As an editor, one question I hear over and over from clients is how to know when you’ve done enough self-editing and don’t need any more revisions. Writers tend to be perfectionists, so it can be challenging to know when they are finished self-editing and can move onto the next stage.

As a general rule, a piece requires at least three to five read throughs. These will include editing for content as well as editing for the writing itself.

Dealing with the content and other big picture elements, like structure, before jumping into editing the writing can help save you a lot of time. Consider you’ve written a scene, and you spend hours and hours editing the writing. It takes you days to get the scene exactly the way you want it. Then later, as you read through and continue with your editing, you realize that that scene doesn’t actually belong in your book at all!

It’s important to note that even though there will certainly be scenes or sections that you will end up cutting from your book, NONE of that writing time (or editing time!) is ever a waste. You learn from every section you write, and from every section you cut. Just like writing is a practice by which you improve, so is editing. With each scene you cut, you recognize and learn to avoid writing that DOESN’T work, a skill which is just as important as recognizing strong writing.

Some writers try to edit both the writing and the content concurrently, but I advise against this. Doing so will likely lead to overwhelm and cause you to overlook mistakes that you would have otherwise caught. It is more effective for you to zero-in on specific elements with each read through.

This takes us back to our question: how do you know when it's actually done? At what point do you say, “That's it, this piece is finished. I cannot make it any better than it is”? Especially when, with each read through, you’re still making changes here and there?

If the changes that you’re making are still related to content and structure, then you aren’t finished yet. If you are still making changes to the plot or cutting and pasting sections, or deleting sections altogether, then you are not finished yet.

Keep editing until the content and the structure of your book are solid. You’ll know you’re done if the writing is strong, and you are only making tiny tweaks. A minor change in word order. A change in word choice. Removing italics from a line. Adding an elusive comma. When all that's left is those tiny tweaks, then you know you're done.

With shorter works, like short stories and articles and pieces that are under about ten thousand words, probably three to five read-throughs will be more than enough. During those three to five rounds, you will be able to make all of the structural changes, content changes, and writing related, grammar, line editing changes that you need to make.

But when you're talking about something that is longer, like an e-book of around thirty thousand words or a full length fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty thousand word book, then It's probably going to take you more than three to five rounds. The truth of the matter is that most books that make it to the shelf have gone through so many rounds of edits, closer to ten, some even closer to twenty.

And yes, depending on which part of the process you prefer, this might overwhelm you. But if you remind yourself that this is what’s best for your book, that these rounds of edits make it a stronger story, and that this is how you will be able to put out your very best work, that understanding will help keep you motivated and stick to it until it’s finished.

Have you got a great book idea, but don’t know how to start? Have you started writing several manuscripts, but haven’t completed any? 

If you answered yes to either of these questions, then step into the light, my friend…

Let me share with you a few strategies that most published authors follow: 

1. Focus on ONE project. Decide which of the several manuscripts sitting in your drawer (or on your computer) you feel most passionate about, and forget about the rest for now. If ideas come up for the others as you work on this one, jot those ideas down, but do not spend your writing time fleshing them out. Dedicate any writing time you have to the one project you chose. 

2. Do some amount of planning before you jump in. For some, this will be a full outline. For others, it will simply be a set (or sets) of ideas regarding what the story is about and it’s general trajectory. If you’re writing fiction, determine your main plot points and spend time developing your characters. If you’re writing fantasy, spend some time world building. For non-fiction, sketch out the main points you will discuss, and any related subpoints. Putting in the time now, before you begin the project, will help you keep the details of your manuscript straight so you don’t get confused or distracted later on. 

3. Write down your intention for this specific project. Why are you writing it? Who will benefit from it? Keep this, your “why,” printed in front of you, so you can easily refer to it as you write. This will help you stay focussed when, as so often happens in writing, you find yourself veering off the path. 

4. Know that to be a writer, you must write EVEN when you are not inspired. Louis L’Amour is quoted to have said, “Start writing no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” This is one of my favorite writing quotes, because it captures the writer’s journey so perfectly. Who doesn’t want to feel inspired? We all do! But what distinguishes someone who will finish from someone will just continue to dream—what distinguishes a professional from an amateur—is that the first will remain committed to writing regularly, while the second will wait for inspiration... which may never strike. Commit to writing daily. This may be a minimum number of words, or a certain amount of “butt in chair” time. In either case, decide which, and stick with it! 

5. Don’t censor or edit as your write. If you do so, you run the risk of never finishing. Remember that this is just your first draft; it doesn’t have to be perfect right at the start. Actually, it doesn’t even have to be good; it just has to be written! You can work with a first draft. You can revise and rewrite it later on. You can’t, however, do anything with a blank page. So for now, focus on just getting this story written, getting it out of your mind and onto the page, even if you know it still needs work. 

Finishing your first draft is completely possible with some time and commitment. If it has always been your dream to write a book, follow the strategies above, and you WILL get there! 

If you’d like further guidance on your project, or you still feel overwhelmed by the process, contact me for a complimentary writing-coaching session so we can get you back on track.

Last week I eagerly worked through a Sudoku puzzle book. The ones towards the beginning of the book were easier, but as I got to the last few pages, they became much more challenging. Annoyingly challenging. The type of challenging where you just want to throw the book across the room, and smack the person who designed these things to begin with! But if you’re doing Sudoku, you aren’t the type of person to just give up. And neither am I.

But I realized that in order to move forward, I needed to pause. I needed a break so that I could return to the puzzle with fresh eyes.

So when I got to that point where I’d been staring at the page for over 15 minutes, unable to place any additional numbers, I stuck my pencil inside and closed the book. I got up and did some work, then some chores around the house, and since those are never ending, I remained busy until after dinner. As my kids sat to do their homework, I picked up that Sudoku book again. And within minutes, I was already filling in those squares that I had left empty. Before I knew it, I’d completely solved the puzzle.

That break helped my mind relax, so that when I came back to it, I was better able to focus and think. That ‘restart’ was enough to help me solve the remainder of the puzzle.

It’s the same with writing scenes that give us trouble. Often just a short break from your writing will give your subconscious mind the space to think while allowing your conscious mind to rest (from this subject, at lease).

Run errands, or finish some work. Do some chores, or read, or get some exercise. It doesn’t matter what activity you busy yourself with; the pause will likely be enough to help rejuvenate your thinking and creativity, so you can finish writing that scene.

During a recent coaching call, one of my clients shared that she was torn between sending her character to a setting she is familiar with as opposed to one which would be better for her character’s journey, but that she herself has never been to. I said, “You have to do what’s best for your character, not what’s best for you.”  

Now, by “what’s best” I didn’t mean what’s easy. I didn’t mean to give him a fun, happy, carefree ride. What I meant was: do what will show us—the reader—the character’s growth. Do what will raise the stakes, what will keep us invested in his journey, what will keep us rooting for him, on the edge of our seats, wondering how things will turn out.

Often we find ourselves wanting to write about places we have never been to. We feel anxious, wanting to give an accurate depiction but fearing that we may fall short. While it is always best to explore such real life settings first hand, research can take you very far. Put in the time; don’t just read about the location or look at images that your internet browser pulls up for you, but try to make contact with people who live(d) there. Online writers communities are wonderful places to meet people from all over the world willing to help you in any way they can, including helping you get a better feel for their hometowns. Connecting with other online groups from your desired location is another way to get varied and accurate accounts of life in the area. Some of the things you should ask about are: the weather at different times of the year and how the residents deal with it, vernacular, popular hangouts, little known facts, community quirks, architecture of the homes, majority and minority demographics, local industry, general level of education of residents, the presence of local universities or colleges, night life, popular shopping centers and restaurants. Listen to the stories residents of your desired town have to tell. Listen to how the story is being told, not just what it is about. You can learn so much by just engaging in conversation with people. Let them show you their pictures; pay as much attention to the background of those images as to the foreground.

Remember that the best stories are built deliberately. Don’t ever sink into the familiar at the expense of your story. If the scene that moves your story forward and develops your character means you must step outside of your own comfort zone, then that is exactly what you must do. Always, always, always, do what’s best for your story; there is a huge chance that when you do that, you will grow too.

In last week’s post, I provided some general strategies to help writers get unstuck. This week I’ll discuss how to maneuver crossroads and dead ends in your pieces.

Sometimes when we write, we don’t always know where the story is going. We write believing the story will lead us, trusting the process, the journey. But sometimes along the way, we come to a crossroads, and are unsure of which path to take. Do we allow our protagonist to fall back in love with the one who scorned her? Do we allow her to take that vacation, or should she just get back to work? Should our killer take one more victim, or is this moment her chance for redemption? So many possibilities that they can lead to overwhelm, and thus, an inability to make any progress in the piece. What do we do then? How do we choose which path is the best for our story? 

Examine the possibilities and ask yourself the following questions:

• Which path are you most drawn to or passionate about?

Often one of those roads will pull at you more than any other. Recognize that; you may not be able to actualize it, but be honest with yourself about which path you want. By doing so, you will make sure to put in any required effort that could make this path work.

• Which path holds the most intrigue/engagement for your readers?

Look at the story from a reader’s perspective and determine which path will hold your interest longer. Which path will leave you on the edge of your seat, or make you gasp in shock, or lead you to tears? Determine which path will evoke the most emotion.

• Which path provides your protagonist with the most fully developed character arc?

Your character is the center of this story; your main goal as a writer is to unravel a story that keeps your readers invested in your character’s journey. Which path has little effect on the character? Which shows her growth? Which shows her regression? Determine which is the most intriguing.

If the answer to these questions lies on one specific path, then you’ve determined how to continue with your story. If not, analyze if or how you could make the answers converge. Are there certain elements in one path that you can adopt in the other? Often just a minor adjustment, achieved by perhaps taking a different perspective of the situation, will help you decide.

Perhaps what’s holding you back isn’t that you’ve come to a crossroads in the story, but rather that you’ve hit a dead end. You feel like the story is over too soon, or you simply don’t know how to advance it. In that case, consider the following:

• Ask yourself (and your characters) about the possibilities. What could happen next? List all the possibilities, even those that seem absurd. Keep listing ideas until you’ve exhausted them all. Then review them. Which will help show your protagonist on her journey? Which will reveal secrets about her character? About her desires? Her fears? Which will help her get to her destination? Which will make that journey more challenging, so challenging that she becomes someone different, someone stronger (or weaker!), someone more (or less) confident? Which ideas will make her think she’s getting what she wants, but will in fact give her what she needs? Or, which path will make her think she’s getting what she needs, only to find out it’s a dead-end, and she’s right back where she began, and now she’s a different person for none of the reasons that started her on that path to begin with?

• Consider restructuring the story, so that certain events come before (or after) where they originally appear. Will that open some options for your characters? Can this change in the sequence of events help the narration?

• What about introducing (or doing away with) friends or foes? Can new characters provide with a stronger, more engaging plot line?

Brainstorm. Imagine yourself inside your story, imagine the possibilities, and take it from there.

Remember that your mindset will either be your biggest ally or your worst enemy. If you keep telling yourself ‘this story is going nowhere,’ it will do just that. If you keep telling yourself ‘I can’t write this,’ ‘I’m stuck,’ or ‘this is hopeless,’ those negative thoughts will set you up for failure. But if you tell yourself ‘I’m going to get this,’ ‘I’m going to write this story and it will be engaging,’ then you’ll do just that. Be very mindful of your self-talk. Nourish that positive mindset regularly until your goals become reality.

We all get stuck sometimes. Don’t linger there; use the techniques I’ve highlighted in this article and the one previous to get your creative juices going. Or check out this conversation between Joanna Penn and K.M. Weiland on the subject. Use these tips to finish that piece. You’ve got this!

There is lots of controversy surrounding the legitimacy of writer’s block, but I’m not going to argue for or against it here. Whether or not writer’s block is a real phenomenon is inconsequential; the truth is, all writers eventually find themselves at a point where they feel unable to proceed, where they are unsure of the direction to take their piece, or they run out of ideas completely, or they simply feel deflated by a lack of external validation, and these feelings reflect as creative obstacles. In this article I will share some techniques to help you overcome whatever is preventing you from getting those words down.

While our emotional state doesn’t appear to be directly related to our creative ability, the truth is that if our emotional state is disturbed, our entire being is affected. We are affected physically and mentally, and consequently, creatively. Such emotional chaos can overwhelm us to the point of paralysis; we are not able to reason or work or think about anything clearly.  

Even if the underlying cause of your emotional distress cannot be easily removed or fixed, there are still ways for you to clear this internal chaos, so that you can again begin to create:

1. Write in your journal. Release your pent up anger or fear or anxiety or sadness onto pages that you know are safe from prying eyes. Let the words—or drawings or doodles—go where they need to. Sometimes the physical act of getting words on paper releases you, even if you begin by not knowing what to say or quite what’s bothering you.

2. Write a letter. This works similarly to the concept of journaling, but I find that letter writing offers greater relief. Address the letter to the person who hurt you, to the one you’re missing, to the loved one who has passed. To someone you’re mourning, even if that is you. It could be a letter to God. Or to a concept: to your success, your dreams, your failures, your goals, your fears. Writing a letter helps put the emotions out of you. It helps to organize them so that you can review and analyze them, and thus think (and create!) more clearly. Even if the letter is to an actual person, you don’t have to send it; often penning it is enough to release the turmoil inside of you.

Regardless of whether or not the barrier to your writing flow is emotional, the following techniques can help you overcome that barrier:

1. Go for a walk, especially outdoors. Physical activity gets blood pumping to all areas of your body, including, of course, your brain, helping to stimulate thoughts and creativity. The fresh outdoor air—the sights, sounds and smells of nature—provide you with a sense of serenity while simultaneously connecting you with a larger purpose, provoking inspiration and direction.

2. Read. Reading in your genre can help inspire you. Immersing yourself in someone else’s creativity can often spur your own. Reading in your craft can help increase your knowledge and elevate your style, which will in turn widen your mindspace to allow you to create.

3. Remind yourself of your purpose. One of the main methods of remaining committed to your writing is remembering the intention you had when you began the piece, acknowledging how it will affect your readers, and realizing how much they will gain from it. Take time to reconnect with this intention.

4. Check your mindset. At this point, your mindset may be your biggest enemy. If you find yourself doubting yourself, or doubting your piece, then of course you will eventually get stuck. Like begets like, so if you keep cultivating negative thoughts, you will keep reaping negative results. “I can’t do this,” or “who am I to do this,” or “this task is too big,” or “I can’t write a book,” or “who am I to have a goal of bestseller status” are all thoughts that set you up for failure. I can not stress enough the importance of a positive mindset! The great thing about it is that it can be learned. When we repeat positive statements about ourselves and our work, we eventually begin to believe them. Not only that, but we take steps to actualize them. So even if you don’t believe those affirmation yet, keep repeating them to yourself. Keep saying them over and over, day after day, until eventually you find that they are indeed your own beliefs. This positive mindset will help you stay committed to your writing goal, remain focused on the result, and thus, help you to achieve it.

In Part 2 of this series, I’ll be discussing techniques that can help you maneuver crossroads and dead ends in your work. Make sure to tune in next week!

If you’re interested in working with me as your writing coach, fill in this form and we can schedule your complimentary session.

Artists of all kinds can spend their lifetimes being unappreciated. They can create piece after piece, only to have them sit unsold, uncared for. We've heard this story a million times. But the story that is less narrated is how those artists cope. The truth is that artisans generally (not always, but generally) yearn to share their work with an audience. They see beauty or serenity or clarity in their pieces, and they want to share these expressions with the world, to make it more beautiful, more peaceful, more clear. So what happens when that artist isn't able to do so? Or worse, what happens when that artist hears--often from people who claim to support her--that her work is a waste of time? That it is useless? That she should give it up and exert her time in more beneficial causes, like orphan advocacy, or cancer research, or environmental advocacy? What happens to her then?

Of course it depends on the personality of the artist. Some become discouraged. Some may even become so discouraged that they give up their craft, abandon it, and maybe even pretend like it was never a part of them to begin with. And they move on, to more normalized, more acceptable endeavors.

Some become depressed, feeling their work is unjustly attacked, feeling dismissed. These negative emotions can build so intensely that they send the artist into mental health and/or addiction problems. Because, quite frankly, no one enjoys the feeling of not being seen.

And some artists manage to hold onto themselves. They manage to say to all those who do not appreciate them, "My craft is important no matter what you think." And they continue. And maybe one day they find an appreciative audience, and maybe they never do. But they refuse to let the world dictate their worth. They refuse to listen to anyone who tells them their work is unimportant. They refuse to let the world kidnap them from who they truly are.

I encourage you to be the latter. The one who may not receive validation from others, but who knows her art has a place in this world, even if that place remains for her alone.

Protect your craft, because it is a part of you. Protect it because one day it could be someone else's saving grace.

I don't think anyone would doubt that orphan advocacy and cancer research are--on the scale of life and death importance--higher up than art, in all its forms. But there are people who find themselves in that work. There are people who have a passion to make waves in those fields. And we commend them. But why not allow each person to focus on what fulfills them, whatever that may be? Because even though cancer research is more vital than making art, cancer patients find peace and hope in art. They need it, in a way that is different from how they need their treatments.

There is a saying in Arabic which translates to "Give the dough to the baker." It means each person should do the work that she is skilled at, that she excels at, that she enjoys. By doing so, we can address the issues of the world in a more wholesome manner.

Be the artist who stays true to herself no matter who opposes her. Be the artist who creates pieces that affect and inspire others, so that humanity can constantly be working to make positive changes in the world.

Be that artist even if you are your only audience. Our world will be a better place for it.

Since the moment we are born, we are conditioned to hold certain beliefs. Some of those beliefs keep us safe, like believing in the dangers of heights, matches, and knives. But some of the beliefs that become ingrained in us throughout our lives turn out to be nothing more than real life Tropes that risk us maintaining a narrow view of a nuanced subject. Two that immediately come to mind are: moms are meant to sacrifice all that they are for their children; and pious people look, act, and behave in one very specific manner. Television, movies, and literature are finally calling these Tropes into question, opening our eyes to the diversity of experiences.

Movies like Bad Moms and platforms like those of Kristina Kuzmic bring up all the nuances of motherhood that have gone unaddressed for centuries. Until recently, western culture has held these common beliefs about motherhood: Moms should always be tolerant of their children's behavior; A badly behaving child reflects poor parenting; Moms should feel content sacrificing their careers for their families; All a mom wants to do is spend all her time with her children; Moms always love doting on their families; Moms don't need a social life; Moms should be able to care for their families 100% of the time without support or breaks.

Whether or not these beliefs were ever stated or written is irrelevant--society behaved as though these beliefs were undeniable.

But whereas mothers may have felt shame for expressing their contention with these beliefs before, today no such reservations exist. Moms are declaring everywhere that they need a break from their kids. They're showing society that they want to pursue their dreams and will not sacrifice them easily. They're declaring that parenthood is meant to be a shared responsibility where both parents invest in their children's upbringing and also in the management of the home. More and more movies are depicting these truths, more and more books are painting a more authentic picture of parenthood.

Likewise with religion. We are more apt to see fiction portraying the Christian protagonist hating his neighbor, or the Muslim protagonist getting drunk. In The Beauty of Your Face, by Sahar Mustafah, the young Muslim protagonist is promiscuous in her adolescence. In The Other Americans, by Laila Lalami, the Muslim protagonist drinks beer and goes on dates. Is this an affront Islam? Is it an invitation to behave similarly? Does portraying Muslims taking part in clearly unIslamic behaviors mean that we condone such conduct?
Not at all. The truth is fiction, in it's essence, is an art which lays bare the intricacies of human behavior and human emotions. It shows us all the angles of a character--his positive and his negative--because people are nuanced like that. We have our good and our bad. We do wrong even when we know it's wrong. Maybe we atone for it, maybe not. We do good even when there is no reward. Sometimes it makes us feel fulfilled, sometimes it leaves us feeling empty.

We do, regardless of whether or not it's what we should do. And that's what makes us human, makes us real, makes us relatable.

And if the movies we watch and the books we read are to have any standing with us, then they must portray us wholly, with all the many conflicting layers that compose us.

Are you ready to make your writing dreams come true?

Yes! I want to make my writing dreams a reality!

As a writer of fiction, I have sometimes been approached with skepticism about the importance of my work. I've heard some people say that fiction is a lie, and since lying is a sin, fiction too should be avoided.

Clearly I don't attest to this view, otherwise I wouldn't write the stories that I do.

I don't believe that fiction is a lie; I believe it's a portrayal into what could be. Just because my characters--with their specific names and attributes--are made up, does not mean that the obstacles they experience do not exist. Family life, in all it's complexities, is very real. Health issues, with their multifaceted aspects, are very real. Marital issues, with their varied dimensions, are very real. Spiritual and religious convictions or lack thereof, and the breadth they entail, are very real. Societal and community pressures and deficiencies are very real. And all of these life components influence us.

So if I describe a family going through a health crises, and show how the experience drains them, how it affects them financially, the repercussions it has on their marriage, is that a lie simply because these people are not alive? I make it clear when I write that my stories are created, made up. I do not claim that they are the stories of real people. I do not claim that these people exist at all. So how can that be a lie? It is created by my imagination; calling it fiction makes that point clear. But even made up stories can teach us something.

They can expose us to people and places we may not otherwise have known. They can lay bare experiences that could be true, and get us to think about how we would react in those situations, how we would be affected. They teach us not only about aspects that we may not be familiar with, but they help us to become even more familiar with ourselves. They help us understand and connect with people, and that is the cornerstone of empathy.

I recently read The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar. In my journey with Nour, the protagonist, I experienced the Syrian war from a completely different perspective. I was not watching the shelling of a foreign land nor seeing nameless victims killed, like we do when we watch the news. In reading the story, I was living the experience with Nour. It was my home that was being shelled, my family that was being attacked. It was personal. And it is precisely that feeling of kinship that opens our eyes, causes us to learn, and expands our sphere of emotion.

The reason character development is crucial in fiction is because without it, readers have no one to connect with, and thus, have nothing to gain. We gain by connecting with others, learning about their victories and trials, and finding compassion for them. Though stories we get to see them fully exposed, without the filters of real life, without the picket fences. We see the depths of their grief that we may have--in real life--never understood. We see their pain--a pain that may not exist in our own lives nor in the lives of our loved ones, and is not in our circle of concern. We see that pain, and if the author is talented, we live their life for a few pages, and get pulled down by their struggles. And in this way, we learn to be compassionate. We learn about the problems of life we may never encounter, we learn about ourselves, and perhaps most importantly, we learn about each other.

And if there is one type of knowledge that will help us be compassionate, empathetic, and yearn to make a difference, certainly it is that.

Are you ready to make your writing dreams come true?

Yes! I want to make my writing dreams come true!