Have you ever sat down to work on your writing project and thought, I’m not into this like I was three months ago? And how you want to dedicate your time to a work-in-progress that you actually care about? Or do you feel as though you’re working on a project and it feels forced? Are you asking yourself: should I save or delete?
Here’s what we have to say: don’t abandon a project simply because you’re not passionate about it. Some writers burn themselves out trying to write what they think needs to be done. Other times, it’s a lack of inspiration. What should you do if this happens to you?
Our favorite suggestion is take a nap. All jokes aside, rest your brain and focus on other activities you like. Napping could be one of those things. Don’t question if you want to save or delete a project. If you’re ever leaning towards the delete option, we recommend still saving the work someplace where you can’t visually see it. Mainly because if you stumble across it later on, you may spark new interest and inspiration.
Bottom line is: give yourself a break. Stop thinking too much into it. Save it. Don’t delete.
If you’re a bit slower on the creation process, don’t let outside influences push you to think you’re not writing fast enough. With speed, may come plenty of plot holes, missing events or a lot of fluff. Readers can easily be turned away.
Take your time building your story, creating your characters, and finalizing the setting. Don’t let your writing fall victim to the speed demon wishing to take control within you!
The only free time I get to transport myself to another world within the pages of a book is in bed. Reading the right bedtime book is sometimes hard to do. I enjoy lighthearted reads before bed, but some people enjoy a good thriller to fuel their nightmarish dreams. Some prefer to read an action-packed chapter to tire themselves out. Everyone deserves a bedtime read – and now we have a way to get that book in our hands before resting our eyes at night.
As of 2018, HarperCollins UK has teamed up with the Heart radio station and Dreams, a bed retailer, to begin what will be known as the Bedtime Book Club. With the radio station broadcasting to listeners, the hosts will discuss a variety of HarperCollins novels, different themes, and genres to encourage reading. But just because the station is only broadcasting in the UK, doesn’t mean you can’t find your own nighttime reads.
If having a Bedtime Book Club isn’t reason enough to read before bed, maybe I should tell you why it can be important to get your nose in a book while under the sheets. It’s simple – if you want better sleep, read. You read me right. Sleep better. It’ll help reduce stress by distracting your brain from the life stresses that can get the best of you. I’m guilty of blaring my TV to help me fall asleep but it’s actually a good idea to read rather than watch. It’ll reassure your brain that you are at peace. And if you’re also like me, scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (whatever social media platform you choose), reading can help you concentrate better. In the long run, reading before bed can improve two other things: your empathy and your creativity. In a good way!
Reading is a powerful tool, so why not start your own Bedtime Book Club and start curling up with a good book to help rest your eyes and your brain.
If you enjoy journaling and are also a writer/author, the relationship between the two can get stronger if you put them together. Embracing a journal and writing entries regularly can help develop your skills as a creative writer.
Suddenly Jamie, a blogger, gave 10 reasons as to why journaling helps writing. Here are just a few that I believe are relevant to writing your novel:
Helps develop writing habits.
Helps find your unique voice.
Clears your mind.
Flushes out the crap.
Alleviates the pressure to be “good.”
First, you need to find your own journaling style. If you’re a new writer and want to incorporate your journaling with your writing, there are many different ways to use your journal as a powerful writing tool. You shouldn’t feel pressure from your journaling to write more, think of it as a tool or technique that encourages your writing to happen, instead of falling into the abyss of writer’s block. One style of journaling is like John Steinback’s journals. He chooses to journal about his writing process and keeps himself updated about his writing outside of his current manuscript. Another method is to mirror something like ‘A Q&A a day’, also called “Big-Picture it,” you answer questions in which you revisit the questions after time has lapsed and in revisiting something may pop out in which you can use in your writing. If you enjoy poetry and Twitter, another interesting journaling technique is to use the character-limited social service to write a short sentence about anything. When choosing this route, you could write one tweet a week and compile 52 different poems! A similar tactic is using keywords to write in short hand. Lastly, snapshots are a fun way to journal about one moment in the day.
Now, if you’re comfortable with your journaling style but still want to try and weave it together with your writing, Mari L. McCarthy may be able to help. Journaling is not writing, so don’t substitute! Journaling can serve as a warm-up exercise prior to writing professionally. Writing in a journal can jumpstart thinking and test all kinds of limits for your creative writing. Your journal can be your personal therapist – to flush out the unwanted writing you may accidentally include in your novel.
The art of journaling can be a simple cure to writer’s block or can easily be used to keep your writing brain going between projects. Maybe taking a trip down to the local hobby store and picking up a journal is in your future…it counts as “work,” right?
While browsing through the latest publishing news on Twitter, I came across Cara Delevingne’s cover reveal for her debut novel, Mirror Mirror. I do enjoy her work in modeling and the few films I have watched her act in, but the track record for celebrities and book-writing has always been iffy.
Just like Good Charlotte sang, “always see it on T.V. / or read in the magazines / celebrities want sympathy,” we are constantly shrouded with the latest celebrity gossip in some way, shape, or form. In more recent times, many celebrities have taken to writing novels, or hiring a ghost writer to fulfill their dream of writing a book. Unfortunately, some of those works don’t end up becoming literary moguls.
When reading an autobiography, like the late Carrie Fischer’s The Princess Diarist, there’s always a sense of closeness to the author which is what makes it appealing to consumers. Carrie took down walls, made me laugh, and even published her own diary entries to show how lovesick she was during the production of the famous “Star Wars” series. Or comedian Amy Schumer and her debut practically reiterating all her stand-up in word format. I imagined her standing on a stage in front of me, reading from her book and acting out the stories she told about how she came to be a successful comedian. You even have actors and actresses who executed creatively executed novel-writing, such as Steve Martin and B.J. Novak. Successful books like these, make us want more and get us excited for the next big celebrity book.
Then, you have the work that should not have made it past the editor’s desk…
We all know them, and in some cases, we might love them too. The ones we need to be most wary of are the celebrities known for being TV personalities and singers who write a novel (or two). Fabio, Tyra Banks, David Duchovny, James Franco, Farrah Abraham, and even Snooki made it onto a list of “cringeworthy” novels written by themselves. And I must say: I agree. I didn’t get the chance to read the full-length novels, but reading the summaries made me cross my legs twice, eyes bulging out of my head with my jaw stuck to the ground.
Like most readers, I take pleasure in reading the creativity produced by authors. Sometimes, it becomes too much and in this case, it has become way too much. Most stories are fictional representations of the celebrity’s life, something we don’t care to know about since we already have probably watched multiple documentaries of their life on E!. Even with the use of a ghostwriter, celebrities have come out with crazy ideas for novels – most of them not making any sense. Just read the summary for Modelland by Tyra Banks and tell me what you think.
But who knows, maybe Cara Delevingne has produced a coming-of-age novel worth the read.
We will give her the benefit of the doubt for now.
The only free time I get to transport myself to another world within the pages of a book is in bed. Reading the 
