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I finished the manuscript!

I did it! After two years—an ignominious record for me—I finally, finally, finally finished my latest manuscript. It was a challenge for so many reasons (end of a series, start of a new series, the pandemic, my adult kids coming and going for months at a time, elections, my husband working from home, me getting increasingly worried that I’d lost my ability to finish a book), but the first draft is D-O-N-E.

What a relief!

The best thing about having it done, besides restoring my confidence that I can actually finish a 75000-word book, is that I learned a lot about my writing process and how my brain works.

I had already planned to pay more attention to what worked for me while writing this book, and sometimes my experiments failed, which slowed me down. I’m also a heavy thinker, and my instinct is to sit and think about the book a lot. Turns out, that’s not the best practice for me.

In case you’re curious, here’s what does work for me:

  • Commit to 2-4 hours of time in the manuscript each writing day (even if I just end up writing about the writing, or doing research I need to move forward)
  • Wear headphones. Even if I have nothing playing, it’s creates a virtual cone of space around me that helps me get into the zone. I often work best with one song playing on repeat that kind of sets a mood and isn’t too intrusive, but neural beats or rain sounds work too.
  • Asking questions about whatever I’m stuck on (what should come next, how to resolve a situation, the villain’s motivation), and writing answers until something sparks. I’ve found this works even better with a large pad of drawing paper—a white board would also be great if I had the space—and colorful Sharpies.
  • Write some backstory, or just free-write thoughts about the manuscript and what’s going on. Writing begets writing. (And in my case, also triggers revisionist thoughts that help make the story better and move it forward.)
  • If stuck and writing about it hasn’t produced an answer yet, meditate, take a short nap, or go for a walk. Ask the questions before bed, in writing or out loud, and ponder them while falling asleep, or just after waking up.

I don’t think you should take that list as a prescription for your own writing. More as motivation to figure out your own best practices. If you already know, I’d love to hear about it!

Also, if you’re looking for the perfect gift for the writer in your life, The Emotion Thesaurus is hands-down the reference book I use the most while writing. It gives me ideas for how to describe the emotion someone is feeling or displaying. What it feels like, where they feel it in the body, and how it manifests physically.

If I could only have one writing book, it would be this one.

I hope your own writing is going well. Have a wonderful holiday!!

Book rec for writers: The Heroine’s Journey

I’m not a plotter, but I still find it useful to study story structure and the craft of writing.

My latest foray into structure is The Heroine’s Journey by Gail Carriger. It’s an important counterpoint to the “hero’s journey” approach, and it’s not just for stories about or by women. Written in Carriger’s snarky, irreverent voice, it identifies the key elements of the heroine’s journey, gives examples of its uses in both myth and (some very) popular fiction/media, and discusses how to incorporate it into your own work.

Have you read it? If so, what'd you think? Do you find books on story structure helpful?

New post at WU on Alternate Uses for Scrivener

Did you know you can use Scrivener for more than just writing a novel or memoir? I’ve highlighted a few ideas for you over at WriterUnboxed.com today, and there are more great suggestions in the comments. I hope you’ll stop by to check it out, ask a question, or share your own ways for using Scrivener beyond the manuscript.

And if you’re in the US, have a great Thanksgiving weekend! I’m grateful to all of you for being part of my community, and all the support you’ve given me over the years.

❤️

Oh no NaNo

Late summer and early fall have been busy, busy, busy. Things are starting to calm down, but when I’m not learning to play pickle ball—so much fun!—I’ve basically got my head down working on my current manuscript.

I’ve found the joy in my story again, and I pretty much don’t want to do anything else but work on it these days. Which is how I just today realized that National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) already started.

I’m not participating this year since I’m in the middle of a project and don’t want to stop (see previous paragraph), but I am trying to lay down as many words as possible before the end of the year.

How about you? Are you trying your hand at NaNo?

If so, here’s one of the many posts I’ve done on how Scrivener can help you hit your 1667 words/day: Winning NaNoWriMo with Scrivener.

And if you need help with anything else in Scrivener, you can find a list of all my blog posts on the subject at https://gwenhernandez.com/scrivener-tips/.

Upcoming Events

For the next few days I’ll be immersed in a virtual version of my favorite business conference for romance writers (Romance Author Mastermind), and I have a couple of appearances booked for the next few months.

Here’s what’s already on my schedule into the new year.

Whether you’re working toward 50K words this month or not, I hope this message finds you well as we race toward the end of 2021.

Interview replay now available

If you missed my appearance on John Hruby’s Author To Author Convo live last month, the replay is now available on YouTube. It was a fun (and rare) opportunity for me to talk about writing separate from Scrivener (though we did touch on Scrivener a bit too, of course).

One of my favorite things was getting to discuss the importance of figuring out how YOU best create. As a pantser who spent years trying to contort myself into the plotter I thought I had to be to be a good writer, I’m trying to get the message out.

We also discussed how to “fill the well” so you can keep writing, why story structure is helpful even if you don’t plot, and more.

If any of that sounds interesting, check it out and let me know what you think. 

Spilling my writerly secrets (or something). Live on Saturday!

What are you doing on Saturday? If you’re not sure yet, consider joining me live as I take the hot seat on middle grade author and life/creativity coach John J. Hruby’s Author to Author Convo series! 

I’m not sure I’m as confident as he seems to think I am (see below), but I love talking about writing almost as much as John loves ellipses…

Are you ready to join us? To learn more about what John has planned for the interview, and get the RSVP link, keep reading. I hope to see you there!

Gwen Hernandez name

P.S. Scrivener peeps: The Scrivener 3 for Windows Compile Mastery course opens this week! Expect another post from me very, very soon. 😉

There is a solidness … a quality of ownership … that Gwen has about being a writer and an author. I don't sense it as ego. She is kind, fun, and generous. I look forward to you meeting her.

To me, it seems like she “knows who she is” and she's comfortable in her skin.

This is EXACTLY the type of author I want to talk to … and learn from.

And, this makes 100% sense to me. Gwen has written seven books. SEVEN. I look forward to our Author to Author Convo and Q & A on Saturday, July 17th. I invite you to join us for a lively and in-depth conversation about writing and the spirit of creativity.

I anticipate we will have an opportunity to learn a lot. I look forward to exploring how she:

  • Taps into inspiration (year after year … book after book).
  • Gets herself unstuck from procrastination & distractions … so she can write.
  • Creates and talks to her characters … and do they talk back?
  • Plots her stories or do they just “come to her” … or a little of both?
  • How she got started … what gave her the confidence to write her first book?
  • What keeps her going when times get tough?

I look forward to asking her:
What is the best writing advice she has ever heard that continues to serve her today?

Author to Author Convo
Saturday, July 17, 2021
10 am Pacific / 12 pm Central / 1 pm Eastern

Click Here to RSVP Now and to join us for a lively and inspiring conversation about creativity, inspiration, and productivity.

The Author to Author Convo series is created with the intention of Empowering Writers and assisting all of us with experiencing our next level of Creative Freedom and Productivity.