How do I build my author platform? Tips for staying motivated and writing faster?—TWN Answers YOUR Writing Questions
*pokes head around corner* *realizes TWN has kinda totally disappeared for the past two month (ish) with no explanation whatsoever. Sooo where have we all been? I’d like to say I was doing something super productive, like I found a way to jump into books and have been living in either Middle Earth or Carthya for a while, but alas, I was mainly just enjoying the Christmas season and doing some writing!!! (More on some of that later… especially those of you who have seen the recent changes to my works page under the team’s writings and are wondering when I’m gonna talk about a certain story put there *cough, cough*. I have no idea currently, but you should be hearing something before the end of the month!)
For now, I hope TWN will be back to posting more regularly and with that, I shall let you read on into today’s post. THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH to the fabulous authors who submitted questions for this post!! I hope you found the answers you were looking for!!! 🙂
Our first round of questions comes from the AWESOME (and can I just say one of the most brilliant and talented writers I’ve EVER MET) Faith Elizabeth. If you don’t believe me that she’s good, just read her story in Imagine *mind is still blown like four months later* She submitted us some awesome questions about the publishing end of writing, and I hope I’m able to give a good answer for them!!! I’m still learning a lot in this area too, though. 🙂
How much of an audience do you need before you’ll be accepted into this highly competitive field?
Izzy: There is no set number, as far as I’m aware. Yes, authors with a high audience following do have higher chances, but that is not always the case. I’ve even heard some publishers say that they care more about the quality of the book than the following of the author! It depends on the agent, so always do your research before querying any literary agency. For now, I’m going to direct you to this blog post here for more information!
Will they pressure you to write more books in a certain period after the first has been published?
Izzy: Okay, so I want to first put out there that I am, by no means, 100% knowledgeable in this area as I have never published a novel currently. However, I know a little about the process by listening to what other authors are saying, and I’m basing my answer largely on that. But keep in mind that this answer will change depending on the author, publisher, agent, and other circumstances. There are two routes that I know of that you would be very likely to be pressured into writing more books. The first route would be if your first novel was a success and the fanbase is wanting more. Depending on the agent or publisher, you could very well be pressured into writing more books after a certain period. The second route would be, if you’ve signed on multiple books (like a whole series, for example) with a certain publisher, you would have a deadline to get each book sent to the publisher. However, signing on multiple books at a time rarely happens with debut authors. All in all, it is possible that an author can face the pressure to write more books after the first has been published, but this is not something I hear that happens a lot so I wouldn’t be too concerned.
And they discussed some of the cons of this field (most notably turning your writing into something different and removing certain elements), but does the same apply to Christian publishers?
Izzy: I’ve heard this fear being raised multiple times, and to be honest, I don’t believe it’s entirely accurate. Yes, as I’ve previously stated, my publishing knowledge is limited, but from what I’ve heard, authors always have the final say in what’s in their book. When it comes to edits to the book and what is in your story, if the author doesn’t want to change it, he/she doesn’t have to. If a publisher doesn’t like a certain element in your book, they are more likely to just not publish you. An editor cannot change anything to your book without your permission. Christian publishers are just like secular publishers in this area.
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Our next round of questions comes from the incredible Louise Taylor! She’s a fantastic gal I recently had the pleasure and honor of meeting. AND SHE RUNS A BOOK BLOG with her friend!!! I MEAN HOW COOL IS THAT!! I know I’ve said it before, but sometimes I wished I ran a book blog instead of a writing blog. They are THAT fun!!! So go check out Bookish Productions and maybe plan on staying a while. 😉
How did you go about building your author platform?
Alana: Creating a blog for people to follow.
Katherine: We started out by creating a blog. However, what I feel like benefited us the most, was what happened after we created our blog. You see, we started out with a site that we knew was not indexed on Google, so we realized we needed to get our name (more specially the link to our blog) out there so people would know about it. With this thought in mind, we started searching for other blogs like us and commenting on their sites in order to meet new people. In doing this (combined with noticing that Jennifer Nielsen [unlike other authors I knew about at the time] engaged with her readers), I realized that engaging with your readers and being active in the reader/blogger community was beneficial in building up an author platform. You build connections this way. Not only that, but when your readers/followers get to know you, they become more excited about what you have to offer (e.g. your stories). (I do want to make a note here that when we created the blog, we were not thinking about “building an author platform.” We had never heard that term before at the time. I can see now, though, how our blog was a great step for our “author platform.”)
Izzy: Building your author platform is something that takes time, commitment, and dedication, but is pretty much a necessity for the writing career. There are many ways to go about expanding your author platform, but I’ve found the best ways are posting consistently (which, I’m sure y’all have realized, I have failed at this so much lately XD), being active in the social media community of your choice (like the blogging community is a great place to start!), and posting valuable content for your readers. But through all of this, I think the biggest one is to be a part of your social media community. For the blogging one specifically, you could wait for bloggers to come find you, or you can find them! Follow blogs, read their posts and comment. Be active. Build relationships. Remember, your following are people, not numbers, and this is a great opportunity to make new friends.
And how did your drive and passion go into that, making it a wonderful and immersive experience for your followers?
Katherine: Mostly, we were excited to meet new people and get to know them as well as talk to someone who liked stories as much as we did. Because of this, we put a lot of enthusiasm and excitement into our blog and created hopefully fun and entertaining posts for our readers to enjoy. We were also passionate about creating a website that encouraged other writers in their writing as well. This passion helped make our “mini community” a great place for followers.
***
Our final set of questions comes from the lovely, fun, kind, and all-around FANTASTIC Saraina!!!! It’s been such an honor to get to meet this author and be a part of her writerly journey!! AND Y’ALL SHE JUST STARTED A BLOG TOO!!!! I HIGHLY recommend checking out her site here!!
What are your tips for staying motivated?
Alana: Creating sprints and setting myself a goal.
Katherine: One thing I do to stay motivated is get myself inspired to write. Here is a link to my guest post on some things I do to inspire me to write. Another trick that I found over the summer was to at least touch your novel/story every single day. Looking over my story, whether that was reading the last thing I wrote or adding a new sentence, often got me excited and motivated to continue working on my story and be more persistent in it. Talking to people about your story is another great way to motivate yourself to keep working.
What are some tips for writing faster?
Izzy: Every author is different, and what helps one write faster can be different for another. However, here is a list of a few things I do to help me write faster.
(1) Use writing sprints. Whether you do them alone or with a friend, writing sprints are a great way to get a lot of words down in a short amount of time. You can set a timer in short sprints of time and see how many words you get down. You can even find writing sprint videos online to go along with! You’d be surprised how much this helps.
(2) Get rid of all distractions. Turn off wi-fi, put your phone away in another room, let your family know you are not to be disturbed. This will help you stay focused on writing and not lose time checking to see what your friends are reading on Goodreads (#GuiltyAsCharged). I’ve even heard of some authors who will turn their computer’s screen’s light all the way down and write like that. After trying it, I gotta admit, it really helps! Just be prepared for a LOT of typos!!!
(3) Join writing challenges. I’m always surprised how writing challenges help me write faster! From doing NaNoWriMo, the Young Writers Workshop’s Crazy Writing Week, to my own challenges—either alone or with friends/sisters—(like getting up at six A.M and writing in the morning for a week or an all-day writing sprint) these help me get huge chunks of words in my novels! Even though I’m exhausted afterwards. XD
(4) Set writing times. Having an hour or two set aside every day to write, can help you stay consistent and complete stories faster. Just remember to be flexible—life isn’t always kind to us authors. 😉
(5) Be kind to yourself. This one has helped me SO much. Just reminding myself to enjoy writing and not be so hard and pressuring myself to meet a certain amount of goals every day, can help keep the fun in writing. And if you’re enjoying it, chances are you’ll be excited to write, and who knows what kind of progress you can make then. 😉
What are your tips for coming up with plot twists?
Alana: Planning the story out then deciding what I want to be the plot twist.
Katherine: For me, I plan out details about the story or character and then I decide which details I want to keep secret from the reader. Here’s an example from Star Wars: Let’s just say for now that George Lukas planned his plot twist ahead of time (whether he did or not, I don’t know). Maybe while creating the characters, he decided that Darth Vader was Luke’s father. But Darth Vader was the villain, so then he could have thought that it would be interesting if the detail about Vader really being Luke’s father was kept secret from the audience. Then the audience’s minds would be blown when they find out the truth, and it would end up being the perfect plot twist!
Izzy: I think my best tip for this is to figure out what the reader is least likely to expect. For instance, the whole “villain dude is actually my father” plot twist has been pulled a LOT, meaning it’s lost its impact and is kinda expected now. Not saying you can’t still pull a great plot twist using ones that have been done over and over, but sometimes if you want to pull in an extra punch, I would set a list of ideas. Which one of these have you seen done a lot lately? Which one is the most obvious? Which one is the least likely to believe? Weed out the bad options until you have the best choices left!! You can also ask a trusted friend, get some beta/alpha readers, and ask others their opinions on your plot twist! (Bonus: need help actually writing and pulling off a plot twist? I have a post all about that right here!)
How do you deal with perfectionism in writing?
Katherine: Perfectionism in writing is something that I definitely struggle with. At times, it has even caused me to just not write at all. It may sound crazy, but I used to think that I needed to wait until I was good at writing to write my novel. Yeah, I didn’t realize that’s what I had thought. It was subconsciously but still affected the fact that I didn’t get anywhere in my writing. I’ve realized now that you don’t just suddenly get better at writing. It takes practice. Therefore, this is what I’ve come to do. First, I write without caring about how it sounds. Give yourself permission to write SloPpY. After all, it’s only the first draft, and in my experience, it all turns out better in the next draft and through edits. Don’t go back and read your writing until you have finished the first draft. However, if I am working on a longer project such as my novel or have to pause in the middle of my writing, I will read the last paragraph or couple of previous sentences before continuing writing. (Or if I forgot what was going on in the scene, then I’ll go back and read what happened.) Other than that, try not to read your work until you get through the first draft. Just write whatever comes to mind first, even if you think you’ll need to cut it out or edit it later. The important thing is to write and to complete that first draft.
Another thing you can do is darken your screen when you write. I did this once, and it sorta worked for me. Darkening my screen helped me to not look back at my writing and feel discouraged, but it did cause me to end up with a lot of grammatical and spelling mistakes because I couldn’t see my writing. Which was frustrating for me afterwards. Even so, I’ll probably use this method again, and you can try it out and see if it works for you.
So, to end this: I wish you the best of luck as you defeat perfectionism!!!
***
And that’s a wrap yall!!! THANK YOU to my two awesome sisters for helping me get this post together and I hope you enjoyed reading it!!!!! Be sure to let us know in the comments below what do YOU do to stay motivated in writing? Do you struggle with perfectionism? Would you like to see more posts like this in the future? Who’s happy TWN is hopefully back? *waves hand excitedly*. Talk to me all about it below!!
Until the next post,
Keep on being awesome and never stop writing,
Issabelle Perry
Issabelle Perry
Issabelle Perry is a proud Jesus follower, an extroverted writer, and a homeschool graduate. When she's not writing, you can find her reading, jamming to Skillet, studying history, hunting for Narnia in wardrobes, or envisioning herself wielding a magnificent sword (but due to her clumsiness, let’s hope that never happens). This self-proclaimed exclamation mark enthusiast can be found hanging out at Teen Writers’ Nook, a community of teen authors Issabelle co-founded in 2020. She is the author of Don't Let Me Go (Sky's the Limit Press 2024), May We Make Them Proud (2023), and a co-editor for two anthologies. What she’s probably doing right now is fangirling about her favorite books to random people or scanning the pantries for chocolate.
49 Comments
Joelle Stone
Y’ALL. I MISSED IT. ERGO YOU NEED TO DO ANOTHER Q&A POST SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
AND HEIR TO her(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) THRONE?! Wasn’t the heir originally a male, or did I miss something?
AND YAY YOU’RE BACK!!
Issabelle Perry
Awwww, you did. I’m super sorry. 🙁 YESSS!!!!!! I was thinking we should since this one was a lot of fun to put together!!! I will put it onto the list!!!!!
YES, YES!!!!! hahaha, you’re actually not the first one to ask me about that. XD Nope, you didn’t miss anything. The heir is a male, but he is the heir TO the throne. I mean, now I’m thinking I probably shoulda just done Heir to His Throne (following the same pattern as Heir to His Crown) but I had wanted to shake it up so I was thinking of like being the heir to his mother’s throne. *shrugs*
YESSSS AND VERY HAPPY ABOUT IT!!!
THANK YOU for stopping by!!!
Rylie
Ahh, i was wondering about that name change!
Issabelle Perry
YES!!! That’s why. Haha, I probably shoulda explained before now. XD
Rylie
Ohh, you’re back!!! *waves* Awesome post!! I struggle with perfectionism, which means I can never write anything. XD But, have a wonderful day!! 🙂 <3
Issabelle Perry
YES WE ARE BACK!!!!!!!! *pumps fist in the air and waves back* THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Aw, yeah, perfectionism is that one thing that is super hard to overcome. But just know that the messiness is a part of the learning process, and you can never improve without trial and error. So I hope that is something you will be able to overcome one day. I’m cheering you on ALL THE WAY!!!!! Aw thanks!! You have a wonderful day too, and thank you for stopping by!!! <333
Johanna
Ooh i love this article. So many great tips! I love all of you guys’ tips on perfectionism on writing.
And y’all don’t apologize for not posting in a while. Life comes along!
Issabelle Perry
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH JOHANA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wooohooo!!! I am SO glad to hear that!!!! THANK YOU!!!! That makes me very happy to hear that!!!
D’awww, girl, you’re too sweet. THANK YOU!!!! Yes, a very true and hard fact of reality. 😉 THANK YOU for stopping by!
Faith Elizabeth
Oh my WORD, Iz, you are so sweet! That made me smile so hard. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! for saying that! It totally made my day.
And thank you for answering the questions, too! That cleared up a lot, and honestly made the publishing process seem way more achievable XD I SO appreciate everything you put into this post! You guys are the bestest!
Issabelle Perry
D’awww, girl, that just made ME smile to hear that it made you smile. Just know that I meant every word and it is all VERY true!!! YOU ARE SOOOOOOOOOO WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <33333 *hugs*
You are SO welcome, girl! Thank YOU for sending in the questions!!! I was very happy to answer that. GIRL THAT JUST MAKES ME SO HAPPY TO HEAR THIS!!!! First, I TOTALLY get how confusing and complicated this whole publishing stuff is, so to know I could help out even if just a bit means a lot. Secondly, yes, getting published is hard but it is DEFINITELY achievable!! And I KNOW if that is something you wanna pursue that you can make it!!!!!!! Even when it gets hard, don't forget that. <333 YOU'VE GOT THIS!!!! Awww THANK YOU!!!! That means a lot!!! <333 And thank YOU for reading!
Grace A. Johnson
DUDE WHAT AN AWESOME POST.
AND TWN IS BAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Issabelle Perry
THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! hehehe, loooove all the excitement and exclamation marks. XD That’s what I’mma talkin’ ’bout!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH for stopping by!!!
Grace A. Johnson
YOU’RE SO WELCOOOOOOMEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!
HAHA ABSOLUTELY SIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
Issabelle Perry
Lol, you got lucky this was a comment or I would’ve tried to beat you with the heart thing. XD But that’s waaaay too much for me to type out so you win.
Only this once. 😉
I will beat you next time!
Grace A. Johnson
You’re on!
Issabelle Perry
You sure you wanna do that?
Grace A. Johnson
You better believe it!
Issabelle Perry
Okay, you’re risk…
Lily
AHH!!! You’re back!! *big hugs all around* So good to hear from you guys! How have you all been? How is your New Year going?
*ahem* not that I sorta disappeared from my own blog too… (I’d like to say I was running thriller secret missions for the CIA….but I’ll leave that part a mystery 😉 )
#guiltyascharged *haha* I’ve may or may not have visited Goodreads instead of writing *grins sheepishly*
Perfectionism is something I have to deal with too. Although I agree with Katherine’s point on giving yourself permission to be messy in the first draft. Once the story’s out there, then it’s easier to see what to fix.
Loved this post guys! 🙂
Issabelle Perry
Woohooo, YES, we’re back!!!! *hugs back* Awww, and it is SO good to hear from you too!!! Phew, honestly, busy, busy, busy. XD How have you been? This New Year has actually been going a LOT better than I expected so I’m hoping that’s a sign that this will be a good year. *crosses fingers*
Lol, girl, I FEEL you. Keeping up with blogs ain’t easy work! (*gasp* AND YOU DIDN’T INVITE ME FOR THE FUN???!!! Lol, well, I won’t say anything if it’s true. Your secret is safe with me. 😉 )
Lol, see? You see how hard the temptation is. FINALLY. Someone who gets it. XDD *high fives* Hey, there is no judgment over here. XD
Yess! Perfectionism is REALLY hard to battle and push through! woohoo, SO glad to hear that!!! I COMPLETELY second it too. Honestly, if there has been one piece of advice that has saved my writing life it would be the “you can’t edit a blank page.” I second that!!!!! You said it, sista!!!
THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!! And thank you for stopping by!! <33
Lily
Haha! I’ve been doing good. Busy writing as usual (and staying off Goodreads XD)
Don’t worry. The next time I get a miss–*cough cough* I mean, a ‘job’ from a guy in a black suit (and totally not from the CIA, nor any affiliation whatsoever) I’ll let you come along for the ride 😉 It could be epic (or our utter demise…. *lol* *packs emergency first aid kit*)
You’re so welcome! I love visiting with you guys! 🙂
Issabelle Perry
That’s awesome!!!! I’m so glad. Girl, I FEEL you! I guess that’s just the writer’s life. (Lol, good for you. I haven’t even been trying. XD)
Oh you will? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oooo I am so excited. *debates if I should bring some black sunglasses along or not* Cuz EVERYTHING’s better with black sunglasses! (Oops. *rushes to get more emergency supplies* Since I’m coming along, I have a bad feeling that it’s leaning more toward that utter demise XD)
Awww THANK YOU!!! That just makes me SO happy to hear!
Kaytlin Phillips
Wow! Great post guess! So helpful! Great questions! And I have to say…Saraina is awesome!
Okay, I stay motivated by assigning a sog or songs to my books and then listening to them when I get stuck. I definitely struggle with perfectionism. …haha…so guilty. To keep from getting distracted by anything I turn my doc background to black, so the words are white, turn on focus mode and turn the light off in my room. I write at night so this means I can’t see anything but my computer screen and it helps me so much!
Yes! This was awesome guys!
Issabelle Perry
THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH KAYTLIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO glad to hear that, girl!!! Lol, I DEFINITELY agree with that. XD Saraina is fantabulous. GIRL SO DO I!!!!!!! I have a playlist for my books, so when I’m needing that bit of motivation or inspiration to keep pushing through, I just play those songs and they get me all excited for the story again!!!! LOVE IT!!! Girl, I think that is something all writers struggle with to some degree! Aaaah that is an AMAZING IDEA!!!!!! I might need to try that sometime. 😉 THAT IS SO GREAT AND I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!!!!!
THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!! <33333 And thanks SO much for stopping by!
Kaytlin Phillips
Yes! Music just gets me motivated! I love listening to music with lyrics when I write even though my mom says it makes no sense because it distracts you brain, and I’m like not me, makes me write better…lol…I’ll never understand my mind…haha…
It helps a lot! Because then there is no distractions. I can’t see anything and therefore I cannot be distracted from the task at hand.
Of course! I love stopping by when I have time!
Issabelle Perry
MUSIC’S DA BEST!!!!!! Girl, that is just me like sooooo much! I have TONS of people who tell me I need to stop listening to music with lyrics when I write because it’s distracting and I’m like I DON’T GET IT!!! The instrumental music really doesn’t help me stay concentrated like those with lyrics. I thought it was just a me-problem but I am SO glad to know there are others!!!! *high fives* Hahah, I’ll never understand mine either. XD
THAT’S AWESOME!!!! Ooo yes that makes a lot of sense!!
Awww THANK YOU!!!!! And I love it when you can stop by. <333 I wish I had more time to be over at your other sites more. They really are awesome!!
Kayti
Didn’t mean to leave ya hanging….got busy and forgot to come back…
Yeah, instrumental music doesn’t really do anything for me…I find it more distracting because I tune into the instrument patterns. I have a weird this with patterns, I trace them, count, tune into sound patterns and can’t focus on any thing else…haha…
Yes! *high fives* we get each other gal!
Well, then the feeling is mutual! We just need a double so we can do two things at once…haha…
Issabelle Perry
Haha, awww, girl, that’s TOTALLY okay!!! I get it, plus you’ve got a lot of important things on your mind (*cough* editing your awesome book *cough*)
SAME, girl, just same!!! With finding it distracting, I have no idea why I find it distracting but that’s actually really neat about you and patterns. But, yeah, probably makes you and instrumental music not work well together. XD
YES YES YES!!!!!!! We do!
Lol, we’ll it’s good to know we at least try. It’s the thought that counts, right? *gasp* GIRL I NEED THAT. Oh, a double would come in SO much handy. She could do my schoolwork while I wrote. XD
Kayti
Lol…thanks for giving me a valid exuse.. haha…
Yeah, me and instrumental have a love hate relationship…I like it but can’t listen to it. Lol…
Yep, double would be great! I’d send mine to work so I could write and edit all day…haha, I’d get more done…but sadly it is not be…guess I’ll just work with the time I have…speaking of which I should probably go edit as I only have three hours before my shift. Hooroo!
Issabelle Perry
Hahaha you’re welcome. XD I use my stories as an excuse for E V E R Y T H I N G and since yours is actually gonna be published your excuse is much better than mine. XD
SAME, sista, just same. I like to love it from afar, lol. It’s great in movies and such, and I can appreciate it there but when it comes to choice of music, it’s the last on the list. Hahaha YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! It would be perfect! You and me both. Our doubles could do all the stuff we didn’t want to do and leave time for all the fun stuff, like writing. XD Yeah, sadly, but I guess that’s for the best. The world couldn’t handle two Issabelle’s. ;P Hahaha YES GO EDIT!!!!!!! (Actually, that reminds me that I need to be working on my own editing project, lol.)
Miles Lawson
Hey, what a great post! It certainly answered one or two of my questions! It was also pretty cool reading your three different answers to the same question. Thanks for sharing! I hope we’ll be seeing more posts coming up *winks*
Issabelle Perry
Thank you SOOO much, Miles!!! Woohoo!!! I am SUPER glad to hear that!!! *pumps fist in the air* THANK YOU!!! I didn’t think about that at first, but you’re right! It IS really cool seeing three different answers to the same question! Of course, thank YOU for reading!!! Oooo YESSS!!! More is definitely on the way.
*cough* hopefully…THANK YOU for stopping by!!
Lorelei Angelino
*jaw drops* *uses hand to put it back up* WOW, another AWESOME post from the TWN gals! (You know, the wait was totally worth it! This post is sooooo helpful. I mean, being a very slow writer myself, although “faster writing” tips were golden!!!🤩)
AND amazing questions Louise, Saraina, and Faith!!
What I do to stay motivated, is to set a word goal every month (starting small, or course!), then keep track of my words. Making writing a priority (so I can reach my goal) really helps. I have never gotten this far in a novel before because I’m not letting myself quit, you know? Writing this story is now a part of my (almost) daily life.
Heck YEAH I struggle with perfectionism. I totally relate to Kat LOL. I once tried to make my text white so I couldn’t see what I was writing and just let the words flow, but I think I could only do it for like a minute. XD It was so frustrating. BUT I have grown out of it a little bit, so I’m slowly becoming more of a . . . um (what’s the opposite of perfectionist? IMperfectionist? *shrugs* well, whatever it is, that’s what I’m slowly becoming 😂).
*waves hand in the air wildly and crazily* *holds arm up with other hand* *keeps waving* OH ME ME I AM HAPPY TWN’S BACK! OH MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
*ahem*
Love ya girls!! <333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333 *hugs times a million*
Issabelle Perry
D’awwww, Lorelei, you just made me smile SO hard. THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Hahahaha, well, I am like SUPER thrilled to hear that! THANK YOUUU!!!!! Woohoooo!!!!!! THAT’S WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR!!!!!! Ooo, really? Well, definitely keep me updated on how well the tips work out!!! I hope they help you write faster! YOU’VE GOT THIS!!)
YESSS THEY WERE DEFINITELY AMAZING QUESTIONS!!!!
Oooo that is actually a REALLY GENIUS idea!!! GIRL THAT IS SO FANTASTIC!!!!! I am SO happy you’ve found something that helps you stay motivated!! I am DEFINITELY gonna try out that tip cuz I’ve had a hard time staying motivated here lately. I think keeping small word count goals every month will help me stay on track! THANK YOU for sharing!!!!
Girl, the pain is real. Ooof, I know some people who do that but I don’t think I’d be able to. That just seems really hard. I’m sure. Oooo that is AWESOME!!!!! Lol, IMperfectionist works. XDD
*jumps up and down* WOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SOOOOOO HAPPYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It feels great to officially be back. I’m sure the break was probably needed for us all, but I’ve missed TWN so much. *hugs my computer with the site’s page up* XD
Love ya too, girl!!! <333333333333333333333333333333333333 *hugs back super tightly* ;P THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading and commenting!!!
Saraina
Oooh, I LOVE this post!!! 😀 (Faith Elizabeth’s story was amazing!!) Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all our questions!! Each of your answers were awesome!! (Katherine, I read your post about how to get excited for writing and your tips were incredible!! :)) Wow I’ve never heard of darkening the screen to write but I’m gonna try that… it sounds really scary but cool too lol. (I have tried making the font the same color as the background but that caused a bit of confusion since my laptop has annoying problems with the keypad lol… so darkening the screen would be a better option for me!) Oh my yesss – I do need to keep in mind writing challenges to help me write faster. No need to only challenge myself each November, haha! GREAT tips for overcoming perfectionism! It is so true… I need to learn to not waste time rereading and re-rereading what I wrote and just WRITE more haha!!
Thank you so much for the post and aww, the sweet shout-out!!! So kind of you!! 😀 <3 (Also Louise Taylor's book blog is awesome!! And I loved Faith Elizabeth's poem and story in Imagine! So good!!)
Saraina
Haha I began writing my comment yesterday night, then added more today, so apparently I said a few things twice! LOL! 😀
Issabelle Perry
LOL!! But I honestly didn’t notice until you had mentioned it. XD You’re all good, though. <333
Issabelle Perry
THANK YOU SOOO MUCH SARAINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (YES IT WAS!!!! She’s super talented!) You are SOO welcome, girl, and thank YOU so much for submitting questions!! Couldn’t have done the post without them. 😉 THANK YOUUU!!!!!!! Lol, you can do it!! Face your fears. (Though, yes, it is very scary, but it actually works really well!!!!) Oh, yeah, I’m sure. I’ve heard people who do that but I don’t think I ever could. I’d end up getting lost what was words and what was a blank document. XD Awesome! I hope it works!!!! YESSS THEY DO!!!!! Hahaha, YES EXACTLY!!!! Hey, if you ever do one of those writing challenges you set yourself and want someone to do it with, I’m always on the lookout for opportunities like that!!!! YES I AGRE!!! Kat did a splendid job on that!!!!!! Lol, don’t we all, though. XD
YOU ARE SOOO WELCOME!!!!!!!!!! Aww, of course, girl!!! I meant everything I said. <3333 (YES I KNOW RIGHT!!!!! It is fantabulous!!! WOHOOO I AM SOOO GLAD TO HEAR THAT!!!! I know that would just make her SO happy to hear. <333)
THANK YOU FOR READING!!!
Saraina
YES I will face my fears lol! Definitely going to try that soon!!!
Ooo yay I’ll keep in mind that you’re always looking out for those writing opportunities!! 😀
Thank YOU for doing this post with your sisters!!! It was awesome!!!
Issabelle Perry
Lol YESS!!!! YOU GO!! And definitely lemme know how it goes!! <33
GIRL, PLEASE DO!!!!!! That extra motivation is ALWAYS needed!
You are SOO welcome!!!! Awww girl I am just THE Happiest to hear that. You are SO sweet!!! *beams*
Katherine
You’re so welcome, Saraina!!!!!! And I’m so glad you loved our answers!!!! I enjoyed being able to answer the questions!!! Thank you so much for sending them in!!!!<333 (Aw, you did?!?! That's awesome!!!!! 😀 YAY, I'm so happy you loved my tips!!!!!!!😀) Yeah, I hadn't the darkening the screen technique either until Issabelle told me about it!! XD Awesome!!!! I hope it works out well!!!
Aww, thank you so much!!!!!!! Those are tips I have learned through experience and trying to overcome perfectionism. 😉 Yep! Staying focused on simply writing and not rereading prevents the discouragement that we can often get in our writing. 😉 I hope you find the tips helpful and are able to defeat perfectionism!!!!! 😉 You go, girl!!!! *cheers you on*
Ava Coulter
Yess TWN is backkk! XD
These were all such great questions, and really helpful answers as well! Especially the one about perfectionism in writing. It’s SO freeing to just let myself be sloppy! (Like you said, it is only the first draft after all). I have a bad habit of going back and reading what I wrote, and it’s discouraging sometimes. So, thank you lol! That really encouraged me! Ya’ll are super inspiring.
Issabelle Perry
WOOHOOO YES WE ARE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *high fives*
YES I DEFINITELY AGREE WITH YOU!!!! D’aww, really? THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!!! Haha, that one seems to be a fan favorite, but yesss!!! Kat did AWESOME with that question!! Girl, I know right? Honestly, letting myself write sloppy has been SUCH a lifesaver for me!!! GIRL I AM SOOOOOOOOOO GLAD TO HEAR THAT!!!!! D’awww, girl, you’re THE sweetest! THANK YOU!!!! And thank you SO much for stopping by!!!
Katherine
Hi, Ava!!
Eeee, YES!!!!! I’m SO excited to be back!!!!!!
YAY, I’m so happy to hear you liked the questions and answers!!!!!!! I totally agree!! Once I allowed myself to be sloppy, I was able to cover more ground in my writing without worrying over every little thing. (Yep, exactly.😉) I feel ya! It is definitely discouraging to go back and read our writing at times. But the first drafts aren’t perfect. The story gets better through multiple drafts and edits. (I just need to convince my brain of that, lol.😅) You’re so welcome!!!!!! I’m so glad it was helpful and encouraging!!!!<33 AW, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!😊 You're so sweet!!!!! I'm smiling so big right now!!!
Ava Coulter
Issabelle: Whoohoo!!! *high fives back*
Of course!! (haha, I’m glad I’m not alone) Yess she really did! Ikr?! Literally same!!
Thank you!! <33 Aww OF COURSE!
Katherine: Hiii *waves*
Yess!! *Throws confetti*
Oh totally!! I know, I have to tell myself that too.
Of course!!! <33 Thank YOU!
Issabelle Perry
WOHOOO!!!!!!!!!
(Hahah, nope, definitely not alone!!) SHE DID!!! YES!!!
Awww you’re SOO welcome!!! <3333333333
Katherine
*waves back*
Ooh, I love confetti! *dances in the confetti*
You’re very welcome!!!!!!!! 🙂 <333333
Louise Taylor
Wow! To be honest, I kind of forgot about these questions cause it has been so long! (or just feels long, I’m not sure, lol)
Those were some great answers! Thanks! That was such a cool thing to do! Remembering each person is a person, and not just a number or statistic is something I think is important. You’re not writing for a statistic, you’re writing for God to impact people, which means first you should probably know the people.
*raises hand* I’m glad to see y’all back!
(AND NO WAY, YOU’RE WORKING ON THE SEQUEL TO THE HEIR TO HIS CROWN????? I’M SO EXCITED!!!! AHHHH!!!)
Issabelle Perry
Lol, no shame there. This took us a LOT longer than I was expecting to write it!! (Lol, it’s been a couple of months.)
awww THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! I AM SO GLAD!!!!!! You’re welcome!! Aww THANK YOU!!!!! Girl, I DEFINITELY second that all the way!! I think it’s VERY important! Girl, I just ADORE the way you worded that but it is SO true!! We write for God and for Him to use it to touch others! I love it when that’s the author’s focus!!
Awwwwww THANK YOU!!!!! It’s great to be back!!! (Now if I could just be a bit more consistent in posting all would be well, hahaha.)
(YESSSSSS GIRL I AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHH THIS JUST MADE ME LIKE EVEN MORE EXCITED THAN I ALREADY WAS!!!!!!!! YOUR EXCITEMENT IS CONTAGIOUS!!!)
Thank you SO much for stopping by!