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I forgot how fun preschoolers are. Today, I’ve listened to the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack three times. Gone to the park. Created awesome playdough art. And danced. Oh, how we’ve danced! It’s camp Maymay and Pops this week—we have our delightful 3-year-old granddaughter with us. Here’s glimpse of the fun.
Ask me how much writing I’ve gotten done. No, wait, don’t.
So, for all you parents with small children trying to write, I feel ya. I’ve been at this writing game a while now. I remember writing with small children on my lap.
But, not to worry. I have a game plan. Tonight, after Bubby climbs into her magic bed at Maymay’s, I’m going to write the scene that’s been bubbling in my head all day.
Writing when you have children, or other obligations consuming your day means maximizing your time. Which means you have to plan for those moments, show up and write furiously.
I usually figure out the Action Objectives for my next scene as I finish my last scene.
Then, I mull over Who is in my scene, What they Want, Why, what might happen if they don’t get it, and if they succeed or not. We call this the Scene Tension Equation. I then figure out the Stakes of the scene, their current Emotion, the Storyworld, how to start in Action and what their inner Problem is….and start mulling over the first line.
By the time we’ve finished the dishes, I have my first line.
I would have never gotten any of my 70+ books written without a plan and without that dedicated time, albeit short, to write. Without a plan for getting it on the page, knowing exactly what scene I had to write, and how to create great scene tension, and letting those ingredients cook during the day when I was doing things like going to the park.
This week, Maymay and Pops (our real identities are Susie and Andrew) are celebrating 30 years of marriage, (here’s us on Friday night–that’s Andrew and his convertible hair!)…
…and thinking back to those years of struggling to find time to write, I thought—what if I could give my writing friends the tools I used?
Just in case your days are filled with dancing, the park and doing dishes.
So, I’ve put together three of my best courses—3 for the price of ONE! (How to Write a Brilliant Romance, How to Write a Brilliant Romantic Suspense and The Novel Proposal (how to sell those brilliant novels!)
Hopefully that’s something to dance about! 😊 Meanwhile, the fun continues here!
Have an excellent writing week. Keep dancing! (and write something brilliant!)
Susie May
PS – Our amazing 2020 planners are in port and shipping to our warehouse!! WHICH MEANS we need to make room. SO, it’s not too late to pick up a 2019 planner…AND WE’RE GOING TO SWEETEN THE DEAL. Get a 2019 planner for $12.99 and we’ll give you a $12.99 coupon to apply to your 2020 planner! (Hey, that’s like getting the 2019 planner for free!!)
