Start Writing Now
Fear of the Unknown
Each new beginning is a mystery, and launching into a book or a new writing project is no easy feat. It requires preparation, courage, determination, and a lot of faith. But coming up with the perfect formula is difficult. I think courage and determination speak for themselves, but the other two qualities come with their own potential blindspots, which I’ll unpack fully in next week’s post.
In the meantime, it’s enough to say that much of writing comes down to thinking and planning, and the reality is it’s so easy for writers to overthink things. Overthinking can cause writers to lose sight of their story. It can cause them to end up writing the wrong thing or even stop them from ever even starting.
Throwing Caution to the Wind
A big part of being successful and actually enjoying novel writing is learning to trust the process. This requires a sort of unmooring from the arduous thinking that steers us during much of the early stages of writing. This, of course, demands some version of turning off the brain, which is no easy feat.
Sidestepping our thinking is a bit of a trust exercise. It can feel a little like free-falling or riding a bike without training wheels for the first time. When we draft in this way we are abandoning any preconceived notions of who the characters are, what they should say or do. We’re letting the characters grow organically and trusting in the story to lead the way.
This means treating the drafting process like a creative endeavor and allowing the writing to change and to move in whatever direction it wants. This, also, sometimes means abandoning the outline entirely, and writing a very different story than the one you thought you were writing.
In any case, knowing that part of the process has to, by default, happen organically should give even the most nervous writer a great sense of relief.
The Episode
Ep. 9 - Jessica Payne - Start Writing Now
In this episode, I chat with thriller author Jessica Payne about her journey to becoming a writer, the challenges of querying agents, and the evolution of her writing process. She discusses the importance of perseverance in the face of rejection, the transformative power of jealousy, and the realities of traditional publishing. Jessica also offers valuable tips for aspiring writers and reflects on the significance of revisions in the writing process. With insights into her upcoming book and her experiences as a mother and writer, this conversation is both inspiring and informative for anyone interested in the writing journey.
I had such a great time talking with Jessica, and talking about the importance of getting comfortable with rejection in order to form a successful writing career. Jessica also talks about the need for pivoting to find an agent or a place in the market.
If you’ve been writing for a while and tiring of rejection after rejection, I think you’ll find a lot to like in this episode. I hope you check it out.
Where to Find it…
You can watch the podcast on Youtube, or you can stream it on Spotify, Apple, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Tell Me What You Think
I hope you like the episode. As you know, I love hearing from all of you! Please feel free to drop a comment below with any insights or thoughts that come to mind.