How To Overcome Writer’s Block

This blog 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! In this blog post, we’re discussing writer’s block and all it encompasses, how to overcome it, and how to keep it from interfering with your creativity. There's thousands of other posts and articles out there that explain this topic, to be sure. But I am diving deep and explaining my own personal experience with writer’s block, how I overcame it, and how you can too. This post will deconstruct the nebulous concept of writer’s block and break it down into easily understandable symptoms and actionable and effective steps for curing these symptoms. This post is a longer one, so grab your coffee, tea, and your notepad and let’s get into it!

What Is Writer’s Block? 

Writer’s block is the kryptonite to a writer’s superpower—creativity. Have you ever found yourself staring at a blank page, unable to write? Perhaps you feel paralyzed by fear or unable to begin the process. Perhaps you move your hands to the keyboard, or lift your pencil to the page time and time again, only to pull them away, thinking hmm, why won’t the words just flow? Writer’s block happens to nearly every writer; it’s inevitable. Writer’s block is the inability to freely dive into writing and the feeling that whatever words come from your fingertips aren’t worth writing in the first place or won’t be good enough.

What Does Writer’s Block Look Like?

It looks like a writer hunched over their keyboard or notebook with a furrow in their brow, a purse in their lips, and a blank page before them. It looks like a lack of motivation, inspiration, or consistency. It looks like notes and binders and word documents galore, but no completed book or short story to tie them all together. It looks like an untouched laptop or notepad gathering dust in the corner. Writer’s block presents itself differently for every writer, but the symptoms are often the same.  The bad news? You’ve diagnosed yourself with writer’s block. But the good news? It’s treatable and an obstacle you can definitely overcome. 

What causes writer’s block?

Writer’s block, while perhaps not a proper medical condition, is a creative hurdle that stops many writers in their tracks. It stems from inexperience, underdeveloped ideas, burnout, a lack of enthusiasm, motivation, or inspiration, fear of rejection or a feeling of inadequacy when it comes to a writer’s own abilities, and maintaining a lifestyle that does not support the habit of writing. Seasoned and aspiring writers alike can suffer from this roadblock in the creative process, but with time, practice, and perseverance, writers can push past this block and eventually leave it in the dust altogether. 

A woman working on a Macbook. Photo by Elisa Ventur.

Why Am I Experiencing Writer’s Block?

You may find the answer to this question below:

• Inexperience: Many novice writers do not know where to begin. They don’t know how to write a story, let alone develop and format a book. They don’t know the rules of writing and that inexperience can hold them back from unleashing their creative potential. If you want to be a writer, and a successful one at that, you must educate yourself on writing tools, best practices, and storytelling as an artform. This is the foundation of being an effective and knowledgeable writer. Read books about writing, take classes and attend workshops to build your skills with practice and feedback.  

• Underdeveloped ideas: Many writers find themselves unable to start writing because the ideas they want to write from are not fully developed. Brainstorming and research are crucial parts of the writing process. Writing from a vague idea is much, much harder than writing from a fully-realized idea. Depending on the genre you’re writing from, take all aspects of the story and cultivate them so they can grow from a budding seed of inspiration to a blossoming concept. For example, if you’re writing a fantasy story, write detailed descriptions of all the characters, settings, world cultures, religions, and histories, timelines, and events. These wordy descriptions will likely not make it into your draft, but they will serve as notes for you to expand and refine your ideas as you write. If you can see it so clearly in your mind’s eye, then you can write from it as if you were really looking at your main characters in their world, with your own two eyes. 

• Lack of enthusiasm: Some writers suffer from a lack of enthusiasm about what they’re writing. This can be a difficult hurdle to overcome especially if you write for work and don’t have much of a choice in the subject matter. For those who fall into this category, you have three choices: make some kind of personal connection to the subject matter, or find a new writing job, or write for pleasure instead. For those who have an idea they really like, but feel disconnected from it or as if they don’t know enough about the topic to write on it, go back to the Inexperience bullet point. Educate yourself on the topic thoroughly enough that you can confidently and accurately write about it without feeling like you’re writing in the dark.  

• Lack of motivation: Many writers feel a lack of motivation when it comes to writing. This symptom of writer’s block can be one of the hardest to push past. Writers who feel unmotivated should take a realistic look at their lives and consider why they may feel that lack of motivation. Do you feel like writing at all? Do you enjoy writing? Do you enjoy storytelling and developing ideas? Do you enjoy making connections with others and sharing experiences? Do you enjoy bringing an idea to life? If any of your answers to these questions were a no, why? Why do you dislike any of these steps?

  If you found yourself saying no, why are you writing —or not writing —in the first place? Why label yourself as a writer, if it's not something you actually want to do? Many writers never end up writing a book, but they don this title and put immense pressure on themselves to engage in an activity that truly doesn’t resonate with themselves. Dig deep and determine if you want to write, why you want to write, and why you are a writer. This why is your reason for doing what you do and it’s going to help you shift your mindset in a big way. If writing is your passion and purpose and being a writer is part of your identity, it will help excite and motivate you to practice writing, because it's what you do. Find your personal connection to writing and take it with you into every writing session. 

• Lack of inspiration: Many people who want to write a book feel as if they have nothing to write about. While a strong feeling, this idea couldn’t be farther from the truth. Every single person has a unique perspective and worldview. Every person has a unique experience. No two lives are identical and in turn, no two stories are the same. Your unique existence is valid and so is your story. If you feel like you don’t have a story or idea to write about, write from real life. Write from your experiences and memories. If you don’t want to write about your personal experiences, write fictional stories that you wish were true about your life. Go back to the Inexperience and Underdeveloped Ideas bullet points and follow those steps. Read other books from the genres you want to write from. Research topics, themes, and ideas, then develop them further into elements you can craft a story from. I like to think the writing process is like building sand castles on the beach —you have billions of grains of sand to work from, but for the castle to take shape, you must sculpt, carve, mold, chisel, and join those grains together. You must work those grains of sand until they form the shape you’re going for. 

Diagnosing & Treating Writer’s Block. Graphic by Payton Hayes.

• Fear of rejection: Many writers struggle with the fear of rejection whether they are aware of this or not. It comes from a combination of Inexperience, Underdeveloped Ideas, and a low self esteem as a writer. These writers may feel confidence in other areas of their lives —they may do well in school or their jobs, they may feel confidence in their physical appearances, they may be aware of other activities they excel at, but when it comes to writing, they don’t believe in themselves or their abilities. The key to overcoming this struggle is practice. Practice, practice, practice. For many writers, the process of writing is very personal and tied closely to their identity. For this reason, it can be difficult for writers to put themselves and their work out there. However, this can be one of the most freeing experiences and is vital to your growth as a writer. When I started seriously writing, I kept my fantasy stories close to my heart. I never let my friends or family read them because I didn’t want them to actually know what my writing was like, for better or worse. They knew I was a writer, but they didn’t know if I was a good or bad writer, and I clung to that uncertainty. I didn’t put my writing online or allow others to read it until much, much later, when I was in college and was somewhat forced to let others into my thoughts, emotions, and written words. From discussion posts in my online courses to writing workshops and critiques in my creative writing classes, to instructor feedback, I was required to put my writing out there, in some form or another.

  What I came to realize was that I should have done this much, much sooner. I would have never broken out of my shell as a writer and a person, had I not been vulnerable and put my work out into the world for others to see, read, like, dislike, criticize, judge, compliment, and tear apart. I was terrified that someone would read my stories and think wow, this is truly poor writing. The reality is that any artform is subjective. We hear this a lot when it comes to visual art, but the same is true for writing. Subjective means “based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions” and when it comes to writing, this means readers will bring their own unique perspectives, worldviews, emotions, experiences, and opinions into the work, whether they are aware of it or not. There is nothing writers can do to stop readers from doing this, and they shouldn’t try to. As a writer, you must allow this fact of life to free you from the confines of wanting to please everyone. Allow yourself to let go of the desire to control other people’s opinions and interpretations of your work. It’s an impossibly unrealistic, unattainable, and unhealthy expectation. Whenever I find myself worrying over how others will react to my writing, I try to remember two things: Buddhism and peaches.

  Let me explain.

  Look, I’m not a Buddhist and I’m not telling you to convert to Buddhism. However Buddhists do practice the art of surrender. This concept is based on letting go of what one cannot control. You cannot control how others react to your writing. You cannot make them like it. You cannot please every single person with your writing, so just let this go. One of my favorite quotes is from Dita Von Teese who said, “You can be the ripest, juiciest, peach in the world, and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches.” There will always be someone who doesn’t like peaches and there will always be someone who can find something they don’t like about your writing. Free yourself from the desire to be liked by everyone, by being okay with rejection. Embrace it. Allow yourself to be disliked, criticized, and unaccepted. Allow yourself to produce bad writing. Allow yourself to fail. By doing this, you remove the pressure to be perfect and allow yourself to be. You allow yourself to write, no matter what comes of it. You allow yourself to grow as a writer and a person. 

• Writing conducive lifestyle: Many writers have a hard time writing because they do not lead a life that aligns with being a writer. To be a writer, you must have time to dedicate to reading, researching, studying, writing, editing, and honing your skills. Being a writer in practice rather than name, is more than just writing. To be a writer, you must live a life that supports the regular practice of writing and all that process entails. Writing is not only an activity, it is a lifestyle and a long-term practice. It takes years of dedication, consistency, and practice to result in expert, well-honed writing skills. If you have children or a busy life, you may find it quite difficult to carve out time to write, but it is paramount to being a good writer, let alone finding success in writing. If you answered the questions in the Lack of motivation bullet point, then by now, you should know whether or not you really want to continue writing. If the answer is no, you should probably look into something else. However, if you do, then your next objective is to set aside time every day to improve your writing. Make this a realistic and attainable goal and track your progress as you go. Start out simple and ensure your path is the one of least resistance from both yourself and others in your life. 

How To Defeat Writer’s Block. Graphic by Payton Hayes.

How Do I Overcome Writer’s Block?

If you read through those lengthy bullet points, then by now, you know what must be done. You know what writer’s block is, what it looks like, how it affects writers, where it comes from. Now that you understand writer’s block, it is time to take action. I’ve listed several ways you can combat writer’s block. Practicing these steps will help you build the muscles you need to defeat writer's block whenever it rears its big ugly head. I have also designed a printable flier for you to put up in your writing area, so you can always have these tips equipped and at the ready when writer’s block strikes. 

• Writing everyday: If you are a writer, make writing a priority. The choice is up to you. If you’ve decided writing is your purpose, then make it a daily practice and make no exceptions. Tell yourself the affirmation: Writers write. I am a writer, and I am going to write. Set aside a specific time each day that you sit down and write. You will likely need more time to research, brainstorm, read, and do other writing-adjacent activities, but make sure you write every.single.day. Start with five, ten, fifteen, or thirty minutes at a time, depending on your experience and ability. If you haven’t written in months or years, set aside five minutes each day to write. Find some writing prompts or writing exercises and set a timer, then write until the timer beeps. Chances are you will feel compelled to continue writing past the time you set, but don’t force yourself to do so. If you want to spend five minutes each day working on the same writing project, you can do that too. Gradually increase your writing time as you strengthen those writing muscles and build the habit into your life. It takes twenty-one days to build a habit. That comes out to 1.75 hours across three weeks. When broken down into manageable chunks, a consistent, daily writing practice becomes more possible and over time, it becomes less like a manual task and more automatic. Five minutes every day. That’s all it takes!

• Writing workspace: To make your daily writing practice easier, design a workspace that makes you want to write. Invest in a comfortable desk chair or a standing desk if necessary. Turn on soft lighting and play some instrumental music to help relax your mind while you let the creative juices flow. Make sure you have snacks and a nice warm beverage on hand. You can train your brain to get into writing mode by doing the same thing at the same time every day and employing all five senses to reinforce the habit. For example, if you want to write for ten minutes every day, starting at 7:00 p.m., start by playing your favorite song or an instrumental track you enjoy to remind yourself that it's time to write. Bonus points if you set an alarm to go off at 7:00 p.m. with the song, so it's automated and not on you to remember. While the song is playing, make yourself a cup of tea, grab a fruit or bag of chips, and get your workstation and timer ready. When you’re ready to go, start writing, and don’t stop. Remember, you’re not writing the most amazing, perfect words ever put together on earth. Just write.

• Establish a rewards system that incentivizes you to write. We all enjoy different things—some of us enjoy shopping, others enjoy playing video games, and some enjoy eating delicious food. Without being counterproductive to your other goals or negatively impacting your health, come up with a rewards system that will help you reach your writing goals. If it’s your goal to write so many words each week, set a reward that will encourage and excite you to sit down to write and accomplish that goal. For example, I would like to buy a new book or two. I won’t get a new book until I finish reading one I already own, so I don’t have a bunch of unread books on my shelf. The same principle goes for writing. If you want to reach that weekly word count goal, write for the reward. You don’t have to write perfectly, just get those words onto the page. 

• Take care of yourself and your health: This advice is not just for writers, but because writing is so personal and tied to our mental and emotional health, self-care is an important step in creating a lifestyle that supports writing. Get plenty of quality sleep, practice good hygiene, maintain a healthy diet, and exercise regularly. For people with disabilities, mental illness, or neurodivergence, get any necessary assistance if you haven’t yet. 

Some Additional Tips For Combatting Writer’s Bock

• Try morning pages or a brain dump. Before you sit down to write or work on an ongoing project, try freeing your mind. The concept of “Morning Pages” comes from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, and can be an effective strategy for getting all the mental distractions out of your way before you actually start writing. Like the name suggests, brain dump pages or morning pages are simply a page or two of everything on your mind that you want to offload so you can think clearly. It can be total nonsense, a to-do list, a stream of consciousness, a series of mad ramblings —whatever it is, get it out of your head and onto the page so you can make room for the real writing. 

• Let yourself write garbage. If you’re struggling with perfectionism and overcoming your judgmental internal editor, let yourself be okay with writing garbage. Create a new draft and title it “trash draft” if you like. Then write with reckless abandon. You can write about whatever you like or you can work on a project you’ve been writing. Make your internal editor take a backseat to your internal writer and watch as the story takes shape on the page. No writer creates perfection in the first draft, so stop telling yourself the rough draft is bad. A garbage page is better than nothing. You can create treasures from a pile of trash, but you cannot edit a blank page.

• Get involved in a writing community. If external accountability is more effective for you, get connected with other writers. Network with writers, editors, publishers, and published authors for advice, craft tips, editorial news, and external motivation to keep writing. Sometimes, having a writing community can be more powerful for combating writer’s block that a routine or paycheck. Writing communities are a great way for writers to celebrate one another’s accomplishments and receive truly helpful feedback on writing. 

Writer’s Block As A Result of Burnout

If you’ve made it this far, then the next piece of advice will sound quite contradictory to everything said thus far. If you’re experiencing writer’s block as a symptom of burnout, take a break. Stop writing. I know, it sounds crazy! First, I’m telling you to write, then telling you not to write. Trust me. 

If you’ve done everything advised so far and nothing has worked, don’t force yourself to write when you just can’t. I’m not saying give up, but give yourself time and patience to recover from the burnout before jumping back into writing. When it is time to dive back in, do so slowly and with grace. Stick your toe in the water before diving in headfirst. If you’ve been stuck on a book for years and nothing you do can make you want to continue writing it, try writing something else. Take a break. When it’s time, you’ll come back to it. And if it’s time for you to pivot, don’t judge yourself for doing so. It may be time for a change. 

Thinking Realistically About Creativity

Creativity sometimes comes from a spark of inspiration, the elusive mystical muse that chooses to strike at random. But most often, creativity is a skill you practice regularly, and it’s not as glamorous as the media makes it seem. Writing is hard work and it requires a healthy lifestyle, commitment, vulnerability, and consistency rather than artistic brilliance. Either you’ve chosen to be a writer, or writing has chosen you. If this is indeed the path you wish to take, you must go all in. I’m not telling you it’s always easy, but it does get easier with time, practice, and perseverance. When I first started out, I went years between working on chapters of the same book. Now, I write multiple blog posts each week. I still struggle with feeling motivated or excited to write. Whenever I’m dragging myself to my writing desk rather than running, go through the steps to ensure I am doing everything in my power to get myself to write. It usually works, and then once in a while it doesn’t and I know it’s time for a break. Give yourself some grace as a writer and as a human. There's a million things out there that could affect you or get in the way of your writing practice. But if you’re dedicated, determined, and willing to put in the effort, you can be a writer, and your writing will improve with every session. 

You’re a writer. Writing is what you do. It’s in your bones. It is your purpose and your reason. Writing is your destiny. Now write.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. I hope it helped you to better understand yourself as a writer, the struggle of writer’s block, and how to overcome it and become a better writer. If you enjoyed this post or if it helped you in some way, please leave me a comment! I’d love to know your thoughts! If you’d like to read more writing advice from me, please check out the recent posts from my blog below!

Bibliography

• Ventur, Elisa. (@elisa_ventur) “a business woman who is frustrated because she is working too much.“ Unsplash photo, May 12, 2021 (Thumbnail photo).

• Hayes, Payton. “How To Overcome Writer’s Block.” Shayla Raquel’s Blog, February 7, 2023. 

• Hayes, Payton. “Diagnosing & Treating Writer’s Block.” Graphic created with Canva, February 7, 2023. 

• Hayes, Payton. “How To Defeat Writer’s Block.” Graphic created with Canva, February 7, 2023. 

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Recent Blog Posts

This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. 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 blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live. In the meantime, I will continue to be transparent about which tools and resources I use in my work.

Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: August 30, 2025

How To Submit Your Writing To—And Get It Published In—Literary Journals

A photo of several literary journals and an antique typewriter on my home bookshelf. Photo by Payton Hayes.

This blog post was written by a human.

Hi readers and writerly friends! 

If this is your first time visiting my blog, thanks for stopping by, and if you’re a returning reader, thanks for coming back! Although I have been occupied with external commitments, I aim to increase my posting frequency in 2024.

You’re going to want to get your bookmark button ready because there’s a ton of useful links in this post! 🔖

If you’re reading this blog post, you’re probably a creative or literary writer looking to share your work with the world! Whether you’re a seasoned author or debut writer, literary journals (also called literary magazines) are a great way to get your work out there! Literary journals are periodicals that are committed to publishing the work of writers at all stages of their careers. Most literary journals publish poetry, prose, flash fiction, and essays, but many of them publish photography, paintings, and other visual art as well! 
With 2023 wrapping up and the new year just around the corner, I thought it would be helpful to share some amazing resources for writers looking to submit their work in 2024! Many literary journals are still accepting submissions into 2024 and there are plenty of publications looking for high-quality writing for their next issue! Below is an in-depth guide for submitting your writing as well as a list of my top Oklahoma-based literary journals that I’d recommend submitting to! 

Know Your Market

First off, do your research! The next couple of points go hand-in-hand with this idea, but to ensure the best possible chance at success with your submissions, it is crucial to conduct thorough market and publisher research rather than submitting blindly. According to Poets & Writers, “Your publishing success rests on one axiom: Know your market.”  

I recommend starting with Poets & Writers’ wonderfully thorough guide to Literary Journals and Magazines where you can find details about the specific kind of writing each magazine publishes and in which formats, as well as editorial policies, submission guidelines, general expectations, and contact information. They also have an amazing database of nearly one thousand literary magazines and journals, as well as a helpful submissions tracker so you can easily keep track of which journals you’ve submitted to, how many times you’ve submitted a poem, story, or essay; the amount of money you’ve spent on fees; the status of your submissions; and how much time has passed since you submitted your work all in one place online.

• Poets & Writers’ Literary Journals and Magazines Guide (🔖Bookmark this!)

• Poets & Writers’ Literary Journals and Magazines Database (🔖Bookmark this!)

Most writers get the attention of editors, agents, and other writers by first publishing their writing in literary magazines or literary journals. (Many literary magazines and journals will offer you a modest payment for the writing they accept, sometimes by giving you a free copy, or contributor’s copy, of the issue in which your work appears.) Before beginning the submission process, it is essential to research the market to determine which publications are the best venues for your writing. Your publishing success rests on one axiom: Know your market.

—Poets & Writers

Some other useful resources courtesy of Poets & Writers include:

• Poets & Writers’ List of Open Reading Periods: Journals and Presses Ready to Read Your Work Now (🔖Bookmark this!)

• Poets & Writers’ List of Small Presses 

• CLMP ‘s Directory of Publishers (🔖Bookmark this!)

• New Pages’s  Literary Magazines Guide (🔖Bookmark this!)

• Heavy Feather Review’s Where To Submit List (🔖Bookmark this!)

• Duotrope - An amazing paid resource with SO many useful features from a publishing database with over 7,500 active publishers and agents, news pages, publishing statistics and reports, a submission tracker, theme and deadline calendar, and interviews from editors and agents that can provide insight into specific publications.

Along with the aforementioned guides and resources from Poets & Writers, I also recommend Writer’s Market, Poet’s Market, and Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, all published by Writer’s Digest Books, and give detailed contact information and submission guidelines.

Submission Guidelines and Questions To Consider

When researching your literary magazine presses, be sure to keep in mind the following questions:

• What kind of work is being published?

• How often do they publish?

• What are their submission guidelines?

• Do they allow simultaneous submissions?

• Do they require previously unpublished works?

• In what ways does this publisher “pay” contributors for their work—cash reward or free copies of the finished publication?

• Does this journal offer awards to high-quality submissions?

• Can you purchase additional copies or is there a limit per contributor?

• Where and how does this journal accept submissions?

• What is the contact information for this publisher in the event that you need to withdraw your submission? 

• What experiences have other contributors had with working with this magazine? Is the communication clear and open? 

• What is the turnaround time for approval and rejection letters? 

• Does this journal offer alternative publishing options such as online exclusives or in weekly newsletters? 

These are just a few questions to keep in mind when submitting your work to literary journals. I personally try to keep a variety of large and small journals, and those that accept submissions year-round (rolling submissions) or multiple times throughout the year, on my calendar.

Literary Market Place (Book-mart Press) has larger publisher and literary agent listings, and The International Directory of Little Magazines & Small Presses (Dustbooks) is a print directory you can find on sites like Amazon. You can also utilize their online database.

Find The Right Publisher For You and Your Work

Not all publishers are created equal and not all books are “big five” books. What I mean by this is that not every book—or piece of writing—will get published by one of the big five publishers and not every book is going to be on one of The New York Times’ bestsellers lists. But this isn’t inherently a bad thing. Some books are best suited for bigger publishers while others are best suited for smaller publishers and publishing your work with the right press is critical for success in the publishing industry. The same is true for literary magazines. Not every work is suited for The New Yorker or Poetry Magazine. 

There are many pros and cons to publishers of all sizes, but the primary difference is that big publishers often have more resources and a wider audience reach, but they are often far more selective when it comes to which books they publish. On the other hand, smaller publishers may not have the clout that big publishers do but they often are more intimate and personal when it comes to submissions, communications, and the publishing process. Additionally, big publishers usually have bigger marketing budgets, while small publishers often allow greater creative control when it comes to decision-making in the publishing process. Alternatively, there are medium-sized publishers that tend to have the best of both worlds and fall somewhere in between. If you’d like to read more about the pros and cons of publishing houses of all sizes, check out this fantastic article from Publishers Agents Films. 

That being said, I think you should absolutely shoot for the stars when submitting and querying. I can’t help but think of the Wayne Gretzky quote, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” 

A screencap of Michael Scott from The Office, courtesy of NBC and Katherine Arnold.

And Gretsky is 100% correct. However, when it comes to the publishing industry, success doesn’t happen by accident or luck alone. Writers must be selective and strategic in their submission process, just like publishers. It is important to be realistic about what kind of publishers will be the best for your work—it’s just a matter of good fit.

Below are some great articles about working with small versus large presses.

• “Small Press Vs Big Press: What Is The Difference?” by Winnifred Tataw of Win’s Books Blog

• “The New York Times Bestseller List.” by Seth Godin of Seth’s Blog

• “The Big Five US Trade Book Publishers.” by Ali of The Critical Thinker

• “Big Six Publishing is Dead–Welcome the Massive Three.” by Kristen Lamb

Publisher Tiering and Simultaneous Submissions

Once you understand the benefits and drawbacks of small, medium, and large presses, one way to prepare for submissions is by tiering prospective publishers. I first learned about this process from Clifford Garstang, author of Oliver’s Travels and other novels, and editor of the acclaimed anthology series, Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction from a Small Planet.

Tiering is an aid to simultaneous submissions that groups the best magazines together in the top tier, somewhat less prestigious magazines in the next tier, and so on. It is advisable to submit work to the top tier first, or at any rate within the same tier, so that an acceptance by one, which requires withdrawal from the others, won’t be painful. (If you get an acceptance from a lower-tier magazine while you’re still waiting to hear from a higher-tier magazine, that could lead to a difficult withdrawal. Withdrawal is ethically required, but what if the higher-tier magazine was about to accept the piece?) So, I decided to rank literary magazines—first in fiction, because that’s what I was writing, but later in poetry and nonfiction because many people requested that—to help me decide where to submit. In theory, I would aim toward the top of the list and work my way down until someone finally accepted my story.

—Clifford Garstang

Garstang meticulously prepared a wonderfully helpful ranking chart for 2023 Literary Magazine Rankings. I have no doubt these rankings will look quite similar, next year as well, but until we have an updated list, I’ll be going by his 2023 list.

Track Submission Deadlines With Calendar Blocking

Another great way to prepare for submitting your work in 2024, is to block out submission windows for all the presses you’re interested in submitting to. I typically keep my favorite fifteen literary journals' submission windows in my Google Calendar and a master list of many other potential magazines' submission windows, organized by date, in a Google doc. That way, I keep the top fifteen literary journals I’d like to publish with at the forefront of my mind and I can easily find other publishers throughout the year. I’d recommend researching literary magazines at all levels in your desired category—poetry, prose, essays, and visual art and making your own master list that is tailored to your work. Making a specific list based on your work will prove far more useful to you than simply going by my list.

Pro Tip: You can either block out submission openings AND closings or just the openings. In the image below, you can see that I usually just block out the opening dates and assume any blocks of time without that event means they’ve closed.

A screencap of Submission Calendar Blocking in Google Calendar. Photo by Payton Hayes

A photo of Nimrod International Journal Fall 2023 issue, Awards 45 on a wooden side table. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Maintain A Consistent Submission Schedule and Make Time For Your Writing Rituals

In addition to tracking submission deadlines, it is also a good practice to make and keep a consistent submission schedule for yourself. Once you’ve got a couple of pieces that you feel confident in publishing (and have been edited and proofread), start sending out a couple of submissions each week. I also suggest creating some sort of rejection ritual. You will inevitably face rejections, but instead of letting them get you down, let them be part of the process. Whenever you receive a rejection letter, print it out and burn it or tape it to your writing desk as motivation to keep writing and keep submitting. Likewise, come up with some kind of acceptance ritual—some way to celebrate each of your accepted submissions. No matter the amount of rejections you receive, don’t get discouraged! It just takes time and perseverance. The more you submit, the easier the whole process will get, I promise.

Besides, sometimes even if you don’t get accepted, you still get a freebie out of it in the end and who doesn’t like free stuff? I submitted to Nimrod International Journal in 2023 and while none of my submissions were accepted, they still sent me a free copy of the issue I submitted to. If I’m honest, I wasn’t expecting them to send me a free copy—they send one free copy out to all contributors, but since I was rejected, I didn’t think I counted as a contributor—and it sort of felt like a tiny slap in the face. But after some time passed, I realized it wasn’t personal and was grateful to have the free copy.

Oklahoma Literary Journals

As a writer and editor based in Oklahoma, I’m pretty familiar with the literary scene here in the scissortail state and I’d like to take a moment to share a few of my favorite literary journals that I’ve personally had the pleasure of working with. 

New Plains Review—January 15 for the Fall 2024 issue and July 15 for the Spring 2025 issue

New Plains Review, a student-run literary journal at the University of Central Oklahoma, proudly receives hundreds of submissions from all over the world. Keeping with the University of Central Oklahoma’s goals of both excellence and diversity, it is our mission to share with our readers thought-provoking, quality work from a diverse number of authors and artists around the world. We are eager to help these creators broaden their audience and reinforce the importance of the arts in our everyday lives.

1890: A Journal of Undergraduate Research—September 15 

The purpose of 1890: A Journal of Undergraduate Research is to provide undergraduate students the opportunity to demonstrate their interests and abilities in various disciplines by accepting works of research, creative writing, poetry, reviews, and art. New Plains Student Publishing uses 1890 to encourage, recognize, and reward intellectual and creative activity beyond the classroom by providing a forum that builds a cohesive academic community.

The Central Dissent: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality—Opening summer of 2024

The Central Dissent: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality is an interdisciplinary academic journal produced by New Plains Student Publishing and sponsored by the UCO's Women’s Research Center as well as the LGBTQ+ Student Center. Being the first and only academic journal focused on gender and sexuality in Oklahoma, our mission is to gather and disseminate quality research, poetry, and academic reviews that explore gender theory, gender identity, as well as how race, class, and ethnicity shape society’s expectations of the individual both currently and historically.

Pegasus—Opening in early 2024

Pegasus is the annual literary journal of original art, poetry, photography, personal essay, and fiction by Rose State College students, faculty, and staff. 2024 Submission deadline to be announced. 

Nimrod International Journal of Poetry and Prose—January 1 to October 1 for general submissions in prose and poetry and January 1 to April 1 for the Nimrod Literary Awards contest

Nimrod International Journal welcomes submissions of poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. We publish two issues annually. Our spring issue is thematic, with the theme announced the preceding fall. Previous themes have included Writers of Age; Range of Light: The Americas; Australia; Who We Are; Islands of the Sea and of the Mind; The Arabic Nations; Mexico/USA; and Crossing Borders. The fall issue features the winners and finalists of our annual Literary Awards. In most cases, both issues also contain work accepted as general submissions throughout the year.

Literary Magazines currently accepting submissions into 2024

Erin Duchesne of Make A Living Writing has compiled a fantastic list of 18 Literary Magazines Accepting Submissions in 2024 so I figured I’d include a condensed version of it here as well as a link back to the article for your convenience.

Literary journals with submissions open year-round:

• Asimov’s Science Fiction —Rolling Submissions

• Harper’s Magazine —Rolling Submissions

• Narrative Magazine —Rolling Submissions

• The Sun Magazine—Rolling Submissions'

• The New Yorker—Rolling Submissions

Literary journals with one submission deadline:

• Ploughshares—June 1 to January 15

• POETRY Magazine—September 16 to June 14

• The Sewanee Review—September 1 to May 31

• The Georgia Review—August 16 to May 14

• The Kenyon Review—September 1 to 30

Literary journals with multiple submission deadlines:

• AGNI —September 1 to December 15; February 14 to May 31

• The Iowa Review—August 1 to October 1 for fiction and poetry; August 1 to November 1 for non-fiction

• The Gettysburg Review—September 1 to May 31; graphics accepted year-round

• New England Review—September 1 to November 1; March 1 to May 1

• Swamp Pink—September 1 to December 31; February 1 to May 31; prize submissions are accepted in January

• The Paris Review—March and September for prose; January, April, July and October for poetry

• Granta—March 1 to 31; June 1 to 30; September 1 to 30; December 1 to 31

Literary journals with submissions opening soon:

• One Story—Opening in early 2024

Although this list is a great place to start for literary journals that are currently still accepting submissions going into 2024, I still highly recommend you research your market and put together a tailored list for journals you plan to submit to in the coming year. And that’s it for my guide to all things literary journals and magazines! This is by far not a comprehensive list, but I tried to be as thorough as possible! What did you think of this guide? Let me know in the comments below! If you know of any amazing resources not listed here, please leave me a comment to and I’ll get them added to this post! Thanks for reading and supporting my work!

Bibliography

• Arnold, Katherine and NBC. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take – Wayne Gretzky – Michael Scott” – The Campus Activities Board.” Lanthorn Website, November 25, 2019. (Wayne Gretzky quote/Michael Scott meme from NBC.) 

• Duchesne, Erin. “18 Literary Magazines Accepting Submissions in 2024.” Make A Living Writing, accessed December 18, 2023.

• Garstang, Clifford. “2023 Literary Magazine Rankings: Overview.” Clifford Garstang.com, December 19, 2023.  

• Gus. “The Pros & Cons of Working With a Small or Large Publisher.” Publishers Agents Films Website, October 30, 2014.  

• Hayes, Payton. “A photo of Nimrod International Journal Fall 2023 issue, Awards 45 on a wooden side table.” December 18, 2023. 

• Hayes, Payton. “A screencap of Submission Calendar Blocking in Google Calendar.“ December 18, 2023. 

• Hayes, Payton. “A photo of several literary journals and an antique typewriter on my home bookshelf.” December 18, 2023. 

• Hayes, Payton. “Oklahoma literary journals on a wooden bookshelf.” March 14, 2024 (Thumbnail photo).

• Poets & Writers staff. “Literary Journals & Magazines.” Poets & Writers website, accessed December 18, 2023. 

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Recent Blog Posts

This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. 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 blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live. In the meantime, I will continue to be transparent about which tools and resources I use in my work.

Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: August 30, 2025

How To Write Poems With Artificial Intelligence (Using Google's Verse by Verse)

This blog post was written by a human.

*Please note that exclusively using AI to write and publish text-based content is unethical and should not be done under any circumstance. In this post, I demonstrate how to utilize AI as a tool for writing practice, but I do not condone the use of AI to produce text without extensive editing and human intervention. In fact, I highly advise against it. In absolutely no cases should AI-written content be submitted to editors, agents, or publishers, nor should it be published online or in print materials. AI should never be used to replace the art of writing and storytelling through text. This is just a fun, light-hearted post that shows how writers can experiment with AI to help get their creativity flowing, much like warming up with writing exercises. Please keep in mind that AI use poses various ethical and environmental ramifications. I strongly encourage you to do your own research before trying out the techniques in this blog post for yourself. 

Hi readers and writerly friends!

If you’re new to the blog, thanks for stopping by, and if you’re a returning reader, it’s nice to see you again! In this post we’re going to explore writing poetry using artificial intelligence (AI).  I heard about this from an article a few years ago. I tried to find it, but so many others have come out discussing the same topic since then and it seems it’s been buried in the search results. However, I have linked some particularly interesting articles at the end of this post for further reading. All other articles quoted in this post will be linked at the end as well.

Artificial Intelligence

Before we can create poetry using artificial intelligence, we must first understand what the term means in definition as well as what it means for the future of humanity. Artificial intelligence is changing the world in ways no one can yet fully predict.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) of Oxford University Press defines artificial intelligence as:

“Noun. The capacity of computers or other machines to exhibit or simulate intelligent behaviour; the field of study concerned with this. Abbreviated AI.” (OED 2008)

Artificial intelligence can also be described as the theory and development of computer systems that are able to perform tasks such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, translation between languages, and other tasks that normally require human intelligence. Initially, AI included search engines, recommendation algorithms such as those used by YouTube, Amazon, and Netflix, computer programs that could play games like chess with users. In the last decade, we have seen an emergence of AI applications that can complete a myriad of tasks that typically require human intelligence. These applications include understanding and responding to human speech (apps such as Siri and Alexa), self-driving cars (such as Tesla), and even art making and poetry writing programs (such as the infamous Lensa app and Verse by Verse by Google).

In his article, “Can AI Write Authentic Poetry?” cognitive psychologist and poet Keith Holyoak explores whether artificial intelligence could ever achieve poetic authenticity. In the article, he makes the comparison of AI to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein:

“On the hazier side of the present horizon, there may come a tipping point at which AI surpasses the general intelligence of humans. (In various specific domains, notably mathematical calculation, the intersection point was passed decades ago.) Many people anticipate this technological moment, dubbed the Singularity, as a kind of Second Coming—though whether of a savior or of Yeats’s rough beast is less clear. Perhaps by constructing an artificial human, computer scientists will finally realize Mary Shelley’s vision.” (Holyoak 2022, par.6)

Despite the bleak predictions of how AI may one day replace all human activity, the reality is that this technology is simply not there yet. While AI can simulate human intelligence successfully in many tasks, it is still lacking in the poetry writing department and requires humans to be the editors and final decision makers in the outcome of a poem. Holyoak explains this current iteration of poetry AI being a system that “operates using a generate-then-select method” (Holyoak 2022, par.10).

In his article, Keith Holyoak ponders the validity of AI poetry, functionalism, the Hard Problem of consciousness, and the critical essence or subjective experience within poetry. I have linked his article at the end of this blog post, and I highly encourage you to read it if you’re even remotely interested in these topics.

Users can select up to three poets to serve as their muses. They will provide suggestions as you write. Photo by Payton Hayes.

Google’s Verse by Verse

Verse by Verse is a powerful poetry-writing AI created by Google that produces suggestions line by line, inspired by famed classical poets such as Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. The tool allows users to select up to three poets they want to mimic from a list of twenty-two classical poets.

Google’s about section on the Verse by Verse demo page says this of the software:

“Verse by Verse is an experiment in human-AI collaboration for writing poetry. We have created a cadre of AI poets, trained on the poems of many of America's classical poets, to work alongside you in writing poetry.

Each poet will try to offer suggestions that they think would best continue a poem in the style of that given poet. As such, try working with different poets to see whose style best meshes with your own.

Explore what works best for you when composing the poem. You can try using the poets' suggestions (including editing them to better match your style!), or write your own inspired by what they suggest.” (Google)

I conducted a little more research to gain a better understanding of how the AI operates and how best to use it for writing my own poetry. The article “Google’s ‘Verse by Verse’ can help you write poetry” by Aditya Saroha provides insight into how the muses provides suggestions based on classical poets. Saroha said, “Google explained that Verse by Verse's suggestions are not the original lines of verse the poets had written, but novel verses generated to sound like lines of verse the poets could have written. To build the tool, Google’s engineers trained models on a large collection of classic poetry. They fine-tuned the models on each individual poet’s body of work to try to capture their style of writing” (Saroha 2021, par.8-10). So, the poetry that the tool’s muses provide the user with were not actually lines crafted by classical poets, but rather inspired by their individual bodies of work.

In the article, “Google’s ‘Verse by Verse’ Lets You Imitate Writing Style Of Your Favourite Classical Poet” by Rudrani Gupta, provided quotes from one of Google’s software engineers, Dave Uthus where he explained how the AI was trained to write like classical poets. She said, “The suggestions of the new verses are possible because the tool has been ‘trained to have a general semantic understanding of what lines of the verse would best follow a previous line of verse,’ said engineer Dave Uthus. ‘Even if you write on topics not commonly seen in classic poetry, the system will try its best to make suggestions that are relevant,’ he added” (Gupta 2020, par.4). By training the AI in this fashion, the tool allows modern poets to write about modern topics, themes, and concepts, while imitating classical style and voice.

While this software can prove to be a useful writing too, it isn’t intended to replace talented poets. Saroha concludes his article by noting that the tool is meant to aid poets rather than replacing them. He said, “Through the tool, Google aims to ‘augment’ the creative process of composing a poem. Google said Verse by Verse is a creative helper, an inspiration and not a replacement” (Saroha 2021, par.11 ).

Google’s Verse by Verse, an AI poetry-writing tool. Photo by Payton Hayes.

I First Used Verse by Verse In 2020

I was first introduced to Verse by Verse in 2020 and I tried it just to see how effective it could be. At the time, I was really getting into my own religious deconstruction and exploring overt sexuality and expression. As a result, my writing at the time certainly reflected my interests and spiritual journey. I typed in words such as holy, prayer, pleasure, love, lust, sex, worship, devotion, god, and church. The poets I selected as my muses were Whitman, Emerson, and Poe and as I wrote each verse on the left, they provided me with inspiration from the column on the right.

I do not have the original poem the AI created when I first did this exercise in 2020 however, from that, I ended up with the following poem:

PRAYER

"Oh God," she says, hands clasped together, fingers entwined, knees bent.

He doesn't answer; he does.

he answers with earnest, continued, devoted worship

head bowed, eyes closed, his mind devoid of all else but this

—this soul-shaking, earth-shattering pleasure, this blessed communion between man and woman,

the Holy Spirit an undoubted voyeur through the candlelight,

this holy practice wherein they do some of their finest praying. (Hayes 2020)

Revisiting Verse by Verse in 2022

To show you how this AI writes poetry and how it’s suggestions can be effective for your own poetry writing, I decided to give it another go in 2022. Below is a gallery of screenshots from the tool as I entered each verse/line at a time. As you can see, my muses Emerson, Poe, and Whitman all provided me with interesting and unique suggestions to include in my poem.

I used words and phrases that came to mind, without rhyme or reason. I typed out ten verses and my chosen muses produced three lines each to help inspire my poem. Below are the twenty-seven lines from each poet in the right column (totaling eighty-one lines among my muses).

Ralph Waldo Emerson Muse

Tides of the hands of the bold,

Tides of the North wind, and to woods

Tides of the hands of the snow;

Hearing a weary weary voice at happy eve,

Hearing a happy poet recount

Hearing a weary poet high

Whilst upper wits, and for their memory ave

Dwarfed for thy harp to willing hand;

Victor over war’s enchanted lid

Spreading their scent through a ian gold;

House in for the blood of their delight,

Bright with homage to their well-known delight!

Wield these young honey wine for their delight:

Escort and beauty for their sick delight:

Their shining beauty to each youthful lamp  

Knew that their roar and pulse of kindred air:

Wield these first tones that shine through speak;

Bright with homage to their well-known delight!

Soothes with their shining sorrow;

Mixed with sand by other true delight.

Scent with thy summer horn.

Spreading their scent through fancy and desire;

Stream through thy friendship to the upper air,--

Beer and cup from every cottage beams–

Freedom and beauty for a delicate beams.

Strewed the wide wave with their enchanted maids;

Mixed with sand by other true liberty.

Walt Whitman Muse

Entering my feet over the prairies,

Wherein each stands or sweeps in the though,

Entering my feet upon the prairies

Splashing the waves with a yellow light,

Splashing the waves over the beach at night,

Splashing the river with a mystic midnight light,

Gave up the mighty and diverse hand

Rose the old drunkard, with a long side,

Making the young land tremble for the soul;

Wherein I feel so certain and happy,

Wherein all women pass from the world,

Encircled by a servant at hand;

Encircled by a servant at hand;

Making a song of a open air;

E’er lashes and clothes without wealth.

Thunder on stride on stride on lean words:

Rich greenish drift and the measureless light;

Wherein I understand each breath and the age;

Encircled by a delicate mouth and hand.

Mighty and perfect pour through the night.

Perfume the white arms of the summer night

Rich with ample forms and barbarian words,

Rich and perfect play for other globes!

Light the world with a mystic motion;

Encircled by a world in other bay;

Encircled by a perfect float in the air;

Encircled by a perfect float in the air:

Edgar Allan Poe Muse

Which fall’st into this world like rain

When in an happy Runic rhyme,

Wherein my youth and dreams and words,

Light as the lavas of summer air

Drowning a wild feeling with the sound

Tempting and dreaming in this passionate light

Filled with deep thoughts of thee.

Brought a silver, silken rest.

Brought a silver silken veil of light,

Beside the dames that gilded each bright noon,

Filled with light of life and light!

Brought down the world to me with their delight;

Put my own solace to a golden light,

Brought a silvery silken veil of light,

Hold about my fingers with their delight,

Divulge this secrets of that lovely isle!

To breathe those voice of thine. The lovely light

Nor ask the riches of the summer air;

To breathe those kisses of the summer air.

Sorrow with its own light eye.

Filled with light of many eyes.

A fountain of light. No living light

Hold about my fingers with their delight

Hold about my fingers as a crown.

Brought on a throne in their elysian air;

To breathe those kisses of the jewelled air;

To breathe those voice of thine.The lovely light

So, the muses definitely wrote…something. It’s not necessarily poetry —yet.

From those lines, I narrowed them down to my favorites in the following lines:

Wield these young honey wine for their delight:

Their shining beauty to each youthful lamp  

Splashing the river with a mystic midnight light,

Wherein I feel so certain and happy,

Encircled by a delicate mouth and hand.

Light the world with a mystic motion;

Tempting and dreaming in this passionate light

Brought a silver silken veil of light,

Put my own solace to a golden light,

Brought a silvery silken veil of light,

Hold about my fingers with their delight,

To breathe those kisses of the summer air.

Here, you could put these lines back into the AI to see what you get. I decided to rework them myself to make them less abstract. The lines crossed out above, I ended up using below. I kept my first verse, “feminine beauty dressed in light” and used that as the first line for the poem.

Feminine being dressed in light

To breathe those kisses of the summer air

Held about her fingers my delight

Washed softly away my every care

Encircled by a delicate mouth and hand

Wherein I feel so happy and certain

Her shining beauty imprinted in the sand

She is most deserving of devotion

You don’t have to use all of the lines the muses provided you with. As you can see, I have only used a handful here. This poem isn’t complete, but you get the idea. I’m going to set these lines aside for use with another poem later.  The suggestions from the muses in the tool may not have been completely sensible or eloquent, but its a great starting point for poets who may be stuck. It’s also a great way to practice mimicking your favorite classical poet’s writing style if you’d like. Although AI cannot yet write poetry that is indistinguishable from human poetry, it can certainly serve as a useful tool in your own poetry practice.

The next time you find yourself stuck on a line, try using AI to help you finish out your poem! If you try this, leave your work in the comments below! What was your favorite line the muses came up with? Let me know below!

Thank you for reading this blog post and if you’re interested in reading more about AI poetry or delving deeper into the sources I mentioned above, check out the bibliography and further reading sections below! Additionally, if you’d like to read similar posts, check out the related topics section. Lastly, if you want to read more posts from me, check out my recent blog posts.

Bibliography

• Saroha, Aditya. “Google’s ‘Verse by Verse’ can help you write poetry.” The Hindu, November, 28, 2021. (Paragraphs 8 and 10-11).

•  Google, “Verse By Verse” Google AI: Semantic Experiences. (AI Writing Tool and About Section). 

• Hayes, Payton. “Google’s Verse by Verse.” Photos, January, 16, 2023 (Photo Gallery).

• Holyoak, Keith . “Can AI Write Authentic Poetry?” The MIT Press Reader, December 7, 2022. (Paragraphs 6 and 10).

• Oxford English Dictionary, third ed.  (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008), s.v. “artificial intelligence, n.” 

• Danilyuk, Pavel.  (@pavel-danilyuk), “Robot Holding a Red Flower.” Unsplash photo," May 28, 2021. (Thumbnail photo). 

• Gupta, Rudrani. “Google’s ‘Verse by Verse’ Lets You Imitate Writing Style Of Your Favourite Classical Poet.” She The People. November 26, 2020. (Paragraph 4). 

Further Reading

• “Can a machine write better than you?—5 Best (and worst) AI Poem generators.”by Sara Barkat,  September 27, 2022. 

• “How I Use Artificial Intelligence as a Conversation Partner to Write Poetry.” by Lance Cummings, September 9, 2022. 

• “Google’s New AI Helps You Write Poetry Like Poe.” by Matthew Hart, November 24, 2020. 

• “Can AI Write Poetry? — Look at the Examples to Decide.” by Kirsty Kendall,  May 4, 2022.  

• “Why Tomorrow’s Poets Will Use Artificial Intelligence.” by Lance Cummings,  July 1, 2022.  

• “What Happens When Machines Learn To Write Poetry.” by Dan Rockmore,  January 7, 2020.

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Recent Blog Posts

This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. 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 blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live. In the meantime, I will continue to be transparent about which tools and resources I use in my work.

Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: August 30, 2025

Info-Dumping in Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels by Breyonna Jordan

This blog post was written by a human.

Hi readers and writerly friends!

If you’re new to the blog, thanks for stopping by, and if you’re a returning reader, it’s nice to see you again! For this post, Breyonna Jordan is taking over the blog to tell you all about info-dumping in science-fiction and fantasy novels! Leave her a comment and check out her website and other socials!

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Breyonna Jordan loves exploring new frontiers—underground cities, mythical kingdoms, and expansive space stations, to be exact. As a developmental editor, she relishes every opportunity to help world-builders improve their works and learn more about the wonderful world of writing. She enjoys novels that are fresh, far-reaching, and fun and she can’t wait to see your next book on her TBR list.

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Follow & Connect With Breyonna On These Platforms:

Facebook | Instagram | Reddit | Website

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Breyonna Jordan is a developmental editor who specializes in science-fiction and fantasy.

What is Info-Dumping? 

When writing sci-fi or fantasy, there’s a steep curve on how much the audience needs to know—a world of a curve in fact.

You may have pages and pages of elaborate world histories that readers must be filled in on—the current and past ruling monarchs, failed (or successful) uprisings, how natural resources became so scarce in this particular region, or why a military state exists in this country, but not in the surrounding lands. 

Alternatively, you may feel the need to include pages of small details concerning the settings and characters your readers are exploring. While it’s important to include specific details in your writing—the reader can’t possibly know that the night sky features four moons unless you convey these details—oftentimes, the excess exposition can be overwhelming to readers. 

This info-dumping can be a pervasive problem in fiction, maybe even the problem that stops you from finding an awesome agent or from obtaining a following on Amazon.

So, below I’ve offered some tips for spotting info-dumping, reasons for and the potential consequences of info-dumping, as well as several tips for avoiding the info-dump. 

How Do You Identify Info-Dumping In Your Manuscript?

A section of your work may contain info-dumping if you find: 

• you are skipping lines while reading (Brotzel 2020),

• the paragraphs are very long,

• there is little action and conflict occurring,

• your voice (and not your characters) has slipped in,

• that it looks like it was copied directly from your outline

To help you get a better idea of what excessive exposition can look like, here are two examples of info-dumping from the first chapter of a sci-fantasy manuscript I worked on: 

“Hawk was guarding the entrance to the cave while Beetle went for the treasure. These were not their real names of course but code-names given to them by their commander (now deceased) to hide their true identities from commoners who may begin asking questions. Very few people in the world knew their true names and survived to speak it. Hawk and Beetle knew each other’s true names but had sworn to secrecy. They were the youngest people on their team. Beetle was seventeen with silver hair and had a talent for tracking. Hawk was twenty-one with brown hair which he usually wore under a white bandana. He was well-mannered and apart from his occupation in burglary was an honest rule-follower. Beetle and Hawk had known each other since they were children and were as close as brothers.”

“It is one of the greatest treasures in the entire world of Forest #7. This was thought only to have existed in legend and theological transcripts. This Staff was powered by the Life Twig, a mystic and ancient amulet said to contain the soul of Wind Witch, a witch of light with limitless powers.”

Why Do Writers Info-Dump and What Impacts Does It Have On Their Manuscripts?

As a developmental editor who works primarily with sci-fi and fantasy writers, I’ve seen that info-dumping can be especially difficult for these authors to avoid because their stories often require a lot of background knowledge and world-building to make sense. 

In space operas, for example, there may be multiple species and planetary empires with complex histories to keep track of. In expansive epic fantasies, multiple POV characters may share the stage, each with their own unique backstory, tone, and voice.

Here are some other reasons why world-builders info-dump:

• they have too many characters, preventing them from successfully integrating various traits,

• they want to emphasize character backstories as a driver of motivation,

• their piece lacks conflict or plot, using exposition to fill up pages instead, 

• they are unsure of the readers ability to understand character goals, motivations, or actions without further explanation,

• they want to share information that they’ve researched (Brotzel 2020),

• they want readers to be able to visualize their worlds the way they see them

A Hobbit house with wood stacked out front. Photo by Jeff Finley.

Though these are important considerations, info-dumping often does more harm than good. Most readers don’t want to learn about characters and settings via pages of exposition and backstory. Likewise, lengthy descriptions:

• distract readers from story and theme, 

• encourage the use of irrelevant details,

• make your writing more confusing by hiding key details,

• decrease dramatic tension by boring the reader,

• slow the pacing and immediacy of writing,

• prevent you from learning to masterfully handle characterization and description 

Think back to the examples listed above. Can you see how info-dumping can slow the pace from a sprint to a crawl? Can you spot all the irrelevant details that detract from the reader's experience? Do you see the impact of info-dumping on the author’s ability to effectively characterize and immerse the reader in the scene?

Info-dumping is a significant issue in many manuscripts. Often, it’s what divides the first drafts from fifth drafts, a larger audience from a smaller one, a published piece from the slush pile. 

What Techniques Can Be Used to Mitigate Info-Dumping?

That said, below are three practical tips to help you avoid and resolve info-dumping in your science-fiction and fantasy works: 

1. Keep focus on the most important details. You can incorporate further information as the story develops. This will allow readers to remain engrossed in your world without overwhelming them. It will also help you maintain a robust setting in which there’s something new for readers to explore each time the character visits. 

2. Weave details between conflict, action, and dialogue (Miller 2014). This will allow the reader to absorb knowledge about your world without losing interest or becoming confused. An expansive galactic battle presents the perfect opportunity to deftly note the tensions between races via character dialogue and behavior. A sword fighting lesson can easily showcase new technology (Dune anyone?). A conversation about floral arrangements for a wedding can subtlysubtely convey exposition. Just make sure to keep the dialogue conversational and realistic. 

3. Allow the reader to be confused sometimes. Most sci-fi and fantasy readers expect to be a bit perplexed by new worlds in the earliest chapters. They understand that they don’t know anything, and thus expect not to learn everything at once. Try not to worry too much about scaring them off with new vocabulary and settings. They can pick up on context clues and make inferences as the story progresses. handle it. If you’re still concerned about the amount of invented terminology and definitions, consider adding a glossary to the back matter of the book instead. 

Of course, this all raises the question…

Is It Ever Okay to Info-Dump? 

You might think to yourself, “I want to stop info-dumping, but it’s so difficult to write my novel without having to backtrack constantly to introduce why this policy exists, or why this seemingly obvious solution won’t end the Faerie-Werewolf War.” 

If you’re a discovery writer, it might be downright impossible to keep track of all these details without directly conveying them in text which is why I encourage you to do exactly that. 

Dump all of your histories into the novel without restraint. Pause a climactic scene to spend pages exploring why starving miners can’t eat forest fruit or how this life-saving magical ritual was lost due to debauchery in the forbidden library halls. 

Write it all down…

Foggy woods illuminated by a soft, warm light. Photo by Johannes Plenio.

But be prepared to edit it down in the second, third, or even fourth drafts. 

Important information may belong in your manuscript, but info-dumps should be weeded out of your final draft as much as possible. 

Additionally, as I mention often, I am a firm disbeliever in the power and existence of writing rules. There are novels I love that use info-dumping liberally and even intentionally (re: Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy by Douglas Adams). Most classics use exposition heavily as well and they remain beloved by fans old and new. 

However, what works for one author may not work for everyone and modern trends in reader/ publisher-preference regard info-dumping as problematic. Heavy reliance on exposition is also connected to other developmental problems, such as low dramatic tension and poor characterization. 

If you are intentional about incorporating large swaths of exposition and it presents a meaningful contribution to your work, then info-dumping might be a risk worth taking. If the decision comes down to an inability to deal with description and backstory in other ways then consider reaching out to an editor or writing group instead. 

What are some techniques you’ve used to avoid info-dumping in your story? Let us know in the comments!

Bibliography

• Brotzel, Dan. “Get On With It! How To Avoid Info Dumps in Your Fiction.” Medium article, February 12, 2020. 

• Finley, Jeff. “Hobbit House.” Unsplash photo, February 28, 2018.

•  Gililand, Stein Egil. “Beautiful Green Northern Lights in the Sky.” Pexels photo,   January 7, 2014 (Thumnail photo).

• Miller, Kevin.“How to Avoid the Dreaded Infodump.” Book Editing Associates article, April 14, 2014.

• Plenio, Johannes. “Forest Light.” Unsplash photo, February 13, 2018.

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Recent Blog Posts

This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. 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 blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live. In the meantime, I will continue to be transparent about which tools and resources I use in my work.

Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: August 30, 2025

Screenwriting for Novelists: How Different Mediums Can Improve Your Writing

Screenwriter writing at a desk in a library. Photo by Ron Lach.

This blog post was written by a human.

*I am not affiliated with any of the apps, websites, tools, companies, or content creators featured in this post and I make no money off of sharing them as resources for you here. 

Hi readers and writerly friends!

Welcome back to the blog! If you’re new here, thanks for stopping by!

This blog post discusses the benefits of screenwriting in broadening your horizons as a novelist, provides resources for screenwriting, and includes a sample page in screenplay format. All references are located at the end of the post. 

Screenwriting, or scriptwriting, is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media, including feature films, television productions, or video games. Novelists can also benefit from practicing screenwriting. To keep the writing process engaging and motivating, consider changing your writing format periodically or between projects. If you’ve been writing novels for the last few years, consider trying your hand at poetry, screenwriting, or nonfiction and vice versa. Rotating formats and writing styles can help keep the writing process refreshing and can strengthen your skills as a writer.

“Novels, Screenplays, and The Writers Who Do Both” by Annie Ward

In her article 'Novels, Screenplays, and The Writers Who Do Both' on CrimeReads.com, Annie Ward explains how screenwriting and novel writing can complement each other to enhance a writer's skills. She started out writing screenplays but novel writing changed her perspective on writing in general: 

“I discovered that by combining what I’d learned from the craft of traditional screenwriting with the freedom of fiction, I was writing more descriptively with an emphasis on thoughts and feelings, and yet managing to remain structured and succinct. My screenwriting training had forced me to learn to reveal story through dialogue and action. It had reigned in my life-long tendency to digress. I could hear my instructor’s voice whispering in my ear, ‘Get to the point. Show don’t tell. Where is the conflict? Keep it moving.’ (Ward 2022)

While Ward transitioned from screenwriting to novel writing, the structures inherent in various writing mediums can compel writers to explore different avenues of creativity. Sometimes having confines such as a limited word/page count or having to work within certain themes can actually free the writer from their own mind and give them a starting point to work with. Personally, I found writing sonnets challenging yet invigorating, as their inherent structure provided a framework around which to weave my creative vision.

“4 Differences Between Writing a Screenplay and Writing a Novel” by Dan Brown

In his article '4 Differences Between Writing a Screenplay and Writing a Novel,' MasterClass instructor Dan Brown explains that the four key distinctions between screenwriting and novel writing are format, dialogue, length, and pacing. Regarding script format, he said that screenplays are structured using the three-act structure, with direct, concise paragraphs and adhere to the beat sheet in Blake Snyder’s book Save the Cat!.

“There are more rules for the industry standard screenplay format than there are for novels. Script format dictates that the page should be full of white space, with each new scene clearly introduced with a scene heading. Screenwriting software is essential for both aspiring screenwriters and professional screenwriters and will help you quickly format your first draft” (Brown 2021).

Regarding dialogue, Brown states:

“Novels typically rely heavily on an omniscient narrator or on the inner thoughts of a main character. Script writing involves a heavier reliance on spoken dialogue….In a movie script, dialogue appears under a character’s name, sometimes preceded by a parenthetical describing the character’s feelings or gestures. In a novel, the speaker is often implied through context” (Brown 2021).

Regarding length, Brown said that novels are typically hundreds of pages longer, and this is true. Novels have many pages and passages for description and scene-building.

“Screenplay page count will vary depending on if you’re writing a short film, TV-show, or feature, but spec[ulative] scripts are typically around 90 pages long—approximately one page per minute of screen time” (Brown 2021).

Regarding pacing, Brown said:

“The pacing in both films and novels can vary wildly—a thriller, for example, will generally be more quickly paced than a character study. Compared to novels, screenplays for major Hollywood films will be faster-paced with more action lines, engaging the audience from fade in to fade out…” (Brown 2021).

Naturally, different mediums have different structures and formatting which will inherently change the way it is written, the story length, and creative freedoms the storyteller can take. It can be argued that novelists can “waste more time” on details and screenwriters cannot. If you find that your writing style is more suited towards short descriptions, and action, try scriptwriting. If you find that a script cannot contain all of your creativity and you need more space for descriptions and scene development, consider novel writing instead. It can be beneficial to try both. Writers can use the same story for both as an experiment to see how the two writing forms differ and how they overlap.

Go To The Movies

Look at a variety of movies from various genres and with different formats to see different methods of storytelling via screenwriting. The new Dahmer series on Netflix, although opinions are mixed, is an example of non-linear storytelling with film. The Lord of The Rings films are examples of the classic hero’s journey tale and trope often seen in fantasy.

Screenwriter writing at a desk. Photo by Ron Lach.

Read, Watch, Write 

Compare how film adaptations change stories and how moving from one medium can influence the telling of the story. Reading books, watching their film adaptations, and comparing and contrasting them can serve as a useful skill for writers who want to take a different approach.

For example, the post-apocalyptic novel Bird Box written by Josh Malerman, demonstrates how the mode of storytelling has changed and with it, the story as well. On the 39th the episode of the No Thanks, We’re Booked Podcast, the hosts Katie and Mollie, and guest Riley Sager discussed how the book was scarier than the film adaptation; that’s because the book forces the reader to imagine the horrors the characters see rather than providing definitive descriptions. The film displays the characters seeing these horrors without showing the audience what they look like. “… [Josh Malerman] takes away…the description…because the characters can’t see, you can’t see as a reader so, it’s left to… your imagination more so than usual when reading…” (Sager 2019). There’s something about invisible monsters that is just terrifying and the fact that the reader can imagine them to be as horrific as they want, is even more effective than the film. 

For your next writing project, find a story that’s been adapted for the screen and fits your genre —then read the book, watch the film, and write from what you’ve learned about the two different mediums of storytelling. Consider the amount of time spent in pages compared to minutes on-screen and observe how that influences your pacing.

Watch Interviews With Screenwriters Discussing Their Craft

There are many screenwriters and actors who often direct as well and their advice and discussion of their own work can be useful for your own screenplays and other types of writing. They often offer inside looks at their process, how they direct actors for effective storytelling rather than just acting, and how they convert two-dimensional books and scripts into visually compelling three-dimensional films. 

Interviews from Christopher McQuarrie, Aaron Sorkin, and other big name directors such as Peter Jackson, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielburg, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, and Alfred Hitchcock can be especially useful and insightful for writers of all genres.

Videos from the YouTube channel, Lessons from the Screenplay. Screenshot by Payton Hayes.

Lessons from the Screenplay

This is an excellent YouTube channel that produces video essays on storytelling through the medium of film and television. The host, Micheal, deep dives into the various aspects of storytelling and provides clear, concrete examples. He analyzes films and TV shows and weaves in relevant, important key information from craft books such as John Truby’s Anatomy of Story to link it to the film and back up his claims. 

The Q&A Podcast with Jeff Goldsmith

Backstory Magazine publisher and host, Jeff Goldsmith interviews writers, directors, and actors about their latest films. These podcasts are interesting and insightful and can provide screenwriters with tons of helpful, actionable, information on storytelling. 

The Good Place Podcast

Holy motherforking shirtballs! With a podcast episode for every actual show episode, the Good Place Podcast is a great look into the writing, directing, acting, and filmmaking of the hit NBC series, The Good Place. The podcast features weekly behind-the-scenes stories, episode and performance insights, and funny anecdotes. Hosted by actor Marc Evan Jackson (Shawn) with a rotating slate of co-hosts and special guests, including actors, writers, producers, and more, this podcast takes a deep dive into everything on- and off- screen. The episodes featuring Michael Schur are especially useful as a writer. 

Scripts.com

Scripts.com is one of the largest collections of movie scripts, screenplays and transcripts which is run by a community of amateur and professional writers. This is an excellent place for screenwriters, playwrights, and novelists alike to practice their craft, post their pieces online, and get feedback on their work. You can also use their free scriptwriting tool, but be sure to double-check all of your formatting to ensure there are no errors.

Studio Binder

Although they’re advertising their service, Studio Binder has a comprehensive guide to writing and formatting scripts. 

The basics of script formatting are as follows:

• 12-point Courier font size

• 1.5 inch margin on the left of the page

• 1 inch margin on the right of the page

• 1 inch on the of the top and bottom of the page

• Each page should have approximately 55 lines

• The dialogue block starts 2.5 inches from the left side of the page

• Character names must have uppercase letters and be positioned starting 3.7 inches from the left side of the page

• Page numbers are positioned in the top right corner with a 0.5 inch margin from the top of the page. The first page shall not be numbered, and each number is followed by a period (Studio Binder 2019).

That’s it for my blog post about screenwriting for novelists. Do you write screenplays? Do you write novels? Have you done both? Which do you prefer? Please let me know your thoughts in the comment below!

Honorable Mentions (Helpful Apps & Websites For Screenwriters)

• Storyist—A powerful writing environment for novelists and screenwriters. Unlike conventional word processors, Storyist helps you track your plot, characters, and settings, and keeps all of your writing organized and accessible—so you can focus on telling your story.

• LivingWriter—One of the best writing apps for novelists, authors, and screenwriters. Start your book, plot your book, write your book, organize your book, and export it for publishing all in one place.

• Final Draft (13) One of the most creator-centered, best-selling screenwriting tools in the world. Use powerful story planning tools to help brainstorm and outline your script, use customizable workflows and modes to stay organized, and forget all the fussing with formatting because Final Draft does it all automatically.

Bibliography

• Brown, Dan. “4 Differences Between Writing a Screenplay and Writing a Novel” Masterclass, August 27, 2021. 

• Lach, Ron. “Writing Notes on a Document.” Pexels photo, May 27, 2021 (Thumbnail photo). 

• Lach, Ron. “Woman Working of Her Work Desk with Books on Top.” Pexels photo, May 4, 2021.

• Snyder, Blake. Save The Cat! California: Michael Wiese Productions, May 25, 2005. Amazon. 

• Sager, Riley, Mollie Tubeville, and Katie Ziegler. “Episode 39: Interview with Best-Selling Author of Lock Every Door: Riley Sager.” No Thanks We’re Booked Podcast, August 7, 2019 (17:40-20:00). 

• Ward, Annie. “Novels, Screenplays, and The Writers Who Do Both.” Crimereads article, March 24, 2022.

Further Reading

• Goldsmith, Jeff. The Q&A Podcast with Jeff Goldsmith,  accessed November 14, 2022. 

•  Jackson, Marc Evan. The Good Place Podcast, accessed November 14, 2022. 

• Michael “Lessons From The Screenplay“ YouTube Channel, accessed November 14, 2022. 

• Studio Binder “How to Write a Movie Script: Screenplay Format and Examples.” Studio Binder blog post, September 1, 2019. 

• STANDS4 Network “About.” Scripts.com, accessed November 14, 2022. 

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• “Twenty Little Poetry Projects” Writing Exercise by Jim Simmerman

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Recent Blog Posts

This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. 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 blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live. In the meantime, I will continue to be transparent about which tools and resources I use in my work.

Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: August 30, 2025

Experimentation Is Essential For Creators’ Growth (In Both Art and Writing)

This blog post was written by a human.

Hi readers and writerly friends!

If you’re new to the blog, thanks for stopping by, and if you’re a returning reader, it’s nice to see you again! Experimenting as an artist, creator, or writer is a crucial step in your creative career. Practicing experimentation early and regularly throughout your artistic life keeps your work fresh, innovative, unique, and engaging for both you and your audience. Aspiring or amateur artists should not commit to any one specific style until they’ve had time to experiment with different styles, themes, and mediums. And once they’ve landed on a signature style they enjoy, it is wise to continue experimenting from time to time.

An experiment is a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact. In science, this is true, but it is also the case for art and for writing. When creating art, there are many aspects of the artistic process that can be changed or played with to provide different results.

Vandy, in his article 'Should Artists Experiment?', stated, 'In the world of art, often when we say experiment we think of a psychological process of working out what we like and don’t like about the act of making art and the final result' (Massey, 2020).

For example, in resin art, the artist can use alcohol ink, watercolor, acrylic, pigment, glitter, gouache, sharpies, beads, charms, cabochons, or just about any material between each layer of resin or submerged inside the resin. This example alone shows how much creative freedom we have with just one medium. Consider how you can experiment with different tools as a painter or sculptor. In what ways can you experiment with different colors, saturations, inversions, scales, and shading? In what ways can an artist explore the same subject across multiple mediums? How will an artist’s concept change from pen and paper to digital drawing on a tablet? The possibilities are truly endless and every artist’s experiments will naturally be unique.

I’ve been making art since 2010, and writing since well before then, and I still experiment with my work.Although I now have a style I tend to stick with, that wasn’t always the case, and for most of my artistic practice, my works looked as if each one came from a different artist—you’d never know my hands had created them just by looking at them.

Experimentation helps encourage creativity, freedom to try new things, and broadens your perspective as an artist and creator.

In her article, “Why Artists Must Experiment,” Kathleen Kralowec said “Recognizing an act as an experiment releases it from a lot of seriousness, a lot of demands of perfection. The outcome of experimentation is knowledge, and failure is just as valuable as success, because one has expanded one’s awareness of one’s own abilities, one’s deeper ideas, the potential of a media, a process, a genre, an art-form” (Kralowec 2019).

Art studio filled with canvases and murals done in many different styles. Photo by Matthieu Camoy.

Experimenting with style

Before committing to a signature style or aesthetic, experiment with a wide array of different styles. Try experimenting with patterns, colors, shapes, themes, mediums and styles. No two artists' works are the same and even derivative works can be unique in their own way. Conduct style studies to practice techniques you admire or those outside your comfort zone. For example, try drawing the same sketch ten times, each time emulating a different artist's style to familiarize yourself with various techniques.

Below are a few examples of the Style Challenge artists have been partaking in across social media. The challenge is for an artist to draw something in their own style and then replicate it several more times in other popular animated art styles such as anime, Disney, cartoons, and comic books styles.

Never settle on a specific style; instead continue to always experiment, innovate, and evolve your art, whilst retaining an underlying current of your own style.

Art style challenges on social media

“draw different styles” by p0kky.

“Style Challenge” by emzdrawings.

“Hijabi” by XenoPurple_Art

“Art Style Challenge” by erinleedani.

“Art Style Challenge” by Yulaukira

“Style Challenge” by Mcseal.

Experimenting with themes and motifs

Art studio filled with colorful canvases depicting different styles and themes. Photo by Dom J.

Consider using different themes and subject matter in your work. If you typically write about nonfiction topics, consider writing a short story or poetry. If you usually paint realistic animals, try painting people or still-life paintings instead. If you usually draw geometric forms in your work, try experimenting with realism or surrealism instead. If you typically write comedy, consider painting something with a more political message behind it. If you typically draw geometric or abstract sketches, try drawing something inspired by another work you like such as a Swan Lake ballet performance or a video game character. Experiment with various themes and messages and see how art with similar concepts is translated across different mediums.

Experimenting with techniques

A myriad of techniques can be used across many different art styles and mediums. Creatively mixing and matching techniques with different styles, mediums, and themes, can result in interesting, unique, and engaging art. It also strengthens your skills and creativity as an artist—having to try new things, troubleshoot, and make creative decisions to reach your desired outcome.

In her blog post, Rebecca of the Rebecca Art Tutor blog explains how she instructed students on a variety of techniques and required they use them to illustrate a textured object in a new and interesting way, leaving the creative decisions up to the students. She said, “We had learnt layering paint, dry-brush, different types of brush strokes, scratching into, lifting off, splatter, dots, impasto and more. We then did an exercise where we had to select a textured object (wood, fur, feathers etc.) and represent it with a painting technique….Although still slightly confused by the idea that …[the student] had the answer to ‘how to do fur’... [and] started representing fur with the fan brush in a very effective way…. I had taught the general techniques but allowed the learner to make the connection of how these techniques could be used.” (Rebecca 2022)

This is a fantastic example of how experimentation can result in effective use of techniques to produce interesting and unique outcomes.

Experimenting with size and scale

If you’re an artist who typically paints large-scale works such as signs, murals, and backdrops, consider downsizing to practice your hand at details. Both large and small scale art has it’s upsides; small scale art focuses more on details and large scale art focuses more on the big picture. Experiment with size and shape in your work and you’ll find you prefer one over the other and its freeing to focus on other aspects of an art piece from time to time.

Artist looking through her canvases depicting many different themes, styles, and subjects. Photo is a still from a video by Antoni Shkraba.

Experimenting with different mediums

If you’re a sketch artist, try working with watercolor, ink pens, markers, colored pencils, or crayons. If you’re a sculptor, try creating sculptures from mixed media such as plastic, wood, metal, paper, paper mache, yarn, or stone. If you’re a novel writer, try experimenting with poetry, nonfiction, or screenwriting. If you’re a digital artist, try your hand at video editing or animation. The examples are endless, but the advice is the same: experiment across different mediums to see what you enjoy using and to strengthen your skills as an artist.

Kralowec said that by experimenting, we can learn what kind of space we work best in, learn what kind of daily practice, pace, or goal-structure we thrive in, learn about the rules and how to effectively break them, and we can stumble on new genres, approaches or styles: the creation of something truly new.

In my sophomore year of college, I did an art capstone class, where the final project was to produce a large fine art piece that could be sold in a gallery. One crucial step of this project process was to produce a test piece prior to working with our fine art materials and larger-scale canvases. The pieces I submitted for the final grade were 2ft (L) x 2ft (W) (test piece) and 3 x 2ft (L) x 4ft (W) (final project triptych). I was working with ink and wood and it was essential that I do a test piece to ensure my materials worked well together. After all, the test piece came out better than the actual final project, in my personal opinion. But I learned a valuable lesson in art through that project; art has a mind of its own and all the planning in the world can still result in the unexpected. Experimentation frees us from the turmoil we feel when our creative visions do not turn out quite like we’d planned.

Experimentation and innovation in art is an important skill to build for any creator. Artists should not box themselves into any one style or medium and instead look for new ways to breathe life and intrigue into their work. They will become a stronger, more diverse, artist for it. Writers should do the same. Writers should challenge themselves by working across different storytelling mediums, genres, and styles whilst retaining their own unique voice between the lines.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post about experimentation in art. This advice can be applied to any creative skill and is encouraged for artists of all genres, mediums, and walks of life. If you already do experiment in your work, let me know in the comments below!

Bibliography

• Comoy, Matthieu. “Art studio with wall graffiti.” Unsplash photo, July 26, 2017. 

• Dom J “Horse and figure paintings.” Pexels photo, October 5, 2017.

• bodobe “Paint supplies” Pixabay photo, September 2, 2015 (Thumbnail).

• emzdrawings. “Style Challenge.” Deviantart post, Jul 24, 2019.

• erinleedani. “Art Style Challenge.” Instagram post, accessed November 7, 2022. 

• Kralowec, Kathleen. “Why Artists Must Experiment” Medium article, June 12, 2019.

• Massey, Vandy. “Should Artists Experiment?” Vandy Massey Studio blog post, August 5, 2020. 

• Mcseal. “Style Challenge.” Medibang.com, ArtStreet post, 2019. 

• p0kky. “draw different styles.” Deviantart post, June 21, 2019.

• Rebecca “The Importance of Experimenting in Art” Rebecca Art Tutor blog post, accessed November 7, 2022. 

• Shkraba, Antoni. “Woman looking at paintings.” Pexels photo,  June 2, 2020. 

• XenoPurple. “Hijabi.” Deviantart post, October 25, 2015.

• Yulaukira. “Art Style Challenge.” Medibang.com, ArtStreet post, 2021.

Related Topics

• “Twenty Little Poetry Projects” Writing Exercise by Jim Simmerman

• Writing Exercises from Jeff Tweedy's Book, How To Write One Song

• Why Fanfiction is Great Writing Practice and How It Can Teach Writers to Write Well

• Screenwriting for Novelists: How Different Mediums Can Improve Your Writing

• Writing Every Day: What Writing As A Journalist Taught Me About Deadlines & Discipline

• Blank Pages Versus Bad Pages: How To Beat Writer’s Block

• Know The Rules So Well That You Can Break The Rules Effectively

• Let’s Talk Amateur Author Anxiety: 7 Writer Worries That Could Be Holding You Back 

• How To Overcome Writer’s Block

• When Writing Becomes Difficult

• 5 Reasons Most Writers Quit

• Self-Care Tips for Bookworms

• 5 Healthy Habits For Every Writer

• Yoga For Writers: A 30-Minute Routine To Do Between Writing Sessions

• 8 Reasons Why Having A Creative Community Matters

• The Importance of Befriending Your Competition

• 20 Things Writers Can Learn From Dreamers

• Check out my other Writing Advice blog posts!

Recent Blog Posts

This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. 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 blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live. In the meantime, I will continue to be transparent about which tools and resources I use in my work.

Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: August 30, 2025

8 Reasons Why Having A Creative Community Matters

Two writers working on their projects together. Photo by Windows.

This blog post was written by a human.

Hi readers and writerly friends!

If you’re new to the blog, thanks for stopping by, and if you’re a returning reader, it’s nice to see you again! In this post, we’re discussing eight reasons why it is not only beneficial but also why having a writing community is essential for helping writers break out of their shell, embrace criticism, and grow as storytellers. When we hear the word “writer,” the image that comes to mind is that of a hermit holed up in their office or writing room, hunched over their desk, writing at all hours, alone. However, this is often not the case when it comes to successful writers. While writing itself is often a solitary activity, there's a lot of other people involved in the publishing process from mentors, to beta readers to editors, to critique groups, to agents and publishers. The process of writing, editing, and publishing a manuscript isn’t done alone.

However, many writers still forget this crucial part of writing. Writing partners and critique groups serve as excellent sources for feedback, critiques, and writing advice. Many writers avoid writing communities and try to do it all alone. Without other writers around to encourage you, support you, and hold you accountable, it’s easy to give up on your goals.

1. Support

A writing community can provide essential support to both seasoned and aspiring writers alike. I am part of a couple of Facebook writing and editing groups and just scrolling through their posts provides me with an abundance of motivation and support to keep doing what I do. It feels amazing just seeing what everyone else is working on and reading supportive comments from fellow group members. There are many stages of the writing process where writers give up. The difference between an unfinished draft and a published book is a strong writing community.

2. Accountability

A writing community can hold you accountable to your goals. If you’re already great at meeting objectives and reaching your goals, then maybe you can show someone else how to. Many writers still struggle with meeting deadlines and achieving their goals. Having a writing community to fall back on is immensely helpful. Even when you don’t feel like writing, their commentary and advice is motivating and inspiring.

3. Feedback

We’ve all gotten feedback from friends and family, and it’s just not as helpful or constructive as advice from other writers. They don’t understand the genre, demographic, subject matter, or other story elements and provide biased feedback when asked their thoughts. Having a writing community means you have access to constructive, actionable, relevant feedback and in turn, you can provide the same for your fellow writers.

4. Advice

Much like feedback, useful writing advice is essential, and non-writers aren’t equipped to provide it. Writers can recommend books, blogs, guides, YouTube videos, speakers, podcasts, and tons of other useful content to each other through their writing communities.

5. Reaching Readers

Writing communities do not have to be exclusive to just writers; readers are a big part of writing communities too. Take beta readers for example —they enjoy reading novel drafts and providing readers with feedback relevant to their genre. Readers can provide vital advice and critiques to writer’s works without the writer’s lenses. A community of dedicated readers or your target audience can be extremely beneficial to you as a writer, especially during the marketing phase.

6. Inspiration

Group of writers cheering each other on in the library. Photo by Yan Krukov.

Inspiration is an important part of the writing process and watching your fellow writers grow and succeed in their craft can serve as crucial motivation and inspiration to keep you on track with your craft as well. The same reason writers read books from their genre or works from their favorite writers, they can also take feedback from their writing community as inspiration.

7. Helping Others

Helping other writers learn and grow in their craft is a wonderfully rewarding feeling. If you’ve got experience writing, you can share it with your writing community and maybe teach someone something they didn’t already know. Writers often post questions in community forums or groups on Facebook seeking advice for specific struggles in the writing process. Helpful answers from fellow writers can be more useful and actionable than simply asking a friend for their opinion or having to sift through a long blog post to answer a quick question.

8. Tribe

Last but not least, having a writing community means that you have a tribe to belong to. Writers from all walks of life come together for a common goal: to write a book, leave a legacy, and make their mark on the world. Having a connected, empowering, inspirational, constructive community is essential for writers of every genre and level of expertise and having a tribe to belong to is important for anyone regardless of if they are readers or writers.

I’ve included some examples of writing communities that I am a part of below.

Bonus Tip: Check Out The Writing Communities Online and Near You

Oklahoma Writing Communities

Below are a few of the writing communities in Oklahoma:

• Yukon Writer’s Society

• Red Dirt Writers

• The Golden Pony Writers Guild @ The University of Oklahoma

• Writers of Oklahoma Facebook Group

Writer’s Societies at UCO

Below are a few of the writer’s societies I am a part of at the University of Central Oklahoma:

• The English Society At UCO

• The Golden PonyCreative Writers Guild

• The Language Society at UCO

Facebook Writing and Editing Groups

Below are a few of the editorial groups I am a member of on Facebook:

• Authors and Writers Helping Each Other Grow

• I Need A Book Editor

• Ask A Book Editor

• Women Writers, Editors, Agents, and Publishers

• Writers Helping Writers

• Developmental Editor Connection Group

• #WriteTip: Writing Tips, Tricks, Tools, Techniques and Theories

• Proofreading and Editing Services

• Business + Professional Development for Editors

• BetaReader Connect Facebook Group

• Beta Readers Facebook Group

Reddit Writing Communities

• Writers Reddit Community (r/Writers)

• Writing Reddit Community(r/Writing)

• Keep Writing Reddit Community(r/KeepWriting)

• Fan Fiction Reddit Community (r/FanFiction)

• Writing Prompts Reddit Community(r/WritingPrompts)

Online Writing Forums and Communities

• Wattpad

• Archive of Our Own (AO3)

• Critique Circle

• Scribophile

• BetaBooks

• Goodreads Beta Reader Groups

• Reader’s Favorite

•  Absolute Write Water Cooler

•  NaNoWriMo Forums

• Mythic Scribes

• Reedsy Discovery

• Writer’s Café on The Next Big Writer

Other Spaces To Build A Writing Community Online

• Twitter/X–Use hashtags like #BetaReaders, #WritingCommunity, #SeekingBetaReaders or #AmWriting to find potential readers.

• Discord Servers–Join writing servers like The Writing Community or BetaReader Connect for live feedback.

• TikTok–Connect with and engage with fellow TikTokers in the BookTok Community.

That’s it for my list of 8 Reasons Why Having Writing Community Matters. Do you have a writing community? How has it helped you in your writing practice? What are some of your favorite writing communities online and in your area? Let me know in the comments below!

Bibliography

• Goodman, Jason. “five person by table watching turned on white iMac photo.” Unsplash photo, March 14, 2019 (Thumbnail photo).

• Krukov, Yan. “Group of People Smiling and Standing Near Brown Wooden Table Raising Hands.” Pexels photo, June 3, 2021. 

• Windows. “3 women sitting on chair.” Unsplash photo, April 22, 2020.

Related Topics

• Get Your FREE Story Binder Printables e-Book!

• The Importance of Befriending Your Competition

• Find Your Exact Genre, Find Your Lifelong Book Ambassadors by Shayla Raquel

• 20 Tips and Tricks for a Successful Email Newsletter

• Book Marketing 101: Everything Writers Need To Know About Literary Agents and Querying

• How To Overcome Writer’s Block

• When Writing Becomes Difficult

• 5 Reasons Most Writers Quit

• Self-Care Tips for Bookworms

• 5 Healthy Habits For Every Writer

• Yoga For Writers: A 30-Minute Routine To Do Between Writing Sessions

• Blank Pages Versus Bad Pages: How To Beat Writer’s Block

• Know The Rules So Well That You Can Break The Rules Effectively

• Writing Every Day: What Writing As A Journalist Taught Me About Deadlines & Discipline

• Let’s Talk Amateur Author Anxiety: 7 Writer Worries That Could Be Holding You Back 

• Why Fanfiction is Great Writing Practice and How It Can Teach Writers to Write Well

• Screenwriting for Novelists: How Different Mediums Can Improve Your Writing

• Experimentation Is Essential For Creators’ Growth (In Both Art and Writing)

• 20 Things Writers Can Learn From Dreamers

• Check out my other Writing Advice and Author Advice blog posts!

Recent Blog Posts

This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. 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 blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live. In the meantime, I will continue to be transparent about which tools and resources I use in my work.

Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: August 30, 2025

For Content Creators and CEOs with ADHD: Strategies to Succeed Despite Overwhelm and Distractions

This blog post was written by a human. 

Hi readers and writerly friends!

As someone with severe adult ADHD, I personally know how this neurotype can affect one’s personal and professional life. ADHD is a neurodivergence, not a disorder, and worth looking into whether or not you have been diagnosed with it. Readers and writers, I’ve created a list of tips and tricks (ADHD friendly) that can help you in your business whether neurotypical or neurodivergent, like myself. If you’re in a rush, check out the headers and sections in bold to get the most out of skimming this post.

Note: Some of the advice in this blog post is from my own personal experience, tips and tricks from other people I know who have ADHD, and the book, Mastering Your Adult ADHD: A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program, Second Ed. Client Workbook by Steven A. Safren. Any quotes from the workbook are cited in-text and at the end of this post (Safren 2017)

Rearrangeable Corkboard Calendar. Photo by Monica Sauro.

Calendars, Planners, and Daily Task Lists

As per the workbook and my own experience, having a toolkit of simple, practical, sustainable, and daily organization and planning tools is key to combatting prioritization-confusion, time-blindness, and forgetfulness in general. This is true for people with and without ADHD. Having a 3-step planning system ensures consistency and employs repetition —a useful tactic for remembering important tasks day-to-day, week-by-week, and month-to-month. I’ve been using this system for three months now, and it has changed how much I can get accomplished in a single day. I’m not advising you go overboard with adding tasks to your plate and burn yourself out. But you’ll be amazed at the productivity and action you can achieve by employing a simple planning routine that can be scaled up or down and modified in many ways to fit many different lifestyles and stages of life.

How to execute this planning strategy:

• Use a Calendar for a monthly view. This can be paper or dry-erase calendar, but make sure its simple and big enough to write 1-3 important tasks, appointments, or events in each day’s space.

• Use a Planner or weekly agenda for keeping up with tasks throughout the week. Realistically plan your days so that you can get your professional and personal work done in a timely manner without overworking yourself. Unless you can consistently produce quality results, stick to no more than 3-5 tasks a day until this becomes a habit. Pick out a planner that you like and avoid choosing frills over functionality. The more space the better. I prefer just a plain planner with a calendar view for each month and a few lines for each day of the month in an agenda format. Ensure the planners size can accommodate your handwriting as well as portability, because this will be your middle-man between your home calendar and task list as well as your point of reference when away from home.

• Use a Daily Task List for daily task planning and organization. Again, limit your responsibilities to reflect your true capability and slowly add more tasks onto your plate when you feel comfortable doing so.

Pro Tip: Use the same color-coding system in your planner and task list as you do on your monthly calendar. Get colored pens that match your expo markers so that you can peek at either tool and read it at-a-glance, ensuring ease of understanding and consistency. Only use a color-coding system if it will benefit you, though. If you’re worried it will become too complicated, take too much time to set up, or you’ll get hung up on perfectionism, opt for 3 colors max, or skip this step altogether.

For Digital Planners: I would love to be more eco-conscious and go paperless, but the repetition of writing plans down 1-3 times helps me remember when and what I’ll be doing each day. This process also helps me to catch any discrepancies between one of my planning tools and I can catch mistakes (such as an event written on the wrong day of the month) much easier and usually before the event. However, if you’re really not one for writing things down and would prefer to go the digital route, there’s a few tools you can use to achieve the same 3-step planning system mentioned above.

Tablet displaying a virtual weekly planner. Photo by Jess Bailey.

• Pick a good virtual calendar such as Google Calendar. Color-code events as needed and try to keep colors consistent across all apps and devices.

• Use a good digital planner as well —below, I mention Notion as a great resource for note-taking but it can also serve as a fully-customizable virtual planner/agenda as well. If you’re overwhelmed by the customization, there’s a ton of other free and paid virtual planning/productivity apps out there!

• Use a simple virtual notes app or list app such as Google Keep Notes or Google Tasks. Notes has more formatting options but Tasks has a satisfying check-off function for when you’ve completed tasks.

If you’re going the virtual route, use digital alarms to help you stay on track! The Pomodoro Technique is a great strategy for getting both quality work and breaks done in a timely manner. If you’re not going digital, keep hand-held timers around your house or at your desk in the office to use to help with time management.

The workbook provides some rules for effective use of the calendar and task list:

Rules for the Calendar and Task List

The calendar and task list system replaces ALL pieces of paper

• Pieces of paper just get lost.

• Instead of keeping an appointment slip, a business card, or anything like this, copy the information onto the task list or enter it directly on your calendar.

Phone messages from voice mail or other places go on the task list.

• Log every phone message (from voice mail and so forth) on the task list as a to-do item.

• If you date when you have completed the task, you will then have a record of having done it in case anyone asks you about it in the future.

All appointments go on the calendar.

• No appointment slips that can easily get lost!

All tasks must go on the task list.

• Task list items should be looked at EVERY DAY, and revised accordingly.

Do not obsess about trying to get a perfect system.

• Many individuals want to have the perfect calendar and task list systems. Do not fall into this trap! This will just result in not having any systems.

• If you cannot decide on the “best” system, then just use a simple calendar and task list system.

• Remember it’s important to give your system a fair shot! This means keeping one system for at least three months, long enough to get used to it.

Use a system that is within your comfort zone.

• There are many options for calendar and task list systems—including paper systems, applications on smartphones or tablets, and multiple computerized applications. Many of our clients ask us which is the “best” system, and this is not really a question that we can easily answer. The question for you to ask yourself is this: “What’s the best system for me?”

— (Mastering Your Adult ADHD, 29-30)

Manageable chunks

Downsize overwhelming parts into manageable chunks. Make step-by-step processes for tasks that seem daunting and go one step at a time. This will help you manage overwhelm, anxiety, and, unnecessary busy work. Make a list of items and order them according to due date or priority, and try to get them done as soon as possible. Do not wait until the last minute, no matter how tempting that next episode of Orange Is The New Black may be. Make a reasonable, executable game plan for your goals or project, and proceed one step at at time. Don’t get hung up on the details or perfectionism, just start.

“A good plan executed right now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.” —George S. Patton.

Woman looking through her weekly planner. Photo by Covene.

Task Prioritization with the A,B,C’s

Now that you know of an effective and sustainable planning strategy and you know to break overwhelming tasks up into more manageable steps, it’s time to prioritize. As mentioned earlier, without prioritizing tasks, its easy to get caught up in busy work. Getting a lot of tasks completed and crossed off your to-do list feels good, but is it really getting you closer to your goals? By being overly productive with mundane tasks, are you actually getting any important work done?

That’s where the A,B,C’s come in. I learned this strategy in the workbook as well:

List all of your tasks. Then assign an “A,” “B,” or “C” rating to each task:

• “A” Tasks: These are the tasks of highest importance. They must be completed in the short term (like today or tomorrow).

• “B” Tasks: These are lower-importance, longer-term tasks. Some portions should be completed in the short term, but other portions may take longer.

• “C” Tasks: These are the tasks of lowest importance. They may be more attractive and easier to do, but they are not as important.

Be very careful not to rate too many items as “A”!

Practice doing all of the “A” tasks before the “B” tasks and all of the “B” tasks before the “C” tasks.

— (Mastering Your Adult ADHD, 34-36)

When first going over this concept, my therapist put it this way: “A” tasks must be done on the day they’ve been assigned to. “B” tasks can be moved to other days but not move more than a week away from their original date. “C” tasks can be infinitely moved and do not require a defined date/time. An “A” task might be going to a doctor’s appointment. A “B” task might be getting your car’s oil changed. A “C” task might be finishing a book you’re reading for pleasure. This prioritization strategy will look different for everyone, especially at different stages of life.

Just remember the priority: “A”= Highest importance, “B”=Medium importance, and “C”=Lowest importance. Avoid overwhelm and burnout by strategically spacing “A” tasks throughout the week if possible. Try to limit “A” tasks to no more than 1-3 things a day until you feel comfortable with this system.

Color-coding tasks instead: If you’d rather use a color-coding system for prioritization, traffic light colors Red, Yellow, and Green make a great color-combination for action! Red= Stop what you’re doing and do the most important tasks first. Yellow=Be cautious of time and complete the lesser-important tasks next. Green= Go! on tasks of lowest importance once you’ve completed Red and Yellow tasks first!

Just “Eat the Frog” or “Start”

Have you ever heard of someone eating the frog when it comes to content creation, their personal to-do list, or professional positions? This means to start with the hardest item or most difficult item on the to-do list. This item is typically something that requires research, planning, and time to execute. It is a task that requires more energy and time to complete. Often these tasks are called ”frogs” because they’re hard to swallow, or hard to get done and often include a lot of planning and/or procrastination. By getting them done early, one can look forward to the “downhill” slope throughout the day/list. Get the hardest task out of the way and it will be easier as the day goes on.

If you’re more of a “work your way up” to the hardest task from the easiest tasks, that’s okay too! Not everyone feels comfortable starting with the “frog".” Just make sure you’re not doing busywork or deluding yourself with a false sense of productivity. Ensure your actions and “warm-up” tasks are actually moving the needle, and getting you closer to your goals.

Make use of versatile apps and devices

I’m saving for an iPad and Apple Pencil so I can do digital artwork, digitize my existing physical artwork, and start creating unique animations for my YouTube channel. I’ve seen some pointillism artists doing dotwork with tattoo guns on paper, saving their hands the trouble and repetitive stress. Utilize the technology we have today to save time tomorrow.

Clickup’s Blog has tons of great resources for productivity and combatting ADHD. Greg Swan’s post “10 Best Mind Mapping Software (Pros, Cons, Pricing)” explains how mind-mapping can be a useful tool for productivity and breaking tasks down into actionable steps:

Mind map software lets you create a diagram or flowchart of your ideas. This helps you easily illustrate the relationships and hierarchy between concepts. 

Most mind mapping tools come in different sizes to suit various needs, offering other functionality. Generally, your average mind map maker falls under one (or more) of these categories:

• Diagramming: a technical diagram such as engineering flowcharts, architectural designs, network diagrams, etc.

• Brainstorming: problem-solving sessions to organize and present an idea visually

• Business intelligence: visualize data as charts by importing it from business applications

• Software development: prepare site map diagrams, software wireframes, etc.

— (Swan, paragraphs 5-8)

Checkbox to-do list on paper. Photo by Thomas Bormans.

Take notes

When it comes to conventions, panels, educational videos, courses, classes and other avenues for creative information, remember to take notes —and not just cover vocabulary. Let’s get honest for a second, aesthetically pleasing notes make studying that much easier, for sure, but it’s not a necessary effort. As long as your notes are legible and cover important topics that will likely come up later (or for students, will be in the exam) then you are good to go. Feel free to digitize or edit your notes later. First, focus on jotting down as much information as possible.

Pro Tip: If you don’t feel confident in your ability to type as fast as the professor or speaker talks, then feel free to record the panel or discussion. Make sure you get permission/clearance before recording someone else. When you have time, type up and refine the notes into easily-digestible, succinct, effective, and at-a-glance notes. Put them on the wall, your vision board, or bathroom mirror to see them frequently until their concepts and advice is cemented solidly in your brain. Then, file your notes away in an organized fashion and make sure to refer back to them regularly.

Notion and other note-taking apps

I genuinely enjoy this app and the features it provides users. Notion has an almost overwhelming number of features and useful elements. I personally use the application to create lists, blog post rough drafts, flesh out poems, and to tack down other ideas, but this barely scratches the surface of Notion’s versatility. This post is not sponsored by Notion, nor am I affiliated with them.

Celebrate milestones, big and small

Don’t forget to celebrate hard work and milestones. Go out every once and a while to celebrate and acknowledge the hard work you’ve done. If the work is online, it can be especially hard to quantify successes or measure productivity, so go out every now and again and celebrate the small and big wins! Don’t. Skip. On. This. Even if you don’t drink, are veggie, or have a tight curfew, make sure you allow time for you to, celebrate both the small and big wins and really soak it in. When your supervisor gives you a compliment, treat yourself to a nice coffee, or when you meet a work or personal creative deadline early, grab that chocolate-chip muffin as treat (as long as your not on a diet, lol —look into other rewards systems if you’re alcohol-cruelty-gluten-free, etc.!”

FAQ pages

For entrepreneurs and creatives with websites, this page can save you a lot of time and trouble. Although it’s pretty self-explanatory, a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) page serves as a buffer between you and your reader’s repetitive, previously answered/address queries. Link the FAQ page in the footer or contact section of your website and put 5-20 of the most frequently asked questions there, to help avoid repetition and wasted time re-addressing the same questions over and over again.

Lead magnets

Sometimes called freebies, lead magnets are the little juicy bits of content that readers subscribe to your content in order to access. For cooking blogs, it may be a 20-page mini cookbook. For writing blogs, it may be a short guide for combatting writer’s block or a writing checklist. Just about any website can have a lead magnet and it’s the easiest, most automatic way to obtain an email address from a visitor to your site. Lead magnets are powerful, effective, enticing marketing tools and they’re very easy to create. Design a unique, actionable, useful piece of downloadable/printable content with an editor such as Canva and upload it as a downloadable file into your newsletter block on your website. Once the reader enters his or her email into the box and hits the subscribe button, they’ll be prompted to download the content they signed up for. Now you’ve unlocked another potential customer who you can market to, straight to their inbox, and they just gave you that access!

Minibatch and time-batch tasks

Similar to prioritization and chunking tasks into more manageable steps, minibatching tasks can serve as a useful strategy for planning, organization, optimization, and execution. To do this, break your larger tasks down into smaller, doable steps, then put those smaller tasks onto your calendar or planner, according to the type of activity required to complete the task. For example, if your car needs several maintenance tasks done, schedule a time to look at and order car parts, make appointments to the alignment shop and oil-change shop, and plan a day to get all the car work done. Another example, if you need to record videos, take photos, or hop on webcam, schedule these tasks all on the same day if possible. You’ll save yourself the time and trouble of getting ready for each individual appointment and get the most wear out of your outfit/makeup/hair-styling too!

Have frequent co-working sessions

Schedule in regular co-working sessions with friends, partners, and colleagues. These sessions are for working collaboratively on projects and brainstorming and are an amazing resource for creatives and office-workers alike. Friends can help you pick paint samples and the interior design of your living room, while colleagues can help you come up with new strategies for success in the workplace. Who says you can’t have coffee in the morning with a client in the morning and meet up with your bestie for lunch in the afternoon?

Schedule “people days”

Much like the time-batching tasks, schedule all of your face-to-face appointments, coffee-shop meet-ups, conferences, phone calls, and co-working sessions in the same day, when possible. This will save you time getting read for each appointment and once you’ve made it through the first meeting, you’ll be ready to tackle the next meeting as your confidence and productivity high snowballs you throughout the day.

ADHD management and CBT therapy

Regardless of if you’ve been diagnosed with ADHD or not, these tips can be useful for anyone who gives them an honest try because they’re practical, scalable, sustainable, effective, and simple. However, these tips may not be enough if your life is a hot mess like mine was in 2020-21. After having done my own ADHD management program and CBT program for PTSD, I can truly say it has changed my life for the better. I would recommend anyone struggling with ADHD symptoms to reach out to your primary healthcare provider and discuss options for treatment with them. Depending on the severity, you may require therapy, management, medication, or lifestyle changes in order to manage any debilitating or annoying symptoms you may have. I’m not a doctor —I just know this process helped me understand and embrace myself and gave me the patience and grace to work through my challenges without shame, fear, or judgement. Please do not diagnose yourself. If you feel you may be struggling with ADHD, contact your doctor or counsellor and have a formal assessment and diagnosis done.

Thank you so much for reading this blog post! If you liked this post, let me know what you thought of it in the comments below, and please check out my other posts! If you have any other actionable tips for productivity as a creative with ADHD, drop a comment below!

If you’d like to see more of my blog posts, consider subscribing below to get updates as soon as a new blog post is published! You’ll also gain exclusive subscriber-only access to the new and improved Story Binder Printables e-Book! Feel free to check out the recent blog posts linked at the end of this post as well!

Bibliography

• Bormans, Thomas. “Free Pen Image.” Unsplash photo, August 30, 2020. 

• Covene. “woman in white long sleeve shirt, holding pen, while writing on paper.” Unsplash photo, May 21, 2021. 

• Fernandes, Nuberlson. “Man in white crew neck shirt wearing black framed eyeglasses.” Unsplash photo, February 27, 2021 (Thumbnail). 

• Notion Labs Inc. “Notion - notes, docs, tasks.” Google Play Store, accessed 11, 2022. 

• Safren, Steven A. Mastering Your Adult ADHD: A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program, Second Ed. Client Workbook. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.

• Sauro, Monica. “Brown calendar photo.” Unsplash photo, May 16, 2019.

• Swan, Greg. “10 Best Mind Mapping Software (Pros, Cons, Pricing)” ClickUp Blog. October 13, 2022.

Related Topics

• Get Your FREE Story Binder Printables e-Book!

• 8 Ways To Level Up Your Workspace And Elevate Your Productivity

• Get Things Done With The Pomodoro Technique

• How To Organize Your Digital Life: 5 Tips For Staying Organized as a Writer or Freelancer

• 5 MORE Ways To Stay Organized As A Writer Or Freelancer

• 20 Tips and Tricks for a Successful Email Newsletter

• Self-Care Tips for Bookworms

• 5 Healthy Habits For Every Writer

• Writing Every Day: What Writing As A Journalist Taught Me About Deadlines & Discipline

• Yoga For Writers: A 30-Minute Routine To Do Between Writing Sessions

• Check out my other Productivity & Organization Writing Advice, Freelancing, and Content Creation blog posts!

Recent blog posts

This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. 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 blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live.

Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: August 30, 2025

Self Care Tips for Bookworms

This blog post was written by a human.

Hi readers and writerly friends!

This week in the Reader Life category, we’re going over how to practice self-care for both readers and writers. It can be hard to remember to take care of ourselves, and I think after the insane year we’ve all had with 2020, we’ve been reminded how valuable good, regular self-care is important for everyone, no matter what hobbies or occupation you may have. While these tips are geared more for readers and writers, they’re certainly applicable for any kind of creator.

Woman reading in a relaxing floral milk bath. Photo by Monstera.

Give yourself a little grace as a writer

Sometimes it’s hard being a writer—I get it. Sometimes we get writers’ block and sometimes we just don’t feel like pulling up to the computer and cranking out 1200 words a day for the month of November, or ever for that matter. Writing is hard. No matter how many times I say it, it doesn’t make the process any easier. Writing can be really, really, reeeeeally difficult sometimes. Most of the time, in fact. It’s a process that makes you swoon, cry, cringe, hyperventilate, and want to tear your hair out at every turn. It’s frustrating when you want to write but you just don’t feel motivated or inspired enough to do so. It’s frustrating when you feel motivated and inspired but you just don’t feel like writing.

Give yourself grace as a writer. Remember, writing is hard, and it takes time to finish projects. Be kind and patient with yourself and remind yourself often, that writing isn’t something that everyone can do and that’s why you’re special and essential to this world.

Stop caring what others think and stop comparing yourself to others

This goes for both readers and writers—stop comparing yourself to other people and stop worrying about what other people think. This kind of thinking doesn’t benefit anyone and can end up consuming so much of our time and energy.

Readers, stop comparing yourselves to other readers who may have read more books than you, may be faster readers, or who have more aesthetically pleasing bookshelves (and in turn, social media feeds.)

Writers, stop comparing yourselves to other writers who may have been published before you or who have published more books than you have, writers who may come up with beautiful words or excellent writing, or writers who seem to write easily without difficulty.

Everyone should stop comparing themselves to others and remember to appreciate the good qualities about themselves and enjoy the positive things that them apart from the other people in their community.

Allow yourself to put down or part with books you dislike

Give yourself permission to DNF—Did Not Finish—books that you don’t like or feel like a chore to read. If you find the book isn’t grabbing your pages at a hundred pages in, or you realize you have to bargain with yourself to sit down and read, consider that the book in question might not be for you and that’s okay. Think carefully about the books you read and try to build a reader profile for yourself, so you know what books to seek out and which ones to avoid in the future. If you notice historical fiction is just not captivating you the way paranormal romance does, then evaluate your tastes and remember to seek out books that align with them as you search for your next read.

Take frequent writing breaks to recharge your creative battery

Woman writing and using a laptop. Photo by cottonbro.

This piece of advice is essential. We’ve all been there —we glance at the clock and gasp after spending hours writing or reading the day away, hunched over our books and computer screens, in some other world. For readers and writers alike, remember to take frequent breaks to break up the tedium that reading/writing for hours so often brings. Readers, stand up and move around between chapters and writers, do some yoga or some kind of gentle movement to loosen up and get you out of your head. Consider taking a walk outside for fresh air or stroll down to your favorite coffee shop for a post-chapter treat!

Read for pleasure and not for work

Many of us creative bookworms often read to create content for our YouTubes, blogs, and social media accounts and we often read to review books. However, I implore you, dear reader, to remember to read just to read. Read for pleasure and read books that you enjoy. You don’t always have to read the most anticipated book of the year or the book of the month, especially if you can’t find time to read for yourself.

Write just to write

This is easier said than done, right? At first yes. Try writing just to dump all of your thoughts, feelings, items you were supposed to remember, lists and anything else taking up creative space in your mind. This is called brain-dumping and it can work wonders for writers who get stuck in their heads or are easily distracted. Try writing morning pages—Invented by Julia Cameron—where you mindlessly write for several pages, first thing in the morning to clear your mind for the important work you will do later.

Stay on a writing schedule

Read or write regularly. This will make it easier to sit down to work on your manuscript or dig into your reading material every single day. It might be hard to remember at first, so set alarms for yourself until it becomes a habit for you. Carve out a space and time for completing this activity daily and it will, slowly but surely grow increasingly easier for you. Eventually it will become like second nature. When that time rolls around each day, you’ll feel the writing/reading itch creep in and you’ll know what to do.

Maintain a balanced diet

While this isn’t exactly related to reading or writing, it is related to being human. No matter what your hobby or occupation is, balanced diets are integral to your health and should never be left out of the self-care conversation. Remember to drink plenty of water and eat balanced meals throughout the day. Consider having a snack with your book and treat yourself to an occasional glass of wine or coffee while you write.

Move your body regularly

Much like the practice of maintaining a balanced diet is important for all readers and writers (and people in general,) exercising regularly is as well. Regular, quality exercise is crucial to your health and can help you keep your energy and mood elevated long after you’ve finished working out. There are countless studies that support the notion that exercise is directly linked to happiness and maintaining a positive mood and energy. So, like reading and writing, set aside time to exercise and loosen up.

Pro Tip: Couple your breaks with short, gentle stretch routines to knock out two birds with one stone.

Get plenty of good-quality sleep

Writing/reading are ultimately mental activities, and what we know about the brain is that brain function decreases when there’s a lack of sleep in our lives. This article from the Sleep Foundation explains how lack of sleep can impair our day-to-day cognitive function.

“Sleep is an important time for the brain. Levels of brain activity change in each stage of sleep — including both rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep — and evidence increasingly suggests that sleep enhances most types of cognitive function.

Getting enough hours of high-quality sleep fosters attention and concentration, which are a prerequisite for most learning. Sleep also supports numerous other aspects of thinking including memory, problem-solving, creativity, emotional processing, and judgment.” (Sleep Foundation)

Investing in yourself is also directly investing in your creativity and writing career. Consider what lifestyle changes you can make to positively impact your sleeping habits.

• Adhere to a strict sleep schedule

• Pick up a set of noise-canceling earbuds/earplugs

• Upgrade your mattress and bedframe

• Create a practical and nourishing night routine

• Pick up some blackout curtains

• Get a white noise or sound effects machine

• Treat yourself to luxuriously soft bedsheets and comfy pillows

• Cut off the caffeine in the afternoon

• Turn your bathroom into an at-home spa for heavy writing days

Don’t forget to celebrate both the small and big wins

Two friends working creatively outside with coffee. Photo by Keira Burton.

Don’t forget to celebrate your small and big wins, no matter whether or not you’re a reader, writer, both, or neither. If you knock out a book, make sure to update your Goodreads Reading Challenge, and treat yourself to a coffee. If you manage to write through a particularly difficult chapter of your novel reward yourself with a break and 30 minutes of your favorite TV show. Celebrate in whatever way makes sense for you and your life, but make sure you don’t forget to set aside time to recognize when you’ve hit major and minor milestones and completed your goals. The challenges and wins alike can all blur together and without taking time to reflect and cherish your successes, its easy to get caught up in the drudges of the writing world. Don’t let the negativity and workload drag you down. Honor you small and big wins alike by taking time to celebrate the hard work you’ve done and how far you’ve come

Meet another reader/writer for coffee

I know this will be difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic but when this all blows over, make sure to reach out to your friends and family to catch up over coffee or a nice meal, and gush about all of your favorite reads or current writerly projects. In the mean time, if you can abide by social distancing guidelines while meeting a member of your safety circle or visiting with a new friend, try to find time to do so, but safely.

And don’t let isolation keep you locked inside—find your next adventure between the pages in the list on Goodreads, linked below.

Pro tip: Try working outside at a local park, in a coffee shop, or at the library for a change of scenery. Sometimes getting out of the house and out of your usual writing space might help spark inspiration and refresh your creativity. Plan a co-working date with a friend or colleague for extra focusing power.

And that’s it for my self-care tips for readers and writers. Have you practiced any of these tips before? What has worked for you in your reading/writing practice? Do you experience any overlap between the two activities? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Bibliography

Related Topics

• Writing Every Day: What Writing as A Journalist Taught Me

• When Writing Becomes Difficult

•  5 Reasons Most Writers Quit

• Yoga For Writers: A 30-Minute Routine To Do Between Writing Sessions 

Further Reading

• How Lack of Sleep Impacts Cognitive Performance and Focus

• Adventure Reads on Goodreads.com

• Read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron 

Recent Blog Posts

This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. 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 blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live. In the meantime, I will continue to be transparent about which tools and resources I use in my work.

Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: September 1, 2025

5 Reasons Most Writers Quit

Hi readers and writerly friends!

While it’s easy to want to write and book and even easier to come up with an idea for a book, sometimes the follow through just isn’t there. Sometimes it’s hard being a writer—I get it. Sometimes we get writers’ block and sometimes we just don’t feel like pulling up to the computer and cranking out 1200 words a day for the month of November, or ever for that matter. It’s a rough balance between doing what you love and having the discipline to stick with it long enough to see your stories come to life. This week in Freelancing, I’d like to talk about five reasons why most writers quit and how you can avoid giving up when life gets in the way.

1.  As mentioned, ideas are easy.

Ideas are cheap—a dime a dozen or less, honestly. And just about anyone and everyone can conjure up some kind of book idea. From prompt to full fledged plot is the hard part. I hate to say that some people just aren’t made to be writers because I believe everyone has a book inside of them. But the truth is, the difference between fleeting thoughts/short bursts of inspiration and fully-developed, rich, enchanting stories is the process of transporting the idea from your brain to the page—a process that’s just not for the faint of heart. There’s a reason why some people end up as prompt writers and others get six-figure book deals. It really just depends on whether or not you really believe in your story and if you have the drive to bring it to life.

Writer feeling stressed. Photo by Energepic.com.

2.  Writing is hard

Touching on that, writing is hard. Trust me, I totally get your pain. I mean, hello—fellow writer here! But really, writing can be hard. Some days, we may feel like writing, but the creative juices won’t flow. Sometimes we force ourselves to write but the sentences just aren’t working out. There’s a lot of moving parts in the writing process and it takes a lot of time, effort, and energy to get all of those elements lined up just right. Not to mention, a book is a lot of words. That’s a lot of writing. Between writing the grueling first draft, revising, editing, cutting out the fluff, trying to balance storytelling elements with pacing, crafting compelling characters and designing enthralling worldbuilding, writers have so much more to do than just writing. The writing process in general is just a lot, okay?

Next week, I will have an article out about what to do when writing is hard, but for now, just take a step back, take a break, and do something that rekindles that passion for writing. Don’t let yourself get burned out, but don’t take a break for so long that the creative fire burning inside just goes out either. Know when the process isn’t working, step away, and come back to with with fresh eyes. Your writing and sanity will be all the better for it.

Cumpled up paper. Photo by Steve Johnson.

3. Writing can be and often is a full-time job

Piggybacking off of that second point, writing is a lot of work. Writing is a job. And for many writers who haven’t yet made it, it’s an unpaid, thankless job. Sometimes, writing can even be the job that money can’t inspire you to do. I know several writers who have turned down certain writing jobs because their heart just isn’t in it or because it might get in the way of their passion. For others though, it can truly be a lifelong career. And while sitting at a desk, typing and chugging coffee doesn’t seem so bad, its more of a mental and emotional labor that is taking place and it can be an intense job for most writers. It makes sense that most writers struggle to get even just one book out, much less a second or third or regular writing as a career (such as with blog writing or technical writing).

4.  Writing comes with rejection.

Rejection unfortunately is heavily woven into the writing and publishing process and it’s never-ending. There are possibilities for writers to face rejection at every turn—from their own self criticisms during the actual writing, to finding an editor, to finding an agent or publisher and so on. It happens at every level of the publishing game and can still be a tough pill to swallow from even the most seasoned writers with years of experience. If you think big name writers such as Veronica Roth or J.K.Rowling don’t still face rejection today, then I’m here to tell you you’re wrong, because even after they’ve left the writing rat race, they still can be rejected by their own readers and critics.

The solution to the cycle of endless rejection is to simply let it roll off your back and use it as the fuel to your fire. If your first book gets picked up but your publisher rejects the second, consider how you can improve your book so they might pick that one up too, or do some looking into other publishers in case your current press turns out to not be a good fit for the next project. If you’re getting a lot of negative criticism online, first determine whether its hate or truly constructive feedback and if it’s the latter, see how you can use the information your critics are giving you to improve your writing next time. Writers must learn to protect their sensitivity and creativity with a tougher, stronger outer shell. I know building a thicker skin is easier said than done, but it’s required for the writing biz, because you’re putting your words, thoughts, and book baby out there for the world to see. You’re making your creativity vulnerable to even the most ruthless of internet vultures and that requires bravery. I commend all of the writers out there for doing this, one step at a time. Eventually, it does get easier. Sooner or later, the good begins to outweigh the bad and you remember that because you’re doing what you love, none of the rejection really matters if its not going to help you in some way.

Cash on a laptop. Photo by Pixabay.

5. Money is a problem for writers too

Coming back around to number 3, there is never enough money. This mostly goes for writers who have made it into the full-time/part-time writing game and are getting paid in some way for their writing. Fiction writing unfortunately is not known for paying especially well, unless you make it so big, like J.K. Rowling or Suzanne Collins, but the chances of making it that big simply just aren’t fair for the average writer. Many writers take up side gigs as teachers or doing some other non-writing related job to make ends meet while working on their passion, but the sad reality is that writing can easily get pushed to the back burner when life gets in the way.

Some crafty writers have figured out how to employ multiple income streams so they don’t have to spend so much time working, and they can focus more time and energy on their writing. It really just comes down to how much you love writing and how worth it writing is to you. If it really means everything to you, and its your lifelong dream to be a successful, full-time fiction writer, you’ll find a way to make that dream a reality, one way or another. What separates the writers from the dreamers is the work a writer will put in to make their writing dreams come true.

And that’s it for my five reasons why writers often give up on writing and some advice/solutions on how to combat these sad writer realities. Hopefully, these opened your eyes to the darker side of the writing world and reminded you that it’s okay to be down about your writing process sometimes, just as long as you pick it back up. On a more positive note, this week in addition to this post, in Current Faves, I have a post called “20 Things Writers Can Learn From Dreamers” and next week in Freelancing, we’ll be covering “When Writing Becomes Difficult” so be sure to check those posts out!

And take it from me, a fellow writer, self-proclaimed coffee addict, and mother to a still-growing 15+ year old book baby, I understand the writing process is difficult and being a writer can be hard sometimes. Just take a deep breath, maybe treat yourself to a coffee, give yourself a hug (I see you rolling your eyes. Just do it, okay?) and know that YOU CAN DO IT. I believe in you and there’s thousands of eager readers out there ready for you to present your novel to the world. Just keep at it, take care of yourself, and remember to be a writer and not just a dreamer.

What do you think about the writing process? What do you think of this list? What writer struggles just make you want to pull your hair out? Let me know in the comments below!

Related topics:

• When Writing Becomes Difficult

• 20 Things Writers Can Learn From Dreamers

• Self-Care Tips for Readers and Writers

• Yoga For Writers: A 30-Minute Routine To Do Between Writing Sessions

Read more from Freelancing!

—Payton

20 Things Writers Can Learn From Dreamers

Hi readers and writerly friends!

It’s no doubt, still a crazy time, even in October 2020, with another round of the pandemic creeping in and the election in November just around the corner, things just don’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. But today, we’re going to shove all of that gross-ness under the rug and talk about something fun, positive, and incredibly inspiring.

I got this idea from the lovely Shayla Raquel who wrote this kind of blog post first on her blog. You can check it out here! But I just thought it was such a wonderful and inspiring kind of post and I had plenty of amazing quotes myself, so I figured, why don’t I take a crack at it?

In her blog post, Shayla writes:

If you’ve ever been around someone who sprints toward his dreams, then you know he’s absolutely insane. Nothing will get in his way. Nothing can stop him. He will accomplish his goals because he knows no other way to live.

—Shayla Raquel, Curiouser Editing

I love this quote and it aptly describes me whenever I get in a writing mood. I can’t be stopped, not even by my friends and family, by hunger, sleep, or coffee.

Okay, that’s a little bit of a stretch. Coffee might be the only reason I stop writing when I get on a roll.

But it’s certainly true that us writers can learn a thing or two from dreamers:

1. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”– Martin Luther King, Jr.

2. “Failure is not an option. It’s inevitable.” — Randy Langley

3. “I address you all tonight for who you truly are: wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, and magicians. You are the true dreamers.” — Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabaret

4. “Dare to dream! If you did not have the capability to make your wildest wishes come true, your mind would not have the capacity to conjure such ideas in the first place. There is no limitation on what you can potentially achieve, except for the limitation you choose to impose on your own imagination. What you believe to be possible will always come to pass - to the extent that you deem it possible. It really is as simple as that.” — Anthon St. Maarten

5. “Maybe you are a poet and a dreamer, but don't you realize that those two species are extinct now?” — J.G. Ballard

6. “Some stories have to be written because no one would believe the absurdity of it all.” — Shannon L. Alder

7. “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”— Robert F. Kennedy

8. “I just want to live my life less like a list and more like a lyric.” — Emily Freeman (If you’ve seen my Instagram, then you know!)

9. “The only thing that will stop you from fulfilling your dreams is you.” – Tom Bradley

10. “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon seem inevitable.” ― Christopher Reeve

11. “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” ― Harriet Tubman

12. “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” — Paulo Coelho

13. “You see things; and you say, ‘Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?'” – George Bernard Shaw

14. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.” — Maya Angelou

15. “All successful people, men and women, are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision. ” ― Brian Tracy

16. “I’m not just a storyteller. I am story.” — Ronne Rock

17. “The phoenix must burn to emerge.”— Janet Fitch

18. “Giving up is the only sure way to fail.” — Gena Showalter

19. “If one advances confidently in the direction of one's dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”– Henry David Thoreau

20. “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”– Stephen King

Wow, just wow.

I feel pretty darn inspired right now, what about you? Which quote was your favorite from this list? They were all such great quotes and amazing message, I’m kinda mad I didn’t come up with them myself! Buuut I did make this handy-dandy graphic so you can print it off and pin it up next to your writing space. This way you’ll have a ton of amazing quotes to pick you up when writing gets difficult.

Aren’t these quotes just everything? Click the collage below to download your copy so you can pin it up in your writing area so you never lose inspo!

Click here or click the image to download your free printable now!

Next week in Freelancing, I will have an in-depth, dedicated blog post for what to do when this happens, but sometimes motivational quotes about dreamers, writing, and overcoming failure can really help us gain a better perspective. Let me know your thoughts on this post in the comments below and don’t forget to check out Shayla’s post here!

Keep your head up and keep writing, dreamers. See you next week. <3

Thumbnail photo by Cottonbro.

—Payton

Why Fanfiction is Great Writing Practice and How It Can Teach Writers to Write Well

Hi readers and writerly friends!

This week in current faves, we’re discussing fanfic and more specifically, why fanfiction is great for teaching writers excellent writing skills. This is something very near and dear to my heart because my ongoing fantasy series got its start as a World of Warcraft fanfiction when I was only eight years old. Whew! I just put that fact out on the internet and there’s no coming back from that. Oh well, moving on. 😂

Fanfiction is often frowned upon because its derivative and typically written by younger writers for younger audiences. However, while the former claim is true, the latter is just a misconception about fanfiction because many adults write fan fiction as well. Snobby literature buffs like to look down at fanfiction writers and readers alike because its not original and is usually cringey. And while for the most part, there is a lot of cringey fanfiction on the internet, there is also a lot we can learn from it as writers. Keep reading to learn more about how fanfiction can effectively teach writers to write original content competently.

Fanfiction writers just get character. This might be the single most important element of writing because the characters are the windows through which the reader experiences the story and how he or she connects with the people around which the story takes place. Something that fanfiction writers do especially well is character consistency. Since they’re writing from source material rather than conjuring up their own original characters, fanfiction writers have to be able to accurately and consistently emulate character canon. Fanfiction writers must understand the characters and be able to organically portray them in  a way that is believable and acceptable to their readers. This means, for a fanfiction to be believable, accurate, and just good quality, the writer must effectively capture the essence of the characters about which they are writing.

Most fanfiction readers find themselves on the derivative side of literature simply because they’ve fallen in love with characters and they just can’t get enough of them from the source material. So, where do they go? You got it—fanfiction websites, so they can experience more adventures, emotions, scenarios and more with the characters they love. The story doesn’t end just because the book does. Fanfiction writers expand on pre-existing stories, forever immortalizing and breathing new life into age-old beloved characters and tales.

On a similar note, fanfic writers that create fanon characters (reimagined versions of preexisting characters) are essentially already creating their own characters with a few details derived from the source material. These missing details and experiences that are not present on the page/screen require writers to approach their stories with a sense of originality and a very specific lens through which they can invent new pieces to the story that weren’t there before. Likewise, depending on the POV, some stories require a lot of creativity to write fanfictions for, because the POV is very narrow, such as with singular first-person narrators.

Fanfiction writers must understand the rules and systems of a story’s world/setting. For example, if a writer wanted to cover J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter or Gillian Shields’ Immortals series, they would have to know the way magic and other systems work, like the back of their hand. They’d have to know all the inner workings of the magical world, how non-magic users view said magical world, the laws set in place (if any), and any other important details that go along with deeply fleshed out fictional worlds. This is even more difficult for the more obscure worlds where authors have done very little worldbuilding and the fanfiction writer must invent their own systems to fit against the backdrop of the source material author’s original setting. Just like with character development, fanfic writers must really understand the setting to make for a rich, believable story that is as convincing or possibly even more convincing than the source material. 

The best stories perfectly balance intricate, complex, layered dense worlds with intricate, complex, layered, dense characters. And the same is true for fanfiction. Fanfiction writers must be able to provide an organic, believable interaction between dynamic characters and their equally dynamic world.

Fanfiction writers must interweave juicy, compelling tropes into their stories. Fanfiction writers are particularly keen on determining what tropes readers want to read and which tropes provoke, deep, visceral reactions from their readers. Fanfiction writers know exactly what their readers want to read more of because the writers are fans themselves. This is something particularly unique to fanfiction writing and it’s that the writers are painfully and constantly aware of what is missing from the source material because they are consumers of it as much as their readers are.

Fanfiction writers have each other’s backs. On a side note, the fanfiction community is one of, if not the single best writing community when it comes to inter-community constructive criticism. Fanfiction writers know the struggle of writing hundreds of hours’ worth of content only for people on the internet to come to their stories and comment something like “fanfiction isn’t even real writing” or to point out how many errors there are throughout the work. Not only do fanfiction writers understand this pain, but they are incredibly generous with their constructive feedback because they’re all in the same boat. I’ve seen tons of fanfiction critique groups and positive critiques in the comments of ongoing fanfiction stories. Due to the nature of the internet and fanfiction as a genre, readers are more likely to leave a helpful, positive comment for writers because they are far more accessible.

Fanfiction is an excellent way to practice writing. Fanfiction writers via community engagement, constructive critiques, drafting, revising, and self-editing, and ultimately practicing their writing skills get a pretty good grasp of their strengths and weaknesses as a writer. Likewise, fanfiction writers learn how to be vulnerable with their writing, how to keep writing regularly, and how to be strong, confident writers due to the (typical) positive reinforcement that comes from the fanfiction community. Of course, not everyone who writes fanfiction wants to be a professional writer—many people just write fanfiction for the fun of it.

Fanfiction allows writers to experiment. At its core, fanfiction is all about fun and play. Writing fanfiction allows fans and writers to enjoy the never-before-seen/heard stories from their favorite characters and worlds. It’s a way for writers to play around with different stories, tropes, voices, POVs, settings, characters, and other storytelling elements to create transformative works. The fanfiction writing process is meant to encourage experimentation with the source material and can be therapeutic and inspiring as well. In many cases, alternate universes, crossovers, fanon characters, and original interpretations of preexisting works are in fact original works on their own because what started out as fanfiction evolved into an original piece of writing, with only a few remaining non-original details (such as names.) At this point, writers are just creating original works with archetypes that are universal. And the same goes for remixes and pastiches where the writer is essentially creating a retelling of a story, which forces them to practice writing with different voices, POV’s, and with different styles.

Fanfiction can be very useful for aspiring writers because it teaches them many vital writing skills, it forces them to be vulnerable with their writing, it inspires them to employ the constructive feedback from their readers, and requires them to become very familiar with the source material after which they’re writing. It’s a really, REALLY fantastic way for budding writers to dip their toes into it and for amateur and seasoned writers alike to practice their craft in an increasingly safer writing space. While it’s still kind of frowned upon for people to write fanfiction (for very lame reasons, I might add) its been really cool to see the shift in public opinion of the hobby and artform. I always recommend new writers to try fanfiction because it takes the pressure off of them to come up with everything from scratch so they can just focus on the writing.

And that’s it for my take on fanfiction and how I think its incredibly useful to writers. What do you think of fanfiction? Have you ever read or written fanfiction? What do you think about the community and public opinion of fanfiction as a genre? Let me know in the comments below and if you enjoyed this blog post, consider signing up for my newsletter here!

Read more from current faves!

Thumbnail photo by Adrienne Andersen.

—Payton

The Importance of Befriending Your Competition

Hi readers and writerly friends!

Now that we’ve wrapped up everything to do with college (for now) we’ll be discussing competition and the importance of befriending your competitors. There’s a lot a new writer/editor can learn from seasoned professionals and there’s a lot of fresh perspective that rookies can bring to the table as well. Making connections in the bookish world has proven invaluable to me as both a writer and an editor. Keep reading if you’d like to see why its so important for new creatives to befriend their competition.

A photo of a Monopoly car game piece parked on the “GO TO JAIL” board position. Photo by Suzy Hazelwood.

So, there you are, out in the wilderness of the publishing landscape you spot a competitor. You have three options. You either a) cower in fear, hoping they don’t see you, b) assert your awesomeness, hope they do see you and they cower in fear, or c) you outdo them in some way, therefore establishing creative dominance. It’s your turn, what do you do?

Okay, hold up. If you picked any of these answers, just stop. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. You lose.

You can learn from your competitors. If they aren’t being stingy with their knowledge, then most everyone you come across (whether or not you are in the publishing industry) would be willing to share some sort of advice. The #1 biggest misconception about competition in ANY industry is that competition is bad or that your competitors are inherently your enemies. This is simply just not true. There is so much you can learn from your competitors, and instead of treating them as your nemesis, consider befriending them for a mutually beneficial connection, and better use of your energy.

This awesome quote from John Barrows comes to mind:

“You can learn something new from everyone and every situation.”

 —John Barrows

He’s exactly right. This goes for people in and out of your respective industry. You can learn something new from every person you meet. You can learn something from your competition as well. Learn from them so you don’t have to make the same mistakes that they do. Follow in their footsteps and take notes on what works and what doesn’t. I’m not saying to copy anyone, but people who have been in the biz for years have tried and true formulas that guarantee results and you can use their established methods to get you ahead.

Additionally, your competitors are full of knowledge, resources, and tips and tricks. Of course, the mentors that come to mind are my colleagues, fellow writers, and the Developmental Editors Connection group on Facebook. Honestly, if I had a dollar for every time I went to them with a question, I’d not only have tons of incredible advice, but I’d also have enough money for double the cappuccinos each week. I can’t imagine all the times I might have gone wrong without their help. The same goes for a few of my writerly friends who started out as competition for me. I would know about a fraction of what I know now by ignoring the obvious opportunity to make a valuable connection with someone else in the industry. I’m eternally grateful for all of the editors and writers who have taken time to guide me—even in the smallest of ways such as quick questions about the CMOS or Microsoft Word issues.

You can collaborate with one another. Just imagine getting to work with your competition to create something amazing. How awesome would that be? There’s a reason YouTube collabs are so popular—it’s a group project that benefits everyone involved. And the same goes for industry collaborations. And often, by working together, you can trade information and produce double the content in half the time.

They can guest blog for you. I see this all the time in the online publishing sphere. Newer freelancers ask to guest blog for bigger content companies and more established freelancers help the newbies get their own content rolling by writing for them. Much like the collaboration thing, guest blogging for one another can help you can your competitors expose your writing to broader audiences. For example, if you guest wrote for my blog, my readers would find you and if I guest blogged for you, your readers would find me. (And if you’re worried about oversaturation being a thing, don’t worry—it isn’t. Click here to read my blog post about it.

You reciprocate with one another. Touching on the guest blogging, collaboration, and knowledge comments I mentioned above, having a friend in your competitors allows you to reciprocate advice, knowledge, help, ideas, and friendship to one another. Being friends with your competition gives you someone to bounce ideas off of, share resources with, and lend an ear or advice to each other. I love being able to recommend my favorite industry resources or current faves to my writerly friends and fellow freelancers. Likewise, its fun to compare services, prices, and styles with other freelancers. I mean, just imagine if someone asked me for advice regarding rates and I had to tell them, “Well, I’d love to help, but you’re kinda my competition. We’re in the same line of work, you know. We’re both editors…so I’d better not.” Ugh, isn’t that just the worst? Total jerk move. You’re losing absolutely nothing by helping your competition out. You get the chance to throw someone a bone, so take it.

Monopoly money, player pieces, and dice. Photo by Suzy Hazelwood.

They can help you get jobs. One of the biggest complaints I hear from freelancers concerning their competition is that they will lose customers/clients to the competition. This one makes me laugh out loud because I can’t tell you how many clients have come to me straight from people I might have considered my competition—editors just like me. There’s enough work and enough clients to go around. If you’ve heard the saying, “Everyone and their mom is a writer,” then it makes sense that everyone and their mom will also need an editor.

I’ve had several clients referred my way by word of mouth from my fellow freelancers and it’s a great feeling knowing I have such an amazing network of colleagues to work with. And the thing is that, as a developmental editor with very specific genre preferences, I don’t want to edit every manuscript ever. My editing skills are best suited to certain types of fiction, so of course, I’m not going to edit a piece of medical writing. But, I know other freelancers who do edit that type of material. And they know they can always refer fiction clients my way in turn.

They love writing as much as you do. This goes without saying but this fact doesn’t just apply to writers. How cool is it to have friends that love the same things you do? This is what got me so exited about college, because I really enjoyed talking with my fellow writers in my English classes. I can’t talk to my dad about the gothic elements in Edgar Allen Poe’s “the Fall of House Usher,” or gush about the homoerotic elements in Walt Whitman’s poetry. But you know who I can nerd out about literature with? That’s right—my editor friend and mentor Kris! We go crazy for the oxford comma, coffee, and cats. We swap poems with each other and workshop them in our free time. She just gets me. And when I’m editing a particularly gnarly manuscript, I can vent to her about it. She not only understands my pain but sends me writing memes to cheer me up.

It teaches you good sportsmanship. You can’t get all the clients and you can’t edit all the manuscripts. This also applies to any other industry with competition, such as sales. Sure, there’s been instances when my fellow editor friends and I are going for the same client. So what do I do when I don’t get the client and my colleague does? I just cry and give up. It’s the end of the world. I might as well pack up shop and give up forever because I’ll never make another sale ever again. Woe is me! Yeah, right. I say, “Good for her/him” and remind myself to step up my own game for next time and move on. It’s really not the end of the world. Like I mentioned before, there’s plenty of work to go around. Don’t get hung up on the one or two or ten missed sales. There’s just as many clients for you.

You cheer each other on. Similar to the previous point, you can celebrate your competitions wins and be there for them during their losses. We’re all in the writing game together. As a team, (if we’re continuing with the sports metaphors) its important to surround ourselves with likeminded individuals who will be rooting for us. And it’s nice to be able to congratulate others on their wins as well. If there’s enough work to go around—and there is, I assure you—then we can all take part in enjoying the process together. I know how much work goes into promoting my own editing biz so its really great seeing my fellow freelancers land new clients. I get to congratulate them and I know they’ll do the same for me in return. It’s a give and take, and I’d have it no other way.

You give love and get love. It’s such a good feeling when I have people coming to me about resources, industry hacks, friends using my blog post to answer someone’s question about newsletter marketing, or readers thanking me for how helpful my freelancing basics blog post was. You remember that friend, Kris I mentioned earlier? She told me her mother read my short story, “The Sieka of Sahn’Jatar” and enjoyed it immensely. I beamed when she told me this. It’s also fun when she and my other writerly friends send me funny writing memes or jokes about grammar, saying “this reminded me of you,” or “I thought you might like this.” I like getting messages like that and I love being able to share that love with them as well.

And lastly, everyone could use another friend. If you’re seriously so worried that you’ll lose business to someone just because their in the same line of work as you, then I think you’ve got a bigger issue on your hands. I don’t know—maybe we just view the world differently, but personally, I want to make even more friends with people that do the same thing I do. It’s not putting me out, endangering my business, or negatively impacting me in anyway to make friends with my competition and I can only see it as a mutually beneficial relationship. And besides, to quote Lady Gaga, “my biggest enemy is me.” It’s true. You can worry all day about your business failing to the competition but the only person you’re truly hurting is yourself. Instead, see if you can befriend your competitors and make some friends along the way.

Challenge: Readers and fellow freelancers, I challenge you to make connections with your competition this week. Find three people in your field who do what you do and reach out to them. Just ask them how they’re doing. Break the ice. Talk. Communicate. Build connections.  We got to check up on our fellow writers during these crazy times. And you never know—you might find a new writerly friend out of it.

And that’s it for my blog post on the importance of befriending your competition. What do you think about making friends with your competitors? Do you agree or disagree? Can you think of a time when you befriended your competition and it worked out in your favor? Tell me all about it in the comments below!

Bibliography

• Jopwell (@Jopwell). “Woman Wearing Teal Dress Sitting on Chair Talking to Man.” Pexels photo, April 27, 2019 (Thumbnail photo).

• Hazelwood, Suzy (@suzyhazelwood). “Close Up Photo of Monopoly Game Items.” Pexels photo, July 15, 2018.

• Hazelwood, Suzy (@suzyhazelwood). “Miniature Toy Car on Monopoly Board Game.” Pexels photo, July 15, 2018.

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Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: March 19, 2025

Know The Rules So Well That You Can Break The Rules Effectively

“Know the rules well, so you can break them, effectively.” -Dalai Lama XIV

“Know the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist” -Pablo Picasso

These are just two quotes that touch on the subject and since they’re from world renowned individuals, I think they must hold some weight. I think this notion of knowing the rules so you can break them holds especially true for the art of writing. Good writers who break the rules well are like the little blades of grass that peek up through the cracks in concrete—they shouldn’t be able to grow, they shouldn’t have the strength on their own to push through concrete—but they do, and sometimes, those weeds become flowers.

Whenever one of my writer friends says “You shouldn’t use adjectives” or “You shouldn’t waste too much time on mundane activities” what always comes to mind are two of the greatest fantasy writers of all time—J.R.R Tolkien and George R.R. Martin. They constantly break these two rules and many more in their work and not only do they get away with it, the are celebrated for it, which makes most writing advice out there, somewhat invalid. If they can do it and become world-class writers despite these common writing mistakes, why can’t I?

This is where knowing the rules comes in. If you know the rule, why it’s a rule, and why so many people tell you to steer clear of it, you then know how to use it to your advantage. The reason is, by knowing the rule inside and out, and knowing your writing is good, simultaneously, you know that you’re breaking the rule effectively.

Tweet from @PageTurner on Twitter.

If you break the rule in a bad way, like opening a scene with someone waking up and the following scene being predictable, then knowing the rule is pointless. But if you know the way you’re breaking it is interesting, unique, effective, and enhances or enriches the story, then not only are you breaking it well, you doing it in a way that will make other writers wonder how you got away with such a writing crime.

James Patterson opened up his bestselling novel, Maximum Ride with the main protagonist waking up, but he jumped right into the action in a fast-paced, and tense scene immediately after that kept readers engaged, enthralled, and made other writers wonder how he managed it.

Likewise, Tolkien went on for several chapters in the Lord of the Rings before the adventure ever began. One whole chapter even describe the dealings between the Bag-End Baggins hobbits and the Sackville Baggins hobbits, and spent another chapter describing a wordy, convoluted scene where Frodo and his friends enjoyed tea from and spent time with Farmer Maggot. Many writing coaches would say to avoid these lengthy scenes and cut them out since they didn’t drive the story or add to the plot in any way.

 However, they’ve remained in every edition since publication and the novels are still celebrated today. It just goes to show if you know the rule like the back of your hand, you know you can break the rule and not only get away with it but be recognized for your writing when it’s done effectively.

For further reading on this topic, check out Steven Jame’s “Story Trumps Structure: “How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking The Rules” to:

• Ditch your outline and learn to write organically.

• Set up promises for readers—and deliver on them.

• Discover how to craft a satisfying climax.

• Master the subtleties of characterization.

• Add mind-blowing twists to your fiction.

And that’s it for my hot take on how you can break the writerly rules by knowing them inside and out! What do you think about breaking the best-known rules in the writing world? Let me know in the comments below!

Thumbnail photo by Payton Hayes.

—Payton

How To Write Romance: 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

Romantic Spa Day for Writers: Reserve A Relaxing Retreat and Recharge Your Creative Battery

Hi writerly friends!

One more week of romance posts for February and then we’re back to our regularly scheduled postings. This week in Reader Life, I’m giving you guys a guide to planning your perfect writerly spa get away! Couple it with your Romantic writing retreat for an amazing writer vacation! Next week, I’ll give you guys my list of the top 10 mushy romance songs so be sure to check that out!

Of course, you can make sue of these tips alone or have a partner participate!

Take a bubble bath

I mean it. Take a bath. While you may not be used to taking baths opposed to showers,  they have been proven to be stress-relieving and relaxing. Pop in a bath bomb or some flower petals, light some candles, and grab the bubbles because you’re getting ready to have you-time!

Get and give massages

Sitting at a desk, typing for hours on end leaves the back, shoulders, and neck feeling strained. Book yourself a professional massage, couple’s massages or get with your partner and trade massages. Listen to relaxing music and put on some candles to set the mood.

Wind down with wine

Make sure to drink responsibly of course, but once in a while, it’s nice to take a break from writing and sit down with your favorite glass of red or rosé. Grab your current read or pop in ear buds to enjoy an audiobook while you wind down with your wine.

Yoga for writers

Like I said about the massages, writing can be strenuous work when you’re doing it for hours on end. Hop up from your desk every couple of hours and do some yoga! Kaitlin from Ink and Quills has come up with an amazing, yet simple 30-minute yoga routine for writers and I am obsessed with it! Click here to check it out!

Aromatherapy

If you’ve paid attention to the previous items on this list, then you know what I am going to say. Using candles and diffusers are a great way to keep your writing space smelling fresh and aromatherapy has been said to improve focus and productivity. Plus, the smell of lavender is just the best, so why not?

And that’s it for my 5 romantic spa tips for writers! What did you think of this list? Have you treated yourself lately? If not, try out some of these ideas and let me know what you think! Comment below and as always, thanks for reading!

Further Reading:

• Writing Every Day: What Writing as A Journalist Taught Me

• When Writing Becomes Difficult

• 5 Reasons Most Writers Quit

• Yoga For Writers: A 30-Minute Routine To Do Between Writing Sessions

Thumbnail photo by Breakingpic.

—Payton

How To Write Romance: The Perfect Meet Cute

Glen Powell as Charlie Young and Zoey Deutch as Harper in Set It Up. Gif by Payton Hayes.

Hello, writerly friends!

Today, we’re discussing the meet cute. What the heck even is a meet cute anyways? Well, according to Google, is an amusing or charming first encounter between two characters that leads to the development of a romantic relationship between them.

Of course, the way you do the meet cute is completely and totally up to you—it can be cute, funny, or disastrous and comical. How you do a meet cute is completely subjective and can be created in a number of ways, but today I am going to show you how to make a meet cute even cuter—like the cutest it could possibly be.

When the reader sees the meeting coming, characters do not

While you can craft a meet cute where both the reader and characters do not see it coming, I think it’s extra interesting when the reader does, because it’s like this little secret between the writer and the reader. I really love meet cutes that do this. It’s like the sense of rising dread you get when you’re reading parts of a story with building tension—except that it’s a good kind of dread because you want the characters to end up meeting. The reader knows something good will come out of this chance encounter, only they know it’s coming, and the characters do not.

Flinn is surprised when Rapunzel hits him with a frying pan during Disney’s Tangled’s meet cute (2010).

A great example of this kind of meet cute is in Disney’s Tangled, when Flynn Rider is running from the law and seeks refuge in Rapunzel’s conveniently hidden tower. We already know Rapunzel is inside and he definitely climbed up the wrong tower. The scene that follows does not disappoint, when Rapunzel smacks him in the face with a frying pan for climbing through her window. I would consider this a comical meet cute, but it works extra well because the viewer knows what will happen before the characters and it builds for extra spicy first meeting.

Joe Bradley wakes a sleeping Princess Ann in Roman Holiday (1953).

Another example of a meet cute where the viewer/reader knows of the meeting before the characters actually meet is Roman Holiday, when Princess Ann shirks her royal responsibilities to see Rome for herself and eventually ends up falling asleep on a street. When the scene shifts to Gregory Peck playing cards with the guys, viewers just know the two are going to meet. After his night out, we see him walking down the same street Ann has fallen asleep on and we’re already anticipating their meeting.

Milo Ventimiglia as Jess Mariano and Alexis Bledel as Rory Gilmore in Gilmore Girls (2000).

Another example of a meet cute where the characters don’t know they’ll be meeting it is in Gilmore Girls, Season 2, Episode 5. Not only does this episode include Jess' first appearance, but it's also the first episode that Rory and he meet. He steals her copy of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl," only to return it to her later in the episode with notes in the margins because Ginsberg is love, you guys. Ah, Jess Mariano — you book thieving-and-annotating bad boy. When Jess swipes Howl from Rory’s room during that ill-fated dinner hosted by Lorelai, and then returns it filled with margin notes, Rory was definitely impressed. (And so were we.) This scene effectively sets up the characters before they even know each other, themselves and shows us that there’s more than meets the eye, both for the mischievous Jess and their tumultuous relationship down the line.

This kind of meet cute makes the reader feel smarter because they know something the characters don’t. This is why it feels like a special little secret between the reader and the writer because the reader feels like he or she has already figured the story out. This is especially effective if you have plot twists and turns later on in the story, because the ground work for the surprises will already be laid out for you.

Characters don’t know they’ll be seeing a lot of each other

Piggybacking on the idea that the characters don’t know they’ll end up together, another meet cute that works really well in many stories is when the characters don’t know they’ll be seeing a lot of each other and/or aren’t too thrilled about it. This is especially fun for awkward situations where the character thinks “oh well, I’ll never see them again anyways,” and then come to find out that they will be seeing them again, and a lot more at that. Awkward is cute, writers.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Dido Elizabeth Belle and Sam Reid as John Davinière in Belle.

Pro tip: a sense of awkwardness or secondhand embarrassment is a fantastic feeling to give the reader. It’s as strong as , if not stronger than fear or desire, because its such a vulnerable emotion and it’s one we go out of our way to avoid. If you can invoke this in your reader, then congratulations, you’ve effectively written something that makes people feel.

A great example of this type of meet cute is in the movie Belle, when Dido and John run into each other on her late-night walk. She is startled at first when she finds that he actually came bringing news for her uncle and even more so when she discovers her uncle is John’s tutor and they’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.

Another example of this type of meet cute is in Jane Eyre when Jane first meets Mr. Rochester, he doesn’t tell her who he is, but later when she returns home, she recognizes his dog and realizes the true identity of the man she’d met on the road, earlier that day.

This kind of meet cute is really great because not only does it introduce a whole new level of awkward! but it also allows us to get to know the characters before they know each other and makes their relationship down the road, a lot cuter.

Irony, or something happening that would never happen later in the story

Megan Follows as Anne Shirley and Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert Blythe in Anne of Green Gables (1985).

This is probably one of the most powerful, yet hard to pull off versions of the meet cute, but if you can nail it, it can prove for a really effective first meeting and adds dept to the relationship later. Using irony in your meet cute makes the meeting 100x better because when these two characters are in love some day and they look back on their relationship later, it will be so funny to look back and think about how ironic their first encounter really was.

One great example of the use of irony in a meet cute is in Anne of Green Gables when Anne Shirley breaks Gilbert Blythe’s slate over his head out of temper when he teases her repeatedly. This was a very effective and ironic meet cute because the two characters would never behave in such a way after they’d gotten together but it really makes for a memorable first meeting.

 “I've loved you ever since that day you broke your slate over my head in school." Oh Gil❤️

The second meeting is even more awkward

Okay, the only thing better than making your reader feel the palpable awkwardness is making them feel it twice! (Or three times if you’re gutsy enough!) This kind of meet cute is incredibly effective, especially if you tie it in with the first two where 1) only the reader knows they will meet and 2) they don’t know they’ll run into each other a lot more following the first meeting. This makes for a really, really strong meet cute where the characters and the reader are almost swimming the awkward emotions and the only way to move past it is to keep reading and see how it plays out.

The first meeting happens and once it’s over and done, you can bring it back around for the second meeting which is filled to the brim with potential for even more awkwardness, shyness, embarrassment and dramatic meet cute goodness!

An example of this meet cute is in Downton Abbey when Mary Talbot  and Matthew Crawley meet for the first time, she walks in on Matthew saying some offhanded things to his mother. He is talking about how he will likely be shoved into an arranged marriage with  one of the Talbot daughters since their parents had heard he was a bachelor. She says she hopes she isn’t interrupting anything but of course, that proves to be the case when they meet again later and its super awkward.

Callback to the meet cute

Megan Follows as Anne Shirley and Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert Blythe in Anne of Green Gables (1985).

All of these are great ways to effectively nail the meet cute for your characters, but you get bonus points for bringing it back up later on in the story. It’s really fun to see the characters in love reflecting on their embarrassing first meeting and makes for a great treat for the reader. A callback is a really effective literary device where something happens in the beginning of the story and is later referenced towards the end of the story in another context, essentially calling it back to the reader’s memory.

Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann and Gregory Peck as Joe Bradley in Roman Holiday (1953).

Some particularly cute examples of this callback to the meet cute is in Anne of Green Gables when Gil calls her Carrot, endearingly, in Roman Holiday when Princess Ann says “So happy, Mister Bradley,” in reference to her muttering “So happy” in her sleep on the street, and in Jane Eyre when Mr. Rochester says, “You always were a witch” to Jane in reference to their very first meeting when he’d said “Get away from me, witch!”

These are just a few really well-done meet cutes and you’ll find it’s always the little things that make these meeting iconic, memorable, and downright adorable.

That’s it for the secrets to the perfect meet cute. Try using them all and let me know what you think. Do you prefer to use one version over another or do you like using them together? Do you ever call back to your meet cutes? What is the most important element of a meet cute? And what are some of your favorite meet cutes? Let me know in the comments below!

Further reading:

• How to Write Hate-To-Love Romance

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

• How To Write Love Triangles - The Right Way

• 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

Thumbnail photo by Natalie.

—Payton

Let’s Talk Amateur Author Anxiety: 7 Writer Worries That Could Be Holding You Back

Sometimes amateur writers get hung up on concerns when their worries really aren’t warranted and never end up taking the big plunge into writing. Some writers worry about their craft and the writing process while others worry about the business side of things. Whether its in my writing circles or in online groups, I see novice writers fretting about these seven things constantly, even though they’re not topics that new writers should be concerned with. These seven things hold many aspiring writers back, but once you learn to let these worries go and just write, your craft and career will come much easier.

Idea stealing

First and foremost, this is the single biggest concern most new writers have, especially when it comes to releasing their writing to online social media platforms or self-publishing.

Here’s the thing—ideas are a dime a dozen and when it comes down to the value of an idea versus the value of writing, it is always dependent on the execution of said idea. Most ideas, when it comes to pitching or marketing, are remarkably similar. However, it’s the writing that sets you apart from everyone else. Your worldview and experiences are going to shape the way you tell the story and execute the idea, and that alone is going to make your story vastly different than mine or another writer’s.

While there are some unscrupulous individuals out there, that is a very, very small minority compared to the rest of the creatives in the writing community. If you do encounter someone who is stealing your ideas there are two likely outcomes: 1) the thief likely won’t finish/see the idea through or 2) the thief won’t execute the idea as effectively as you will. If you do have a brilliant idea and any decent writing skill, you shouldn’t worry about hack writers stealing your ideas because the odds are more in your favor—that whatever you write will likely always be better than the writing of the person who is stealing your ideas.

Just a side note: your work is protected by U.S. Copyright law from the very moment you write it down. You can’t copyright ideas, but the expression and execution of these ideas are your intellectual property and they are protected.

Of course, this doesn’t excuse straight plagiarism. Nothing ever can excuse that level of creative theft. If another writer is stealing your words, they should be contacted and asked to remove the plagiarized work from their platforms and if they don’t comply, legal action should be taken. Copyright infringement is a serious offense and should not be taken lightly.  You can help keep the writing community free of plagiarism by reporting any instances of this that you see to the U.S. Copyright Office. You can also learn more about your rights as a creator here.

I could go on and on about this topic but TL:DR: idea stealing isn’t a real issue that novice writer should be too concerned about. If you’re really worried, just stay on the safe side and be careful who you share your work with. I wouldn’t post your entire manuscript online for the entire public to read with abandon but do your research and know that you can share your work with others. Critique partners and mentors are amazing for this purpose exactly. And remember, even if they steal the core premise, their delivery will be vastly different from your own. No two stories are the exact same, especially when writers have different experiences and worldviews.

Being original

This is another concern of novice writers—that they want their writing to be original. If you’ve heard the saying “There’s nothing new under the sun,” then prepare to love it, because I am going to tell you all about why novice writers should NOT be concerned with their work being original. It’s almost impossible to invent a new idea. There is this canon of stories, storytelling techniques, popular tropes, themes, character types, story beats, and other elements of storytelling.  With regard to these things, there is really no originality in most modern writing and classics alike. However, you can be original in your execution. No, I am not talking about killing people here—I am talking about the unique way you tell a story. Jeez—keep up, will you?

Anyway, it’s the execution that makes the idea original—you are putting your own spin on the idea with your own writing style, combination of tropes and character types, and techniques. With that said, you should be conscious of being too derivative. If this is the case, go back to your outline and work more on the idea and its basic elements.

So yeah, there’s nothing new under the sun—big deal. There are tons of new things on the sun, around the sun, above the sun, inside the sun—you get my point, right? It doesn’t matter if the core premise is unoriginal, if the writing style, characters, and delivery is. These original elements can set you apart from the competition in ways that originality in ideas just can’t.

Perfection in the first book or first draft

This has to be one of the biggest hurdles for novice writers and that’s that their work won’t measure up, won’t be good enough, or won’t be perfect on the first draft. Let me tell you something: that’s absolutely right. So, stop worrying about trying to create perfect writing and just write. That’s why we call them rough drafts, right? They aren’t supposed to be your best work on the first try. No, that’s why we revise and edit.

Here are some ways novice writers get all wound up about perfection in the first draft:

• Editing the beginning of the book before you’ve finished writing it

• Sending out early chapters to alpha readers or critique partners and making changes before the work is complete

• Waiting for others to validate the writing

It really doesn’t matter how good or bad your first draft is, because you’re going to edit it. Editing and revising are natural parts of the writing process, so it isn’t worth getting all wound up over trying to execute a perfect first draft. Most new writers get upset because they compare themselves to successful published writers, but almost all books out there are not the first draft edition and have undergone a rigorous editing and revising process before publication. Also, odds are is that any given book is likely not the authors first serious work and is actually the culmination of years of trial and error, experience, and growth in the writing process.  Perfection is overrated. Write first. Edit later. The editing can wait, but the final product cannot, so tell your inner editor to take a hike.

Focusing on publication and marketing

Another thing I see many new writers spin their wheels over and get too concerned with is all of the stuff that comes after you’ve written the book—the publishing process, the querying, the marketing, the launch etc. None of these things matter unless you’ve finished the book.

I see a lot of writers get caught up in the fantasy of what comes after publishing—the dream essentially. The problem is, is that that dream can’t come true unless you execute and write the book first. You can use these things as motivation to drive your efforts, but don’t get caught up in everything that comes after, so much so that you lose sight of the important part and that’s actually writing the book to begin with.

Editors are (not) monsters!

Another concern I see among amateur writers is that they will fundamentally change your book—that your creative vision, your baby will be crushed and ruined by the system and this is why traditional publishing is bad.

1) this is probably one of the biggest myths about the publishing industry EVER. Editors can’t make you do anything and besides, they are there to serve as a handmaiden to the writer. Editors don’t force fundamental changes on authors. Editors don’t just make these kind of lateral moves. The publishing industry is collaborative in nature and no one is forcing writers to make fundamental changes to their manuscript. Professionals make suggestions and the writer makes the changes as his or her discretion.  

2) Writers have a lot of power in the writing and editing process. Aside from the technical and stylistic advice editors give, authors should take most editing advice with a grain of salt and use their best judgement when navigating critiques and editing suggestions. A lot of the editing process is subjective, and worldview can and will impact what suggestions an editor makes.

Take critiques constructively and not personally and see whether they add meaningful changes to the story or should be ignored. Ultimately, you have the say in the direction in which your story goes. Don’t let the fear of red pens and monsters in reading glasses keep you from telling your story. If you get wrapped up in the idea that your book is a sacred creative vision and you can’t stand the idea of others’ suggestions, then truthfully, you are afraid of criticism. This is a serious fear and it should be reckoned with because if you ever hope to publish and have readers, you will have to be able to take criticism, constructive or otherwise.

One way to rid yourself of this fear is to start thinking about your book as a commercial product instead of a sacred piece of art. Once you acknowledge that you are creating a product for consumers—which they will not only buy, but also read, then you will stop thinking of the book as a piece of art with holy, creative meaning. You won’t grow as a writer if you aren’t open to criticism. If you want to read more on this topic, click here.

Negative reviews

Of course, this goes hand-in-hand with handling criticism but to work in a creative and commercial industry, you must be able to accept criticism—both good and bad. If this just isn’t something you are comfortable with, then you aren’t ready to publish and you likely never will be. Stick to writing for yourself if you can’t come to terms with the fact that not everyone will like your work.

I always think of this Dita Von Teese quote every time I talk to a writer who is afraid of dealing with criticism:

“You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there’s, still going to be somebody who hates peaches.” -Dita Von Teese

And the same thing goes for writing. Your book can be the best in the whole world, and there will be someone out there who hates it. We all have our own preferences and opinions and we’re all entitled to them.  You can’t please everyone, so stop trying to now. Write because it’s what you do, be willing to take feedback, and learn to grow from the criticism instead of getting caught up in the negativity.

On the literary side, you will be rejected by agents and publishers and on the self-publishing side, you’ll be rejected by negative reader reviews. It is easier to let go of negative reviews if you think of them as a consumer tool. They’re not for you, the writer—they’re for other readers. As a consumer tool, they have to exist on their own, in this space. Likewise, readers should not be offering craft advice to writers in this space.

Far future planning

The final and most ridiculous concern I see amateur writers getting all wrapped up in is planning waaaay too far in advance. These are the kind of writers that worry about their perfect agent or editor who will be the one to help them with the rest of their books down the line. Sometimes they envision the perfect publisher and spend entirely too much time looking for these things and don’t end up writing the book to begin with.

This is a complete waste of energy and time. The industry is so competitive and constantly in flux, so it is futile to try and plan everything out ahead of time. Focus on the short-term goals—writing and editing the book, creating a killer query for said book, finding an agent who will pick up the book in question, and the marketing for the current book.

Of course, writing ALWAYS comes first, but these are the short-term goals that you should focus on as a writer. You’ll have jam-packed months when the publishing process is in full swing and other, slower months when there is no book to work on or market. Don’t plan too far ahead; it’s a waste of time because you’ll find that nothing really ever goes exactly as planned.

It’s important to remember, you don’t have to stick with any one agent, publisher, or editor. It’s not uncommon to switch between agents or test-run editors before sticking with one for the long term. You need to find the agent that will sell your book NOW and only worry about the other projects when you get to them, down the line. The cold, hard truth about it is this: if you spend all your time planning for your future career and don’t work on finding an agent for your current project, you won’t have a successful career in the long run, and you’ll have just wasted time. This is one of the only instances where being shortsighted comes in handy.

That’s it for my list of the 7 common concerns of amateur writers. These are all things that just don’t matter and constantly hold aspiring writers back from the craft and ultimately, their dreams. These things don’t really matter, at least not in a meaningful way, and definitely not right now. Don’t put your writing career on the back burner out of fear or wasting time worrying about any of these issues, because they’re really not a big deal. It’s good to do a little planning and have a general vision and a strong why, but cross those bridges when you get to them and allow some flexibility to your plan.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Have you heard of any of these concerns before? What is your biggest fear as a writer?

—Payton

8 Questions Writers Should Ask Themselves When Setting Goals and Resolutions For The New Year

This blog post was written by a human.

Hi readers and writerly friends!

Setting goals and resolutions is an important part of getting ready for the start of a new year and new decade and asking yourself a few critical questions can get the creative ball rolling. Consider these eight questions when outlining your goals for 2020 and think about what achievements and improvements you made in 2019 compared to 2018 and how you’ll bring that momentum forward into the new year.

What is your single biggest priority as a writer in 2020?

Do you want to finally publish your  novel? Are you still writing the story? Are you in the editing phase? Will you self-publish or traditionally publish the story? What part of the process are you currently in and what preparations need to be made to make this goal a possibility in 2020?

A photo of a writer working at a laptop in a living room decorated for autumn. Photo by Vlada Karpovich.

As creative individuals, writers often juggle a million different passion projects at any given time, but to effectively execute any one task, we must focus out efforts on one project at a time. What project makes the most sense for you in 2020?

Take it from me —someone who has been officially diagnosed with adult ADHD—when I say I know how hard it is to focus your energy on one thing, but it’s equally as important as it is difficult. I don’t necessarily believe in the Jack of All Trades, Master of None sentiment, but I know if you have too many irons in the fire, you certainly will get burned one way or another.

The truth is that we just don’t have enough time and attention to do EVERYTHING. So, I challenge you to tackle the biggest, scariest project this year, and better yet, early in the year,  to get yourself up over that dreaded hurdle and keep the killer momentum going.

How many books do I want to release in 2020?

This question isn’t just for traditionally published authors with book deals and advances. You know what they say about dressing the part? It’s the same with writing—if you want to be a published author with all those shiny book deals and advances, you must start acting like one now, and moreover, writing like one. If you can write an entire book, move it through several stages of revisions and edits and produce a polished, final copy that’s a feat of strength on its own, especially if you can do it in one year. Additionally, it’s even more incredible if you can do that a few times each year, but that’s what it takes to become a traditionally published and professional writer—consistency, dedication, patience, and perseverance. So, whether public or private, how many books will you release this year? 

How much time will I devote to my writing each day, week, or month in 2020?

Part of being a dedicated and consistent writer is building time into your schedule for writing. This is the key to conquering writer’s block and harnessing your creativity and it’s crucial for any writer wanting to turn their passion into a full-time career. Consider when and for how long you will write every day. It might be a trial and error process but try a few different schedules and see what works for you. You might not be a “Wake up to write at 5 am” person like Amy Landino, but you might be able to squeeze in an hour every night before bed or something similar and less intense. Start with just 20 minutes a day and gradually increase the time so that you reach your desired time block for writing while building the daily writing habit without throwing your existing schedule into chaos.

How much money will I invest in my craft in 2020?

Consider what route you will take and start doing research. Maybe you are self-publishing—one avenue that isn’t cheap. You’ll have to pay for editing, layout and cover design, and marketing. Perhaps it’s time you got you’re a writing services listed on a proper website rather than you’re your LinkedIn profile? Hiring a developer, or at the very least, a designer who will put together your site using  a hosting platform such as Squarespace or Weebly, will set you back a few hundred, depending on the complexity of the site. Maybe you want to learn more about writing by taking a few master classes. Add up all the different ways you can invest in your brand as an author and budget for these expenses so your creative growth in 2020 isn’t gated by money or lack thereof.  

What are my weaknesses as a writer?

A photo of a woman working on a laptop in a cozy living room. Photo by Vlada Karpovich.

We all have strengths and weaknesses and there are a few different methods of determining what your weaknesses as a writer are:

• Have your manuscript professionally critiqued/reviewed.

• Open up your manuscript to beta readers.

• Participate in a critique group for feedback on your writing.

• Have a friend who is well-versed in your genre read your manuscript

Post parts of your manuscript on free reading sites like Wattpad (I wouldn’t post the entire thing for free. Consider posting the first third of the story and adjust visibility as needed. Even though your writing is protected by US Copyright Law, it can be hard to know when someone breaks the law if they aren’t caught. This will better protect your writing against plagiarists.)

Once you’re aware of the trouble areas in your writing, you can work to improve them in 2020.  Writers can have several strengths and weaknesses. Maybe narrative is your forte but dialogue…not so much. Maybe you need to learn how to employ the senses and imagery to create a more immersive and engaging reading experience. Maybe you need to improve your openings or endings. There are plenty of writing exercises to help you build your skill and strengthen these weaknesses.

What are my weaknesses as a marketer?

Many writers cringe at the thought of marketing their writing but it’s not really as scary as it initially seems. It just takes a little doing to get familiar with how marketing works but once you get it, it can be fun. To determine how familiar, you are with marketing what strengths and weaknesses you have, you can do the following:

• Hire a marketing professional or schedule coaching call with one.

• Join author groups online and in person and see how the other members market their work.

• Read books and articles on marketing and follow tutorials on YouTube.

• Research how other authors in your genre have successfully marketed their own novels.

How can I get involved in my writing community?

While marketing is an important aspect of successful businesses in 2020, it’s also important to take care of yourself, both in an out of your craft. I’m not going to get all self-care-lecture-y on you, but you should, for your own sanity, get involved in the writing community both online and locally. I know it’s sort of become a mood to lock yourself away with your coffee and keyboard (or typewriter) and write all day long, but it’s important to have a constructive crew of like-minded creatives to surround yourself with. Other writers can act as sounding boards, sources of inspiration, and often, they have plenty of useful advice and information to freely give. Not only that, but by having critique partners, you strengthen each other’s writing because every manuscript can benefit from a second set of eyes.

Some ways to get involved in the local writing community:

• Join a local writing group

• Joining or forming a local book club

• Attending local or regional writers’ conventions, conferences, retreats, or workshops

• During NaNoWriMo, check for local Come Write-Ins in your area

• Some ways to get involved in the online writing community:

• Join Facebook writer groups

• Join Betabooks.co to connect with beta readers and become a beta reader yourself

Engage with writers and readers in your genre on Twitter and Instagram by using relevant hashtags and commenting frequently on posts you truly love/connect with.

How can I grow my tribe in 2020?

This shouldn’t come as a surprise but like marketing, growing your community’s engagement is going to take some doing. Remember it isn’t and should never be just about the numbers. You want to make real connections with people and develop a group or true fans that will support you. This is your tribe and if cultivated carefully and correctly, they’ll stick around for a long time, through the thick and thin. They in turn will help grow the tribe and the wonderfully vicious cycle repeats.

So how do you grow the tribe? Some ways to inspire engagement on your platforms are:

• Engage with other users on social media, especially in your genre and medium.

• Provide quality, valuable content to readers via newsletter marketing My blog post for how to craft a successful email newsletter is linked in the Further Reading section below.

• Pay for targeted adds through Facebook and Google (these are proven to be effective due to their highly skilled algorithms)

And that’s it for my 8 questions that writers should ask themselves in 2020. Of course these are just a few guidelines for narrowing down your goals for 2020 and it’s just a starting area. If you’d like to see more questions like these, and if you enjoyed this list, let me know! What are your goals and/resolutions for 2020?

Bibliography

• Karpovich, Vlada. “A person working from home on a couch.” Pexels photo, uploaded on October 20, 2021. Accessed September 1, 2025. 

• Karpovich, Vlada. “A person using a laptop.” (Thumbnail photo). Pexels photo, uploaded on October 20, 2021. Accessed September 1, 2025. 

Further Reading

• Spring Cleaning for Writers: 10 Things Every Writer Should Do Before 2020 

•  5 Actionable New Year’s Resolutions For Writers In 2020 

• 20 Bookish New Year’s Resolutions for 2020

• 20 Tips and Tricks for Successful Email Newsletters

• Bookish End of the Year Survey (2022)

• Book Wrap Up & Rating All The Books I Read This Year (2022)

• How to Read More Books

• 21 Bookish Resolutions for 2021

• Bookish End of the Year Survey (2020)

• 20 Bookish Resolutions for 2020

• 10 Tips For Planning Your Reading Challenge 

• 5 Actionable New Year's Resolutions For Writers

Related Topics

• How To Organize Your Digital Life: 5 Tips For Staying Organized as a Writer or Freelancer

• 5 MORE Ways to Stay Organized as a Writer or Freelancer

• Get Things Done With The Pomodoro Technique

• 5 Reasons Most Writers Quit

• When Writing Becomes Difficult

• Self-Care Tips for Readers and Writers

• 5 Healthy Habits For Every Writer

• 8 Ways To Level Up Your Workspace And Elevate Your Productivity

• The 4 Most Useful FREE Apps for Writers in 2022 (Sync Across Multiple Devices, Not Only iOS)

Recent Blog Posts

This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. 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 blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live. In the meantime, I will continue to be transparent about which tools and resources I use in my work.

Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: September 1, 2025

5 Actionable New Years’ Resolutions For Writers

Photo by Ivan Samkov.

This blog post was written by a human.

Hi readers and writerly friends! This week in Freelancing, we’re going over my top 5 actionable New Years’ Resolutions for Writers, so you can make the most of the New Year season!

1. Share your writing with others more often

It can be hard as a writer to be vulnerable and open to criticism, but it is crucial to our growth and improvement to feel comfortable putting our work out into the world, despite what others say. Always use your best judgment when dealing with criticism to determine if it was constructive or just negativity. But by opening up and letting the world into our stories, we grow and gradually become used to having other eyes on our work. Coming to terms with this is essential for aspiring writers desiring professional writing work.

2. Try a new writing style or medium for telling stories

Do you usually write in a certain POV or tense? Do your stories typically take on a humorous or satirical tone? What voice do you normally write in? Is your target audience the same every time? Change it up by writing new stories in different ways.

Another way to freshen up the writing process is to work with different methods of storytelling. Of course, audio-visual mediums can be used for storytelling and often are, but I’m specifically referring to the written word—poems, plays, short stories, novelettes, novels, articles, blog posts, and reviews. Consider writing in a different medium to explore and learn new techniques, styles, and practices.

3. Watch, read, and write stories in genres you’re unfamiliar with

This one likely requires some research but by branching out into a new genre, you learn all kinds of different storytelling techniques and styles that were gated by your own genre. By stepping out of your comfort zone, you open up your craft to new growth. Diving into new genres can seem unappealing at first, but you’ll find all kinds of hidden gems in other genres and the challenge will breed new creativity.

4. Make creativity part of your everyday routine

I written extensively on consistency and building in time for writing but the gist is this: writing every day makes you a better writer because a) practice does make perfect and b) it acts like exposure therapy by bringing you face-to-face with the fear associated with the writing process (fears of inadequacy or imperfection) often enough that you get used to it and overcome this obstacle.

Photo by Ivan Samkov.

As someone who was incredibly busy and believed in the idea that creativity strikes only at certain time, I used to think this was impossible, but I can assure you it is achievable. Consider one of the previous options such as writing in a new medium. By writing new blog posts for this blog, all the time, I am exposing myself to the writing process and therefore making it increasingly easier to write in my passion projects.

 The blog takes off the looming pressure of trying to achieve constant perfection and allows me to just write freely. Then, when I sit down to write fantasy, it’s easier every day, and since I’m all warmed up from writing blog posts, I can produce better quality work.

5. Learn to enjoy the writing process and not just the end result

How does that quote go? It’s all about the journey, not the destination? Writing is exactly like that. Our novels and stories are for others to enjoy and the process itself is for us to enjoy. It’s the intimate, scared process of bleeding onto the page, of pouring out our souls, and manufacturing stardust into the written word, and therefore it should be enjoyed.

Writers should completely and fully feel the fear, pain, sadness, confusion, satisfaction, happiness, excitement, and fulfillment, as well as all the other emotions that come with writing. They should wholeheartedly appreciate and understand the process of taking a fleeting thought and sculpting it into a living, breathing idea that takes root in the mind of others. They should value and hold dear the writing process because it is as integral to their being as air to the human lungs.

Photo by Ivan Samkov.

It’s never about the destination, the end product—because it’s not meant for us—it’s meant for our readers. It is however, about the process, the journey, the steps we take to get there and everything we experience along the way—the learning, the reckoning, the weaving of words to form a story. Most writers have a love hate relationship with the writing process and this is as it should be. However, we should also recognize the value and the wild, seemingly untamable beauty in the process.

Alright, let’s liven things up a bit, shall we? Sorry to get all mushy about writing on you there for a second. It’s something I hold dear to my heart so any chance I get, I am going to take the time to discuss the writing process.

That’s it for my 5 Actionable Writing New Year’s Resolutions for 2020! I really love all of these goals because they’re practical, actionable, and sustainable. I know those seem like buzzwords people just toss around, but I do really think these writing resolutions are ones that we all can stick to year-round!

What do you think of my writing resolutions? Do they overlap with your own writing resolutions? What would you add to this list? Comment below and let me know what you think!

Bibliography

• Samkov, Ivan. “Woman working home office.” (Thumbnail photo). Pexels photo, uploaded April 25, 2020. Accessed September 1, 2025.

• Samkov, Ivan. “Woman writing in notebook. Pexels photo, uploaded April 25, 2020. Accessed September 1, 2025. 

Related Topics

• Spring Cleaning for Writers: 10 Things Every Writer Should Do Before 2020 

• 8 Questions Writers Should Ask Themselves In 2020

• 20 Bookish New Year’s Resolutions for 2020

• How To Organize Your Digital Life: 5 Tips For Staying Organized as a Writer or Freelancer

• 5 MORE Ways to Stay Organized as a Writer or Freelancer

• Get Things Done With The Pomodoro Technique

• 5 Reasons Most Writers Quit

• When Writing Becomes Difficult

• Self-Care Tips for Readers and Writers

• 5 Healthy Habits For Every Writer

• 8 Ways To Level Up Your Workspace And Elevate Your Productivity

• The 4 Most Useful FREE Apps for Writers in 2022 (Sync Across Multiple Devices, Not Only iOS)

• 20 Tips and Tricks for Successful Email Newsletters

Recent Blog Posts

This blog post was researched, written, and published by a human author without the assistance of generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI). Gen-AI models are trained on text written by humans, therefore, the presence of specific punctuation, verbiage, tone, or predictable, marketing-style phrases alone are not sufficient indicators of gen-AI usage. I implore readers to use context clues, critical thinking, pattern recognition, research, and employ their best judgement when determining the validity of human authorship of print and digital media today. 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 blog post on this topic very soon, so stay tuned for that. This disclaimer will be updated once that post goes live. In the meantime, I will continue to be transparent about which tools and resources I use in my work.

Written by Payton Hayes | Last Updated: September 1, 2025