writing habits – My Writing Hero

Top 10 Reasons to Write Your Novel Out of Order

Posted on July 17, 2020August 31, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

Great novels feel seamless.

The plot is tight, the conflict compelling and believable, the characters jump off the page. Every detail feels organic, as though it couldn’t have been written in any other way than what we’re reading.

This impression, however, can be a little misleading.

When we flip through published novels on bookstore shelves, it’s all too easy to imagine that the writer simply sat down and churned out the book from beginning to end.

**But this is actually not how most authors work.**

Research comparing processes of novice and advanced writers finds that experienced writers tend to work on whatever is easiest for them at the moment, rather than forcing themselves to work in a specific order.

Many writers I’ve worked with who write out of sequence (especially those of us with ADHD) view their nonlinear approach as a sign of their own incompetence—when in actuality it’s a sign that they’re relatively advanced in their process.

So here’s the good news: Just because our readers will read the story linearly, from page one to The End, doesn’t mean we have to write it that way—it doesn’t mean our process has to be linear.

Writing out of sequence can be incredibly freeing, and there are a lot of advantages to this approach.

Here are my top ten reasons to write your novel out of order:

How to Set Up an ADHD-friendly Writing Schedule

Posted on July 3, 2020September 16, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

“Just sit down and write.”

“It’s not about having time, it’s about making time.”

“If you really cared about writing, you’d do it.”

The problem with most writing advice is that it assumes what works for neurotypical writers will work for all writers.

But for writers with ADHD, these refrains only serve to make us feel worse.

Wanting to write but, inexplicably, not being able to, is like being trapped in a glass box where you can see the other side—can see other people doing it—but everywhere you turn you’re bumping into an invisible obstacle.

Once I started working with more writers like me—writers with ADHD—I began to realize that these invisible obstacles weren’t laziness or procrastination or lack of motivation.

They were part of the ADHD experience that most writers (and most writing coaches) don’t understand.

What follows are strategies I’ve used to help both myself and other ADHD writers make more consistent progress on a regular basis. Here are some simple steps you can take to create a writing schedule that works with your ADHD—instead of against it.

Beyond Plotter/Pantser: How to Level-Up Your Writing Practice

Posted on May 15, 2020May 14, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

This question comes up a quite a bit in the online writing community, drawing a distinction between the writers who painstakingly map out their plot before writing (the “plotter”) and those who write “by the seat of their pants” and dive into writing without planning (the “pantser”).

At first glance, this distinction seems useful. And in many ways, it is.

But there is a lot more to this question than people realize—and a huge missed opportunity in the way it’s currently being asked!

How to Eliminate Writer’s Block with Freewriting

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

woman in orange shirt looking at laptop, her hands on the sides of her head

Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links—that means we make a small commission when you purchase through them. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and it helps support our efforts to keep this blog going.

We’ve all been there.

Our fingers freeze above the keyboard. The pen stops scribbling, seemingly of its own accord. The cursor blinks, taunting us.

Maybe we don’t know what happens next in the story. Maybe we feel overwhelmed at how much revision the draft needs, so we avoid opening the document altogether. Maybe we’re frustrated, confused, or just plain bored.

Whether you want to call it writer’s block, losing your mojo, or a creative speed-bump—feeling like you can’t keep writing can really, really suck.

There are a multitude of strategies for busting through blocks, but freewriting might be the simplest of them all.

Free your pen, free your mind

The concept of freewriting is very straightforward: Set a timer for five to ten minutes and write—typically longhand, with pen and paper—without stopping or worrying about mechanics, grammar, or quality of writing.

Try to keep your pen moving until the timer goes off, even if all you can write is “I don’t know what to write.” Just keep going.

Freewriting is not a new concept. William Butler Yeats, Dorothea Brande, and Jack Kerouac all used freewriting in one form or another. Natalie Goldberg and Julia Cameron both advocate for freewriting as an important developmental practice for writers and artists alike.

The goal is not to produce “good” writing; rather, the ultimate goal of freewriting is to free up your mind to put words on the page, stretch your imagination, and get the creative juices flowing.

Here are 10 different ways you can use freewriting to overcome writer’s block.

How to Nurture Your Creativity In Times of Crisis

Posted on May 1, 2020May 1, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

woman's face, partially obscured by hand, completely covered in multiple colors of paint

In the world of the current pandemic crisis, I’ve seen something pretty disturbing—and I’m not talking about the disease itself.

Over and over online, I’ve seen folks promoting the idea that if you’re not using this time to better yourself or write a bestseller or create beautiful art, you’re lazy, unmotivated, or undisciplined.

I call B.S.

People react to crisis in different ways. Some need to increase activity and be productive, and some need to decrease activity and rest.

Neither of these responses is better than the other, and it’s unfair to shame anyone for their legitimate crisis response.

And if you’re feeling blocked creatively right now, guess what? That’s completely normal.

Your brain is undergoing a prolonged stress response, and a part of this response involves diverting the brain’s ability to solve new problems and juggle complex activities to one central task: survive.

So if you’re writing a ton or not writing at all, working diligently on your work-in-progress or scribbling inconsistently, that’s perfectly okay. There are other ways to feed your creativity even when you’re not working on your WIP.

Here are 10 simple things you can do to nurture your creativity even during uncertain times.

How to Stick to Your Writing Resolutions All Year Long

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Cathy Kirch

There’s nothing magical about the New Year.

Nothing supernatural happens when the clocks click midnight on January 1st.

But New Year’s can (and does) still hold the potential to be incredibly powerful. This is something that every writer knows: narrative, and our sense of a shift in narrative, can be hugely impactful.

That’s why we set New Year’s resolutions—and why many of us feel a renewed energy at the beginning of the year.

But with almost a month of 2020 behind us, the strength of conviction we felt when we set our resolutions may be starting to dwindle. In fact, 80% of people who make New Year’s resolutions will abandon them by the second week of February!

Let’s not be part of that statistic this year. Here are three simple strategies to help you stick to your New Year’s writing resolutions—not just for a month or two, but all year long: