In the U.S., September is generally considered the season of “back to school” as kids shuttle back to whatever places of education they’re generally sent to, and school years start back up.
Personally, I love back to school. Not only is fall coming back (and please, please, I need autumn desperately, please return!) but there’s this atmosphere of books, and settling in to learn things.
I may not have appreciated it when I was younger, but now I like the idea of continuing education, whether that’s new approaches to what I routinely do, new research that contributes to what I do, or just new experiences in different fields entirely that, even if it doesn’t impact what I do, it changes me as a person.
Nature vs. nurture?
I believe that you have a natural routine that works best for who you are, both as a writer and a person. They may not be the same – you may plan your work day within an inch of its life, but you are a natural born pantser when it comes to novel writing, for example – but whichever way that is, for whatever task it is, you generally have a built in approach.
That’s why I tell pantsers or plotters to respect their natural approach, rather than try to force something on it that will only make them unhappy and ultimately won’t work in the long run.
That said, learning and customizing is both useful and necessary. I’ve been writing for 25 years, and I still learn new ideas and then figure out how to apply them to my natural systems.
Continuing education.
For example, T. Taylor’s Seven Figure Fiction reference book led me to Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ concept of an id list. Both have not only helped me understand things I’d grasped subconsciously, but figure out how to apply them in my current systems.
I also recently attended a writing conference where I got to understand personality systems, not only for characters, but to give me more insight into my own particular set of strengths, and a mind-blowing approach in how to use them more effectively by — and to me, this sounded mad, but bear with — actually going all in on the strengths and leaving my weaknesses alone, either cutting them out or avoiding them.
My son the video gamer calls this approach “min-maxing” and the examples were very intriguing. I’m eager to apply the approach. (And will report back with more details if anybody’s interested.)
Hits and misses.
I’ve tried some different approaches and writing strategies in the past that have failed, honestly. They wound up confusing my process and disconnecting me from my strengths. But they still usually had at least a kernel of wisdom to glean, even if the majority was a bust. Even the “complete failures” were worth the time as far as clarifying my process and reinforcing my knowledge.
Experience is education, too.
Continuing to grow as an author means more than reading reference books or attending workshops. It also means growing as a person, so that the well of experiences and emotions that you’re processing and drawing on doesn’t go dry and your work doesn’t become repetitive and flat. It will also help stave off burnout, which is an insidious and terrible specter in our particular industry.
That doesn’t mean you have to go on an Eat, Pray, Love international soul search (although if you’ve got the cash and the drive, by all means, whatever blows your hair back!) But little things to get out of your comfort zone are valuable.
Rock Your Plot course is now official.
Let me tell you: launching an online course has been both a learning experience and a dance outside my comfort zone, although I am now enjoying both, even as I recognize I’ve got a ways to go.
The Rock Your Plot course covers, clarifies, and expands on the original Rock Your Plot reference book. It also includes a Facebook group (and you know, as I’ve said and as I’ll cover in future newsletters, support is essential!) to interact with me and your fellow students.
If you’re interested, the sales page is here.
As it stands, only previous or existing participants of the course are eligible to be affiliates. If you do take the course, and you are interested, please let me know! Similarly, if there’s anything you’d like to see, or any feedback to give, please email me.
Looking forward: Preptober and NaNoWriMo.
As some of my regulars know, I hold an annual sale on coaching hours and plot sessions in October. That’s to help authors celebrate National Novel Writing Month in November.
Unfortunately, the official organization of NaNoWriMo is currently enmired in scandal (which they brought on themselves, frankly. You can Google it if you so desire.) Many people are dumping their NaNoWriMo accounts in disgust.
That said,
- there is nothing stopping you from doing an unofficial sprint draft in November… or any month, for that matter,
- and I still plan on running the sale in October, rest assured.
I will provide more details as we get a bit closer, but I wanted to give a heads-up for those anticipating it.
Finally, I’m (back) on the road!
I’m going on a (pre-planned, well in advance) book tour to Seattle and Los Angeles at the end of September. If you’re interested, I’d love to see you in real life! Details are in my Instagram posts. (That’s based on my author life and doesn’t include much Rock Your Writing stuff, frankly. I may create social media strictly for RYW, but for now it doesn’t feel like a natural fit.)
Okay, that’s it for me for now. Talk to you soon!