I originally posted this on Twitter.

A screenshot of a document titled "In Case of Emergency, Break Glass." Transcript follows.
This is the transcript.

In Case of Emergency, Break Glass

Comforting Lies
• Charlie Jane said this. Toast her every time you remember: You are not stuck. Your characters are stuck. They are trying to figure out what to do. You are watching them work out what they’re going to do next. You’re just the one who is writing all this shit down.
• The only person who is going to see it in this state is [NAME.] They want to help you. Just write it badly and trust them to help.

Actually True
• You have never published an unrevised novel. You have never published an unrevised act. You have never published an unrevised chapter. You have never published an unrevised scene. You have never published an unrevised page. A handful of sentences and even fewer paragraphs met your standards when written on first draft. But you’re proud of every story you put into the world.
• What that means is this: Write it down. You will fix it. But you can’t fix it until you have let yourself write the awkward confusing version. You can fix it the moment you finish writing it. You can fix it a second time, a third, a fourth-and then you can cut it, rewrite it, restructure it, move it somewhere else, anything. Writing it down is not irrevocable. A clumsy sentence is not a failure. It’s useful material. Seeing how that sentence is wrong refines your vision.
• Getting caught up in what it should be is standing in the way of making it real.

What to do about it
• Forgive yourself for not being alight with the muse. Forgive yourself for days where you don’t feel good about what you wrote. Forgive yourself for all those days perfectionism fooled you and kept you away from the page. Nobody knows how to do this perfectly and nobody ever will.
• Sheer doggedness writes novels, not genius.
• It’s all right if you’d rather dust the baseboards today. It’s a good time to check in with your characters and let them bitch about the mess they’re in.
• The joy of doing it is why you do it. If you’re not feeling joyful, write something that trips the joyswitch.

Let’s do this.

/

It’s been a long time since I published a craft blog post, but I haven’t quit talking about craft. I made a Patreon account, and I have posts there about things like 

a synopsis writing guide that will help expose structural manuscript problems

how to evaluate a scene to make sure it’s doing the right things

how to build a story when all you have is a character

I do a new writing related post every month, available to patrons on a sliding scale basis – pick the level of patronage you can afford and you’re in!

Starting in August I am starting a Live Sessions tier, where I will explore a subject about the craft and business of writing on zoom, where you can ask more questions. Look for it then!

  1. I declare a vacation. Usually about a week long. I don’t look at any of my work during that week.
  2. I get out my paper journal and pen and I write in it every day. I just brain-dump, all my complaints and worries and selfish egotistical thoughts. I’m writing to purge myself of the crap that has built up.
  3. And then I read. I read every day. I read in my genre for one story, and then outside of my genre for one story. I’ve been catching up on “great” modern novels this year, but I’ve also been reading historical fiction, mystery, romance, and YA. I catch book recommendations from Stephen King, who hasn’t steered me wrong yet.
  4. I write about what I’ve read. Just free-form stuff about what I like, don’t like, what it sparks in me. It’s all private so I can write whatever I really think; no one is going to look at it anyway
  5. I go out of my way to enjoy art. A gallery or museum visit, getting lost in the met’s website, I listen to genres of music I don’t usually listen to every day but still enjoy. I look for award winning or classic film, but if what I want to watch is Captain America, well then okay.
  6. I read nonfiction. I should read more nonfiction, but honestly I have to be interested or need it for future projects. I read biographies rarely, but I will read about a period of history or something on a subject that fascinates me.
  7. I listen to podcasts. There are literally thousands of them. google “podcast (subject) and you’re likely to find something.
  8. If I get an idea while i’m refilling, i will scribble it down in a bunny folder, but I won’t immediately leap on it to make a story. I need seven ideas for a story, so acting too quickly won’t help…
  9. …But if I get mugged by an idea, then I follow it. getting an idea is one thing. you can scribble it down and forget about it. but sometimes a story comes in and it’s like…I don’t know. an entity. it’s got a setting I can see and characters who were born like Athena and things are happening that I need to write down. There’s no room in my brain for anything else, and I’m compelled to record what I see.

It’s been a long time since I published a craft blog post, but I haven’t quit talking about craft. I made a Patreon account, and I have posts there about things like 

  • a synopsis writing guide that will help expose structural manuscript problems
  • how to evaluate a scene to make sure it’s doing the right things
  • how to build a story when all you have is a character

I do a new writing related post every month, available to patrons on a sliding scale basis – pick the level of patronage you can afford and you’re in!

Starting in August I am starting a Live Sessions tier, where I will explore a subject about the craft and business of writing on zoom, where you can ask more questions. Look for it then!

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