A step outline is more than just another pre-writing technique. It's an active document that can help you hone your novel at every stage of the writing process. Author and editor Mel Lee-Smith explains in this article for the Well-Storied blog!

You can only call yourself a writer if you actually write, right?

Often, we writers have the best intentions to make time for our practices, but those plans fall through. Day jobs, family, social lives, and making dinner have all been known to make us go from thinking “I’m going to write today!” to “Maybe tomorrow…”

So, how do you make sure you actually sit down to write instead of continually postponing it?

“If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” 

When I first read Stephen King’s memoir, On Writing, this quote cut me to the bone. I wanted desperately to stake my claim on the title of writer, but I wasn’t doing much to set myself up for success. I wrote here and there and maybe read a book or two, but I felt myself too hindered by all of life’s demands to truly pursue what it took to write a novel.

In truth, I had plenty of time to read, write, and improve my writing skills, but making the time to actively work toward our creative goals is a topic for another day. Today, I want to focus on why it’s so important to read with a critical eye. After all, doing so may just be the key to coming into your own as a writer.

Frustrated with your productivity as a writer?

Whether you’re struggling to find the time to write or failing to utilize the time you already have, today I’m going to share a few tips to help you level up the hours you spend creating. I won’t say these tips are universal, but I do think you’ll find them helpful. So whether you’re a newbie, an established writer, or a published author, let’s talk about maximizing the time we have to bring our stories to life!

Are you easily distracted by new story ideas?

There’s a reason it took me over two years to finish a draft of my first novel, and that reason is Shiny New Idea Syndrome. Every several thousand words into my book, I’d conjure up a new way to tell the same story and scrap everything I’d written to start fresh, convinced that my new idea was better than the last. Sound familiar, writer?

If you frequently find yourself tempted by new story ideas (and have often failed to finish a draft because of this), today is the day to break the vicious cycle. Let’s talk about how we can filter pesky plot bunnies to better find focus in our writing lives today.

Building a consistent creative practice is key to achieving our writing goals.

But with all the chaos of life, establishing a writing routine is often far from easy. With a scarcity of time, energy, and motivation alike, it’s easy to guilt ourselves for skipping writing sessions or outputting uninspired work. But rather than give into creative blues, how can we build writing routines that leave us feeling free? Let’s break down my top tips in today’s article, writers!

There’s nothing more nebulous than trying to produce a decent outline for your novel.

With dozens of outlining methods to choose from, all of which seem to work well for some writers but not for others, defining the outlining process that works best for you and your stories can be more than a little intimidating. How much detail do you need to include? Is outlining really necessary? Isn't there a better way? 

Writers, it's time to cut through the chaos and get down to business. Let's find the outlining method that works best for each of us in today's breakdown!

“Real writers write every day.”

Unfortunately, that’s a sentiment you’ll often hear in the writing world, and for a time, I subscribed to it myself. And while I still maintain a daily writing routine, I regret the days I spent telling other writers they should to do the same.

Every writer’s process is unique, and what works for one—or even many—isn’t guaranteed to work for you. And that’s okay! The important thing is to find the writing techniques that work best with your time, your skills, and your stories. Unsure if a daily writing routine would be a good fit for your writing process?

Allow me to share the pros and cons of my own experience with a daily writing routine today!

Pre-writing is one of my favorites parts of the writing process.

I know that statement may have some of you grimacing in revulsion, but hey! We're all different. And that's the beautiful thing about being a writer. There is no one right way to write, which means you have all the freedom in the world to figure out a writing process that works for you.

I've shared a bit about my own pre-writing process in the past (as well as through The Pre-Write Project), but my process certainly isn't the only process.

Today, I'm so excited to welcome author Karah Rachelle to the blog. I loved getting to explore her pre-writing process and gleaning a few tips & tricks that I plan to add to my own process, and I can't wait for you to do the same!

Every week, on Wednesdays at 9pm Eastern, I host a Twitter chat called #StorySocial.

I co-founded this chat back in June 2014 with my friend and fellow author Jenny Bravo, and it’s been an amazing way to connect with writers worldwide ever since. The #StorySocial crowd has become a tight-knit group over the years, though we always love having new writers join us (hint, hint!). But I digress...

In all our weeks of chatting, I don't think we've ever had such strong feedback as we did a few weeks ago, when our topic for the night was Writers’ Mission Statements. Several chatters even went so far as to call it their favorite discussion yet. For that reason, I thought it’d be a great idea to cover this topic in full here on the blog. Sound like a plan?

I've met a variety of writers since joining the online writing community, and I have to admit: I'm mad jealous of those who look forward to every single writing session with reckless abandon.

I am not one of those writers. And I know I'm not alone.

For a number of us, writing isn't always the most joy-inducing task in the world, no matter how much we love our stories. For any number of reasons, sitting down to write can be difficult for some of us. And oftentimes, procrastination wins out.

The good news? Writing procrastination is completely normal.

You should never treat yourself like less of a writer because you lack the motivation to tackle your next writing session. Like I said, there are a number of reasons why procrastination may plague you.

We're going to talk about each of these reasons, as well as how to stop procrastination in its tracks, in today's article. So let's get going!

We all want to be successful, don't we?

We want to be happy in our work. To be motivated and inspired, always ready to write. We want to find as much time to focus on our stories as we can, and we want others to love and support our stories when we share them. And let's be real: most of us want to make a bit of cash by publishing our books, too.

Success. It's a shiny concept, but also hard-earned. And because success often seems so distant and unattainable, the desire for it can lead us to place undue pressure on ourselves.

If I only worked hard enough, I could…
If I only wrote like that author, I might…
Am I even good enough to be a writer?

The pressure to succeed can easily lend itself to doubts, fears, and a whole lot of stress. It can even make writing feel like a chore, rather than the hobby we once enjoyed—which is of course no bueno. You know what I mean? Here's the good news: You can find writing success. And you can do it without all of those nasty side effects, too. But how?

Let's dive into today's five keys to writing success!