Tag Archives: Tips for Fiction Writers

By Tania Casselle and Sean Murphy, award-winning author, NEA Creative Writing Fellow and Zen teacher.

My husband Sean Murphy often tells writers in our Write to the Finish write a book course that one of the most exciting points in his writing life was during a camping trip, when he got the idea for his first novel The Hope Valley Hubcap King.

He says that this was soon followed by one of the most daunting points in his writing life — he had to actually write the book!

After borrowing a friend’s cabin for four months of blissfully undistracted work, all at once his creative inspiration came face to face with his boundless doubt, and he wasn’t at all sure which one would prevail.

We imagine many writers have experienced some version of this. First comes the thrill of a creative idea for a memoir, novel or other book — an idea so compelling that it keeps you awake at night — followed by by the realization of  “Oh heavens – now I have to actually DO it. And can I?”

If you know that feeling, here are some thoughts from Sean to encourage you. He’s the award-winning author of four books, so he speaks from experience.

You’re in Good Company 

“There’s simply no way to make that leap into a book-length piece without feeling daunted.” says Sean. “The only way to proceed is to trust that if you want to make the leap, then it’s in you to successfully do it.

“Every book author (if they have any sense of reality!) has gone  through the same doubts, especially on a first book. However, walk into any library and see how many books are standing there on the shelves. You’ve got a lot of company. Those authors did it (and faced the same struggles) and they’re not an elevated species of human. They’re just like you.”

“Your intuition to write this book is leading you down a path that it believes you can travel successfully, if you’re willing to do so. And it IS essentially a question of willingness. Our creative drive is a pretty smart cookie, and she’s spitting this idea up into your consciousness for a reason. She has no reason to call us down a path that is a waste of time. What happens on that path is largely up to the gods and goddesses, but if you’re truly up for diving into a book manuscript, you can bet the process of discovery will be worth it, one way or another.”

Stumbling in the Dark is Part of the Process 

You have be willing to stumble along sometimes without knowing where you’re going, and that’s not always comfortable. This is the point when many writers abandon the work. But both Sean and I have come to realize that’s part of the process as well. The entire conception of a book-length work can’t be held in the conscious mind at one time, so it’s inevitable that we’ll spend some hours groping in the dark. (We’ve both groped for days, weeks or even months!)

But if you learn to trust — and even enjoy — the process, it will at last come clear. And as terrific as the thrill of having that first idea is, nothing matches the deep satisfaction of achieving and bringing into form one of your life’s great dreams.

I have some other thoughts to add:

* We’re all so busy in our lives and we all have doubts about our ability to write a project that is meaningful to us. So, waiting for a time when life isn’t busy or a time when our doubts have miraculously disappeared is a sure way to leave the idea sitting for years till all the energy fizzles out.

* Don’t worry ahead of yourself, don’t fret about the problems that lie ahead. The original idea came to you, and that’s what you have to work with right now. There’s no way you can know what’s waiting down the line. So trust the initial impulse. You can only tackle the next step in front of you to realize the idea, and then let the path unfold. Just take the next step…

* We all reach a point where the writing gets hard or we don’t know what to do next. The temptation is to put it down and hope for inspiration. But too often the problem is still there months later. The only way out is through, so often it’s best to stay engaged, learn new craft elements that might solve the problem, or just keep tussling till a solution arises.

* There are times when the right thing to do is to take a breather so ideas can percolate, and times to keep plugging away even if resistance arises.  Trust your gut instinct – which one is it?

* Inspiration requires commitment to manifest. That means investing time and energy. Unlike a short story or poem, it’s hard to juggle several creative projects and stay on track with a book-length work. So commit to the long project just for now, and know you can return to other projects once it is done.

These are just a few of the book manuscripts from participants in our Write to the Finish online course, sent to us for feedback at the end of the course. If Sean’s library image didn’t encourage you enough, take heart from these!

None of the writers had written a book before, none of them had any magic secret. Just by staying with the process and not being pushed off course by their doubts, they achieved the goal of writing a book.

If they can do it… you can too!

Tania Casselle is a writer for magazines, book publishers, and online media. She also coaches writers and leads online writing seminars  including the successful Write to the Finish online course by phone and email for writers working on a book. She leads in-person writing workshops and retreats in beautiful places, usually teaching with her husband, the Hemingway award-winning author Sean Murphy. See more WriterMuscle posts or sign up to receive future Writer Muscle updates – down-to-earth advice from a seasoned writer.

If You Want to be a Writer: Action Expresses Priorities

A few months ago a greetings card in a store caught my attention: An Asian statue of a dancer in a wheel against a sunset sky. Then I read the quote beneath the photo, “Action Expresses Priorities.” The quote rang home even more loudly than the image – bright and clear like a wake-up bell.

I bought the card to send to my friend Fiona in London. But that bell kept ringing in my head until I realized that, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to send Fiona the card. It called to me so loudly I needed to keep it for myself. The quote has become my mantra for this year.

Every year I take a quote or saying as a guiding mantra. Sometimes I keep it close to my chest, even my husband doesn’t know what it is. But I’ve been sharing “Action expresses priorities” left and right.

I started mentioning it in my coaching calls and online seminars with writers because so often the message spoke to the issues the writers brought to me. Every time I shared it there was an intake of breath, an “Mmm” of recognition, the same recognition that I felt when I read it. Hey, the saying is attributed to Gandhi, so perhaps it’s no surprise.

What does “action expresses priorities” mean to a writer?

For me, it reminds me that if I am not actively doing my creative work, taking action towards my dreams, my ambitions, my most cherished projects, then they cannot be much of a priority for me. This leaves me with a bit of an ‘ouch’ feeling because of course they are a priority in my heart. They are just not getting prioritized in my day.

Also, when I’m dollying around wasting time on some ridiculous task I’ve set myself (spending an hour online to save $20 on a flight) or disappearing down the rabbit hole of Facebook, what does this say about my priorities? Usually, it means that I have (literally) lost the plot, because there is no way I’m writing a short story while I’m watching videos of dancing ferrets.

If you want to prioritize your writing this year, this saying is one to take to heart. Use it as a tool, as a benchmark to choose what you will or will not do, as a sweet prayer of encouragement.

5 Ways to Take Action and Prioritize Writing

1) Make time to write. It’s very simple. If you don’t make time in your life to write then your brilliant novel is not going to write itself while you are watching TV / researching Twitter hashtags / partying with the dancing ferrets.  Even 10 minutes of writing a day makes a difference – it shows that even in your busiest days, you are showing up for yourself, for your priority of being a writer.

2) Find a community of writers. Writers in our online Write to the Finish course always say that the sense of community is a vital part of the course for them.  For 9 months they have the support of other writers on the same path, all striving to write a book. (Often writers stay in touch for years after their Write to the Finish course ended, even traveling across continents to meet and write together. When writers bond, they bond hard!)  I have my own writing communities – almost all consistent/successful writers do. Whether online or in the real world, it’s important to spend time with other writers who understand you and who will have your back when the going get tough.

3) Speaking of which, don’t give up when the going gets tough. Express your priority to keep writing by just doing it: hang on in there, stay committed. I promise you that the tough time will pass.

4) Create a scaffolding. Study books in your genre, take writing courses, read books on how to write, attend workshops and conferences, do things to support your priority of being a writer. (But watch out! If you only read books about how to write and don’t actually write, your action simply says that your priority is to read writing books!)

5) Learn to say No. Don’t spend time doing things that don’t express your priority of writing. Sometimes that will mean saying a kind “no” more often – to others or to yourself. Start practicing.

By the way, even though I kept the inspiring card for myself I didn’t deprive my friend Fiona of the “action expresses priorities” quote. I ‘fessed up and told her on a Skype call and showed her the card — the gorgeous statue of Shiva danced its way across the Atlantic ocean via my Skype camera.  (Because another of my priorities is to share truth and beauty where I find it, even if I am too clingy to send the actual card!) Then Fiona and I had a vigorous conversation about what “action expresses priorities” means for each of us.

The message feels huge both for my personal life and for my writing life. What does it mean to you?
If you want to tell us, I’d love to hear in the comments box below. If not, then just breathe it in for yourself, keep it warm against your heart.

Tania Casselle is a writer for magazines, book publishers, and online media. She also coaches writers and leads online writing seminars  including the successful Write to the Finish online course by phone and email for writers working on a book. She leads in-person writing workshops and retreats in beautiful places, usually teaching with her husband, the Hemingway award-winning author Sean Murphy. See more WriterMuscle posts or sign up to receive future Writer Muscle updates – down-to-earth advice from a seasoned writer.