the last year. You probably were inconsistent, lacked motivation, were less productive, and feel concerned about your efforts.

It’s also understandable that even with a firm resolution carved in stone, you still have no idea how to grow as a burgeoning writer this New Year.

I have outlined six growth strategies to help you succeed effortlessly and fall in love with your writing journey again.

Six Growth Strategies For Burgeoning Writers

Have The Right Mindset

The idea of growth first blossoms in your mind.

With a defeated mindset, it is impossible to hold your conviction on any possibility of growth and success with your writing. You need to develop a positive growth mindset to conquer the battle of the mind.

Sporting a negative growth mindset already defeated the aim of success before writers even encounter real challenges. So, settle in your mind that you will excel, irrespective of your challenges.

Encourage yourself to find conviction in the conscious, positive steps you are taking to keep improving and getting better.

Manifesting affirmative words is important to help your subconscious mind align with your growth mindset because if you can see it, you can be it.

Be Authentic

Be you! Your writing skills are so unique to you alone. Do not act like somebody else, because no one can write as powerfully as you can.

You’d love yourself even more if you discovered what distinguishes you from every other writer. Do not allow the success of other writers to intimidate you, rather, challenge yourself to strive for excellence!

Show up as your authentic self, and your readers, who can see through any facade of pretense, would love you for who you are.

With authenticity and an aura of originality, in your writing, you can shine in your natural habitat, so find the niche you love passionately and serve your audience.

6 Intentional Growth Strategies For Burgeoning Writers

Enjoy The Process

Most writers are only interested in the results. 1000 YouTube subscribers in a month. 12k followers and over 100k in sales of books in the shortest time possible.

You can’t skip the process and expect to get the same results.

Growth takes time. The process is tedious and gets boring along the way sometimes. However, if you can follow through, the results will amaze you.

What do you do on those long, lonely nights? With several rejections and rejected manuscripts.

Your goals may not manifest within one month of intentionality. It’s going to take time. And if all your fixation and obsession is on results only, you will become frustrated and anxious.

But when you are obsessed with the process, your efforts will cumulatively pay forward. So, go with the flow!

Start with picking a niche that resonates with you, such that when you hit a wall in your writing journey, you can still hang in there.

Show Up Consistently

Consistency is a skill you must learn now. It does not mean showing up every day. It is showing up on the days you have agreed to show up for your brand.

It means embodying discipline as a life principle to help you stay focused on your commitments and goals for yourself as a burgeoning writer.

The more you show up, the more you are present in the minds of your audience, and the more they’ll come to like and trust you.

Develop Your Writing Skills

Developing your writing skills is the most important strategy of all. Learning never ends. So, stay on top of your game as a writer.

Constantly practicing and implementing what you’ve learned will set you up for success and set you apart from the crowd.

Read books, take up writing courses, and read blog posts. Just stay up to date, not just so you can have contents to churn out to your audience, but for you.

First, grow for yourself before anyone else. So, this year, plan to invest in yourself.

Find A Community

To grow faster, belong to a community of creatives.

When you find a community that aligns with your needs as a burgeoning writer, it makes your writing process a lot easier and enjoyable.

Writing communities are significant and helpful in all areas. There are knowledgeable individuals in these communities who are ready to guide you through your journey, those on the same level as you, and even those with whom you are more knowledgeable.

A community provides you with opportunities and keeps you from slacking if you’re actively involved. You will also have people who encourage you to keep on track.

Being among people journeying to the same place as you help focus your mind, motivate, and fuel your drive, rather than trying to figure things out on your own.

Endnotes

If you are already familiar with these strategies, please keep at them. If you are not, then re-read this and get to work.

I hope to see you excel this year beyond the previous years. You can do it. And like my friend Jane always says, ‘I’m rooting for you!’

January 27, 2023 2 comments

Creative Writing Guests Posts

5 Reasons You Are Stuck Writing Your First Book As A Newbie Writer

by Toby Funsho September 21, 2022

written by Toby Funsho

The idea of writing a book has been idealized even among newbie writers as the greatest goldmine, yet there are several reasons you are stuck writing your first book and unable to live that dream.

Capturing your ideas, experiences, and knowledge into a book poses you as knowledgeable and an authority in whatever genre you choose to write in; however, several new writers never make it past the idea stage and many get stuck writing their first book.

The excitement has worn off and pressure is beginning to set in. Some may eventually conclude that writing a book to completion is tedious, demanding, and unachievable.

In essence, they quit writing and give up pursuing their creative passion barely a mile into the race.

Outlined below are the 5 reasons you are stuck writing your first book as a newbie writer.

You Have No Writing Experience

It’s quite easy to belittle a task until you are faced with the same. ‘Writing a book is easy, you might say,’ but in reality, it’s not as easy.

Writing takes a lot of mental hard work, research, and the ability to convey your message in a way your reader understands and can relate to – that’s definitely not for the weak.

As a newbie writer, jumping to write a book because you’ve got some fantastic ideas, without first practicing how to write the right way is like putting the cart before the horse.

It’s doomed to fail! That is a possible reason you are stuck writing your first book.

Gather momentum, start with writing consistently on your social media pages, develop your writing skill, and then launch into your book project.

These simple writing habits and processes prepare you for success as a newbie writer.

Perfectionism

Being a perfectionist has its perks and as good as that may sound, it does quite the opposite in writing. As a newbie writer, your first book might not be perfect, the earlier you accept this, the better.

No one; absolutely no one had their first attempt at writing a book perfectly (that’s not an excuse to write crap though). But focusing more on polishing your book will only stall the process.

Truth is, your growth is more important and that only happens when you consistently practice. The more you write, the more you are criticized, and then the better you become.

Edit, edit, edit, and then it’ll go into the trash because you end up feeling like it’s not good enough. Do not fall for that trap and cut your editor some slack. They’ll do the perfecting for you.

Editing While Writing

Nothing slows you down or distracts you more than trying to edit while writing especially as a newbie writer. This will not only break your creative flow, but it will also take you a long time to finish your book.

It is better to take time out to write and finish your first draft before diving into editing in detail. This gives you the opportunity to capture all your ideas uninterrupted.

As tempting as it might be to jump into the editing process as you write, I advise you to quell the urge to do so, especially as a newbie, because it’ll slow down your writing progress.

Juggling Multiple Book Projects

As a newbie writer, resist the temptation to write multiple books at the same time. Taking up multiple projects gets your attention divided, drained, and confused as hell and you’d end up with half-written books.

Resist this as much as you can.

When Ideas might drop randomly as you write, store them up on your notepads or whatever device you choose and refer to them later. These ideas can be developed into beautiful and captivating stories that can serve as your next book project.

This doesn’t mean you can’t juggle essays, short stories, and articles. The emphasis is on lengthy book projects.

Lack Of Discipline

Getting the story idea or any idea whatsoever is the most thrilling part of writing a book, but soon enough the whole excitement begins to dwindle and the reality of the task ahead begins to settle in.

Every author has had to go through this, so you are not alone.

What would take you through to the end is discipline. Discipline helps you focus more on your end goal (to become an author) and less on any distractions. It also applies to your personal life. No discipline, no achievements, right?

Did you know only 80% of books started by authors are completed by consistently showing up?

You should do the same. Set deadlines — daily, weekly, and monthly and meet them. This is the best way to measure your progress as a writer.

Showing up constantly isn’t easy and requires extraordinary discipline, but when you carefully master the art of consistently showing up, completing your book project becomes achievable.

September 21, 2022 0 comment

Writers Listen

How To Fail As A First-Time Published Author In 15 Simple Ways

by Jane Anne June 27, 2022

written by Jane Anne

I’m certain this post isn’t for you. But, if you have made up your mind to be careless with your career as an aspiring author and fail as a first-time published author, then this post was written for you.

No one wants to be associated with the term failure, the same way no one plans to deliberately fail at something.

Failure is one of the greatest fears of every aspiring author, but in truth, it will happen because of the little inconsistencies and mistakes you made with your creative piece.

If we’re honest, what makes something impossible is not our fear. Rather, it is our indifference.

― Craig D. Lounsbrough

Every creator – you and me inclusive – strives for success, and every young, aspiring, and budding author like you, dreams to become a successfully published author one day.

To achieve that status of success, you’ll have to first set up yourself to achieve those accolades and write your first book of course.

This means you’ll need to sacrifice a lot to get where you have envisioned for yourself.

However, there is a thin line between success and failure, and you could fall prey to these subtle – not so subtle – factors that will jeopardize your strive for success as a first-time published author.

You may not believe me, but it is easier to fail at being a published author than you think because writing a book isn’t about its quantity, how dedicated you were to write your story, or how long it took to finish it; it is about all the little parts that make your story exceptional even as a beginner.

So, if you wish to succeed as a published author, this post is not for you.

But if you are hellbent on committing career suicide, I have taken my time to outline 15 simple tips on how to fail as a first-time published author.

15 Simple Tips on How to Fail As A First-Time Published Author

How to Fail – Tip #1

Don’t concern yourself with writing a compelling and relatable story. Just chug out as many words as possible, slap in a few unrealistic twists, and spin your tale however you wish because that is all that’s needed in a story.

How to Fail – Tip #2

Do not – I repeat – Do not concern yourself to check for typographical errors, plot holes, timeline mix-ups, and whatnot. Don’t do that. Instead, I beg you to allow it to jump out of the pages and scare your readers to hell.

How to Fail – Tip #3

Don’t concern yourself with reworking/re-examining your first draft after you are done. I bet it is a total waste of creative energy that could be spent elsewhere, whereas, you are confident that your readers have the psychic abilities to sift through all that mess.

How to Fail – Tip #4

Do not concern yourself with making your book covers look professionally made and genre-based. It is dangerous territory to even think about it. I strongly advise you to slip on your designing hat – get one if you don’t have one yet – and design away at your will. That will surely do the trick for you.

How to Fail – Tip #5

Writing an engaging blurb is tiring and inconsequential since it just sits pretty at the back of your book cover. So, do not concern yourself with such strenuous exercise because your readers will magically decipher what your story is about from your poorly designed cover and still rush in headfirst to get your book.

Kudos to you. Your plan to fail is already in motion.

How to Fail – Tip #6

Having an online presence is tedious, demanding, and very stressful, so, do not concern yourself with making an appearance. Everyone should know – without being told – that you are an author and should be accorded recognition as such.

How to Fail – Tip #7

Formatting your book interior is for fools who have enough time to waste on futile endeavors. Why bother formatting when you can slam your words together on a page and hit the big black publish button and be well on your way?

So, avoid it at all costs since your readers will be able to navigate and differentiate between chapters on their own.

How to Fail – Tip #8

Who says creating an author’s website is necessary? To solidify your depths of failure, don’t concern yourself with having a platform to call your own. Anyone seeking to know more about you should ask around or pick up the phone.

How to Fail – Tip #9

Don’t concern yourself with marketing and publicity for your book even before you draft it. All the work is done after writing and publishing your book because the rest is up to the world to decide and your lucky charm to sustain.

How to Fail – Tip #10

Don’t concern yourself with budgeting for your book publishing project. Everything you need to make your book successful will fall like manna from heaven for your sake. Nicely thought, author.

How to Fail – Bonus Tip: Make unrealistic expectations about your published book and give up when you realize those expectations aren’t obtainable in reality.

How to Fail – Tip #11

Do not concern yourself with asking for feedback and reviews from your audience. Assume they already know what to do – like rating your book, leaving reviews, or reposting/resharing. Yes, assumption works just fine too.

How to Fail – Tip #12

Don’t concern yourself with publishing across many online platforms, rather keep all your eggs in one basket by publishing only your sites for private eyes only. This is exactly how your book will sell out on tons and make you successful and a bestseller.

How to Fail – Tip #13

Publishing only e-book copies and thinking your work is done. Do not bother about creating and publishing your story in other formats like – paperbacks, hardbacks, and audiobooks (If you can afford them) – for diverse readers and reading communities.

Rather, expect readers to change their taste in reading materials for your sake. That is an awesome idea, author.

How to Fail – Tip #14

Seal up your creative spring after publishing your first book. Do not be bothered with writing/drafting other stories to add to your portfolio as an author, because that one book will do the trick for you. If it worked for others, it should work for you too.

Keep flogging that horse. It’s worth it.

How to fail – Tip #15

Showing up on your social pages is a total waste of precious time that should be diverted elsewhere. Do not be bothered to share your reviews, story snippets, teasers, short excerpts, shares, and what not to entice your audience. Go AWOL on your audience and allow your potential audience to do the background checks themselves.

That about seals the lid on your efforts to effortlessly fail as a first-time published author which is just perfect.

Endnotes:

Writing and publishing your first book isn’t all there is to becoming a successful first-time author. There is a whole lot more involved from the minute you begin to nurse the idea of your story, writing your story, and publishing it.

I shot myself in the foot with half the tips listed but eventually retraced my steps as I learned more and gained insights into the world of writing and publishing.

In hindsight, this post was written to guide you away from self-destruction and career suicide traps you may be setting for yourself because you didn’t know better.

But, now that you know better, and still wish to go ahead with these tips, by all means, be my most esteemed guest.

Did you find this post useful? What are your thoughts on matters of failure?

June 27, 2022 0 comment

How To Kill Your Creative Passion In 15 Exciting Ways

Writers Listen

How To Kill Your Creative Passion As An Aspiring Author In 15 Exciting Ways

by Jane Anne June 20, 2022

written by Jane Anne

There are certain habits you exhibit as an aspiring author that will put a dent in your efforts and ensure your creative passion never progresses beyond the thoughts and aspirations in your mind.

Possessing the gift of creativity is not enough to develop into something more than mere dreams and wishes. It needs actions and a pattern of conscious activities strung together to give life to your passion.

However, if you want to make sure your creative passion never sees the light of day or you deeply intend to make sure nothing good ever comes from exploring your gifts, I have put together 15 exciting tips on how to kill your creative passion without stress.

To make sure you execute the creative kill plan well, try these 15 murder tips.

Murder Tip #1: Entertain Doubts

Finding reasons not to pursue your creative passion because you keep doubting your capabilities and strength is a great way to execute the kill plan.

Murder Tip #2: Accept Defeat

Deciding from the outset that your passion for writing is a lost cause, and shoving it away because you believe it isn’t worth a shot before you even try, is a perfect way to take the kill shot.

Murder Tip #3: Ignore Learning

Believing that what you know is good enough, and refusing to explore your areas of interest in writing or learning the basics and rules guiding your genre/niche, is an excellent way to swallow the red pill.

Murder Tip #4: Disregard Personal Development

As a professor of the know-it-all department, if you decide that taking writing courses, learning from the wealth of writing materials on the internet, asking questions, and being inquisitive about your art is a waste of your precious time, then who am I to stop you when you desperately want to tie the noose around your neck?

By all means, take the leap.

Murder Tip #5: Bite More Than You Can Chew

You watch how daring James Bond is in his movies and admire how John Wick is invincible on his turf, then you decide to reach beyond the skies instead of taking it a step at a time. I assure you that the kill shot is waiting to be fired.

Murder Tip #6: Don’t Ask for Help

When you prefer to do all the work alone rather than reach out to ask for guidance, you’re setting up yourself to be crushed under the weight of the work to be done.

Murder Tip #7: Become A Jack of All Trades

Instead of picking a genre you are comfortable writing in, or a set of niches to blend with your taste and style, you decide to dip your ink into everything while dabbling your way through the writing process is the fastest way to murder your passion.

Murder Tip #8: Ignore Author Branding

Refusing to acknowledge the usefulness of building your author brand as you begin your writing journey as a budding author is one of the easiest, surefire ways to shoot yourself in the foot.

Murder Tip #9: Avoid Networking Like a Plague

Instead of creating meaningful connections within your community, nurturing your audience, and building a family of loyal supporters who will help promote your author brand and literary works as an aspiring author, you choose to fly solo and avoid it all.

Congratulations on your prime efforts, it will be duly rewarded in kind.

Murder Tip #10: Keep Your Creative Passion Hidden

Harboring feelings that your passion for writing and storytelling is best kept a secret from the world because you’re scared to share your gift or scared of criticisms and backlash.

Murder Tip #11: Disregard the Importance of Research

Disregarding the most important writing criteria is an excellent way to go way over the top with your kill plan.

Murder Tip #12: Become Disillusioned by the Prospects of Wealth

Holding on to the illusion of making a million hits with your first shot at writing is a great way to prepare your mind for the imminent death of your blossoming passion.

Murder Tip #13: Frown at Criticisms

Entertaining thoughts that your work of art is a perfect masterpiece and you frown at criticism and disregard corrections, you are inevitably drawing closer to the end of the line of your creative adventures.

Murder Tip #14: Impatience

As a creative, patience is a needed virtue to attain success.

Marching through your creative journey with an attitude of impatience your creative journey will be an excruciatingly painful and bitter one.

In the long run, it’ll become unbearable and lead you to quit.

Murder Tip #15: Entertain Fear

It’s safe to say there is no need to even begin your creative journey when fear holds you back.

I guess we’ll never know how beautiful your gift of creativity would have turned out or how revolutionary your stories would have been because believed in the crusher of dreams.

Entertaining the feelings of fear does not harm you because your passion will simply remain as it was, an untapped gift.

Endnotes

The thought of exploring your creative passion can be scary and filled with a list of valid reasons you shouldn’t give your dream a shot, but there is no reward without risk and no progress without a plan.

Deciding to become an author demands a lot of commitment, courage, determination, patience, consistency, and the hunger to learn from you, which ultimately molds you for success and recognition in the world of creative arts.

Entertaining the thoughts of giving up on everything before you even try is a notion to be dispelled and repelled by your thoughts because it will surely cause more harm than good.

Your passion for creativity is a gift. Do not shove it down the drain because you’re too scared to try.

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June 20, 2022 4 comments

Creative Writing Writers Listen

10 Unrealistic Writing Expectations Aspiring Authors Have VS Reality

by Jane Anne June 6, 2022

written by Jane Anne

Every aspiring author desires to be famous like their role models. There is a burning desire deep within you to smash the barriers and emerge successful with your newfound endeavors.

I’m also willing to bet, that you have all these colorful ideas about how to sail your ship, navigate the storm before you, and get productive results from writing and publishing your first book.

Well, you aren’t wrong. It’s okay and very practical to have a plan about how to begin your career as an author, yet, there are a few gray areas I’ll love to point out to you, which in the long run might become a great stumbling block to your motivation to keep pushing forward because you’ve made it out to be what it isn’t.

The worst thing that can happen to you as you make progress with your career is realizing barely halfway through, that you were very wrong about a lot of things and made terrible mistakes along the way believing what you assumed.

These expectations that you have as an aspiring author are valid, but oftentimes, they are mere expectations and assumptions which are a far cry from the reality of things as a published author.

In this article, I’ll be sharing 10 unrealistic writing expectations aspiring authors have Vs the practical reality of things.

What are Writing Expectations?

Writing expectations are those strong beliefs, assumptions, predictions, and hopeful projections that aspiring authors conjure in their minds about the entire writing process and journey before venturing into writing, learning about the process, or beginning their journey as an author.

These beliefs are usually based on what the author wants, what they’ve seen others become, the stories they’ve been told or heard, the need to be like their role models, and the zeal to be different and make the best out of their passion.

As valid as these expectations are, oftentimes, they do not turn out exactly as you may have predicted.

The fact is that your grand plan may fall apart within the first few months of testing the waters and leave you in utter dismay, because the path to success for one author may never work for you.

What is the validity of writing expectations?

While sticking strictly to your writing expectations as an aspiring author can be very harmful to your growth, it is best if you consider using these projections as a base to build upon as you evolve with your craft.

This way, it serves as a guide and motivation for you instead of a yardstick to measure up to.

There is a need to revamp your mindset about writing expectations, dissect these harmful thoughts and accept that things aren’t always going to go as planned.

Writing Expectations Vs Reality

Here are a few of the many writing expectations aspiring authors tend to conjure up in their minds Vs the actual reality of how might turn out to be.

Writing Expectation #1: Writing a bestseller on your first try

You expect to hit the goldmine with your story on the first try. You passionately have this desire to write a bestseller and award-winning badass story that will make the world halt on its spinning axis.

That is an amazing and beautiful plan but,

In Reality

Your first story may or may not get you very far. It could take your second, fifth, or tenth story to get you close enough to actualize that goal.

It doesn’t mean, your first story was whack or unappealing. No, it simply means you’ve got to keep going until you get there.

Writing Expectation #2: Selling out millions of copies with your first book

There is a general mindset that as soon as your story is done, it automatically becomes a money-making machine. There is this staunch drive to pour everything you’ve got into your first book and ensure it delivers on the money-making front.

While in Reality

Your first book may not sell millions of copies or thousands or hundreds. It may barely make you enough to count six zeroes.

View your first book as a fishing bait to lure the fish to your hook. Treat it as a marketing tool for your author brand and use it to draw in your target readers for future projects.

Your first book may or may not sell out in millions, but you can take advantage of it in several ways to mark your stand as a published author.

Writing Expectations #3: Gaining recognition as soon as you publish your book

Authors entertain this belief about gaining fame as soon as their first book is officially released. There is this anticipation around publishing your book that induces the mind into believing your book is a straight gateway to fame.

While in Reality

Your book is a ticket that gains you access into the world of published authors, it demands you do the work to gain recognition. Publishing your book alone doesn’t guarantee you recognition if you do not put yourself and your author brand out there.

Writing Expectations #4: Growing your reader base with ease

Authors expect to attract and grow a large reader base once their book is published. It is believed that readers should be clamoring to read your books as soon as you announce their release or introduce yourself as authors, which creates a sinking feeling when such doesn’t happen as expected.

Because in Reality

Readers have a preference for the types of books they read and will choose to read stories from a trusted and recognized author rather than a newbie author, unless, you prove to your target audience that your story is worth their time and it delivers exactly the thrill it promises.

To gain this ground and avoid feelings of disappointment, ensure you have a robust plan for pre-launch, launch, and post-launch campaigns to help you bridge the gap between your expectations and what’s obtainable in reality.

Writing Expectations #5: Always have the motivation to write

You may be tempted to believe or begin to assume that writing is easy and there will always be stories waiting to be written when you want them to be written. You assume ideas are infinite, your enthusiasm will always be there and the creative ideas will remain robust as ever, whilst it isn’t always the case.

In Reality

Writing is hard. It is demanding, tasking, intrusive and time-consuming. You may not always have the motivation to write or have any exciting ideas to write about all the time. You may have to create your motivations to write and develop habits to help you maintain consistency and stay productive as an author.

Balancing your creative work life and personal life may become tedious if you do not create a channel that works for you, so in truth, the writing journey isn’t always rosy but it evolves as you mature and grow.

Writing Expectations #6: Believing your book will sell itself

The expectations to sell out millions of copies are driven by the staunch belief that your book will sell itself and that a book market is a friendly place for all authors.

Whilst in Reality

The book market is a dogged and competitive place with thousands of books released every day. You need to be more than a self-published author to sell your books.

Without proper marketing and advertising plan, your book may only sell a handful of copies.

Writing Expectations #7: Assuming you can do it

One of the biggest mistakes you will ever make is believing you will be able to pull off the jobs of the writer, graphic designer, publisher, editor, proofreader, reviewer, marketer, and publicist in one go. It is a big ask for a newbie author and a dangerous path to tread.

Because in Reality

You cannot do it all. 90% of the time, you need to focus on writing your stories rather than having to divide your time between activities that can be outsourced to professionals.

It is very understandable that you are just starting as an author and cannot bear the financial burden that comes with publishing a book the right way; I suggest you don’t overwhelm yourself and do the best that you can.

Do not rush your release, but rather, take your time to check all the boxes before you hit the publish button.

Writing Expectations #8: Expecting only one book to do the trick

Believing that only one book is enough to carry you over the precipice of fame and recognition may be too far-fetched for a self-published author as against a traditionally published author.

In Reality

One book may or may not do the trick for you.

For traditional publishing, it takes away the burden of doing major parts of publishing and marketing your book yourself and paving way for the recognition of the author’s book because of the team behind the book. It is not to say that this holds for every author and every book.

Self-publishing engages the author full-time and leaves major parts of marketing and publishing in your hands. Having a strong strategy behind your first book will pave the way for your recognition as an author, but it may take more than one book to hit the mark you desire.

Both traditional and self-published authors build authority around their niche by publishing consistently and creating buzz around old and new projects.

Writing Expectations #9: Believing your first draft is enough

As wrong as this thought might be, it is one of the deadliest assumptions to make as a newbie author. Publishing your first draft out of excitement to have a story is a recipe for bad reviews, loss of authenticity, loss of readers, and reputational damage as an author.

Because in Reality

Your first draft needs more work. Your first draft is supposed to be a collection of raw, unfiltered words that brings your story to life.

Such a manuscript is not enough because it needs more work. Your first draft is undoubtedly riddled with mistakes, plot holes, and grammatical errors and requires structuring and development.

Take your time with your first draft, find an editor within your budget to do the work for you, then ensure you’ve got all the bases of your story covered before you proceed to prepare it for publishing and marketing.

Writing Expectations #10: Expecting everyone to love your story

Many authors fall into the fantasy of believing their stories will be loved by everyone and expect to have stellar reviews all the time. Having these kinds of thoughts doesn’t prepare your mind for the blowback from negative reviews which will leave you devastated if you don’t anticipate it.

Because in Reality

There are trolls everywhere. Your story will be subjected to scrutiny and not everyone will like your story or love your style of writing.

The best way to work through this is to expect the unexpected, celebrate your reviews and take constructive criticism from the negative reviews to improve your skills or make amends for lacking areas of your writing style.

Endnotes

Having expectations as an author isn’t such a bad idea, but it works in tandem when it is tailored to the actual reality obtainable in the writing world. The best way to bridge the gap between your expectations and reality is to be present and emerge yourself in the process before you decide to become a published author.

Tailoring your expectations to obtainable reality will help you avoid unnecessary setbacks and condition your mind to be prepared for anything.

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June 6, 2022 0 comment

Writers Listen

5 Costly Mistakes To Avoid As An Aspiring Author

by Jane Anne February 21, 2022

written by Jane Anne

The essence of learning is to be better.

The essence of change is to thrive, grow and develop because of the level of information acquired and knowledge absorbed during that change process.

Mistakes are inevitable because it is meant to teach us a lesson and we are expected to learn from them and avoid making the same errors again. Now, some mistakes are costlier than others because spilled milk can never be recovered.

The beginning is always rough for every young and aspiring author, there are bound to be several mistakes made along the path especially if you are planning to independently publish your literary works. Learning from experience is paramount to positive change but sometimes, it is way easier to learn from the mistakes of others.

I am a self-published Contemporary Romance and Erotic Author, but before I settled for this, I have written crime fiction, non-fiction anthologies, short stories anthology, self-help parenting guide, and some more, all of which taught me a lot in the long run.

There are mistakes I’ve made, that I need to share with you, so you don’t make the same errors and pay dearly for them with your time, money, energy, and sanity, because I paid for them and still paying for them.

Starting this journey takes a lot of guts and a personal declaration of accepting the pains and joys that will come with the process, but beginning without an anchor is far worse because at some point all the efforts you have put into becoming who you are will feel wasted and inconsequential in proportion to the cost incurred because of errors made in the process.

Here are 5 Costly Mistakes To Avoid As An Aspiring Author that cost me a lot to fix and some are irreparably unfixable – don’t neglect these mistakes or regret them later.

1. Starting Without Choosing A Genre/Niche

Kill me already.

Don’t ever make the mistake of not defining your choice of genre or niche or sub-niche before you begin to think of writing anything at all. Choosing a genre is important because it will help you pick a niche to identify with and a sub-niche to explore further if you want.

As stated above, I have written several stories in a different genre that although I am proud of it, isn’t what drives me. I can’t undo that error because these books are in my original name which hinders me from separating my romance books from all other types of books I have written.

Picking a genre early on will help you focus and narrow down your wandering mind on a subset that will give you room to flesh out stories that are particular to your area of concentration.

Alternatively, if you find it important to try your hand at different other types of a genre so you can pick and choose what you’re good at, I suggest doing so by writing short stories or novellas, published under a pen name.

This way, when you are ready to go all out to the world, you will present yourself as a learned professional in the making who understands the antics of the game.

2. Learning About The Writing Craft After Writing Your Book

That is a bold X checkmark on this point.

I did it, you shouldn’t do the same. It’s wrong and will cost you dearly because there is a lot you’ll not be able to amend after the deed has been done.

It is exciting and intoxicating to jump right into creating stories and pouring out our ideas onto paper, racing towards the finish line to get our work out there as soon as possible but as much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, you’re making a grave mistake.

In my resource ebook: Authors: Get It Right From The Start – I made a detailed outline of 30 things I wish I did as an Aspiring Author, broken down into 30 checklist boxes and four (4) subheadings.

You shouldn’t jump in blindly without taking out time to make extensive research about the writing craft, especially about the Genre you’re interested to write in. I eventually worked my way back to learning these secrets, at which point, I had already published some books and now have to find time to work on them.

This doesn’t have to be you.

3. Disregarding The Rules of Success In The Industry

Success comes from networking.

You cannot write your book and wait for the heavens to show you to the world. No. You’ve got to put yourself out there for the world to see, do not allow FEAR to hinder your progress or stop you from doing what’s right because you don’t know how people will receive you.

There are rules to succeeding in the writing industry, one of which is to show up and engage. I wasn’t savvy at any social media platform and was so shy, that I curated the kind of content I posted online.

First I was shy about writing erotica and romance and didn’t want to associate my books with me in person until I started getting the push from my support team to put me out there.

In all honesty, I have come a long way since October 2020 and you can do the same too.

When you learn about the industry, you find out subtle things/steps it will take you to stand out and join the moving train. Don’t ignore it. Implement it, if you can, or adopt a similar style if you can’t.

4. Doing All The Work Alone

This is the most burdensome of all.

A man/woman is not an island of himself. You need help to pull through in your early stages because you do not know enough to carry you through on your own. I tried it and I must say, it was hard.

There are things other humans can do for you and some things simple tools online can help you achieve with ease. Use as much of the help you can get from both ends.

Writing is hectic on its own, topped off by editing, cover designs, branding, setting up, and formatting, which is difficult to carry out all on your own.

I had to change most of my covers at least twice because I designed them myself. Editing is a bitch and still is a bitch – I only discovered Grammarly at the end of 2021 after writing books for an entire year which I know now, needs a revisiting.

It is going to be exhausting, back-breaking work that will drag into my productive time, so I’m just going to hand it over to someone else to do it while I focus on the now.

Find out ways you can make your process easy and less painful with the aim of getting it right from the start. Don’t present your work haphazardly or it comes back to bite you hard in the ass – like mine.

5. Unprofessionalism

This is the highest height of it all.

Naivety exists and is a real thing at the start of your journey when you are on a quest to acquire more knowledge about your craft, build an audience, show up to the world, and advertise who you are while waiting to make connections. It is the tentative steps we take towards breaking out of shells, it doesn’t mean you have to be unprofessional about it.

Simply coming out to announce that you are an author does nothing to place you on the microscopic scale of emerging authors because you are not perceived as ready to be heard.

There are basics to put in place before you even begin to think of talking about your story and these I have outlined in detail in my Ebook: Authors: Get It Right From The Start.

This checklist will help you ground your feet in the foundation of things to do before you begin to show up. It gives you an air of authority without even publishing a single book. It makes people stop and interact with you, it gives you a brand representation of who you are and speaks for you even before you are present.

Take advantage of the opportunity to stand out from the crowd and do the right thing first before jumping headfirst into writing.

Endnotes

The fact that I’m guilty of all these mistakes and many more is the reason I have created this blog post for authors like me who are currently stuck in a loop and can’t get around these mistakes.

This is also created for the proactive author who is mindful of her profession and wants to excel the right way, free of chargebacks and unnecessary costly mistakes that can easily be avoided.

February 21, 2022 0 comment

Writers Listen

7 Greatest Fears of Every Aspiring Author

by Jane Anne February 14, 2022

written by Jane Anne

FEAR – False Emotions Appearing Real

These 7 greatest fears of every aspiring writer aren’t real, and there has never been a more potent aspiration killer than the ominous four-letter word that has nothing to do with who you are and what you are capable of as a creative.

It is a trick the mind plays on your faulty thoughts, amplifying what you have come to perceive about yourself or what you are about to do and magnifying the intensity of that thought in all the wrong directions.

Deciding to become an author is the easy part but eventually starting is always the hardest. There are a trillion reasons why you should pursue becoming an author, same as there are a million and one reasons why you’d chicken out at the last minute – that’s where FEAR comes in to take the throne.

The amount of time you give to the negative aspects of becoming an author, the more inclined you are to forgo the benefits and prestige that come with writing your own story and putting yourself out there.

Here are the 7 Greatest Fears Of Every Aspiring Author at the start of their Career and positive affirmations to conquer them.

1. I’m Not Good Enough

In the ocean of so many renowned authors, however, will I be able to compete with such greatness? Where do I begin to rank up to these people? How can make a difference with my story when there are so many better creative works out there that surpass mine in every way?

You are UNIQUE. So, begin by being YOU.

You are not in competition with anyone, only yourself. It is worthless and a waste of time to begin your journey thinking about how to rank up when you should be more focused on becoming better at being You.

Every author has a unique voice, a different approach, and a different perspective on things that will always make you stand out. Do not think, ever, that no one will read your story before you even begin to write it.

Why allow a possibility that has even occurred yet to hinder your decision to share your story with the world. We live in a world where value knows no gender or status and opportunity doesn’t select by experience.

You can be the next big hit, all you have to do is affirm that you are willing to give your decision a shot to sprout and grow, believe it and go for it.

2. I Can’t Write Great Stories

Yes, You Can.

No author began writing such great stories from their very first book. I’m sure, if you searched under the pile of your favorite author’s catalog, you’d find some jaw-dropping books that’d make you wonder how they ever wrote such a story.

It’s called Growth.

Learning and development are continuous processes in every aspect of your life, so, it’s no different when you decide to become an author. You’d have to learn and unlearn some things so you can grow.

Start small, find your voice, understand your writing patterns, write out what you are passionate about, make a list of what drives you or things you’d like to change then piece these together and pick you’re your genre from there.

Play around with your stories, write them short at first and weigh the feel. If it doesn’t sit well with you, change it up a bit and try something new, until you become more confident in your abilities as a writer.

This is the best to become more informed about the kind of stories you are passionate about, then go all in and develop yourself in that area, learning all you can about writing books in that genre.

With each story you craft, you grow a little better and an inch closer to writing great stories. It’s not a secret gotten from Jupiter, it’s reality.

3. Nobody Will Read My Stories

For the love of all that is fair, stop limiting yourself with words that have proven to be faulty over and again. Who told you that nobody will read your books? That’s a blatant, flat-out lie.

Your story is a reflection of your experiences in life, your values, beliefs, core passion, and perception which will resonate with someone. If you are sharing a story of what you have experienced in life, there’s someone out there who is, was, or might be going through such at the moment and needs your words to guide them through that dark path.

Do not underestimate the power of words, it is the most powerful tool and a gift that can make or break a person.

Someone out there needs your story. So, write it.

4. I Don’t Know How/Where To Begin

Excuses will not get you far, so also will beginning on the wrong foot hinder your progress in the long run. As much as you shouldn’t allow the phobia of newly starting to overwhelm you, do not dive in headfirst without the proper knowledge.

In my resource ebook: Authors: Get It Right From The Start I made a detailed checklist of the four major parts of beginning the writing journey every budding author should take advantage of before starting.

Mistakes were made, and lessons were learned, which led to the creation of this ebook, which is available to help guide you through your uncertainties about starting.

By the time you’re done implementing the 30 things on that checklist, I’m pretty sure you’ll be a lot more confident about putting yourself out there and making history with your literary works.

5. Being An Author Is Not Profitable

I beg to disagree.

Being an author provides you with various opportunities to tap into, paves the way for recognition, awards you with the prestigious badge of honor of becoming a published author, and can make you a nice income when you begin to gain traction.

These will not happen overnight. It won’t happen in three months or six months, but with dedication and commitment, in time, it will.

Becoming an author doesn’t limit you to only writing books, there are several other options to choose from, but you’ve got to master the skills involved in professionally utilizing those options.

I’ll recommend you get this ebook: Create, Distribute and Monetize Your Content From Anywhere to Everywhere. This will help you have a solid foundation on how to monetize your content and grow from scratch.

Do not shy away from pursuing your passion and embracing your creativity because of the perception of others towards it. Know your onions and the rest will follow.

6. Being An Author Is Time Consuming

Everything good thing comes at a price. What is worth doing, is worth doing well.

Studying is time-consuming, yet we give four to six unguaranteed years of our lives to it. Your work is time-consuming, yet you spend 8-10 hrs. of your life doing something that isn’t yours to keep. You have no time for yourself, yet you spend 3-4hrs on social media, just scrolling past funny videos and having a hearty laugh after the end of a long day.

You may love your job, but it isn’t yours to keep or own. School is important so we learn and develop more on what we’ve learned. Social is great, but it’s another man’s platform, we only rented a room there for as long as we are allowed.

If you did all the above, why then, won’t you make out time to create a digital portfolio to call your own. Why won’t you take 1hr out of the 3hrs spent on social media and dedicate it yourself?

Is it so much to ask, that you’d rather not pursue your passion but choose to work passionately on someone else’s?

Think about it.

7. What Will People Think About Me

That right there is the biggest bullshit of all – pardon my language.

I write Erotica and Contemporary Romance and I’m proud of it. Did I feel the same way at first as you’re feeling now, yes?

It wasn’t easy opening up about how much I wanted to not write non-fiction and just dive into writing steamy, toe-curling stories about guilty pleasures and wanton desires, but eventually I realized that what people thought about me didn’t stop my name from being on the cover of these books and having the published tag on it.

The perception of others didn’t make me less creative or stop the readers on various platforms from reading these books and enjoying them, so, why should you?

Learn The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck – it’s an actual book by the way – and Appreciate Your Gift of Creativity – this is also an actual older blog post of mine – because Your Craft is Nothing to Be Ashamed Of – another blog post of mine.

People will always think something about you, why not give them a good reason to spread the word better and draw more attention to yourself for all the right reasons.

This is reality. Let them talk. Just do you.

Endnotes

Overcoming your FEAR as an aspiring/budding author with high hopes and expectations will not happen overnight. It’ll take you some time to toughen it out and grow a thick skin especially when you begin to gain traction and the reviews start pouring in.

Take out time to make a list of what you are afraid of, then strike them out by writing a positive affirmation beside it and reading it aloud anytime you feel those false emotions rising to the surface.

Dear Author, you can do this.

February 14, 2022 0 comment

Creative Writing

5 Reasons Why Crafting Your Story is a Struggle

by Jane Anne February 7, 2022

written by Jane Anne

Do you struggle with crafting your story? Have you ever felt the tension of sitting in an examination hall with a blank sheet and no idea what to write because suddenly, you feel like there’s been a memory wipe and all you’ve read is gone?

That sucks, doesn’t it?

But check this out.

The same scenario occurs two-seat down your aisle but the student doesn’t panic, rather he begins with the ones whose answers can be found in the question, then pulls the thread from there until the floodgates of information open up and the answers begin to pour forth.

That’s how it should be with crafting your story.

Attacking your story without pulling at the tiny threads, listening to your characters, falling in love with your plot, letting your story lead, acknowledging the importance of listening to the needs of your story other than yours, then there’s a high tendency you are on a collision course with frustration, burn out, mind wipe and creative exhaustion.

It is of great importance to note that, your manuscript has a life of its own. The minute you begin to think about a story, it becomes a separate entity with a mind and abilities of its own. That is why, no two-story – even with the same title – can ever be the same.

Wanting to create the perfect story without allowing the process to lead and guide your writing journey, then there will undoubtedly be a problem in a long run.

Here are 5 Reasons Why Crafting Your Story Is A Struggle and You have found it challenging to connect with the process – An Excerpt From My Ebook: Let Your Manuscript Speak

1. You Are Not In Sync With Your Script

Frustration starts early when your story begins to feel daunting and you cannot figure out how to advance your plot.

Writing without connecting with your script is a colossal waste of creative energy – just like sitting in that examination hall with a blank sheet and deciding to scribble the first thing that comes to mind.

Building sync with your script is simply allowing it to drive your creative energy, piecing together the plots as it occurs and pushing it upward from there.

Do not insist to write out a character, infuse a scene or import a subplot when the story doesn’t call out for one, it may eventually create a gaping hole in your plot that will be staggering to refill in the long run.

2. Not Paying Enough Attention To The Needs Of Your Story

Neglecting to figure out what your story needs at every turn of a chapter and forcing your thoughts onto its pages, is as good as shooting yourself in the foot.

Begin the next chapter based on the chapter before it or two chapters before it. For multiple-character narration stories, it could take different forms, depending on whose turn it is to show up and continue their story.

Always listen to what your story needs at every turn – should it be exciting, sad, emotional, adventurous, corny, or evil – not just slap on a new page and expect the words to flow like magic.

I’m afraid, that even magic may not help you turn that story into a meaningful work of art.

3. Trying Too Hard To Force Your Ideas Into The Story

Great stories are challenging and demand you follow their lead.

Remaining rigid and begrudgingly refusing to accept these changes is a script bomb waiting to explode.

Why insist on a romantic scene when the characters aren’t showing signs of advancing towards one yet? Why make your character suddenly decide to act out of proportion without proper motive or actions that suddenly changes his character archetype?

The point remains, that if you’re struggling with your manuscript, then you’re doing something wrong.

4. Reluctant To Form An Alliance

You own your story, your script owns itself.

Invariably, it is the boss of you and demands to be heard. Write all you want, but if you do not listen to what your script is preaching at every point, you’ll always struggle with advancing your plot.

As an entity on its own, there is a need to build collaborative energy between yourself and your WIP, without which one end would try to dominate the other.

This is where plotlines can be tweaked to suit both partners and drive the story in an unexpected, spicy, and breathtakingly suspenseful direction that will keep your audience glued to their seats and take their breaths away because they’d never see it coming.

5. Fear of Changing Your Drafted Plot

This has got to be the worst of the worst.

Sticking to the tee by the plot on your draft board is an excellent way to throw the door wide open and welcome frustration in. It is also a great time to buy more waste bin bags because it will soon rain crunched papers.

The one constant thing is change, both in life and in any profession. It is the same with crafting your story.

When your story leads, it is written with heart and soul in it; but when the board leads, it is written on a monotone dial that may or may not give room for the perfect synchronization between author and story.

To gain mastery of how to write a story with considerable ease, create a meaningful connection with your script, and craft stories from your heart, I recommend you get a copy of this Free Resource Ebook to Learn more.

February 7, 2022 0 comment

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