Story Binder Printables e-Book (with 450+ pages of writing exercises, actionable advice, 100+ publishing resources, and now it’s FREE!) Scroll for access!

This post was written by a human.

Hi readers and writerly friends! 

If you’re a returning reader, welcome back, and if you’re new to the blog, thanks for stopping by! I am so unbelievably excited to announce that I’m bringing the beloved Story Binder Printables Packet back, and it’s better than ever! After almost ten years, this much-needed, long-awaited redesign is finally here! Simultaneously updated and upgraded, the Story Binder Printables e-Book is the best version of itself yet. Keep reading for all the deets—(and the download link! 😉)

One of the biggest hurdles many writers (myself included) face, regardless of experience or skill level, is staying organized. Between character profiles, research notes, plot threads, and entire collections of inspo pics, it’s easy to end up lost in a chaotic mess of documents, digital files, and notebooks. I’ve been writing stories since I could hold a crayon and it’s pretty safe to say that I’ve tried it all—folders, notebooks, cloud-based word processing software, and even digital writing & notetaking apps. A controversial, yet brave opinion—keeping everything novel-related neat and accessible can feel just as overwhelming as dragging myself to my desk for my daily writing session. Is that just me? Doubt it. After years of trying (unsuccessfully) to force a hodge-podge of folders and notebooks and cloud storage systems to fit my unique writing process, I finally decided I’d had enough and created a customized solution to my creative conundrums.

For writers—or any other creative individual, for that matter—staying organized isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. An effective, reliable, and sustainable organizational system is essential for maintaining your creative momentum and actually finishing your novel.

It’s time to get organized, finish writing your novel, and get published.

If  your notes are scattered all over the place, or stored across several different mediums and platforms, the Story Binder is about to change your life. Did I just call you disorganized in a blog post? Maybe. It depends. Does the shoe fit? If so, sorry, not sorry. Because once you see how much easier writing becomes with everything in one place, you’ll never go back. The Story Binder helps you collect, organize, and navigate every part of your story with ease, so you can spend less time searching and more time actually writing. The Story Binder just works. I’ll say it louder for the readers in the back.

THE STORY BINDER WORKS.

Seriously. It keeps everything exactly where it’s supposed to be, so you can quickly find your notes and get right back to writing in record time.

When I first released the original Story Binder Printables Packet back in 2016, it was a modest little PDF packet: just 52 pages, 10 color options, and priced at $10. It was one of the first printables I’d ever designed and I released it back in my freshman year of college! In 2019, I overhauled and completely rebranded my business and website, which entailed tasks such as operating under a new business name, switching to a new domain, updating logos and other assets, redesigning the website, adding a few fun and fresh colors to my color palette and brand kit, to name a few. Pair that with ten years of freelance editing and publishing industry experience, and suffice to say that an updated version of the Story Binder Printables Packet that reflected these changes was long overdue. Fast forward to 2025, and the new version has transformed into a full-blown e-Book with over 450 pages! On that note, you’ll see me referring to the old printables as a packet and the new printables as an e-Book. I think a PDF with that many pages can no longer be considered a packet, so an e-Book it is!

And the best part? It’s FREE.

The updated and upgraded 2025 edition still includes the 10 original colors, but now offers 25 additional color variants to choose from and more to come in the future! Each one comes in both black-text and white-text versions to suit your preferences and your screen or printer settings. Whether you’re a visual minimalist or someone who loves a bold aesthetic, there’s a version that’ll fit your workflow perfectly. Currently, all 35 colors follow the same formula and format, but I am already brainstorming what new colors, styles, and patterns to include in the next update. Continue reading to check them out and if you have any requests or suggestions for designs in the next edition, feel free to let me know by sending an email to me directly at hello@PaytonHayes.com!

What’s so great about the Story Binder Printables e-Book?

• All of your notes are neatly contained in one place, making your daily writing practice more inspiring and encouraging and your writing process more mobile! Goodbye stuffy, old home office; hello fresh air and coffee shops!

• Specific novel notes are organized by category and they’re easy-to-find without disrupting your writing process to dig through old folders stuffed with coffee-stained, hastily-scrawled, handwritten notes…never again.

• Forget the boring digital Word Docs and the ruled loose leaf notebook paper.  The Story Binder is functional for sure, but did I mention how fabulous it is? With 35 color variants to choose from (not counting the black and white text colorways), these printables will reignite your writing passion and fuel you with inspiration every time you open your Story Binder!

• And best of all? 468 pages of actionable content that will keep you on track with your writing practice and will guide you to the finish line with your novel. Yes, I’ve spent all this time and webpage space ranting about how effective the Story Binder is at keeping your novel notes organized, but that’s just one reason why it’s so successful at helping writers finish and publish their books! 

The Story Binder Printables e-Book is an organizational tool, writing workbook, and publishing roadmap crafted with intention, for creative writers who want to finally finish writing and actually publish their novels.

When I say there’s 468 pages of actionable content inside the Story Binder Printables e-Book, I’m not just throwing in a bunch of buzzwords and keywords for SEO. Every single page sparks inspiration and encourages you to take action. Not only that, but it’s adaptable, practical, sustainable, guided action, informed by over a decade’s-worth of freelance writing and editing experience from yours truly. I went to college for creative writing and editing for the publishing industry. I’ve read dozens of writing craft books, editing manuals, novel planning and plotting guidebooks, and more and I’ve worked with a plethora of clients from fiction to nonfiction and everything in between. While I’m proud of my experience and education, I’m not just saying all this so I can brag to strangers on the internet. My point is this: if you’re looking for a blank canvas, the Story Binder isn’t it. It’s so, so much more than just a template for you to fill in the blanks. Every page was thoughtfully and meticulously designed, with 10+ years of writing expertise in mind.

Likewise, the Story Binder isn’t just a novel reference notebook. It’s a flexible, customizable and adaptable novel outline system made specifically for YOUR story. Think of it as your very own book bible. It’s your personal roadmap for writing and publishing a novel, complete with all the tools you need to stay organized, inspired, and on track from first idea to final draft.

With this new system your writing process and daily writing practice will have fewer barriers to entry, less friction keeping you from getting started, fewer distractions and ultimately less interruptions that pull you out of your flow state.  The Story Binder Printables e-Book will give you every tool you need in your toolkit to confidently complete your novel and get it published. The Story Binder will help you keep every detail of your novel in one place. No more digging through endless notes, cross-referencing various digital drafts, or worrying about losing crucial details to tech glitches. No more scrolling your search results for hours only to get stuck in a research loop of exploring the ins and outs publishing industry and being inundated with advertisements. No more halting your writing progress to search up a quick question about querying literary agents—that let’s face it: never ends up being quick. Just grab your binder, flip to the section you need, and get back to writing.

So what’s inside the Story Binder Printables e-Book?

The new and improved Story Binder Printables e-Book is a writing workbook, publishing roadmap, and a treasure trove of resources packed with nearly 500 pages of worksheets, templates, and trackers created for use in any genre, demographic, or at any stage of your writing process.

Inside the e-Book, you’ll find:

• A variety of Story Binder Covers in different styles, from bold to minimalist designs, to keep you motivated.

• Instruction Guide Sheets for setting up your binder in a way that actually works for you.

• Section Dividers (with and without headers), Section Tabs, and Page Number Tabs to help you organize your navigation your way.

• Author Ownership Page to designate your book bible as uniquely yours.

• Brainstorming Worksheets including a Mind-Map Sheet, Idea Keeper Sheet, and distinct sections for ordering and storing your Story Fragments and Deleted Scenes for later use.

• Motivational Daily Writing Activities from Writing Warm-Up Prompts to Story Exploration Exercises to Writing Challenges and more, to keep your writing practice fresh and fun.

• Plot Progression Worksheets (such as Chapter and Scene Lists, Scene Tracker Sheets, Scene Cards, Tension & Pacing Worksheets, Timeline Charts, and a Novel Storyboard Sheet)

• Author Voice, Style, and Tone Worksheets specifically designed to help you maintain a consistent and cohesive narrative throughout the novel, while preserving your unique writing style, authorly voice, and your characters’ distinct personalities.

• Summarization Worksheets, such as the general Novel Overview Sheet & Synopsis Sheets to help you see the forest for the trees in your story, from a bird’s-eye view, to the miniscule details at the ground level.

• Creative Companion Activities including a Novel Inspo Exercise, a Mood Board Activity, and a Story Soundtrack Worksheet to help get your creativity flowing and recharge your creative battery. 

• Character Development Worksheets including Detailed Character Profiles, Voice and Dialogue Exercises, Character Arc Outlines, Relationship Maps, Name Lists and Pronunciation Guides, Mainstream and Speculative Fiction Character Questionnaires, Backstory Studies, Character Sheets and Moral Alignment Charts (inspired by Dungeons & Dragons) to get you into the hearts and heads of your characters. 

• Visual Writing Progress Trackers  (including a 30-Day Word Count Tracker, Novel Progress Tracker, and a Writing Goals Exercise, to help you stay disciplined and keep you accountable to your daily writing practice.

• Setting & World-Building Exercises—from Setting Questionnaires to Map-Making Activities, Magic Systems Worksheets, Speculative Fiction Glossaries, and more—to help you transport readers to the wondrous world(s) in which your story takes place!

• Revision Roadmap that includes a step-by-step Editing Action Plan, a series of draft-by-draft Review Checklists, a strategic Self-Editing Checklist, and a variety Revision Reflection Prompts, giving you actionable editorial insight, progressively honing your writing skills, keeping you on course for completing your novel, and refining your story in each iteration!

• Publishing Prep Sheets that include Beta Reader Questionnaires and Comments & Critiques Forms, as well as Publishing Plans and Checklists  (for both traditional and independent publishing routes) to assist you in sharing your story with the world.

• Reflective Journal Prompts at the end worksheets to encourage critical and constructive examination, introspection, and mindful contemplation of your experience at every stage in your writing process. Reflective journaling allows you to pause, assess, and realign as needed, helping you track progress with your project(s), notice improvement in your writing skills, and stay focused and motivated to reach your creative goals.

Plus LIFETIME ACCESS To:

• All updates and future editions of the Story Binder Printables e-Book, including new color variations and designs.

• The upcoming online Story Binder Printables e-Book Resources Library, an ever-growing collection of writing, editing, publishing, and marketing resources (including but not limited to books, articles, guides, tools, software, and apps.) 

• An Exclusive, Subscriber-Only Discount on any editing services I offer—just for my loyal newsletter subscribers! (Yes! This discount can be combined with other applicable discounts. See the Discounts section on my Homepage for more information!)

Once I started using the Story Binder method for my own novels, everything just clicked. My writing process became smoother, faster, and more consistent. Years of working with clients, and going through trial and error with my own writing, taught me what works and what doesn’t. I’ve packed over a decade’s worth of experience into this 468-page toolkit (per color variant!) to help you write better, faster, and more confidently.

Yep, you read that right—each color variant includes both a black-text and white-text option. That’s 934 pages per color, and with 35 colors to choose from, you’ve got 22,416 possible combinations for creating your perfect Story Binder. And since the Story Binder Printables e-Book is a digital download, you can print and reuse it infinitely, across all your novels, short stories, and other creative writing projects!

Over 250 Story Binder Cover Options!

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Over 250 Story Binder Cover Options! 〰️

Are you thinking this sounds too good to be true?

I get it. You’ve probably seen a dozen polished websites with flashy sales copy and overpriced “limited-time offers.” I can assure you, this situation is different. I’m not asking you to buy or do anything. Let me explain. 🤗

The Story Binder Printables Packet has been available on my site for almost a decade, and hundreds of writers have purchased and loved it. As I mentioned in the opening paragraph of this post, I created this system as a solution for my own writing struggles and it ended up being an invaluable resource for so many other writers over the years. The new and improved e-Book version is backed by real publishing experience and years of working with other writers.

Throughout the process of revising, editing, and redesigning the Story Binder Printables e-Book, I came to the realization that I don’t want paywall to be the obstacle that stands in the way of helping other writers share their stories with the world. As an entrepreneur, I still have to earn sufficient income to afford my lifestyle, keep my business going, and pay back my student loans, so naturally, reducing my rates isn’t an option for me—especially not in this economy! 

That said, one simple way that I can give back to my beloved writing community is to make the Story Binder Printables e-Book accessible to all writers, no matter their writing experience or skill, notoriety, genre, audience demographics, or any other distinction. I believe removing the price tag will allow the Story Binder to inspire, encourage, and empower more writers than ever before.

As a professional book editor, I make a living from improving other writers’ work, but as a fellow writer, I make a life from helping others tell their stories. Therefore, both as a thank you for supporting my creative pursuits and freelance career, and because it is my mission to help people find connection, representation, and a sense of belonging through story—I’m offering the new and improved 2025 Story Binder Printables e-Book to you for free.

Well, almost free. 😅

Okay, so what’s the catch?

I’m not asking you to buy anything or do anything. I’m not asking you to spend a single cent of your hard-earned money or more than a minute of your time, if that.

All I’m asking for is your email address. That’s it. No payment, no commitment, no sharing required. (Though if you do share this with your own creative community, you might just become my new favorite person.😉)

I understand the hesitation you might be feeling. I used to get so many marketing emails I could barely keep up with my own personal email inbox (let alone my business inbox, so I know exactly how annoying email newsletters can be, if done the wrong way.) I’m not here to spam you. I’m here to connect with fellow creatives and build a community around writing, editing, publishing, and everything in between. That’s why I promise to treat your inbox with respect. I consider the space you make for me in your inbox and the time you set aside in your week to read my emails sacred and this is a unique opportunity for a creative, specific, productive, and ongoing conversation centered on topics such as writing, editing, freelancing, books, art, and all things to do with the publishing industry, to name a few.

So what happens when you join the email list?

• Your personal information is safe. I will never share, sell, or misuse your data.

• You’ll receive one thoughtful email per week, max. Topics range from writing advice and freelance editing tips to bookworm life and publishing industry insights. 

• You’ll be notified of any recent articles posted to my blog and given a link that’ll take you straight to the post. I believe that your time is just as valuable as mine, so I’ll never just copy and paste a blog post in an email and hit send. That would be suuuuper lame. But if you’d like a  condensed version with your new post notifications, be sure that the box in the form below is checked to join the “Bite-Sized Blog Posts, Please!” newsletter segment. If you’d rather skip the blog post bullet points, make sure the box is unchecked. You can change this at any time by sending me a quick email requesting a change to your email newsletter preferences.

• You can easily unsubscribe at any time. No guilt, and no hard feelings. 😎

• You’ll never receive anything offensive, discriminatory, or otherwise unprofessional in my newsletter emails. Likewise, I will never spam you. I care deeply about the kind of content I send out into the world and the volumes that content speaks about me both as an editor and as a person. 

• You can reply to any newsletter if you want to chat, ask questions, or give feedback—I love hearing from other creative peeps like you!

If the Story Binder sounds like something that could help you in your writing journey, I’d love for you to download it, use it, and make it your own. Even if you unsubscribe after downloading, that’s okay. My goal is to get this resource into the hands of as many writers as possible. But if you decide to stick around, I’d be honored to have you along for the ride. So what are you waiting for?

Drop your name and email into the sign-up form below and you’ll be directed to the Story Binder Printables e-Book download page immediately after!

If you made it to the end of this blog post, thanks for reading! And if you signed up for the newsletter using the form above, then you should have been redirected right to the webpage where you can download your all-new, super fabulous Story Binder Printables e-Book! If you’re still reading this, then the download link is on it’s way to your email inbox as we speak! I’m so excited to have you here and I can’t wait to see your novel on bookstore shelves very soon!

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*This blog post was written by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). The presence of en/em dashes, specific verbiage, or predictable, marketing-style phrases are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. Readers should use to context clues and critical thinking skills in tandem with pattern recognition when determining the validity of human authorship of media in the modern digital era. If you want to learn more about my stance on gen-AI and it’s role in media and the publishing industry, I plan to release a post sometime in the coming year, so stay tuned for that.

Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: June 23, 2025

Book Writing 101: How To Write A Book (Basics)

Hi readers and writerly friends!

This week in Freelancing, we’re going to start a new series: Writing How To’s and today, we’re starting off strong with what is essentially Book Writing 101 —how to write a book. We talk an awful lot about editing, writing, publishing, marketing, and everything in between but we’re going to be bringing it right on back to the basics. How do you actually write a book? It’s a badge of honor for some and a checkbox for others, but one thing is certain: writing a book is not easy. It’s a feat of strength, really. It requires a lot of planning, months and even years of writing, and dedication from start to finish.

There’s really no set way to write a from the first word to the last. The truth is, the writing process varies from writer to writer. In this guide, I will explain the basics of writing a book and a general order to follow, but of course, experiment, try different methods and figure out what works for you!

So, how do you actually write a book? What goes into it?

Research, brainstorm, and come up with an idea

Think about what you might like to read and or write about and even look up what is selling in that genre. For instance, if I want to write a murder mystery for young adults, I might check out some of the popular books that are out at the time and see what the hype is about for myself. Reading is a great way to improve your own writing and familiarizing yourself with your desired genre will only help you.

I will have a more in-depth post for this next week when we cover book brainstorming, but essentially, you want to try and come up with a compelling premise that you can write roughly 50,000-75,000 words around, depending on your genre. Don’t get too bogged down by the word count, right out of the gate; this is just a simple guideline to shoot for. So, do some brainstorming and see if you can come up with an idea that will yield roughly 50,000 words. If you don’t think you can stretch your story idea to book length, consider writing it as a short story or a novella instead. If you believe you do have a solid story idea and you think you can write an entire book from it, consider if your idea is somewhat original. Of course, none of us are out here doing new things under the sun per se, but you can put a new spin on old ideas and resurrect dead story tropes by breathing new life into them with your unique voice, writing style, and twist on clichés.

Establish your prevailing theme and subthemes

I wish someone would have given me this advice when I started out writing. It’s one thing to come up with a premise and a plot, but themes are the driving force in a story and every good story has at least one important theme at its core. Consider your story idea and what the main theme of it is so you can write that into your outline in the next step.

Writer taking notes. Photo by lilartsy.

Outline/Develop your plot

Some people prefer to plan out their novel with an outline while others enjoy writing as they go. I used to be the kind of person who would just write as I went and often my story would become jumbled and confused as the consistency slowly melted away. Now, I sit down with a firm outline and I know exactly where the story is going start to finish, even if I jump around and write out of order. Even if you prefer not to get to crazy with the outlining, I would at least suggest outlining the key plot points according to the 3-Act Story Structure. This is a tried and true plot outline that is present in almost all successful works of writing and if you only used this to outline your novel, it will make all the difference in your consistency. That being said, if you’d like to try the pantser route as opposed to the planner route, you can try writing freely and taking some notes as you go, to try out the alternative process and see how it works for you. A pantser is someone who, “flies by the seat of their pants,” meaning they don't plan out anything, or plan very little. For some writers, the thrill of telling themselves the story as they write it is part of their creative process and what making writing fun for them. If you do decide to go the pantser route, I would suggest that you come up with at least a vague idea for how you want the novel to start and end and then plant yourself somewhere in the middle and write from there. Instead of going from point A to point B to point C, you’re considering point A and point C while you write point B and then connecting them all as you go. At the end of the day, find out what works for you and stick with it.

Develop your characters

As mentioned previously, there’s really no set order to follow when writing a book. For some, the characters are what sparks the inspiration for a novel idea, whilst for others, the premise or the theme inspires characters along the way. Either way, you must have a clear idea of who your characters are and what they are like when writing a book. Characters are the lens through which the story is told and writers must create compelling characters for their readers to connect to while reading. Consider your main character(s), supporting characters, antagonists, and background characters as well. Think about how they will come into play with one another to drive the plot, how their unique personalities both move them forward and backward in their goals, and how it makes sense within the realm of your premise, theme, and genre. Put simply, who is your main character, who is getting in that character’s way, and does it make sense with your story idea?

I have an in-depth blog post for How To Write Compelling Consistent Characters here, so make sure to check that out if you want to know more!

Establish the setting

Book with a view. Photo by Kourosh Qaffari.

Piggybacking on the idea that the story idea can come from anywhere, sometimes, establishing the setting is the first step in the process. Try to imagine all kinds of different terrains and zones and see what stories emerge from these places. I got the idea for my short story, The Sieka of Sahn’Jatar when imagining a vast desert in the greater setting of my ongoing fantasy series. I was just imagining the windswept sand dunes one day and the idea struck me. Suddenly, it wasn’t just a desert I was seeing —no, it was a girl dashing through the dunes, being chased by a warband mounted atop camels against the backdrop of the setting sun. Its crazy how stories can just come to us like that.

So, if you’ve already got your story idea in mind and don’t really need the setting for inspiration, consider where you want to set the story. Consider whether or not worldbuilding is something you’d like to do, or how realistic you want your story’s setting to be. Sometimes, the setting can even be a character all on it’s own, depending on how much of a role it plays within your novel. If you’re writing realistically, do you research, look at maps, and if you can visit the place you’re writing about, so you can write it accurately.

Break out the writing tools

Now, I know what you’re thinking —Payton, what writing tools do I need? I have a laptop.

And you’re totally right. While some people do enjoy writing their first draft longhand with pen and paper, most of us write digitally. However, I’m not just talking about the physical writing implement; I’m talking about you’re writing environment, your word processor (the program you physically write with), your writerly resources, and more.

For starters, where do you write? Do you write at home, locked in your bedroom with a tea and mood music? Or do you prefer to write at your favorite coffee shop with your trust headphones and a croissant nearby? Think about where you can get your best writing done and make it happen.

On that note, I have a helpful blog post on 8 Ways to Level Up Your Workspace And Elevate Your Productivity. It’s really more geared for freelancers and those working from home during the pandemic, but I think it has some great information on how to tailor a space that is both comfortable to work in and also is conducive to productivity.

Next, what kind of word processor will you use to write your novel? Do you use Mac or Windows? If you’re a Mac user, you might want to use Pages, but if you’re a Windows user, you might want to use Microsoft Word. (I think you can use MS Word for both, but that’s besides the point!) If you’d rather keep all of your writing in the cloud, maybe Google Docs is better for you. Perhaps none of these options sound quite right so here are a few more to check out: Scrivener, Apache OpenOffice, LibreOffice Writer, or Word Perfect. There are many others out there, so make sure to try them out and see what works best for you and your writing needs.

Following the word processor, the next tool you will need in your writerly toolkit is a note keeping system of some sort. I hear many people use Scrivener, Notion, or Evernote for keeping their novel notes organized and in one central location. If you’d rather keep the notes tactile and not in the digital realm, consider using a Story Binder to keep all of your hand-written story notes safe and organized.

Next, figure out what other real-world items you’re going to need when you sit down to write your novel. Of course, this might be a figure-it-out-as-you-go-along kind of thing. I personally always need some kind of soft music in the background while I write to help keep me in the headspace of my story. I have a blog post on Get Immersed With The Five Senses, but I think it’s also applicable to writing because it can help you stay de-stressed and inspired throughout the process. Likewise, I highly recommend you make a playlist for your novel so you (and your future readers) can get into the right headspace for your story as easily as clicking play. Additionally, consider what snacks, drinks, and other items you might need to write effectively. I’ve also linked my Yoga For Writers post here, just in case you need a little writing break.

Lastly, prepare your accountability tools. This could be a writing partner, a critique group, your editor, a friend, or even a writing schedule. If you know you will need some external accountability source to keep you writing on the days when it gets tough, then get that ready well before you sit down to write. Consider joining a writing group online if you are having trouble finding a writing community in your area. Maybe NaNoWriMo is just the thing you need to keep the forward momentum going in your writing. Whatever you decide to use, have that accountability crutch ready beforehand so you can lean on it when you need to.

Create a writing schedule

This might be the single most important step in your entire writing career because if you don’t establish a habit of writing regularly, it might not bode well for you as a writer. However, it is likely also the hardest step in writing a novel, because many writers struggle to find the time to write. The truth is that if you want to write, you have to make the time to write. This is a special, designated time where you sit down and write, for however much time or however many words you decide and you do this consistently to progress your project and better your writing skill.

Writer planning her schedule. Photo by Marissa Grootes.

If you can, write every day. Some writers will tell you that you absolutely must write every day, while others will advise writing once a week. If you can, try to write a little every day, and if that’s just not possible for you and your schedule, try to write as often as you can. Don’t use being busy as an excuse for not writing. Ultimately your writing, your writing career, and your novel’s success is on you, and if its truly important to you, then make it a priority in your life. Writing is just like anything else in life that requires exercising a skill and practice. You must work your writing muscles to improve your writing in the same way you have to work your upper arms to get better at push-ups.

Like with the writing space, you can use the 5 senses to trigger yourself into what I like to call “writing mode.” This is the headspace you get in when you write, and it becomes easier and easier to trigger this mindset shift with time and practice. It’s a lot like Pavlov’s dog, in that, with time, effort, and practice, you will subconsciously train your brain to expect that when it’s writing time, you will sit down and write and nothing will get in the way of that. For example, as mentioned, I like to have tea and music when I write. For some, that might be a certain candle or aromatherapy or dimming the lights in your writing space. I personally like to set an alarm for my designated writing time and the alarm itself is actually the music that I listen to while writing. This immediately gets me in the mood for writing and like the dog mentioned earlier, drooling for some black tea.

There are many ways to make writing a habit for yourself and while it will take some self-discipline and patience at first, it certainly is doable. You could even use a incentives or a rewards system top keep you motivated to write. Whatever you decide works for you, just make sure that you are writing regularly and making consistent strides to better your craft and make progress on your projects. Th reason a writing schedule is so crucial to the writing process is because writers will have to learn to push through when the writing process becomes difficult. We can’t always write just when we want to or wait, twiddling our thumbs for the creative spirit to strike us. It is great when we have those moments for sure, but the reality is that most days, writing is hard. There’s going to be so many moments when writing is difficult and you won’t feel like writing, but if you’ve created the schedule and the habit, you’ll write anyway. Writing when it’s hard, or when you don’t feel like it, or when the words just won’t flow is what enables you to push through, finish the book, and accomplish your goals.

On a similar note, don’t try to force yourself into a box or create unrealistic expectations for your writing habits. If you work two jobs and are a mother of three, it might not be realistic to expect yourself to sit down and write for four hours out of the day. Many people recommend writing first thing in the morning, but if you’re not a morning person, this simply will not work for you.

I’m raising my hand over here. I’m actually a night-writer and I prefer to write during the ungodly hours of the night, but I can see how that is an unrealistic schedule for many writers who have day jobs. The point is, just go with what feels right with you and what fits feasibly and realistically into your schedule.

Set realistic goals and a deadline

Of course, this ties in with your writing schedule, finding what works for you, and building the writing habit, but having something to work towards can really help you when you’re first starting out with writing. Having loose, but clear goals can help you plan your writing schedule and celebrate milestones as you encounter them. This will also help you in breaking down the daunting process of writing an entire novel to smaller, more manageable parts. For example, if you want to write a 50,000 word novel, and you want to try and write 500-1000 words a day, then if you wrote every day, you can expect to finish your novel in 100-50 days. Write as much as you can as often as you can but if you find that you really just cannot bring yourself to write 1000+ words a day, that’s okay, do what you can. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon and you don’t want to burn yourself out trying to reach these impossibly unrealistic goals. Likewise, you can reverse-engineer this method by setting a deadline first. Maybe you want to participate in NaNoWriMo? If you’re writing a 50,000-word novel for the National Novel Writing Month Challenge, then you know you’ll have to write an average of 1,667 words a day to meet that goal. Some people like to write one chapter a week while others will write one a day. Some books take a month to write while others take years to write. No matter what this looks like for you, setting deadlines and loose, yet realistic goals can help you stay on track throughout the novel writing process.

Writer feeling stressed. Photo by Energepic.com.

Be kind to yourself throughout the writing process

This is probably one of the most overlooked parts of writing and I believe many writers could stand to practice some self-care throughout the writing process. Remember, writing a book is insanely hard to do and most people never accomplish this feat of strength. It’s not meant to be easy. As mentioned, writing can get really tough sometimes and its important that you exercise patience and kindness with yourself when writing. You will feel like the words just aren’t working or everything you write is an absolute dumpster fire, or you can’t pull yourself to the desk to write because you know these next scene is going to be really hard to bring to life. It’s okay. Breathe. Forgive yourself for writing garbage writing. Forgive yourself for not meeting your daily word count goal for that day. Forgive yourself for struggling because writing is a process.

I have a blog post for When Writing Becomes Difficult that goes more in-depth into this topic, but for the most part, just be kind to yourself and take the process one day at a time. Eventually, if you keep at it, you’ll have yourself a book! Following through and finishing the book is the hardest part of actually writing a book, but trust me, there is no better feeling that finishing a book.

When writing gets tough, check out these articles I wrote for some grace and self care.

• 5 Reasons Most Writers Quit

• When Writing Becomes Difficult

• Self-Care for Writers and Readers

And that’s it for my guide on How To Write A Book! Remember, this is going to be a 20-part in-depth series, so stay tuned for the next one. These blog posts will be coming out every Friday from now on, so make sure to subscribe to my newsletter if you want updates when the next part of this series is out! Good luck to all of you aspiring writers out there! I believe in you! Thanks for reading and don’t forget to write!

Related topics:

• Book Writing 101: Coming Up With Book Ideas And What To Do With Them

• Book Writing 101: Starting Your Book In The Right Place

• Book Writing 101 - How To Chose The Right POV For Your Novel

• Book Writing 101: How To Achieve Good Story Pacing

• Book Writing 101: How To Name Your Book Characters

• Book Writing 101: How to Develop and Write Compelling, Consistent Characters

• Book Writing 101: Everything You Need To Know About Dialogue

• Story Binder Printables (Includes Character Sheets, Timelines, World-Building Worksheets and More!)

• Payton’s Picks —40+ of my favorite helpful books on writing and editing.

• 25 Strangely Useful Websites To Use For Research and Novel Ideas

See all posts in Freelancing. See all posts in Book Writing 101.

Thumbnail photo by Kelly Sikkema.

—Payton

How To Write Effective & Believable Love Triangles

Hi writerly friends!

This week, in Freelancing, we’re talking about the dreaded love triangle. I know, I know, some of you are moaning and groaning about this, but what if I could tell you there is away to write the love triangle trope in such a way that won’t get you crucified by your readers? What if I told you not all love triangles are bad?

Okay, now you’re rolling your eyes.

But hear me out—the reason bad love triangles are bad is because they’re shallow and have no substance. The characters have no real connection with each other, the reader feels no real connection to the characters, and ever move they make is founded in shallow, superficial misbelief. With these kind of love triangles (most love triangles, if I’m being honest) is that everything is so painfully surface level.

Not only do the characters have no real connection to themselves or the reader, but they lack connection to their internal conflict as well. Everything is stagnant and predictable, and chances are, you’ve got it all figured out by page two. Who wants to read a book where they’ve got the love triangle figured out by page two? I certainly don’t, and I’m sure neither you nor your readers want to do so either. So, is there a way to actually make this plot device interesting? Is there a way to revolutionize the love triangle and breath fresh life into it? Yes. That’s why I’m going to show you the secret to a good love triangle (yes, it does exist). It all begins with know what NOT to do.

Don’t make your love triangle simple

Three friends enjoying an afternoon drink together. Photo by Helena Lopes.

Of course, usually, I would advise the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Sweetie) but this time I’m advising against it. The reason so many love triangles fall flat is because they’re too simple and predictable and the reader can figure it out by the end of the first page. This is old and well overplayed since most of the time we already know who the main character will end up with anyways. The reason it’s a love triangle and not a love line is because it’s supposed to be confusing, complicated, and challenging to the main character (remember the three C’s and you’ll be fine). And perhaps we should do away with love triangles altogether —a love web would probably be the better descriptor for what we’re shooting for, since a web is less linear and therefore lest predictable. Weave together plots and characters’ unique storylines, use suspense, character, pacing, rising and falling tension, and amp up the drama in your love story.

Allow the triangle to bring out the internal conflict

This pretty much applies to any genre or method of storytelling, but if something doesn’t challenge your characters, force them to fight for their desires, confront their fears and upend their entire life as they know it, then the reader will lose interest. Now, I don’t mean they have to go on some crazy big adventure, but whatever internal and external conflicts they are dealing with need to be meaningful, they need to matter, and they need to be able to shape your characters in a non-superficial way. Put your characters out of their comfort zone instead of simple asking “which one will she chose,” especially if by the end of page one, we already know which one she will choose.

Not only is this overdone and sooo predictable, but it’s devoid of the electricity that lights up a story—the internal conflict—when the protagonist is forced to confront their greatest fear, crush their misbelief about the world, and ultimately achieve their greatest desire all while developing as a character and delivering a powerful message to the reader. When it comes to story writing, everything happens for a reason, and therefore, the reader needs to know why something matters to the characters. If the reader doesn’t see why it matters to the characters, then they won’t see why it should matter to them.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret here: you can use any literary device in your story, no matter how cliché or overdone it is, so long as it directly engages with the main characters inner conflicts, brings them to a fear versus desire decision and forces them to reckon with despair before reaching their aha moment that will bring their character development full circle. That’s right, any device. You’re welcome.

If the external conflicts are continuously forcing your character closer to their internal conflict, then you’re doing it right. Additionally, if the other characters are doing the same thing—being forced to confront their internal conflict—then using a love triangle would make so much more sense not only are the external forces at play here, but everyone’s messy emotions and tangled inner conflicts should be at play as well. Consider how your love triangle can cause all of your characters to either confront their fears or run from them?

Make the love triangle a catch 22 for the protagonist

For the most part love triangles should really only be used to force your characters to make a decision they otherwise would shy away from and force your readers to feel for the characters in said sticky situation. Anyone who reads and enjoys the trope will tell you they aren’t reading it because it’s realistic—in fact I’ve venture to guess most of us never have and never will find ourselves in such a predicament but it’s the ability to put ourselves in another’s shoes and feel for them and the tough decisions they have to make that makes the love triangle work.

However, their decision really has to mean something to the character. It needs to be an ultimatum for them, and it needs to really holds weight for it to resonate with your readers. It cannot simply be “which person will I chose”.

no.

No.

NO.

Three college students standing on campus. Photo by Alexis Brown.

The stakes just aren’t high enough and pressure for the reader to stay invested isn’t painful enough in this case. It goes way deeper than that—it goes all the way to your protagonist’s deepest fear and greatest desire.

Ask yourself these questions before using the love triangle

There are a few questions to ask yourself before writing the love triangle. It might take you a while to come up with the answers for these but trust me, it will make writing convincing, compelling, and challenging situations for your character much easier and you will better understand how the love triangle is directly linked to the characters internal conflicts. Additionally, your readers will be so engrossed in your story, they won’t even notice that you’ve just revolutionized one of the most hated tropes of all time. 

Here are the questions:

• What is my protagonist’s inner conflict and how did it lead them into this love triangle?

• If they’re being honest with themselves, the real reason they’re stuck in this love triangle is because_________?

• How does this love triangle cause all three characters to face their fears?

• What would it take for the protagonist to overcome their fear and make the right choice?

• How high are the stakes and how hot is the fire beneath the protagonist’s feet to make a decision?

Answer those questions and you’ll know how to link the internal conflict and the love triangle in a meaningful way. Trust me when I say, as long are you’re drawing on the internal conflict, you can’t go wrong and the reader certainly will be invested. It’s all in the way you play with the protagonist’s greatest desire and deepest fears.

And that’s it for my guide on how to do love triangles the right way. I know, unpopular opinion, but I think they can be done, and well, I might add. I think the reason we’ve seen so many badly written love triangles, is because it’s a plot device (something used to drive the plot) and instead writers are using it as a surface-level element. Over the years, we’ve forgotten how to really use this device effectively and that’s why it had gotten to exhausting and boring to read over and over again.

Anyways, that’s it for this week’s post in Freelancing. I hope you enjoyed reading this and if the guide helped you better your love triangle game, let me know in the comments below! Don’t forget to like and sign up for my email newsletter to get awesome, actionable writing advice straight to your inbox each month! As always writerly friends, thanks for reading!

Further reading:

• How To Write The Perfect Meet Cute

• How To Write Best Friends to Lovers Romance - That Feels Realistic

• The Top 10 Worst Romance Tropes EVER

• 5 Supernatural Romance Reads for February 2020

• 5 Contemporary Romances Everyone Should Read

• Classic Romance Reading Challenge for February 2020

—Payton

How To Write Best Friends to Lovers Romance That Feels Realistic

Hi writerly friends!

I’m back this week with another romance writing guide. Next week we’ll be discussing how to write believable hate-to-love romance, so I thought it’d be a great warm-up to show you guys how to writer believe best-friend-to-lovers romance. This is obviously a steppingstone and acts as the middle ground between enemies and more-than-friends in hate-to-love romance, so as you might expect, you can’t have one without the other.

However, your characters don’t always have to start out hating each other, they can indeed go from friends to lovers in a single story. Funnily for us, and embarrassingly for your characters and readers, it’s not exactly a straight shot, no—it’s a pretty rocky ride from best friends to lovers and it can be a tricky-to-write trope.

It’s unsurprising that the characters will have a bumpy time getting from one side to the other, as one is decidedly platonic and the other is decidedly romantic, and the transition from friends to lovers can be tough to read, even tougher to write, and often employs tons of awkward exchanges and cringe-worthy moments.

So, how do you write best-friends-to-lovers romance that is realistic and believable to the reader?

Step 1: Embrace The Weirdness

 As you might expect, writing best-friends-to-lovers romance stories is going to feel weird, because plot twist, going from best-friends to lovers is weird! Not unearthing any best kept secrets, her—everyone knows it’s a weird shift, especially if you’ve known each other since childhood. So, when writing this trope, don’t shy away from all the weirdness, awkwardness, and embarrassing, gross feelings that happen, because it’s completely natural and these feelings should be present in the story. In fact, the reader should be able to pick up on these feeling and feel weird about it too. Secondhand embarrassment is a thing, and it’s something we want our readers turning pages to get to a point in the story when everything makes sense again and the awkwardness has died down a bit.

However, don’t go so far as to make it unrealistic. Yes, at times the uncomfortableness of the transition should be almost palpable to the reader, but keep the balance between rising and falling tension so that readers stay on the edges of their seats and grit the teeth at all the right moments.

Step 2: Determine Whether the Love is Mutual or Unrequited?

Before we get into the story structure for this trope, ask yourself whether the love between your characters or if it’s unrequited. This is very important to how the story will play out and what choices your characters will make based on their emotions, especially towards the resolution. Both routes can be delicious and heart-wrenching in their own right but know which one you’re going to go with in your own writing, will make the process a lot easier.

Jonah Hauer-King as Laurie Lawerence and Maya Hawke as Jo March in Little Women (2017) Photo by PBS.

To make it easier to chose which path your story will take, I’m going to give you a couple of examples, the first being Little Women  by Louisa May Alcott, and the second being Emma by Jane Austen, (and no, I didn’t just pick these two because they involve someone being gifted a piano, but man isn’t that romantic?)

In Little Women, Laurie’s love goes unreturned when Jo tells him she never saw him as more than a friend. This sends him to Europe to avoid his heart break. When he returns after falling for Jo’s sister, being rejected again, and being inspired to do something with his life, he asks Jo to marry him. She rejects him again and ends up marrying someone else, but this story is a prime example of a best-friends-to-lovers romance that took a turn when the love was unrequited.

On the flip side, Emma, by Jane Austen Emma is startled to realize after everything, she is the one who wants to marry Mr. Knightly. When she admits her foolishness for meddling in the romances of others, he proposes, and she accepts. This is a great example of friends who become lovers where the love is returned.

Step 3: Follow The Structure

Alright, now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about the parts of the BFTL story structure (at least that’s the acronym I’m giving it because that’s just way to much to type every time, sorry, not sorry.)

Whether or not you go by the 3-Act Story Structure, every best-friends-to-lovers romance typically follows this basic format:

• Foundation

• Set-up

• Aha moment

• Conflict

• Decision

• Resolution

• Foundation

The first part of the structure for this trope is the foundation, where we are introduced to all core story elements, characters, setting, premise and theme. Here, the reader will get to know what exactly the story they’re reading is.

Set-up

The second part of the structure is the set-up. This is where the meet cute would occur in romance, and for best-friends-turned-lovers romance, it is no different. Introduce the characters, their relationship at this point in the story, and begin laying the groundwork for the transition from best-friends to future lovers.

Click here to read my blog post for creating the perfect meet cute.

While your story might be set preceding or following the formation of your characters friendship, it is important to know how and when they became friends, because if they become lovers later on, this will be an important part in the evolution of their relationship.

Aha Moment

This part of the story is when the characters first realize they are in love with each other. If you chose to go with the unrequited love path, then here, they would learn that one likes the other and decide they don’t feel the same way in return. Consider what path you take for this part because it will really determine how the rest of the story plays out.

 Does the one who is rejected continue pursuing their friend romantically, or do they give up on the first try? Does the one who only views their friend platonically have a change of heart and end up with their friend after all? Is it a messy back and forth that never really ends with the two friends becoming lovers? Is the timing ever right? These are all important questions to ask yourself during the aha moment, because it directly drives the following course of the story.

Conflict

Remember the questions I just asked you in the aha moment section? Those questions should be asked and answered in the conflict of the story. Here we see the true feelings come out and the characters will understand the scope of the situation before them.

Decision

Saoirse Ronan as Josephine "Jo" March and Timothée Chalamet as Theodore "Laurie" Laurence (2019). Photo by Wilson Webb .

In the decision part of the best-friends-to-lovers romance, readers will see what choice the characters make based on everything they know at this point and their emotions. They might decide to get together or break up as friends, for good. Everything that has happened has led to this moment and how they react will change the course of their friendship forever. If the love is unrequited, maybe they just stay friends, but it is likely things will be weird and they’ll have to go their separate ways, like Laurie and Jo in Little Women. Perhaps they do end up getting together and marrying with a happy ending such as Emma and Mr. Knightly in Emma.

Resolution

Where do your characters go from here? How does the friendship grow or die after the decisions are made? Is there room for growth as friends and lovers or have they done irreparable damage to a good thing? Unrequited love stories are especially juicy and heart-wrenching in the resolution.

And that’s it for my guide on how to write best-friends-to-lovers romance stories that are believable and realistic. What do you think of these types of stories? Did you like Little Women and Emma? Do you prefer writing mutual or unrequited love? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, and as always, thanks for reading!

Further reading:

• How To Write The Perfect Meet Cute

• How to Write Hate-To-Love Romance

• The Top 10 Worst Romance Tropes EVER

• 5 Supernatural Romance Reads for February 2020

• 5 Contemporary Romances Everyone Should Read

• Classic Romance Reading Challenge for February 2020

—Payton