6 Tips to Add to Your Writing Cheat Sheet

As we dive into the NaNo Prep season, we’ve asked NaNoWriMo participants who’ve published their NaNo-novels for their writing tips on everything from inspiration to avoiding plot holes. Today, J. C. Lane, author of Tag, You’re Dead , shares six things she wished she knew when she first started writing:

As with most things in life, it’s hard to know what to expect from a writing career until you’re in the midst of it. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way that would have been helpful to know from the start! I hope they answer some of those questions you didn’t know you had…

Writer’s block is not really a thing. 

There is no gate crashing down in your brain to stop you from writing. Your muse does not suddenly turn her back on you. But there are such things as writing yourself into a corner, forcing a story down an incorrect path, and allowing a deadline to paralyze you. 

If you find yourself at a standstill, take a deep breath and go back to the beginning to take a fresh look at what you’re doing and see where things went off track. It helps. Really.

Sometimes outlines are great, sometimes they aren’t. 

Half of my books have been written with thorough, detailed outlines. The other half came about by “writing into the wind.” Books, as well as writers, have different personalities. We each need to go with what works for us and for that particular project. 

Keep your favorite writing resources on hand.

When I want to do deep pre-writing study, I reach for Martha Alderson’s Plot Whisperer Workbook or Cathy Yardley’s rockyourwriting.com. Both take you through character analysis, scene outlines, story arcs, and goals. It makes the work lighter to have organizational and creative help.

Be patient with yourself.

You know those days when you feel like you’re never going to figure out what happens next/write well ever again/have an original idea? If you just give it time, things will work out—the plot will unwind, yesterday’s words will be better than you thought, and you’ll wake up with your next project begging to be written.

Scrivener is your best friend. 

When I first began writing novels (on a Mac Classic!) I would create separate files for each chapter, and once I’d merged them into one document I would have to hunt for things I needed to revise. Writing software like Scrivener makes it so much easier!

Be proactive about finding community.

Just as with NaNoWriMo, there are writing communities all over: critique groups, conferences, organizations. Find one that works for you and get involved. If you can’t travel, get to know other writers online. Don’t work in a vacuum. It will make your writing better. I promise!

J.C. Lane is the author of Tag, You’re Dead, a YA thriller begun during NaNoWriMo 2013. She writes mysteries as Judy Clemens, including the Anthony- and Agatha-nominated Stella Crown series, the Grim Reaper mysteries, and the stand-alone Lost Sons. She is a past-president of Sisters in Crime and an Equity stage manager. When she is not writing she loves to spend time in the kitchen baking and cooking (and eating), collect Santa Claus figurines, and shuttle her kids to events.