by Heidi McCahan, @HeidiMcCahan
The new school year has arrived and even if you don’t have children, you’re probably still aware of this milestone event that marks the end of summer and the unofficial beginning of fall. As my own children are adjusting and adapting to the changing landscape of a school year that’s beginning online, I’ve realized now is the ideal time to evaluate my writing life. I need to eliminate some bad habits and re-calibrate my plans for the final months of this wild and wacky year.
In a house where five humans are attending virtual school, working from home and attempting to write novels, it’s easy to replace writing time with the business of life. Some days I’d rather unload the dishwasher and fold laundry because it’s easier. I don’t have to think about plot holes or developing goals, motivation and conflict for my hero and heroine if I’m busy doing chores.
But getting stuck in a holding pattern with our unfinished manuscripts isn’t a productive path. Yes, caring for our families is part of our calling and there are seasons when we must put our writing aside to meet more pressing needs. However, eventually the crisis subsides, the house is in decent shape, our people are fed, and we have time to write. This is the season I’m finding myself in now. The kids are occupied with new teachers, classes and assignments, my spouse is working from the dining room, and I’m finished mourning the fact that back-to-school doesn’t look the way I want it to. I have deadlines and the resources to meet them. With a little less than four months remaining in the calendar year, here are five tips for a productive writing season.
- Be flexible: I had a super cute new writing space established earlier this year, only to abandon it when our schools closed in March. Now it’s a space for our middle schooler to attend his virtual classes. I’m working from the screened porch and occasionally a cozy nook in our bedroom. Maybe you need to change up your writing space. It might be time to invest in a better desk chair or noise canceling headphones. Try to be flexible and find a space and a method that helps you get words written.
- Keep learning: there are many learning opportunities available this fall. Local and national writing organizations have transitioned to virtual meetings and online conferences. There are also countless webinars and podcasts devoted to the craft of writing. The virtual doors of Novel Academy are always open and welcome to new members. There’s never been a better time to improve your craft from the comfort of your own home.
- Re-evaluate and set specific, measurable goals: perhaps stress and uncertainty have derailed your creativity. Why not devote an hour or two toward setting specific, measurable goals you can achieve before year’s end? Commit to writing a short story or a novella. Start brainstorming that novel you will draft during NaNoWriMo. Write a proposal and query a literary agent. Finish that manuscript languishing on your hard drive. Remember to write down your goals, post the list where you’ll see it frequently, then track your progress.
- Celebrate victories: we humans love a reward for our efforts. I’m motivated by coffee, chocolate or buying a new book, so those are my “prizes” for achieving goals. Celebrating your wins is also a tangible way for the people in your life to be a part of your writing journey. Recently I was offered a publishing contract and one of our kids suggested we get blizzards at Dairy Queen. It meant a lot that my family cared and wanted to acknowledge this special accomplishment.
- Read voraciously: if I had to identify just one behavior that has made me a better writer, I’d say it’s being a consistent reader. We are all wired for story, but we don’t all have an innate sense of plot and structure. Read the books that are selling well. Read the books published by your dream publisher. Read outside your preferred genre. You’ll be amazed at how your craft improves when you’ve consumed well-crafted stories.
When a struggling bakery owner is rescued by a wannabe songwriter with hidden culinary talents, they discover they can make sweet harmony … if they can only learn to work together.
Rhett Foster longs to change the world with his music, yet he can’t even finish writing one song. Battered by a string of failures and disillusioned, he returns home to Portland, Oregon. While he desperately wants to create a chart-topping hit, his dad mandates a new mission: move to coastal vacation hotspot Seabrook, Washington and expand the family’s successful restaurant chain. In danger of destroying her late parents’ legacy if she doesn’t diversify her menu, Lindsay Carmichael will try anything to save her bakery. But with a tiny budget and an injured employee who can’t work, she has no choice but to sink the last of her savings into buying a dilapidated food truck and hiring Rhett as a part-time barista. What she doesn’t know is that the handsome songwriter has a secret … one that could destroy her business and her heart.
Heidi McCahan secretly dreamed of writing a book for most of her childhood, but a particularly painful rejection letter in middle school convinced her to tuck that dream away. Instead, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington and a master’s degree in Athletic Training from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. After a brief career as a Certified Athletic Trainer, Heidi married her husband Steve. Then she dusted off her big dream of becoming a published author and launched her first contemporary romance into the world in 2014. A huge fan of coffee, dark chocolate and happily ever after, Heidi currently lives in North Carolina with Steve, three active boys and one amazing Goldendoodle.