Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 84

How To Develop Your Initial Book Idea

There is nothing quite like the feeling of coming up with a brilliant idea for a new book. It might come to you in a flash when you are relaxing or thinking about other things, you might see or hear something that inspires you, or you might have had the idea at the back of your mind for a long time and feel now is the time to explore it further.

However you happened upon your initial book idea, it can be an exciting time when you get that first spark.

Knowing what to do with it next, however, can be a little more tricky. Writing a novel is no mean feat after all, and while it can be tempting just to jump right in and start, without researching and taking the time to understand your story idea and whether it can work, you can end up in trouble.

Some writers like to simply write and see where it takes them. While this can be freeing and productive, most writers find that they end up backing themselves into a corner. Suddenly their story runs out of steam, or the plot has gotten so complicated there is no keeping track of what is going on, or they have backed themselves into a corner, and there is nowhere left to go.

Finding out that your story isn’t going to work when you’ve already invested time and energy into it can be very disheartening. That's why it is a good idea to take some steps to ensure you can get from chapter one, right through until the end.

So how do you do this?

Shape your idea

Once you have your brilliant initial idea, don’t stop there. Spend lots of time bending and shaping it, experimenting with it and allowing it to grow. Think about your characters motivations, work out how to add unique twists to your plot, push the limits of your imagination by breaking from the mould. One great idea does not make a novel so make sure you spend time adding to it and then chipping away at it and then adding to it again until your idea is something much more sculpted and much more powerful as a result.

Pay attention to everyone and everything.

It’s easy to get too focused on your main characters and too bogged down in the main plot. However, a good book has minor characters and subplots as well, and these should be just as fierce and imaginative and intriguing and fantastic as the rest of your novel. Make sure it has depth and layers and make sure you can tie everything together at the end. When writing your first draft write about everything, include it all, pack your story full of interesting characters and places and things to make it burst from the page.

Give it pace

To write a book, you need enough material to keep it going. If you find that you are struggling to find enough to say or are trying too hard to fill out your chapters, so they are long enough, you’ll soon find your book will feel slow and lethargic. Keep up the energy, pick up the pace and if parts of your plot feel slow, work out how to add drama, to amp them up and drive them forward, so you write a real page-turner.

Get rid of the excess

Once you’ve written your first draft, you can now start to strip it back. Get rid of everything that isn’t necessary, even if it’s brilliantly written. You’ll know when something has no place being in your book, and even though it may hurt to take it out, it’s the only way to make your story truly great.

By implementing these techniques, you’ll take your story from its initial idea to something far more exciting, something tangible, well-developed and ultimately something that you can be truly proud of. Developing your book ideas takes focus, but doing so, and allowing oneself the time to truly explore the creative process will mean that your book will be all the better, and no doubt your readers will think so too!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

The post How To Develop Your Initial Book Idea appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Alternatives To Writing A Book

Many of us start out by knowing that we have something inside us, a burning desire to put our thoughts down on paper, to express ourselves through stories, through our words.

The natural choice seems to be to write a novel. This is the ultimate goal, and sometimes it feels as though writing a novel is the only way to be a successful writer.

The problem is that writing a novel is hard. It’s time-consuming, challenging and we all know that there are very slim chances that we will get our books out there, published and read by many people.

Perhaps it is time that writers considered the alternatives to writing a book? It’s silly that novel writing seems like the be all and end all when there are so many more options out there. Could it be that writers put too many of their hopes and dreams into writing their books, when, if they had stopped and thought about what they wanted to achieve, it might be that an alternative avenue is better for them?

But what are the alternatives to novel writing that we can consider? Let’s take a look at some of them.

Writing a play

Whether for the stage or the radio, there are plenty of opportunities to try your hand at play-writing. Imagine actors realising your vision on the stage! Or writing the next popular radio drama! This could be a fantastic and creative alternative to writing a book.

Writing a blog

Many authors write blogs anyway but tend to try and juggle these with their book writing work. Perhaps it’s time to focus your attention on your blog entirely? Imagine what it could be if you put all your effort into it, and wrote about whatever you wanted? Blog writing can be a great way to boost your profile and make money too!

Short stories

Instead of the mammoth task of writing a book, why not consider writing a short story collection? Writing great short stories requires real skill and is always good practice if you do go on to write a novel later.

Poetry

Have you ever considered trying to write a poetry collection? While being a novelist doesn’t necessarily translate to being good at poetry it could be an exciting side project or alternative. Writing poetry can be very cathartic, can help you tap into your emotions and learn how to be smart with language - all great skills for any writer!

Articles

Of course, there is also always the option of writing articles as a freelance writer! While this may not fulfil your creative needs as much as fiction writing would, freelance writing can be a great way to keep practising, and if you write about your passions you are sure to enjoy it, as well as potentially make some money too!

Film or TV scripts

Why not set your sights sky high and try to write something for the big screen? Or the next popular TV sitcom? There are plenty of opportunities out there to write scripts, and you might just end up making a hit!

There is no reason why you can’t put as much creativity and emotion, and as much of your heart and soul into writing any of the above as you can with a novel. Being a writer doesn’t mean you have to write a book. So perhaps we should all start thinking differently, experimenting with other projects and seeing if maybe we can’t find more success and more satisfaction by turning our attention to writing different things.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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Why You Must Be Patient

It’s easy to fall victim of looking at other people’s success and wishing you were them. When this happens, you won’t get far. You will spend your time looking at other people’s success and by fault, you will neglect your own.

When you ponder on other people’s success, you forget that it didn’t happen overnight. The person you’re looking at took years and years to become successful, you’re only looking at the finished product.

It’s easy to look at the finished product but it’s shining. We all aspire to become the finished product but we forget what it takes to get there. All the trial and error that goes into becoming a finished product ceases to exist in our minds. 

You will not become the finished product overnight. When you’re starting on the journey of success, learn the art of being patient.

When you become patient, you will not give up at the first sight of failure. You understand that failure is part of the process. When others desire success right away and when they can’t achieve it, they give up. You won’t be one of those people. You understand that if you’re patient, eventually you'll achieve your desired success.

Patience will play a virtue on your journey. When you’re patient, not a lot will affect you. You’re able to withstand more than the average person.

When others complain, you keep taking massive action. You don’t let excuses stand in the way of where you want to go. You know excuses are just another obstacle you need to overcome.

Patience leads you to a more fulfilling life. You don’t put this unnecessary pressure on yourself to succeed right away. Instead, you take your time. You put in the daily grind knowing that with each step, you’ll get to where you want to go. When your patient, you will become successful, maybe not right now, but over time.

 Trevor Oldham

The post Why You Must Be Patient appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

How To Work Through Pain

I’m not talking about physical pain because with enough time, you can overcome physical pain. I’m talking about the mental pain of going out there in the world and trying to accomplish your dreams.

The normal path isn’t to go after your dreams, it’s working for the man and being grateful you get a few weeks off for vacation. There are a select few of people in the world who want more than that and if you’re reading this article, you’re one of those people.

Pain comes in many forms, the most notable being the pain of failure. No one wants to fail, but it’s a must on your journey. There will be more than one instance in which you’ll encounter failure.

When you face the pain of failure, you have two options. You can let the pain deter you from going forward or you can work on taking massive action.

It’s not so much that taking massive action heals your pain, it’s that it takes your mind off the pain you’re dealing with. The worst thing you can do to yourself is to give yourself idle time because when you give yourself idle time that’s when you really think about all the pain you’re in.

No matter how many failures you’ve experienced or how much pain you’re dealing with, never give up on your dreams. When you make the conscious decision to give up, you’re going to face more pain than you could’ve ever imagined, the pain of regret.

When you wake up in the morning, don’t think about everything that’s gone wrong in your life.  Start the process of taking action. It’s not going to be easy, but if it was easy, it wouldn’t be worthwhile.

Put your head down and keep working. One day you’ll look back on the pain you went through and you’ll be thankful. You’ll be thankful because it will have made you into the person you are today!

 Trevor Oldham

The post How To Work Through Pain appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

What Skills Does A Good Writer Need?

When it comes to being a successful writer, it’s about so much more than merely putting pen to paper. There are so many skills that a writer needs to employ, not only to write well, but also to cope with the stresses and pressures of the job.

Working on all your skills will keep you being the very best you can be, so let’s take a look at the strengths and skills every writer needs, and how we can work on them to become better, more productive and proficient at what we do.

Communication skills

Being able to openly express your ideas is what being a writer is all about. Of course, it is important to be able to do so on paper. However, having the ability to speak about your ideas, to summarise them succinctly and also listen to feedback from others, and ask the right questions is also so useful when it comes to realising your writing vision.

Observation and detail

Writers need to be super observant. They need to have their eyes wide open at all times and pay attention to the little details of things. Being observant is not just about looking around you, however, it’s also noticing the way people behave, interact and react to one another and the ability to understand and tune into their motivations for doing so. Being a great observer of the world will help you develop your characters and create your own fictional worlds in an authentic and exciting way.

Problem Solving

All writers come up against various problems as they work, and being a good problem solver is so important. You need to be able to analyse your ideas, as well as be impartial and notice the strengths and weaknesses in your text and come up with workable solutions to help your characters overcome obstacles and improve your writing as a whole.

Patience and calm

Writing is all about playing the long game. Not only can it take a long time to pull together a great piece of work, but waiting to hear back from publishers takes ages too. Being calm and positive about your writing, even in the face of rejection will also keep you on the right track and minimize time spent wallowing!

Fearlessness

Writers need to be brave; they need to take risks, to step outside their comfort zone and be okay with launching themselves into the unknown. Playing it safe just doesn’t work for writers so make sure you always write with courage!

Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation skills

On a more practical note, writers should always work to improve their spelling, grammar and punctuation. Doing so will enable them to craft better prose from the outset and reduce time spent editing too.

Research skills

An excellent piece of writing usually requires a lot of research. Being a good researcher takes practice. You need to know where to find information, the right questions to ask and which bits of what you have learnt to include in your story to make it more believable. Researching is a skill that doesn’t come naturally to all writers, but the more you do, the better you will become.

When it comes to being a good writer, it’s all about dedication and practice. If you want to be a professional and productive writer, it is essential that you understand what skills you need, and keep working on them to continually improve.

What skills do you think makes a good writer? Let us know!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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Too Distracted To Write? Try This!

Even the most dedicated and productive writers find that they get distracted from time to time. By understanding what your triggers are and finding ways to refocus and bring your attention back to what is in front of you, you can minimise time spent getting distracted and instead focus on what’s important - your writing!

So what are some good techniques to try when you are feeling too distracted to write? Let’s take a look.

Have a strict schedule

Having a good writing schedule is paramount for any writer. By having a clear schedule, one that you can refer to, and one that is manageable for you, you will know exactly how much you need to get done and by when - this means you have goals outlined and a clear focus from the outset.

Turn off your notifications

E-mail and message pop-ups are naturally going to divert your attention away from what you are doing. Don’t log in to your email, turn off notifications, leave your phone in another room. You could even turn off your wifi so you can’t look at the internet (unless you need it for your work) in order to keep distractions to an absolute minimum.

Take breaks

If you don’t give yourself regular breaks, you’ll find that you end up becoming more and more distracted and less productive as the day goes on. Taking frequent breaks, ones where you allow yourself to indulge in all your favourite distractions means that you can return to your work refreshed and ready to concentrate once more.

Notice what distracts you

We all have those things we know will keep us distracted, whether it’s that pile of ironing or continually checking social media sites. Make sure you are aware of your distractions and figure out how to make them less pressing. You could make sure you do the ironing the night before, for example, and allow yourself 15 minutes every couple of hours to go on social media if that’s your weakness.

Don’t let others get in your way

Make sure you let those around you know that you need to focus and concentrate and you’d appreciate it if they didn’t distract you for as long as you are working. Being clear and vocal about the fact that you want to spend time concentrating on your writing can be really helpful.

Break tasks down

Make sure you make your work more manageable by breaking goals down into smaller tasks. Sometimes when we look a the overall picture, things can feel overwhelming, we don’t know where to start and then naturally get distracted by something else. Having smaller more achievable goals will help us to stay focused and keep progressing too.

Don’t beat yourself up

At the end of the day, you aren’t always going to be able to focus and be productive. We all have days where we find things more difficult, and that’s OK. Sometimes you might just need to give in and indulge in your distractions, don’t beat yourself up about it if you do - you'll just end up wasting more time. Simply start your next writing session with renewed determination, and soon you’ll get yourself back on track.

These top tips on how to beat distraction should keep you focused on the task at hand. So next time you are finding it difficult to concentrate, try these and see if you can get back on track.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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Why You Should Want To Fail

Most people aren’t living their ideal life. That’s not a secret. What is a secret is that you should want to fail.

People go their entire lives afraid of failing and live a life that isn’t exciting. Do you want to go your entire life achieving nothing? Do you want to come and go with no one knowing your name?

When you go to school, you’re told failing is bad and advised against it. Yet, if you want to achieve success, you will need to fail. Look at anyone who has ever become successful, what is something they have in common? All of them failed at one point in their life and overcame it.

Achieving your dreams will be riddled with false starts. You’ll take one step forward and then have to take two steps back. There will be circumstances that arise you couldn’t have imagined in your wildest dreams. The quicker you fail, the quicker you get to achieving success.  

Think about any great author or businessman, they didn’t become that way overnight. It was through years of hard work, dedication, and most of all, failing.

You should embrace failure in your life. If you write a terrible book or start a business that doesn’t work out then you know what doesn’t work! Your goal should be to never repeat the same mistakes you made previously. Failure can be one of the greatest ways to learn and can shorten your learning curve. You can read all the books but there’s nothing quite like real-world experience.

Next time you fail, don’t become discouraged! Understand you’re on the right path towards success. Reflect on your failure and what you can do to improve next time.

When you fail enough, you’ll learn failure isn’t something that’s scary. You’ll realize it’s an essential part of becoming successful. How great will it feel when you overcome failure and finally achieve success?

 Trevor Oldham

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The Best Ways To Enhance Creativity

Being creative is an integral part of being a writer. Without creativity, our ideas dry up, we find it hard to concentrate, and we can’t get into that beautiful writing zone where the words seem to just flow freely from us.

Creativity, and being able to express that creativity is crucial and makes us happier, healthier and more motivated too!

However, even the most creative writers go through periods where they find it difficult for the inspiration to keep coming, and it is all too easy to get stuck in a downward spiral once that happens. For creativity doesn’t like to be pressured, and sometimes the more we try to be creative, the less we find it comes.

So what can we do to enhance our creativity and keep those ideas coming?

Get out there

It’s hard to find inspiration by just sitting in the same place day in day out. Grab your notebook and head out into the world, go for a walk, sit on a bus, head to a cafe. Write down everything that interests you and pay attention to the little details of things.

Listen to music

Music can be so inspiring. Create playlists of tunes that you know will uplift you, energise you and boost your mood. The effect of music to make us feel differently is powerful, so use it to your advantage.

Meditate or just be silent

Sometimes you just need to try and let go of everything, clear your head and just be silent for a while. Meditation is excellent for learning to relieve your mind and let go, so why not give it a try?

Get a second opinion

Talking things through can make all the difference so don’t be afraid to ask for help when you feel as though you are stuck with your writing. Bouncing ideas off someone else and just being around other creative people can leave you feeling inspired and motivated once more.

Have a glass of wine

This might not be for everyone, but having a glass of your favourite tipple can put you in just the right frame of mind to get writing once more!

Exercise

Exercise is known to release feel-good endorphins which will help you relax and feel positive and confident - essential ingredients when it comes to optimising your creativity.

Sleep

If we are sleep deprived, we are more likely to feel anxious, overwhelmed and stressed out. Make sure you get enough sleep to keep you feeling fresh and focused all day long.

Try something new

A new experience can leave us feeling exhilarated and creative. So if you are stuck in the same old routine doing the same things, perhaps it is time to shake things up a little.

Write down your problems

If you think you might be creatively blocked because you have other things on your mind try writing them down. Writing our problems down can put them in perspective, they also mean you have acknowledged them while allowing you to set them aside for a while so you can get on with your writing.

So there you have it, next time you are feeling a little creatively blocked, try these tips to enhance your creativity and soon you should get those creative juices flowing once more.

What do you do to boost your creativity? Let us know!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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How To Get Unstuck In Your Life

When you’re trying to create something greater than yourself in life, it’s easy to be stuck. Maybe you’ve plateaued or you’re not where you want to be. Becoming unstuck isn’t easy, but there are tangible ways to do it.

The first step to becoming unstuck in your life is to get rid of the excuses you have in your life as to why you’re stuck. These excuses come in the form of telling yourself you’re not good enough or that you’ll never have enough. When you make those excuses, you become stuck because you will always be looking for more in your life and can never be satisfied no matter what you do.

To overcome the excuses you’re making for yourself as to why you’re not good enough you need to show gratitude in your life. I recommend you keep a gratitude journal with you and write every positive event that happens to you during the day. No matter how bad you think your day went, there will always be at least one positive event that took place.

By showing gratitude you’re telling yourself you are good enough. You’re good enough to accomplish your wildest dreams, no matter how big they are.

When you make excuses you’re putting limitations on yourself that no one else is. If you think you can’t do something, that’s on you. No one told you that you couldn't do something that was something you made up on your own.

Most of the time you’re stuck in life because you’re not doing something that excites you. You’re in a job you don’t care about and going through the day to day grind. Create new adventures every day so you can wake up with passion and go to bed feeling fulfilled. Start that business you’ve been dreaming about or write the book you’ve always had in your mind.

The key to becoming unstuck is to create an exciting life for yourself!

 Trevor Oldham

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Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Finish Your Book

Writing a book is hard, no one can deny it. You’ve got to put the time and effort in. Even as a bare minimum writing enough words and putting together a story that’s long enough to make into a book is challenging, but if you want it to be any good - well, that’s a different story altogether!

One of the ways to make sure that you have got all the ingredients of a good novel in your book is to have a handy list of questions by your side. While lots of writing is up to the individual, their skill and creativity, there are also certain ingredients that every novel should include.

So while you are writing a book, and certainly before you submit it to publishers or self-publish, ask yourself the following checklist questions to ensure you have done everything you can to make it the best it can possibly be.

Have you done a spelling and grammar check

Have you formatted it correctly?

Is the chronology correct?

Have you used clear language that is easy to understand?

Are your sentences short and to the point?

Is your text readable? Does it flow? Is it too complicated or too obscure?

Do you welcome your reader and invite them in as soon as they begin to read your story?

Have you made sure you never patronise your reader?

Are all your characters necessary?

Do your characters all feel different from one another?

Do your characters all sound the same?

Is it clear whose perspective we are following at all times?

Will your reader be able to identify with your protagonist?

Are you showing or telling?

Does your book have a theme?

What is the genre of your book?

Is the dialogue engaging and realistic?

Does your story build?

Does each chapter end on a cliffhanger?

Is your story easy to follow?

Does your reader care what happens?

Are all the plots and subplots relevant to your story?

Could you summarise your story in just a few sentences?

Does your story start at the right time?

Have you made every word count?

Have you made the reader engage emotionally with your story?

Does your ending leave your reader satisfied?

By asking yourself these questions, you can make sure you have thoroughly checked your book and can feel confident that your readers will be gripped from the very first page to the very last. So before you decide your book is complete, make sure you ask yourself these questions and that you have answers to all of them - if not there is still more work to be done!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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