7 Lessons I've Learned from Writing for Publication
Before 2015, I wrote stories with the intention of publication, but I did not write for publication.
What does that mean?
It means that I wrote stories without any set publication deadline. I wrote them knowing that I did, one day, intend to clean them up and publish them...but that day wasn't anytime soon, so there was less pressure.
Writing for publication, on the other hand, is when I begin a project with a set publication date (or month) in mind. I know that I will absolutely be publishing this story, so there is pressure to begin writing, editing, marketing, formatting, and cover-designing. The stakes are higher, and this changes the writing process.
This change in writing process was not something I was aware of previous to publishing Colors of Fear. Since that time, I've learned quite a few things about writing stories for publication. I'll let you in on a few details.
1. Working on multiple projects at once is helpful. The thing about writing to publish is that you can never. stop. writing. I mean....you can. Technically. But I choose not to because A) Writing is my passion B) I don't want to lose momentum. Because of this, I've learned the importance of working on more than one project at a time. What does that mean? Well, I might start writing Draft 1 of a new story while waiting for beta reader feedback on Draft 4 of an old story. Or I may design the cover to one story while launching another. Or I'll be brainstorming character arcs for one story while editing another. Whatever I need to do to keep my wheels turning. This keeps me from getting bored with any one writing project, and also allows me to hit my deadlines more easily.
2. Burnout is a serious issue. One could argue that burnout is an issue because I choose to set deadlines and work on multiple projects at a time. One could also argue that this means I should slow down. However, I have not found this latter argument to be correct. Rather, I've found that burnout is usually a result of me doing things incorrectly, rather than me doing too many things. If you're struggling with burnout, you can check out my blog post on the topic, the Phoenix Fiction Podcast on the topic, and my youtube video on the topic. All helpful resources. You're welcome.
3. Taking my readers into account when writing is important. I do not let readers dictate my creative choices, but I do write for reader understanding. For instance, when we as writers write, we have specific intents. But when readers read, they bring their own baggage to the table. This changes how a story is read, and, thus, what the writer was trying to communicate may not make it through to the reader. This is something I take into account when I write: I try to see scenes and characters from all angles and ask: How might people misunderstand - or be confused by - this? And, more importantly: Is that misunderstanding something I want to correct? 95% of the time, the answer to this second question is "yes," so I draft, re-write, and edit accordingly. But sometimes the answer is "no" because, as the writer, I know that some things are not important to the story...or necessary to explain right this moment. This shift in my writing process has allowed me to write tighter drafts, and also enables me to reach and communicate with many different types of readers.
4. It's vital to be confident in myself. Writing for publication can be very stressful, puts a lot of pressure on me, and thus results in me starting to doubt myself. Because of this, I've learned to remind myself that I am, in fact, a good writer. A sucky first draft or critical reader feedback does not change this. I've had to retrain my brain to focus on my successes and gain strength from mistakes. The best way to do this is to have force-of-will, I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing-but-I-know-I-can-figure-it-out confidence.
Words to live by.
5. Planning the publication process is critical. I've learned how to map out my publication plan so that it doesn't leave me feeling stressed and frayed. There are a LOT of steps to publication. My process looks something like this:
Writing the thing. Re-write the thing. Repeat step 2 as necessary. Resist the urge to curl into a ball, throw things, or go live in a secluded hut in Iceland. Print the story and mark up with macroediting notes. Apply macroedits. Send to beta readers. While waiting for feedback, design the cover (if I haven't already). Apply beta reader feedback. Send to editors. While waiting for feedback, write synopsis, format the story, and start reaching out to people to ask for marketing help (if I haven't already). Start releasing story information: Title, jacket blurb, cover, publication date, etc. Apply editor feedback.Start doing interviews, blog posts, and other marketing. Upload story for publication. Publish. Try not to die from anxiety. Continue marketing. Repeat with next story.Yep. All of this while college student-ing, part-time-working, Lyme-disease-fighting, blogging, podcasting, Youtubing, support-other-indie-author-ing, and human-ing. That's a lot. Pinning down what my publication process looks like has allowed me to make time for everything I need to do.
6. Having a solid writing tribe is critical. I cannot even express how incredibly important it is to having a writing tribe. They provide emotional support. They keep me updated on new publication tools. They provide feedback, edits, reviews. They help me set and meet publication goals. They inspire me. They push me to be the best writer I can be. Writing for publication would be insanely difficult and horrendous without them.
Speaking of writing tribes, E.B. Dawson, one of my fellow Phoenix Fiction Writers, is releasing a new novel on Sat, Oct 20th, 2018. Come join us on Sat at 10 AM PST to have a release-day party for The Citizen! Bring questions, comments, cake, and party hats.
7. It's easy to lose sight of why I started this all. The downside to writing stories with the intention of publishing them is that I can easily get caught up in everything I need to do: Work hard, avoid burnout, think about my readers, plan my publication. In my attempt to balance all of this, I can forget some very important facts: I create to glorify God. I publish to encourage, inspire, and push my readers. I write because I love it, because it challenges me, because it makes me grow as a person. Writing to publish will overshadow these facts if I allow them to, so I need to be intentional about remembering why I'm publishing.
Those are just a few of many important things I've learned when writing for publication. Have any lessons to add? Questions to ask? Leave any and all thoughts below!
Related articles:
11 Things Nobody Tells You About Being An Indie Author (Until It's Too Late)9 Tips for Dealing With Writer's BurnoutHow to Get Your Book Read and Reviewed
Enjoy this post? Take a look around. If you like what you see, please don't forget to subscribe by email for a new post every week!
What does that mean?
It means that I wrote stories without any set publication deadline. I wrote them knowing that I did, one day, intend to clean them up and publish them...but that day wasn't anytime soon, so there was less pressure.
Writing for publication, on the other hand, is when I begin a project with a set publication date (or month) in mind. I know that I will absolutely be publishing this story, so there is pressure to begin writing, editing, marketing, formatting, and cover-designing. The stakes are higher, and this changes the writing process.
This change in writing process was not something I was aware of previous to publishing Colors of Fear. Since that time, I've learned quite a few things about writing stories for publication. I'll let you in on a few details.
1. Working on multiple projects at once is helpful. The thing about writing to publish is that you can never. stop. writing. I mean....you can. Technically. But I choose not to because A) Writing is my passion B) I don't want to lose momentum. Because of this, I've learned the importance of working on more than one project at a time. What does that mean? Well, I might start writing Draft 1 of a new story while waiting for beta reader feedback on Draft 4 of an old story. Or I may design the cover to one story while launching another. Or I'll be brainstorming character arcs for one story while editing another. Whatever I need to do to keep my wheels turning. This keeps me from getting bored with any one writing project, and also allows me to hit my deadlines more easily.
2. Burnout is a serious issue. One could argue that burnout is an issue because I choose to set deadlines and work on multiple projects at a time. One could also argue that this means I should slow down. However, I have not found this latter argument to be correct. Rather, I've found that burnout is usually a result of me doing things incorrectly, rather than me doing too many things. If you're struggling with burnout, you can check out my blog post on the topic, the Phoenix Fiction Podcast on the topic, and my youtube video on the topic. All helpful resources. You're welcome.
3. Taking my readers into account when writing is important. I do not let readers dictate my creative choices, but I do write for reader understanding. For instance, when we as writers write, we have specific intents. But when readers read, they bring their own baggage to the table. This changes how a story is read, and, thus, what the writer was trying to communicate may not make it through to the reader. This is something I take into account when I write: I try to see scenes and characters from all angles and ask: How might people misunderstand - or be confused by - this? And, more importantly: Is that misunderstanding something I want to correct? 95% of the time, the answer to this second question is "yes," so I draft, re-write, and edit accordingly. But sometimes the answer is "no" because, as the writer, I know that some things are not important to the story...or necessary to explain right this moment. This shift in my writing process has allowed me to write tighter drafts, and also enables me to reach and communicate with many different types of readers.
4. It's vital to be confident in myself. Writing for publication can be very stressful, puts a lot of pressure on me, and thus results in me starting to doubt myself. Because of this, I've learned to remind myself that I am, in fact, a good writer. A sucky first draft or critical reader feedback does not change this. I've had to retrain my brain to focus on my successes and gain strength from mistakes. The best way to do this is to have force-of-will, I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing-but-I-know-I-can-figure-it-out confidence.
Words to live by.5. Planning the publication process is critical. I've learned how to map out my publication plan so that it doesn't leave me feeling stressed and frayed. There are a LOT of steps to publication. My process looks something like this:
Writing the thing. Re-write the thing. Repeat step 2 as necessary. Resist the urge to curl into a ball, throw things, or go live in a secluded hut in Iceland. Print the story and mark up with macroediting notes. Apply macroedits. Send to beta readers. While waiting for feedback, design the cover (if I haven't already). Apply beta reader feedback. Send to editors. While waiting for feedback, write synopsis, format the story, and start reaching out to people to ask for marketing help (if I haven't already). Start releasing story information: Title, jacket blurb, cover, publication date, etc. Apply editor feedback.Start doing interviews, blog posts, and other marketing. Upload story for publication. Publish. Try not to die from anxiety. Continue marketing. Repeat with next story.Yep. All of this while college student-ing, part-time-working, Lyme-disease-fighting, blogging, podcasting, Youtubing, support-other-indie-author-ing, and human-ing. That's a lot. Pinning down what my publication process looks like has allowed me to make time for everything I need to do.
6. Having a solid writing tribe is critical. I cannot even express how incredibly important it is to having a writing tribe. They provide emotional support. They keep me updated on new publication tools. They provide feedback, edits, reviews. They help me set and meet publication goals. They inspire me. They push me to be the best writer I can be. Writing for publication would be insanely difficult and horrendous without them.
Speaking of writing tribes, E.B. Dawson, one of my fellow Phoenix Fiction Writers, is releasing a new novel on Sat, Oct 20th, 2018. Come join us on Sat at 10 AM PST to have a release-day party for The Citizen! Bring questions, comments, cake, and party hats.
7. It's easy to lose sight of why I started this all. The downside to writing stories with the intention of publishing them is that I can easily get caught up in everything I need to do: Work hard, avoid burnout, think about my readers, plan my publication. In my attempt to balance all of this, I can forget some very important facts: I create to glorify God. I publish to encourage, inspire, and push my readers. I write because I love it, because it challenges me, because it makes me grow as a person. Writing to publish will overshadow these facts if I allow them to, so I need to be intentional about remembering why I'm publishing.
Those are just a few of many important things I've learned when writing for publication. Have any lessons to add? Questions to ask? Leave any and all thoughts below!
Related articles:
11 Things Nobody Tells You About Being An Indie Author (Until It's Too Late)9 Tips for Dealing With Writer's BurnoutHow to Get Your Book Read and Reviewed
Enjoy this post? Take a look around. If you like what you see, please don't forget to subscribe by email for a new post every week!
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