How to Learn from Your Old Writing

Sorry for the long hiatus! Starting a blog right before NaNoWriMo probably wasn't the best idea, now that I think about it. Then the holidays happened, and I just kept saying, "I'll do a post next week." I'm a bit of a procrastinator. Or a lot of one. 

But on to other subjects! It's really cold where I live (colder than it has been in seventeen years), so I've been staying inside a lot. I have re-read every book I own at least three times, and it only took me two hours to read Reached (am I behind on reading this series, and if you've read it, what did you think?) so for lack of other options, I turned to my old work. 

*Blech*

That's just the sound of me gagging over here. 

I started my first book when I was eight or so. It was about a girl who accidentally charmed herself into a magical world while trying to make a face mask. That book didn't even see the light of a second chapter. Poor girl. She's still standing in the middle of a clearing with sparkling dust falling all around her. 

I think that's where she's gonna stay, though. 

My next attempt at a novel was a National Treasure escapade, but with kids. It was a middle grade, and was a whole lot more fleshed out than my first try. I never finished it, and, maybe I'm biased, but, I still think it could work. It was slightly better than my first attempt, but still had a lot of problems. Big problems. Like, listing what all eight people ordered at a restaurant, sagging dialogue, and starting with a phone ringing. I did, however, actually know how it was going to end. Which is a lot better than some of my more recent endeavors. 

My next book was a knockoff of Amelia's Notebook. However, there was two things different from it and the other ones.

I finished it. 

And I let people read it. 

Letting people read it was probably a mistake, looking back on it. I was so proud, though. And I got nothing but praise, which I'm not sure was a good or bad thing. But, nevertheless, it was still not very good. And it took me almost two years to finish it. 

That may not sound too bad, but it only took up half of a one-subject notebook. Not even a real novel. 

And two years to write a not-even-thirty-thousand-word-book? That shouldn't happen. Ever. 

It was a cute idea, and as I'm reading it now, it's not completely terrible, and actually pretty good for a first book.  But it's nowhere near publishable. 

And, in the first five pages, I found more than enough fodder for one blog post. So this may become a series. 

The first thing I noticed was that some of my sentences didn't sound right. They were awkward, and altogether gross. No one wants to read a book full of sentences like:

We live on the tenth floor, just like my age.

(Subtle way of getting in her age, Olivia! Way to go!)

He is a very a nice man, but I'm afraid he has rather a crush on Eloise. 

(Rather a crush? Who says that? And if anyone does say that, it's definitely not a ten year old girl from Atlanta! And, yes, the MC lived in Atlanta.)

But I think that it's a hideout for a bank robber that can't figure out his codes because he's not good at math so he started this school to get the answers and that's what our Math questions are. 

(Um...hello run-on sentence! And, also, if you couldn't tell, my MC was a bit of a drama queen. But the real question is, could middle-school children really be breaking bank security codes? I don't think so. So many problems, so little time...)

The basis of how to put together a sentence can best be learned by reading. Then writing. Then trashing what you've written and reading some more. 

Then you can write more. And throw that away, too.

There are many opinions out there on how to write a good book. Some people say write what you know, others say write what you don't. Anne Lamott says write about your childhood. But the one thing people can agree on is the best way to get better at writing, is to write. 

That's it. 

And that's the best advice you're ever going to hear.

There's no secret formula for cranking out a bestseller, no way to write a book everyone will love. 

There's only writing. And more writing. And more writing. And- you get the point. 

But, if you do really need help with getting your sentences to flow, there are several books you can use. The Chicago Manual of Style, and The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White are two of the most famous ones. 

And, let me say it again, read. Pick up some books that are on the best-seller list and read them. Get some books from the genre you want to write. Your old favorite books. Study them. You can learn more by taking apart a paragraph from a book than reading a whole book written on writing a book. Wow, that was a confusing sentence. 

But you know what I mean. 

Another major problem with my book (we'll call it A Series of Unfortunate Paragraphs from here on out. Or, Unfortunate Paragraphs for short) was the characters. 

They were all cookie-cutter. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. 

There was a little rich girl whose poor mother had died, and whose father was away on business most of the time. But of course, she wasn't spoiled, she was sweeter than a chocolate chip cookie! All the time! She never sniped or laughed in a really annoying way or got upset because her best friend had siblings and she didn't! She was perfect. 

The MC and her brother fought one time in the entire  book. That's definitely not normal. 

Here's the thing about characters. You can have the most amazing plot in the world,  but if your characters aren't likable, no one's going to read it. 

Except maybe your mom. 

Almost everything in a book is important, but your characters are really important. 

You want people to remember them, to want to go on more adventures with them, to keep on riding around in their head. 

J.K. Rowling did a great job of creating a huge cast of characters that were all memorable. I never once got one of her characters mixed up with another one. 

So take your time with your characters. You're going to be spending a lot of time with them, and hopefully so will a lot of other people. 

Really think about them. Think about what makes them tick, what they hate about their mother, and what's the one thing they would save if their house was on fire. Or do they even live in a house? They might live on a boat or in a treehouse. Maybe they're not even human! They could live in a hole in the ground!

Just think about your characters. Don't make them boring. Make them memorable. 

Another huge problem with Unfortunate Paragraphs was the beginning. It stank. 

The first sentence was,

"I do not know how to begin this." 

Obviously I didn't know how to begin it. Granted, it was a book written as a girl's private journal, and those are always a bit tricky to start. You can't just start out with a slam-bang first sentence that immediately draws readers in. No one's first entry in a journal is something like, "There was once a  boy named Eustance Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it." 

But something other than, "I don't know how to begin this", would be preferable. 

This was a bit of a long post, so, if you stuck with it 'til the end,  thanks! Be on the lookout for a part two of this post next week, because I still have a ton of things I want to talk about. And I haven't even gotten to page six of Unfortunate Paragraphs yet!

Have you re-read any of your old writing recently? If so, do you look back and cringe over anything? Have any cookie-cutter characters? I'd love to hear about your Unfortunate Paragraphs! 

*I want to say, if you have a character that is a spoiled but sweet rich girl, please do not take offense. I am tearing apart my own writing only in hopes of helping other people learn. If you have a rich character and love her, then by all means, love her! Your writing style is yours, and mine is mine. The same goes for any sentences I mentioned. If  by some weird coincidence, your first line is, "I do not know how to begin this", good for you! I hope it brings you many awards. It just didn't work for me. 

What's Keeping You From Writing?

Personally, I have always struggled with writing every day. I'll get an idea, crank out a few chapters, and then stop.

This kind of writing style does not get a book finished, much less published. 

So let's look at a few common excuses for not writing, and I'll share a few tips I've learned to start writing and keep writing. 

Excuse #1

I just don't have enough time.

Yeah, well, almost no one does. 

Sometimes, you have to make time to do the things you really love. Even if you only get a few hundred words a day, that's a whole lot better than nothing. I've noticed that if I make an effort to write something every day, gradually the amount of words I write grows the longer I write consecutively. 

You may be different, but that's just how it works for me. 

Carry paper and a pencil with you everywhere. Write a few hundred while waiting to meet your friend for lunch. Write during the commercials of your favorite TV show(though if you have time to watch TV you probably have time to spend just writing). Write whenever you have a free five minutes! 

The point is, if you look hard enough for time to write, you'll find it. 

And if you try all these tips and still can't seem to squeeze in the time to write, maybe it's time to rethink your dream of being published or finishing that novel. Or maybe you just need to take a break and stop writing to see if you really love it enough to put effort into making time for it.

Because if you don't love writing, then no one else will love reading it. 

Excuse #2

I don't have any inspiration/anything to write about.

The problem of not having anything to write about is a common one. 

The remedys are also quite simple. 

Doing a little bit of plotting for your book can be a huge help, even if you usually wing your stories. A little bit of plotting goes a long way. 

Character development can also help you in more ways that one. It will probably give you some new ideas for scenes, and help your characters appear more well-rounded (and we all want that).

You don't have to plot J.K. Rowling style (i.e. detailed lists of everything that happens in a single chapter), but a simple plotline helps a lot.

For the book I finished just a few weeks ago, I made a chronological list of things that needed to happen in order for the climax to occur. Usually, I'd come up with an idea for a fun scene and write on it for a day or two, and during that time I'd come up with another idea for a scene. If I got stuck or the story was dragging a little, I'd refer to my list and choose the next crucial moment. I also made a little list of things that needed to reappear in the book. For instance: I need to see these characters developing a relationship, x character needs to gradually reveal her backstory, mention the necklace a few times (because that will become important later on). 

Excuse #3

I don't have the materials I need to write. 

Yes, I know this is an extremely weak reason not to write. But, as hard as it is for me to admit, I have used this excuse several times. 

Usually when I don't feel like writing, or am really tired.

 "Oh, my notebook's downstairs and I don't really feel like getting it." 

"None of these pencils have lead in them." 

"My laptop is about to die, and I can't plug it up right now."

All really bad, really lazy reasons. 

But the good thing is that these are extremely easy to fix. 

Don't let yourself be put in a situation where you have a lack of tools. 

When your pencil gets worn down, go sharpen it. Running out of paper? Go get some more when you notice it, not when you're tired enough not to feel like it. 

Another thing that helps me write is signing up for something that commits me to writing x number of words a day or x number of words in a certain amount of time. Knowing that I've promised I will accomplish something gives my brain enough of a nudge to go get those words out! 

National Novel Writing Month is a great example of this (speaking of NaNo, who's participating this year? I am!). If you have any friends that are writers, you could help keep each other on track by checking to see if your friend has written every day, and encouraging them if they have. Ask them to do the same for you. 

Word wars are another great way to boost your word count. Racing with someone else really gets you motivated!

So what about you? What excuses do you have for not writing and how do you push past them?

The Truth About Writer's Block

How many times have you sat down to write and drawn a blank?

You're all ready: a crisp sheet of paper out, notebook open, or a folder waiting on the computer, but there's no inspiration. So you sit there, the blank space on your paper taunting you, the blinking cursor on your screen patiently waiting for you to start writing.

When this does happen (and don't try to deny it, it happens to everyone) how many times have you been known to say, "Well, I had Writer's Block today. It was just too bad. I really wanted to get something done."

*guiltily raises hand*

As much as I hate to admit it, I have said those exact words.

But that was before I came to realize the harsh truth.

Writer's Block is a farce.

It simply doesn't exist.

"What?" , you may be thinking, "But, Olivia, that's impossible. I've had Writer's Block before. I've been under the influence. Sorry, but, I don't believe you."

Let's look at the facts.

The definition that came up when I googled Writer's Block was this, the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing.

So, yes, you may think that you're suffering from Writer's Block, but you're not. Because, as I said before, it doesn't exist.

I know, I know, you already told me, right? You've had Writer's Block, so it must be real.

Not so.

The truth about Writer's Block is that it is just a fancy term for 'no inspiration'. And there are several very simple remedies for lack of inspiration.

But before we discuss those, let's talk for a minute about the causes of "Writer's Block".

You've been on a roll, cranking out three chapters a day for two weeks straight, when, bam, you hit a wall. There are no new ideas. No scene jumping out from around a corner screaming, "Write me!" There's no more inspiration. You've worn yourself out. Simply exhausted yourself.

 All of a sudden, you're afraid. Afraid of what people will think about your WIP. You thought it was a good idea at first, but now it's starting to feel exactly like the book you just finished. Maybe it's a tired idea; been done too many times. But you keep trucking on, that thought gnawing away at the back of your head, the fear that your book isn't good enough. That you're not good enough. And then, one day, you sit down to write, and the words won't come. You're stuck.

Either of those sound familiar? I know they do to me.

But what can you do to fix the lack of inspiration (since, after all, there is no such thing as Writer's Block)?

Start an Ideas Journal. Whenever you hear a funny story about someone's Aunt Sally, or see someone walking down the street that looks like an interesting character, or hear a snippet of conversation that sounds like it belongs in a book, write it down! Buy a cheap little notebook from a dollar store, and stick it in your purse or pocket. Then, whenever you're inspired by something, jot it down. The next time you hit a wall in your writing, pull out the journal and browse through it. Then, when something jumps out at you, write about it.


Don't listen to the voice in your head. If there's something inside of you that is making you afraid to write, don't listen! Personally, I tend to get a little depressed after reading an exceptional book. I start comparing my writing to the book, and of course, my prose(and characters and setting and dialogue) comes up lacking in all sorts of ways. As hard as it may be to resist that, don't start comparing your writing to someone elses',  because your writing will never be exactly like anyone elses'. And who would want it to be? You want to have your own voice*, your own sound. You want to write like you. So just don't play the comparison game.


Plot out your whole book. There is a certain place in all my books where I usually get bogged down. Usually it's the middle. I've gotten past the exciting opening, introduced all the characters, and set up the stakes. But...now what? This is just what I have found works best for me, but, planning out everything ahead of time should eliminate getting bogged down in the middle. That way, you know how exactly how everything is going to end, and what you need to do to keep the tension high and readers engaged.


You may not be convinced that Writer's Block doesn't exist, but now at least you have some ways to rise above it. Got any thoughts on Writer's Block? Or any tips on how to de-tangle yourself from the pits of despair No Inspiration?

*On a side note, while comparing your writing to someone elses' definitely isn't something you want to be doing, there is nothing wrong with learning from other writing. I truly believe that the best way to learn how to write is to read. Taking apart a paragraph from a novel you love can really be an eye-opening experience. So, study the books you love. But don't compare your own writing to them.