Meredith Allard's Blog, page 8

What Is Slow Writing and Why Is It Good For You?

My Definition of Slow Writing

I had an interesting time putting this post together. Normally, when I write a post like this I do a little research to help me find others who share a similar opinion. But when I looked for slow writing on several search engines, I didn’t find much. I found some for English teachers who want to incorporate slow writing into their K-12 classrooms. I found some old articles from 2015-1018. Otherwise, nada.

That’s not surprising. Since the indie author revolution began more than a decade ago, there have been so many posts about how to write quickly to get those books published as fast as you can. In fact, when I searched for slow writing, I found more than a few posts with headlines such as “Slow Writer? Here’s How to Fix It!”

I came up with my own definition of slow writing. Here it is:

Slow writing means taking your time. It means thinking things through. It means not rushing to finish just to get it done. It means letting creativity take its course, allowing yourself to daydream, and taking joy in the writing process.

Of course, there are times when we need to write faster. If publishers tell us they need our work by a certain date, then we adhere to that date. I’ve written for publication where I knew the due date and had my work in on time. Usually, these were nonfiction pieces, like posts or articles.

I’m talking about the writing we do first for ourselves. Normally, writing a novel falls under that category. So does essay writing, short story writing, really any writing you do that isn’t under a deadline.

Some People Are Naturally Fast Writers

Whenever I mention a topic like slow writing, some people take offense. But I write quickly! What’s wrong with that?

Absolutely nothing. Whatever your process is, more power to you. Fast writers will find a lot of support since there are many posts on the subject. Though my math skills are limited, I can see the monetary value in having more books published. The more books you have out, the more readers can buy from you.

If you write a genre like romance or mystery where readers have specific expectations about how the story should unfold, it might be easier to produce more books in a shorter period of time. Such writers know what readers expect, and they know how to create a story that conforms to that, so they are more likely to work at a brisk pace.

Why Is Slow Writing Good For You?

If you’re naturally a fast writer, I’m not sure that slowing down will be particularly helpful. If you’re a slower writer like me but you push yourself because you read one too many posts about fast writing, slowing down may help you tap into your natural rhythm.

Slow writing allows you to take the time you need to tell your best story. Slow writing also gives you time to put your story away so you can look at it with fresh eyes. Slow writing helps you connect with the story you want to tell on a deeper level. The better you understand your story, the better you can share it with others. A book written in six weeks is great as far as time commitment but not so great if no one wants to read it.

I love writing fiction above all else. It’s my escape, my dream world, my time with invisible friends. Writing fiction is playtime for me. It’s not something I want to rush through. The book is done when it’s done. Sometimes that’s six months. Sometimes that’s a year. Her Dear & Loving Husband took two years. I had never written a story with two timelines before, and I had to figure out how to make it work. I had the help of a beta reader, which also took time.

I like to dig deeper into my stories. I love discovering the theme. I love foreshadowing, and leaving a trail of breadcrumbs throughout the book requires rewriting to make sure the clues are there. I wrote a bit about foreshadowing here.

I love using poetic devices such as allusion, alliteration, metaphor, simile, euphony, symbolism—you know, everything you learned in English class. The way the sentences flow is important to me too. It takes time to craft the language, and I don’t even get to the crafting stage until the third draft.

Everything that I love about writing fiction takes time. While I don’t produce books as quickly as some writers, when I do finish I have something I’m proud to have my name on. When I look at my favorite authors, they don’t produce several books a year. They produce a book every two or three years, or it might take them even longer.

If you’re a fast writer, that’s wonderful. If you’re a slow writer, you may feel like you’re floating alone in a sea of writers who produce five books a year. You’re not alone. There are many of us out here.

One Tip To Keep Writing (Even When It’s Hard)

Writing Can Be Hard

No matter how much I love to write, sometimes it’s just hard. I don’t mean having writer’s block, although sometimes that’s an issue too.

It can be a challenge to find the motivation, or it can be a challenge to find the time.

I’ve been a professional writer for more than 20 years, and no matter how many obstacles I discover there’s one tip I use to keep writing.

Tip: Give Yourself Doable Writing Assignments

If you look up posts about how many words you should write a day, you’ll see many articles with information about how to increase your word count to make yourself more productive. I had some things to say about writers’ obsessions with productivity here.

Increasing our word count isn’t necessarily a good thing. Yes, you’ll write more words, but more isn’t always better. Besides, if you expect yourself to write 3000 words a day, a number that isn’t feasible for you, then you won’t write at all, which is a shame. Doable writing assignments, writing as little as 100 words a day, may be necessary to help us through those difficult times when writing seems to be an impossible task.

In Bird By Bird, Anne Lamott calls them short assignments–writing only what you can see through a one-inch picture frame. Choose a snippet of a scene you want to write and write that only. This way you’re not pressuring yourself to write an entire book. You’re writing one moment from your scene, and that is a doable assignment.

When I’m writing a first draft, which is the hardest part of writing for me (when I mop the floors instead of writing, and I hate mopping the floors) I write 500 words a day. I don’t stop at 500 words all the time. If I’m in the flow, or in the middle of a thought that I want to see to the end, I’ll keep going.

I’ve been writing long enough that I can punch out 500 words in about 15-20 minutes if I write stream-of-consciousness, which is how I like to write my first draft. I let the ideas flow in the first draft. I’ll figure out how to make sense of it all later. I’ve been writing long enough to know that the story will reveal itself when it’s ready.

500 words a day works for me because it’s not so much that it feels overwhelming, which is always when I put my writing projects aside, but it’s enough to keep the story moving forward. For me, that’s enough. I make progress every day, and if I write Monday through Friday then that’s 2500 words I wrote that week.

How Many Words a Day Should You Write?

That’s a trick question, actually. It depends on your circumstances, how much experience you have as a writer, and how much time you have to devote to writing. Experiment and see what works for you. As long as you’re making time to work toward your goal, whether you’re writing a novel, a memoir, a play, an essay, or anything else, all is well. Maybe you’d do well with a 1000-word-a-day goal. Maybe you’d write more consistently with a smaller goal like 300 words. Whatever that number is for you, do it.

It can be easy to get sucked up into someone else’s idea of how many words a day you should write. It takes time and patience to discover your own best practices.

You Don’t Need To Write Every Day

I know there’s that old saying about how you must write every day. No, you don’t. You don’t need to write at the same time every day either. If you want to be a writer, then yes, you do need to set aside time to write. I suggest writing most days of the week to get into the habit of writing. When you’re in the habit, it’s easier to find the words or the ideas you want. I write during the weekdays and give myself the weekend off. I’ve been doing that for about 20 years now, so that works for me.

Perhaps you’d do better if you write every day. Wonderful! Perhaps you can only find writing time two or three days a week. Superb! Be sure to schedule that time for yourself so you can work towards completing those projects that have been tugging at your heartstrings.

When writing is hard, it’s best to give yourself doable assignments. Don’t listen to anyone but yourself. You get to determine how many words a day you write. If you started with 400 words and realize you’re easily doing 700, then you can try raising your word count. If you set yourself a larger goal like 3000 words and find that it isn’t doable for you, it’s okay to decide that something smaller but more achievable is better.

As writers, our lives are always fluctuating. What worked for us last year, or even pre-COVID, may not work for us now. We can change our goals to reflect the current reality of our lives. We can change anything at any time. That is one of the many joys of being a writer.

Guest Post: Bringing History To Life Through Fiction

Behind the Scenes: How Amy Maroney Brings History To Life

For me, there are three integral steps to writing historical fiction: travel, research, and writing.

Travel is the magic—the pixie dust that sparks my imagination and gives me story and character ideas. Doing research is endlessly fascinating to me. I love disappearing down rabbit holes, following footnotes deep into the past, discovering bits and pieces of interesting lore. When I finally tear myself away from the research, I’m ready to plot out my story and write.

My novels focus on the medieval and Renaissance eras of Europe. I’m American, but I’ve lived in Europe four times. The first experience was during middle school, when I discovered castles, fine art, and historical fiction. I always gravitated toward stories of strong women, and my interest in art developed into a lifelong drawing and painting hobby.

I worked as a writer and editor of nonfiction for many years and dreamed about writing fiction one day. It wasn’t until I hit my mid-forties and was traveling in Europe with my husband and our two young daughters that I resolved to combine my passions for history, art, and books by writing my own historical fiction.

Bellapais Abbey, front view. Kyrenia, Cyprus.

My first trilogy, The Miramonde Series, tells the story of a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail. I got the idea for the series in 2012 when I saw a painting at Oxford University of a sixteenth-century woman, painted by a woman. I wanted to bring to light the real women artists of the era who were lost to history while their male counterparts got all the wall space in museums and, too often, the credit for those female artists’ work. But I still didn’t know quite how to tell the story.

A few months later, the answer came to me through travel. I got the setting for my forgotten woman artist’s world when I journeyed to the Pyrenees and stayed in a restored medieval tower in the tiny Spanish village of Oto.

Not long after that, our family went to the Greek island of Rhodes. It captivated me. I knew deep in my bones I would write about Rhodes one day. Nearly ten years later, I began researching The Sea and Stone Chronicles, which features ordinary people living under the rule of the Knights Hospitaller in medieval Rhodes and Cyprus.

All of my novels have talented, ambitious, courageous heroines, among them artists, a scribe, a healer, a businesswoman, and a historian. What the books also have in common is the fact that these heroines are all fictional. Some of my characters are real historical figures, but my protagonists are always invented people.

Fairy Tale Castle of Saint Hilarion in Northern Cyprus

When I began to plan out The Queen’s Scribe, my latest novel, I had a decision to make. In 1458, Queen Charlotta of Cyprus took the throne alone, held off her power-hungry half-brother’s massive siege and—when her second husband Louis of Savoy proved a weak leader—sailed around the Mediterranean entreating allies to help save her crown. This story was too good not to write. But should I write it from Queen Charlotta’s viewpoint, a diversion from my usual approach?

I was torn. I wanted this book to tell the queen’s story. But I also wanted to write the best book I could possibly write. And using fictional heroines to bring the past to life is what I love. It’s what I do best.

I ultimately decided to tell Queen Charlotta’s tale through the eyes of fictional Estelle de Montavon, daughter of a French falconer. In The Queen’s Scribe, Estelle, a talented scribe and linguist, offers unique value to the Lusignan court of Cyprus, which steadily lost touch with its French roots all through the late medieval era.

Landmarks of Cyprus island – old medieval fortress castle in Kyrenia, Turkish part

Estelle’s language skills become critical when the royal court retreats to Kyrenia Fortress in anticipation of war. As Queen Charlotta voyages across the Mediterranean Sea beseeching allies for help, Estelle is at her side as scribe and interpreter, witnessing every triumph and disaster along the way.

I hope The Queen’s Scribe plays a role in bringing Charlotta of Cyprus back into the light. But most importantly, I hope the story transports people to another world and gives them an immersive escape from their everyday lives. That’s the power of great fiction, in my view. And it’s what I’m always aiming for when I write.

A broken promise. A bitter conflict. And a woman’s elusive chance to love or die.

1458. Young Frenchwoman Estelle de Montavon sails to Cyprus imagining a bright future as tutor to a princess. Instead, she is betrayed by those she loves most—and forced into a dangerous new world of scheming courtiers, vicious power struggles, and the terrifying threat of war.

Determined to flee, Estelle enlists the help of an attractive and mysterious falconer. But on the eve of her escape, fortune’s wheel turns again. She gains entry to Queen Charlotta’s inner circle as a trusted scribe and interpreter, fighting her way to dizzying heights of influence.

Enemies old and new rise from the shadows as Estelle navigates a royal game of cat and mouse between the queen and her powerful half-brother, who wants the throne for himself.

When war comes to the island, Estelle faces a brutal reckoning for her loyalty to the queen. Will the impossible choice looming ahead be her doom—or her salvation?

With this richly-told story of courage, loyalty, and the sustaining power of love, Amy Maroney brings a mesmerizing and forgotten world to vivid life. The Queen’s Scribe is a stand-alone novel in the Sea and Stone Chronicles collection.

Universal Link: https://mybook.to/QueensScribe

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Queens-Scribe-Sea-Stone-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0BX8857Z5/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Queens-Scribe-Sea-Stone-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0BX8857Z5/

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Queens-Scribe-Sea-Stone-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0BX8857Z5/

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Queens-Scribe-Sea-Stone-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0BX8857Z5/

What Is Authentic Writing?

Remembering Why We Became Writers

As I’m writing my second nonfiction book, one of the themes I keep returning to is authentic writing. As a writer, editor, and publisher, I feel as if authentic writing has been pushed aside in favor of writing as quickly as possible, publishing as quickly as possible, and selling as many books as possible.

There’s nothing wrong with writing or publishing quickly if that works for you. And certainly, most authors write with the intention of having our books read. It’s not even the quickness that concerns me. Some people write more quickly than others, that’s all.

I didn’t begin writing with high falutin’ dreams of massive book sales. I began writing for the love of writing. For the love of creating stories and sharing those stories with others. The big dreams–selling a million copies or creating a social media following (also of a million; it’s a nice, round number, after all)–came later.

What Is Authentic Writing?

There isn’t one definition of authentic writing. If you search for authentic writing, you’ll find several definitions, and each is a little different. English teachers think of authentic writing as assignments that are more meaningful to students than randomly assigned prompts. Some refer to authentic writing as writing that comes from true-life stories from the author.

I have my own view of authentic writing. When I refer to authentic writing, I mean writing that falls in line with my creative and personal beliefs.

Just as I’m working toward mindfulness in the rest of my day-to-day life, I’m working toward mindfulness as a writer. I’m learning how to be true to what I really want from my writing career.

Examples of Writing Authentically

Here are a couple of examples of authentic writing from my own experience. The first was when I was writing Her Dear & Loving Husband back in 2010 (seems like a lifetime ago now, I know). A beta reader reviewed an early draft of the novel, then known as The Vampire’s Wife, and she thought I needed to rewrite it. She disliked James Wentworth, the thoughtful professor of English. She thought I should turn him into an alpha male, an attorney perhaps, who fights for women’s rights after what happened to his wife. She also thought I should turn the story into a romance.

To be fair, I did take a lot of advice from the beta reader. But I couldn’t bring myself to change James’ basic personality. I knew James in my very gut. He’s a bookish scholar despite his preternatural nature. Though my original idea for Her Dear & Loving Husband was for the story to be a paranormal romance, after I added the historical background of the Salem Witch Trials it became something else, something better–at least to me.

Another example was when I was writing That You Are Here, a sweet contemporary romance. As I was writing the book I wrote the break-up scene as though it were a play, with the character names, stage direction, and dialogue centered on the page.

An editor thought I had lost my mind for writing the scene like that. But it felt artistically correct to me. When I saw it happening in my mind I pictured the two leads, Andrew and Mark, acting it out as if they were on the stage. Despite the editor’s concerns, I left the scene the way it was. I’ve never regretted that decision.

Sometimes, as writers we have to take chances. Worrying about the market, worrying about how readers will respond, and worrying about anything other than telling the very best story you can is a waste of time. Write your story the way you think it should be told.

Not one reader has complained about the play scene in That You Are Here. James Wentworth has become a book boyfriend for many readers. In fact, readers comment on his gentle nature in only positive ways.

Every time I have gone with my gut and written a book or a scene the way I feel it should be written, I have been rewarded. Not only did I remain true to my vision, but I have found readers who understand what I’m doing and appreciate that I’m willing to take chances in my writing.

Connecting Authentically To The Person I Want To Be

As I’m learning to focus on my breathing, as I practice mindfulness in my everyday life, I’ve realized that I haven’t been very clear about what I actually want from my writing career. As in, what is authentic for me.

A few years ago, I was obsessed with numbers. You name it, I checked it several times a day. Book sales, statistics on advertisements, and when I was into social media I’d constantly check my followers, shares, and likes. I read books about marketing and advertising, though the books repeat the same tips. I started looking at other writers and seeing how many books they sold and tried to figure out why I wasn’t selling as much. Was it my genre? Was I missing something in the marketing department? Could I…? Should I…? The list of things I thought I had to change was endless, and I felt terrible about myself every step of the way.

The thing I love most in the world, writing, became a stressful burden. I even started worrying that I wasn’t writing something that would sell. From the writer who wrote a play as a scene in a novel, I became paralyzed with fear that I was doing everything wrong.

I took a break from writing because I needed a serious rethink. I stopped everything. I put the two book projects I was working on aside. I stopped all marketing and publicity activities. I closed my social media accounts except for a Facebook page that I log into maybe once a week. I stopped checking my book sales. I went cold turkey.

I practiced mindfulness. I started meditating, sometimes by listening to guided meditations, sometimes by listening to meditation music and counting my breath. I began doing yoga again after letting it slide for too many months. I’ve learned some tips on dealing with ruminating thoughts, and the tips have been helpful.

In time, I realized that the mindfulness that I’ve been applying to my daily life had to apply to my writing too. I needed to stop listening to the cacophony of voices telling me how to write, when to write, what genres to write, how to publish, when to publish, and on, and on…

The most important thing I’ve learned is that I need to remain authentic to my vision of writing.

For example, I’m not a fast writer. In fact, by today’s standards, I’m pretty slow. For years, I was down on myself. I’d look at other authors who were publishing three, four, or five books a year and think that I should do the same and I’d beat myself up and say I wasn’t working hard enough. Finally, I can say it’s okay that I’m slow. It’s my process to kick an idea around before I commit myself to it.

I don’t want to focus on genre fiction like romance, science fiction, or mystery. By nature and preference, I’m a literary writer. Oh, but literary novels don’t sell, the gurus say. Literary fiction may not sell as well as genre fiction, but if I’m going to be authentic then I have to write what is in my heart.

Mainly, what I’ve learned is that I have to be honest about what I want from writing. I know what I don’t want. I don’t want to compare myself to anyone else. Comparison is never helpful. I don’t want to feel like my self-worth is tied to my book sales because I know that it isn’t. I learned that I had to stop looking at external sources for my value since I already have value just by showing up.

I write because I want to write. And that is the best reason of all.

More Simple Joys of Journaling: Art Journaling For Writers

Art Journaling is Another Way To Express Creativity

Last week I shared some ideas for journaling for writers. I’ve had a lot of great feedback from that post, so this week I’d like to share a little bit about art journaling, another kind of journaling that helps to get my creative juices flowing

A page from my art journal.

The same rules apply in an art journal as in a written journal, meaning there are no rules. You can create your art journal however you wish.

Learning I Was Creative the Hard Way

I fell in love with art when I took an art history class at university. As much as I love to visit museums, I never thought of myself as an artist. Years ago I dabbled in painting with acrylics, but that didn’t last long.

Once, I tried taking a painting class at the extension university where I was teaching creative writing. The teacher was a short French woman with the oddly elfin look of Dobby from the Harry Potter books. Her dyed jet-black hair was cut into an ear-length 1920s flapper’s bob and she wore round black glasses that took up her whole face.

She tottered around the classroom shrugging at the students’ paintings the way only the French can. There was no instruction. She didn’t give the class any directions. She put some flowers in a vase on a stool at the front of the classroom and told us to paint what we saw.

I looked around the classroom and saw students painting, but I didn’t know where to start. I had never taken an art class. Yes, I love to look at paintings, but looking and painting are two different things. I started painting the flowers in the vase the best I could. Finally, Dobby stopped beside me.

“You are supposed to paint what you see,” she said. “This is what you see?”

Before I could answer, she shrugged and moved on. A little while later she stopped near me again.

“Why is your canvas so small?” she asked. It was my turn to shrug (I’m French too, you know). I didn’t remember there being a canvas size requirement in the class materials list, I said. Dobby opened her arms wide. “If you want to learn to paint, you paint big!”

I told her I didn’t think I was going to learn how to paint from her if she didn’t give us any instructions. I was a complete beginner and knew nothing about painting. Her only response was “Hmpf!” as she tottered away.

Another student next to me said that was just the way the teacher was. I grabbed my materials, left the room, and got a refund for the course fee. I practiced a little on my own but decided I didn’t know what I was doing so I stopped. I was still a wanna-be artist, but I limited my non-writing artistic experiences to watching craft shows on TV.

Finding An Artistic Medium I Could Enjoy

In time, I started coloring, which I loved as a child and still love. Coloring is stress-free since someone else has done the drawing. All I have to do is choose which colors I’m going to use and have fun filling in the blanks.

One Saturday afternoon I was watching one of my favorite craft shows, Scrapbook Soup on PBS with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, and Julie had a guest who talked about art journaling. Certainly, I knew what a written journal was, but art journaling was something new.

Another page from my art journal. So What is Art Journaling?

If you’re not familiar with art journaling, it’s the same as writing journaling except you’re using art supplies like colored pencils, paints, stencils, and stamps. Just as with writing journaling, art journaling is about the process and not about the finished product.

As I mentioned last week, when we keep writing journals we shouldn’t worry about what we’re writing—we’re writing for the sake of writing. It’s the same with an art journal. Art journaling is practice. We’re playing with the supplies, trying out different paints, different styles, and different color combinations without worrying about the final results.

You can art journal on whatever paper you have handy—a bound journal, a composition book, junk mail, old books, or magazines. You don’t need to take art classes. It’s the same learning-by-doing mentality that helps us become writers. Since no one sees my art journal but me, I don’t have to worry about some Dobby hovering over my shoulder shrugging as if I had no business even passing an art supply store.

I started slowly with art journaling, buying some cheap acrylic paints at the discount store, and I already had a pretty good stash of colored pencils, crayons, and markers from my coloring. I had an old sketchbook from the Dobby days, and that became my art journal.

I love stencils because I don’t have to worry about my drawing skills. I added a few paint markers to my stash of art supplies, and I have a box of patterned scrapbook paper because I’ve created scrapbooks on occasion. Art journaling is simply about playing with what you have and allowing yourself to express yourself in whatever way you feel in the moment. The only way to do it wrong is to not do it at all.

Avoiding Comparisonitis

Now, if you’re anything like me and suffer from comparisonitis, you’ll find that it’s very easy to fall into that trap when art journaling. Many of the people who make art journaling videos on YouTube or post their artwork on Pinterest are professional artists. It’s easy to look at their examples and think, “Well, I suck. What’s the point?”

Such thinking goes against the purpose of art journaling. You need to look at the examples as what they are—examples—and then do what you can at that moment. You can make your art journal pages look however you want. You can make them more like scrapbook pages, calendar pages, or anything else that comes to mind. You can paint flowers, stencil flowers, or doodle flowers. If you try something and don’t like it you can paint over it with gesso or work with it. 

Using Your Art Journal For Writing Projects

You can even play with your art journal as a way to work through your writing projects. You could storyboard scenes from your story in your art journal. You could draw or paint portraits of your characters or the setting. You could piece together a collage of various scenes from your story.

Don’t worry about how “good” your art is. This is a journal, not something you’re going to hang on a museum wall. Draw stick people. I do. Just like your written journal, your art journal is for your eyes only. Your art journal is a no-judgment zone where you’re playing with ideas.

Here are some ideas for art journaling for writers from Become a Writer Today. Here are some more art journaling ideas that include writing along with the mixed media element from My Modern Met. Here are even more ideas for your art journal from the good trade.

I studied mixed media journaling as part of my Ph.D. dissertation, so I’m biased about the benefits of such a practice. I won’t bore you with the details, but there is a lot of research about how the mixed-media approach helps people think more deeply.

You can easily incorporate elements of your writing project into your art journal. The only limit is the limit of your imagination.

And one more page from my art journal. Unleashing the Inner Creative

Art journaling was invented for someone like me, who loves to play with paint and color but doesn’t have much background knowledge about how to actually make art. Some of my art journal pages are kind of cool, some are kind of weird, and some are kind of cartoony, but you know what? It’s all good. Anything I do in my art journal is right for me. So there, Dobby!

Anything that sparks our inspiration, whether it’s a written journal, an art journal, coloring pages, reading books by other authors, cooking or baking new recipes, or even going for a walk to enjoy the warmer springtime sun, will be important for our writing. It all goes into the well, and we must keep our creative wells full if we want ideas to work with as we pursue our chosen projects.

Spending time with my art journal reminds me that I am a creative person, and as a writer, I need to keep my creativity close.  

The Simple Joys of Journaling: Journaling For Writers

Journaling Is a Good Habit For Creatives

Many writers keep a journal in one form or another. If you’re like me, you probably have several journals going at once. I don’t write in each of my journals every day; I write in them as needed.

I have a personal journal where I jot down observations about my life. I have a gratitude journal, where I write down three things that I’m grateful for each day. It takes less than five minutes to complete my daily gratitude journal, but when I look back at the things I’ve been grateful for (beautiful sunsets, a cup of coffee, a new cafe I liked) it reminds me to stay positive.

Keeping a Journal Specifically For Writing

I also have a writing journal, one specifically for the books I’m writing. Sometimes I write out bulleted character lists, sometimes I write down ideas for what I need to learn to tell my story, and sometimes I simply brainstorm ideas.

A Handwritten Or a Typed Journal?

Some writers get hung up on how they keep their journals. It doesn’t matter if you handwrite your journal or keep it as a digital file on your computer or your phone. You need to do what works best for you.

Although I’ve gone digital to a large degree, there are still times when I prefer to handwrite my journals in a spiral notebook. In Writing Down the Bones, Natalie Goldberg recommends getting notebooks with cartoon characters on the covers because it prevents you from taking yourself too seriously while you’re writing, which is a great idea, especially when you’re simply journaling and nothing should be taken too seriously. 

Journaling the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper, can seem like a tedious chore to some, but, like Goldberg, I believe there’s a hand-to-heart connection in writing things out longhand. I won’t bore you with the details, but there are studies that say that we tend to absorb information better if we handwrite something as opposed to typing it. If you want to think deeply about what you’re journaling, then you might consider journaling with pen and paper. 

Keeping a Journal Is a Stress-Free Way To Be Creative

One rule for your creativity journal is that no one should see your journal but you. Hide it away if you need to, but your creativity journal is your private space to explore and play. Keeping a creativity journal is one way to invite the muse to visit.

A creativity journal is a perfect place to brainstorm anything about your project. Ideas are born from ideas, and the more ideas you have the better. Don’t worry if an idea is good or bad. Don’t judge your ideas as you’re writing them down. If the idea pops into your brain, write it in your journal. You want a lot of ideas to work with.

What can you write about? Anything you want. You might journal about

Ideas for characters (characters sketches or character questionnaires)Ideas for plotIdeas for settingIdeas for dialogue; conversations between charactersYou can work through scenes you’re having trouble with You can experiment with different points of viewYou can talk to your characters and see what they have to say. They might surprise you!

You might choose to write about topics outside your project to get your creative juices flowing. Here are 365 creative writing prompts from thinkwritten.

Use Images Or Mind Maps For Your Journal

Writers focus on the written word, but you can use images in your journal as well. You could draw mind maps where you write whatever you want to focus on in the center of the page and then jot down corresponding ideas. Here’s a good example of using a Mind Map to plot a novel from thinkwritten.

Here’s a good example of a visual journal from Your Visual Journal. The visual journal can easily be adapted for any creative pursuit.

You can also use a bullet journal for your creative journal. When I wrote The Duchess of Idaho, I used a bullet journal to organize my historical research into life on the Oregon Trail. Here’s an example of bullet journaling for writers from Writer’s Edit.

Even a mood board is a great way to gather ideas for a novel or any creative work in progress. Here are some ideas for a mood board for writers from Milanote.

Morning Pages Or Writing Practice

Julia Cameron refers to this type of journaling as morning pages, where you complete three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing every morning. Natalie Goldberg refers to it as writing practice, where you set a timer for ten minutes, fifteen minutes, or however long you want to write, and you keep your hand moving the entire time without stopping to think about what you’re writing.

This type of stream-of-consciousness writing can be beneficial, especially when you’re stuck and you need room to explore various thoughts, observations, or ideas. Writing for the sake of writing, getting the ideas out of your head and onto paper, is always worthwhile.

Filling Your Creative Well

As writers or any creatives, we need to fill our creative well so that we have food for our creative thoughts. Creatives cannot work in a vacuum. Your creative journal is a place to put your ideas together so that whenever you’re stumped or you need some inspiration, you have easy access to your sparks of inspiration.

Don’t Worry About the Results

The whole purpose of this type of journaling is to create a nonjudgment zone where we feel free to try out new ideas and play. Feel free to try anything, no matter how crazy it seems. As Natalie Goldberg says, feel free to write the worst junk in the world.

Journaling teaches us that it’s okay to create just for the sake of creating. Many of the ideas you try out in your journal won’t end up in your finished product. That’s okay. Your mind had to work its way through all the possibilities before settling on the one that works best.

Journaling For Creativity Is Time Well Spent

However you choose to keep a creative journal, you’ll find the time well spent. It’s important to exercise the creative part of our brains and to learn that we can let our ideas flow easily, no matter how crazy those ideas might seem. In fact, often the craziest ideas are the ones we needed to get our creative juices flowing.

Seven Books About Mindfulness and Self-Acceptance

Mindfulness and Self-Acceptance Book Recommendations

Since my post last week about audiobooks I’ve been enjoying, I’ve been asked for more recommendations about the mindfulness books I’ve been reading. Some of the books are more about acceptance: accepting who you are, the way you are.

Ultimately, the message of these books is that you are all right the way you are–you just have to open yourself enough to see it. Here are seven books about mindfulness and self-acceptance that I recommend.

Be Still and Get Going: A Jewish Meditation Practice for Real Life By Rabbi Alan Lew

I’ve read a number of Rabbi Lew’s books. Lew has an interesting story. He lived as a Buddhist for a number of years before becoming a rabbi, and you can see many Buddhist influences in his suggestions for how to incorporate meditation and mindfulness into your everyday life.

You don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate Rabbi Lew’s message. His observations, tips, and tools will work for anyone.

Emotional AlchemyBy Tara Bennett-Goleman

In Emotional Alchemy, Bennett-Goleman also focuses on Buddhist wisdom as she shows readers how to develop empathy for ourselves and others through mindfulness. Learning to see the world without judgment helps to rewire our brains so that we are no longer our own worst enemies.

Comfortable With Uncertainty: 108 Teachings On Cultivating Fearlessness and CompassionBy Pema Chodron

You’ll notice that there is a Buddhist theme here, but since the Buddhists seem to have it down as far as cultivating mindfulness, it’s not surprising that Buddhists beliefs guide these books.

In Comfortable With Uncertainty, Chodron shares a program of spiritual study. Readers don’t need previous knowledge of Buddhism in order to understand the essential concepts, themes, and practices presented here.

You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present MomentThich Nhat Hanh

I recommended Hanh’s Silence last week as an audiobook. You Are Here also focuses on ideas for practicing mindfulness and staying in the present moment. Always, it comes down to being aware of your breath. That simple act can help to train your brain to stop ruminating (a problem I’ve had a lot recently) and start witnessing the miracle of life everywhere around you. By focusing on your breath, you open yourself up to a more peaceful way of looking at the world.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop TalkingBy Susan Cain

I don’t know a single introvert who doesn’t love Quiet. This was the book that made it okay to admit out loud that we’re introverts and we’re fine the way we are. We’re just wired differently than extroverts. Since our society values extroversion more, too often the strength and skills of introverts have been ignored. Cain’s influential book helped change that.

Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us WholeBy Susan Cain

I read Bittersweet just a few weeks ago and found this just as important for my own self-acceptance as Quiet. To Cain, bittersweet is a state of existence where bitterness and sweetness combine as an outlook on life. If you’re drawn to sad songs, if you’re aware of the poignancy and longing everywhere around us, if you feel the passing of time or the light and dark of our daily lives, then you may just have a bittersweet temperament too.

The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies For Sensitive PeopleBy Judith Orloff, MD

Years ago, a friend realized that I was an empath. I mentioned that I walked into meetings feeling perfectly fine and then I’d listen to others respond in anger or impatience. Afterward, I’d leave the meeting feeling angry and impatient. She was the first one to say to me, “You must be an empath.”

I read everything I could find about empaths, and when I read the traits I said check, check, and check. If you’re an empath, or you think you might be, this book is for you. I’ve learned many tips and tricks for protecting myself from sensory overload, which I’m extremely sensitive to.

These are seven books that I’ve found helpful as I’ve been on my own journey. I hope you find a book here that will help you along yours.

Six Audiobooks I’ve Enjoyed Lately

Looking For Audiobook Recommendations?

As I said in this post, I’ve finally discovered the joy of audiobooks. I joined Audible, which is slightly pricey at $14.99 a month, but at the moment it’s worth it while I’m listening to so many audiobooks.

I’ve enjoyed many of the books I’ve been listening to, and sometimes I’ll even follow along with a printed version of the book. This way, if I miss something because of my hearing loss I still have the text in front of me.

Audiobook recommendations are different than paper or ebook recommendations since it’s not just the book itself I’m recommending–I’m also recommending the narrators and their performances. My recommendations are based on the fact that I enjoyed both the story and the narrator.

As always, my list is eclectic because I have such varied reading tastes. In other words, I’ll read almost everything (yes, including the cereal box, though I haven’t found an audiobook for that yet!).

Middlemarch By George Eliot Narrated By Maureen O’Brien

This isn’t the first time I’ve waxed poetic over Maureen O’Brien’s performance narrating this Victorian-era classic from George Eliot.

I read Middlemarch when I was getting my Master’s degree in English literature, and this is the first time I’ve read it since. O’Brien’s narration is wonderful. Her voices for the many characters make you feel as though you are sitting by a hearth in Middlemarch watching the characters struggle with the challenges of living in a village where everyone knows everyone else’s business. This is Victorian-era literature at its finest.

You can find this edition of Middlemarch here.

The Wind in the Willows By Kenneth Grahame Narrated By Sir Derek Jacobi

I adored The Wind in the Willows as a child, and I still love it. I enjoy revisiting childhood favorites every now and then because these wonderful stories remind me why I fell in love with reading.

Every time I read about Mr. Toad of Toad Hall, I laugh so loudly that people look around to see what I’m doing. There is something magical about this group of animal friends that wins my heart every time.

The engaging voices Sir Derek Jacobi uses in this version, found on YouTube, are exactly what I always imagined the animals to sound like. His voice for Mr. Toad is perfection.

This is an abridged version, so it doesn’t include the side stories about Mole, Ratty, and Badger. But even with its shortened length, Jacobi makes this version worth a listen.

Frankenstein By Mary Shelley Narrated By Dan Stevens

This Gothic classic by Mary Shelley forces us to consider what makes someone human, and what makes someone a monster. Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens narrates this version, and his voice for Victor Frankenstein humanizes the doctor while making clear his neurosis as well as his horror at what he’s done.

I’ve listened to this version with high school English students, and if it can hold their attention then you know the story, and the narration, are compelling.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone By J.K. Rowling Narrated By Jim Dale

The Harry Potter series is another long-time favorite that I like to revisit occasionally. This is the first time I’ve listened to the audiobook version, and I loved every minute of it.

Jim Dale is adored by Harry Potter lovers of all ages. Once, listening to another audiobook, a student said, “That’s Jim Dale!” I asked how she knew and she said, “He narrates the Harry Potter audiobooks.” I loved Dale’s narration as well.

You can find Dale’s narration of Harry Potter here.

A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens Performed By Sir Patrick Stewart

This audiobook is based on Stewart’s one-man play of A Christmas Carol. I was lucky enough to see Stewart perform this play at a small theater in Westwood near UCLA, and to this day it’s one of my favorite things I’ve seen in the theater.

The audiobook displays Stewart’s amazing work as he captures every character’s voice to perfection. I know it’s March, but I can listen to this version of A Christmas Carol any time of year.

Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise By Thich Nhat Hahn Narrated By Dan Woren

I told you this list was eclectic.

Like many of us, lately I’ve been ruminating on the worries of the world. I’ve been reading about meditation and mindfulness as a way to learn to quiet my overactive brain. Even after his death, Hahn remains one of the foremost authorities on matters of mindfulness.

This book is simple and direct as it shares important ideas about what is truly important and what is just noise that we can leave behind. Dan Woren’s simple, direct narration works well since it matches the tone and message of this book.

You can find Woren’s narration of Silence here.

I hope you’ve found an audiobook or two that has caught your interest. If you have a favorite audiobook, let me know. I’m always looking for recommendations.

Calling All Listeners: My Books Are Available as Audiobooks

Do you love to listen to audiobooks?

Thanks to the powers of AI, I’ve been able to turn my books into audiobooks.

Even though I love to read, I resisted audiobooks for a long time. I think it’s because of my hearing loss. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to hear the book clearly, and besides, I love paper books as well as the ease of ebooks.

As an English teacher, I began using audiobooks with my students, especially when we read something challenging. I’ve discovered that listening to certain segments of books can help with comprehension. While I loved listening to audiobooks with my students, I still didn’t consider them for myself.

Finally, a few months ago I took the plunge and listened to an audiobook narrated by an actor I like. Aha! Now I get it! I’ve been listening to audiobooks ever since. Right now I’m listening to Middlemarch by George Eliot, which is narrated by Maureen O’Brien. O’Brien’s performance is superb. If you love George Eliot or Victorian-era literature in general, this edition of Middlemarch is a must-listen.

AI Narration Helps Independent Authors Create Audiobooks

I want to make it clear that my books are AI narrated. AI narration has some wonderful features, and I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to my own books.

As I was putting the audiobooks together, I enjoyed listening to the different voices and deciding which worked best for each book. I used an English male voice for the Hembry Castle books and Down Salem Way and an American female voice for everything else.

AI narration will never replace a talent like Maureen O’Brien, but it helps independent authors like myself make our books available for those who prefer to listen.

Want To Listen To the Loving Husband Trilogy?

My audiobooks are available from my Payhip shop. When you purchase an audiobook you’ll receive a free pdf file and you can listen on your favorite device.

Interested? Check out my Audiobooks page for direct links to each of the audiobooks. Once you’re at my Payhip shop, you can find my ebooks and paperbacks as well.

I hope you find an audiobook you’d like to spend some time with. I think you’ll find the AI narrators entertaining.

If you’ve purchased an audiobook, let me know what you think! You can always find me on the Contact page.

Enjoy!

My Books Are Now Available as Audiobooks!

Thanks to the powers of AI, I’ve been able to make my books available as audiobooks.

Even though I love to read, I resisted audiobooks for a long time. I think it’s because of my hearing loss. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to hear the book clearly, and besides, I love paper books as well as the ease of ebooks.

As an English teacher, I began using audiobooks with my students, especially when we read something challenging. I’ve discovered that listening to certain segments of books can help with comprehension. While I loved listening to audiobooks with my students, I still didn’t consider them for myself.

Finally, a few months ago I took the plunge and listened to an audiobook narrated by an actor I like. Aha! Now I get it! I’ve been listening to audiobooks ever since. Right now I’m listening to Middlemarch by George Eliot, which is narrated by Maureen O’Brien. O’Brien’s performance is superb. If you love George Eliot or Victorian-era literature in general, this edition of Middlemarch is a must-listen.

I want to make it clear that my books are AI narrated. AI narration has some wonderful features, and I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to my own books. As I was putting the audiobooks together, I enjoyed listening to the different voices and deciding which worked best for each book. I used an English male voice for the Hembry Castle books and Down Salem Way and an American female voice for everything else.

The new computer-generated tools are helping more authors turn their books into audiobooks, and I think that is a good thing. AI narration will never replace a talent like Maureen O’Brien, but it helps independent authors like myself make our books available for those who prefer to listen.

My audiobooks are available from my Payhip shop. When you purchase an audiobook you’ll receive mp3 and pdf files, and you can listen on your favorite device. If you’ve never shopped with Payhip, you can check out my Buy page. It’s just as easy to buy from Payhip as it is from other online retailers.

Interested? Check out my Audiobooks page for direct links to each of the audiobooks. Once you’re at my Payhip shop, you can find my ebooks and paperbacks as well.

I hope you find an audiobook you’d like to spend some time with. I think you’ll find the AI narrators entertaining.

If you’ve purchased an audiobook, let me know what you think! You can always find me on the Contact page.

Enjoy!