5 Ways to Restart Your Writing After a Break

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Finding momentum after a writing break isn't easy, but there are tricks to ease yourself back into it. 

Writing breaks happen for many reasons—from life getting in the way, to a lull in creativity, to being busy with other writing things that aren’t putting words to paper. For the lucky writers, returning to writing takes little to no time and the muse picks up where she left off.

For the rest of us… [repeated sound of forehead hitting the keyboard]

I haven't written a word in months due to a family medical issue, but unlike my previous breaks, getting back to work is harder this time. My focus is off, I'm easily distracted, and I run out of energy far to quickly. I suspect it'll be a while before I'm able to do any real quality writing. 

In the past, this would have frustrated me to no end. This time, though, I know why it's so hard (just stress, and that's not changing any time soon), and I just have to take it a step at a time. Whatever I can do, I'll do, and when I need to stop, I will.

How to Stay Motivated and Keep Writing

By Laurence MacNaughton, @LMacNaughton

Part of The Writer's Life Series

JH: A lack of motivation is a vicious cycle—the less motivated we are, the worse we feel, which only kills our motivation further. Laurence MacNaughton shares tips on how to stay motivated and keep writing.

Like the rough draft of a novel, life doesn't follow a carefully planned outline. Bad things happen. Circumstances change. Life gets overwhelming. At some point, you may realize that you've stopped writing. And the idea of getting started again looms over you like a sheer cliff that's impossible to climb. How can you ever get motivated to finish that book?

Don't worry. Every writer has been there, at one point or another. The writers who become successful are the ones who find a way to overcome obstacles and finish their novels. You can be successful too, and here's how.

How to Get Back on Track When All Your Planning Fails

By Aliza Mann, @AlizaMannAuthor

Part of The Writer’s Life Series

JH: Missing a goal or failing a project can be disheartening, and missing enough of them in a row can derail your entire writing career. Aliza Mann shares tips on how to get back on track when all your plans fail.

Ever since she was a small child, Aliza Mann loved to tell stories. It started in the backyard of her family’s home in Atlanta, Georgia. There weren’t a lot of children in the neighborhood, so she would spend hours making up fantasy worlds where everything was perfect and everyone was loved. After her parents decided to relocate to Detroit, Michigan, things changed. In her new home, she learned words like recession, layoff and was personally introduced to a world completely opposite of the life she’d known. As hard as life’s lessons can be, she busied herself by reading anything she could get her hands on. In high school, she would fall in love with literature and alas, romance. From the moment she opened the cover of a historical page turner, she found herself hooked. With eyes wide and a smile on her face, she devoured as many novels as she could find and she dreamed that she could write like that too. Maybe. Like most childhood dreams, she soon found that they could be pushed to the side and categorized with a label that read, ‘One day…’

One day finally came, when she found herself laid off from her day job. As things happen, this set back helped to segue her back onto the writing path. She found herself starting a novel which will probably never see the light of day, but gave her more joy than she’d ever though possible. Today, while it’s been some years since her last layoff and she is actively working in the public sector, she balances her love of writing a great story between two pseudo-adult children, a fabulous son-in-law, a granddaughter, and the man of her dreams. A true book nerd, she is almost always reading and for sure, writing the world in a way that shows its true beauty, served with a heaping side of happily ever after.

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Take it away Aliza…

Taking the First Step Toward Your Writing—Every Day

By Shanna Swendson, @ShannaSwendson

Part of The Writer’s Life Series 

JH: Some days, it's just hard to get started when we sit down to write. Shanna Swendson share tips on taking that first step and keeping your writing momentum going. 

Shanna Swendson earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas but decided it was more fun to make up the people she wrote about and became a novelist. She’s written a number of fantasy novels for teens and adults, including the Enchanted, Inc. series and the Rebel Mechanics series. She devotes her spare time to reading, knitting, and music.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Take it away Shanna…

Authors: What to Do When You Want to Quit

By Charity Bradford, @charitybradford

Part of The Writer's Life Series

JH: Being an indie author can be a wonderful experience, but like every job, sometimes you just want to throw in the towel. Charity Bradford returns to the lecture hall today with tips on understanding what's getting your down.

Charity Bradford has been a voracious reader ever since her 5th grade teacher introduced her to the world of books with Where the Red Fern Grows. She soon became kindred spirits with Anne Shirley and got lost in the worlds of Card, McCaffrey, Bradbury, and Nagata. By college, she was sewing her own Starfleet uniform and developing her alter-ego as a comic book sidekick. She lives in Northwest Arkansas with her hubby and four kids. Some of her guilty pleasures include binge watching Doctor Who and Ancient Aliens. Charity also writes clean contemporary romance under the name River Ford.

Website | Website (River Ford) Newsletter Sign-up | Charity on Facebook | River on Facebook |Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Take it away Charity…

You Should Quit Writing: Coexisting with the Naysayers in Your Head

By Sylvia Whitman, @SylviaWhitman

Part of The Writer's Life Series

JH: I think most writers struggle with self-doubt and fear at some point in their careers. It's a tough job in a tough industry. Sylvia Whitman takes the podium today to share some thoughts and exercises on calming those fears and getting back to our days.

 

Sylvia Whitman lives in Sarasota, Florida, and teaches writing as a visiting instructor at Ringling College of Art and Design. She has published hundreds of articles for adults and children, a dozen books for young readers, and a handful of short stories in magazines ranging from Redbook to The Florida Review. Her books include Under the Ramadan Moon (Albert Whitman) and aYA novel The Milk of Birds (Atheneum). A finalist for the 2014 Amelia Walden Award, The Milk of Birds also earned a spot on the Amelia Bloomer Project List, the International Reading Association’s Notable Books for a Global Society and Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of Year.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Take it away Sylvia...

3 Unexpected Principles for Optimal Creativity

By Jennifer Blanchard

Part of The Writer’s Life Series

JH: Staying creative over the long haul is something every writer needs to figure out how to maintain. Jennifer Blanchard returns to the lecture hall today with tips on reaching your optimal creativity.

Jennifer Blanchard is a best-selling author, a screenwriter, a Developmental Book Editor and the Writing Industry's Mindset Coach. It's her mission in life to change the way people think and challenge what they believe is possible. Her screenplay, "The Rules," placed as a Semi-Finalist in the Stage32 Rom-Com Script Contest in 2019. Grab her FREE Story Secrets audio series here.

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Take it away Jennifer...

An Author’s Journey: What’s important?

By Ray Flynt

Part of The Writer's Life Series

JH: Before we dive in today, a heads up that I'm over at Writers Helping Writers talking about show, don't tell. 

Whether they take the traditional path or the indie path to publication, writers face similar challenges to achieve their dreams. 

Two decades ago, I had the opportunity to hear Maya Angelou speak. She told the story of another presentation she’d given to inspire writers and artists, after which a teenaged girl approached and said, “Listening to you, I’ve decided what to do with my life. I want to be a star.” Our audience, comprised of adults, appreciated the irony.

Just as billions of galaxies comprise the universe, millions of writers fill an authors’ cosmos—all struggling to let their work shine through and find an audience. Stardom is for an elite (and lucky) few. There is no such thing as an overnight success. Whomever might be billed as such, has toiled mightily to hone their skills to perfection and—at last—earned recognition for their talent. Anyone who claims a modicum of success has a story to tell of a buried manuscript, or an early endeavor no longer worthy of association with the advancements in their craft. Salmon during spawning season have nothing on artists who swim upstream against a tide of competition, all yearning for the attention and affection of readers.

The Daily Mindset Practice That Will Help You Achieve Your Writing Goals

By Jennifer Blanchard

Part of The Writer's Life Series

JH: Sometimes the things standing in the way of our writing dreams is our own doubts and fears. Jennifer Blanchard visits the lecture hall today to share tips on how to get our of our heads and back into our writing.

Jennifer Blanchard is a best-selling author, screenwriter, Developmental Book Editor, and the founder of The Feel-Good Life Center. Grab her FREE Story Secrets audio series here and start writing better stories.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook |

Take it away Jennifer...

Writers: Start the Year with a Clean Slate

By Sherry Howard, @SherLHoward

Part of the How They Do It Series

JH: I've always found starting over easier than catching up, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Sherry Howard is our first guest lecturer of the year, and she's here to share some tips on the benefits of tabula rasa.

Sherry Howard lives with her children and crazy dogs in Middletown, Kentucky, a stone's throw from the beautiful horse farms her state is always bragging about. She was an award-winning educator, serving as teacher, consultant, and principal in one of the largest urban-suburban school districts in the US. Sherry loves to read, write, cook, and sit in the sand watching the waves when she can. Her poems and stories have appeared in multiple journals and anthologies. Her picture book, Rock and Roll Woods, released in 2018 to a starred Kirkus review.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Take it away Sherry...

Stay Motivated With Writing Goals

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

In the writing world, November (and much of October) tends to be filled with advice on NaNoWriMo, but the lessons learned are ones we can all put to good use any time of the year. NaNo is about hitting a target word count and training yourself to write when you have to, and these are skills that every writer can benefit from. Goals keep us motivated, give us clear and defined milestones to gauge our progress by, and give us targets to shoot for.

While word count is by far the easiest milestone to set for ourselves, it's not the only one. Some people are daunted by vast numbers of words or find it too constricting, putting the focus on quantity, not quality. For these writers, a different measurement is often more useful for gauging progress. Maybe it's chapters, or acts, or specific points in the story. Maybe a set amount of time per day is a better motivator. It all comes down to what tactics works best to help motivate you to achieve the goals you've set.

The Benefits of Writerly Camaraderie

By Suzanne Purvis

Part of the How They Do It series

Suzanne Purvis is a transplanted Canadian living in the Deep South, where she traded “eh” for “y’all.” An author of long, short, flash fiction for both children and adults, she has won several awards including those sponsored by the University of Toronto, RWA, Bethlehem Writer’s Roundtable, and Women Who Write. You can find her work in print anthologies, magazines, ezines, and ebooks. 

She leads workshops at Lawson Writer’s Academy and for Romance Writers of America, including her popular Sizzling, Scintillating Synopsis and Revision Boot Camp. She also works individually with writers on any aspect of their writing they are looking to improve. Feel free to email her to be added to her mailing list for upcoming classes.

Next Class: Revision Boot Camp or Retreat begins October 1, 2017 at LWA

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Take it away Suzanne...

Rebooting Your Writing When You've Stopped for too Long

By Elisabeth Staab, @ElisabethStaab

Part of the How They Do It Series

Elisabeth secretly loved getting sent to her room as a kid so she could devour her pile of Nancy Drew books. To this day she takes something to read everywhere, and the stories with happy endings are her favorite. She writes paranormal and contemporary romance, because vampires and tortured athletes make everything better. Follow her newsletter (where she swears she will send notice the second she spots Matt Bomer in the wild), or socialize with her online when she’s not busy adulting.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |

Take it away Elizabeth...

Can You Be a Writeaholic?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

As you might imagine, I know a lot of writers—from those just starting to write all the way up to those with dozens of published books. Even though every writer is different in their own way, there are similarities and common ground regardless of career level.

One such area, is writing too much.

If you’re aghast at that statement, wondering how in the world someone could write too much, you might just be one of those writers.

4 Ways to Survive Rejection as a Writer

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

It takes a lot of courage to write, and even more to send our writing out into the world. Writers face rejection on a daily basis, no matter what stage of their careers they’re at. When we’re starting out, we worry no one will like our stories. Then we worry our writing isn’t good enough. Later, we worry we’ll never get an agent, or an editor, or a publishing deal. And finally, we worry reviewers and readers won’t like our novels (it comes full circle, really).

At the core of all these worries, is the fear that we aren’t good enough.

Writers, is Everything Going According to Plan?

By Maggie Wells, @MaggieWells1

Part of the How They Do It Series

JH: When a new year rolls around, most of us make plans and feel motivated--which of course wanes as the months unfold--but it doesn't have to. Please help me welcome Maggie Wells to the lecture hall today to share some tips on sticking with you plans.

Maggie Wells is a deep-down dirty girl with a weakness for hot heroes and happy endings. By day she is buried in spreadsheets, but at night she pens tales of people tangling up the sheets. The product of a charming rogue and a shameless flirt, this mild-mannered married lady has a naughty streak a mile wide.

Fueled by supertankers of Diet Coke, Maggie juggles fictional romance and the real deal by keeping her slow-talking Southern gentleman constantly amused and their two grown children mildly embarrassed.

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Take it away Maggie...

How Busy Full-Time Working Writers Can Find Time to Write

By Drae Box, @Draebox

Part of the How They Do It Series

JH: I don't think I've ever met a writer who didn't want to find more time to write, so please help me welcome Drae Box to the lecture hall today to share some tips on how to do just that.

Drae Box is an author success mentor and fantasy author whose debut fantasy book reached 10,038 downloads and purchases in eight months and eleven days after its release. For a decade, she has picked apart, researched and experimented with different ways authors can build their success, and she would love to share her knowledge with you. Head here for the free worksheets to help you find more time to write, including a worksheet for The Reverse Why.

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Take it away Drae...

The 3 Ps of Writing Success

By Jennifer Blanchard, @InkyBites

Part of the How They Do It Series

I'm doing a bit of a blog tour blog swap today with bestselling author Jenifer Blanchard--she's here to share tips on achieving writing success (and who couldn't use those?), and I'm over at her blog sharing tips on different ways to plot your novel. Please help me give her a warm welcome, and don't forget to head on over when you're done here.

Jennifer is a bestselling author, speaker, and a strategy and success mindset coach for emerging authors who want to finally hit publish and create the writing career they’ve always dreamed of having. Be sure to grab a free copy of her eBook, The Bestselling Author Mindset Formula: How To Think Your Way to #1.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound

Take it away Jennifer...

A Less Lonely Way to Get More Writing Done

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

In today’s crazy-busy world, we rarely have enough time to do all the writing we want to do—especially if we’re fitting it in around family, life, and work. Even if our process is working well for us, there are bound to be times when our motivation fails and sitting to the keyboard is the last thing we want to do.

I was chatting with some writer friends about this several months ago, and we all were facing a similar lack of motivation. Our reasons varied—recent move, new baby, switch from traditional publishing to self publishing, life going haywire in general—but all of us were having some trouble doing the writer things we knew we needed to do.

So we made a pact.

Writer, A Character and A Reader: A Different Sort of Trilogy

By Bonnie Randall

Special Guest Author

This meme is so true: in order to create quality prose we need to craft, project a unique character’s voice, and review our own work from the objective stance of a reader. A tall order, this prescribed trinity, yet with even more broad-strokes implications than just the confines of our current WIPs. In order to best serve a writing career, an author needs to invoke this Holy Trinity all the time.