Documenting My Book Writing Journey: Week 5

This week was a week full of stress, personal failures (at least perceived ones) and surprises. I was really tempted to beat myself up about it this week, but we all know that doesn't help anything. 

If you're feeling like a literary failure this week, consider this blog post to be a warm hug from me to you. It's going to be okay, my friend.

January 27, 2025

The problem with being a workaholic...

I started today late - Nathan got back from his trip and we went to breakfast (I actually left the house - holy smokes). It's hard for me to not jump straight into work in the morning, so taking this time off to catch up after his trip was important but difficult for me. 

Thankfully, it's a Monday so the restaurant wasn't busy. I faced too of my fears today: leaving the house, and eating in a public place - and we can call it three fears, if you count "losing" time not working on my business. (This is a mindset problem I'm working on).

I spent last week forcing myself to write, and hit that 12,000 word count which was pretty cool, but when I sat down today things just didn't flow. I had written myself into a corner, and that meant it was time to pull out The Complete Novelist's Kit and reconnect with the story. 

What to Do When You're Completely Stuck

The characters felt flat to me today. The story felt thin. My inner critic is LOUD, especially when I'm tired. The Complete Novelist's Kit helps with that because it uses a bunch of questions to help you figure out where your story needs work the most. 

In using my character planner inside the kit, I realized that I needed another character. There wasn't enough tension, conflict, or mystery (it's the first draft, so that's okay) and a token character could fix all three of those things. 

So we have a new character, and he's an anti-hero. I haven't officially named him yet (I gave him the placeholder name of Merv because I was thinking about Home Alone today) but I swear he isn't anything like that. It was just something floating around in my subconscious. 

Two tips came out of this that you'll find useful: 

1. it's okay to re-evaluate where you're at when you're stuck. Part of getting your creative brain to trust you is practicing starting over. Sometimes we get so paralyzed when it's time to start because we feel so pressured to be perfect. That pressure comes from being afraid we only have one chance - and that's just not true. So make big, messy mistakes. It will be okay. 
2. if you're feeling stuck, bring a little levity to the situation. Make it funny. Turn it on its head. Do whatever it takes to stop taking things so seriously. 

January 28, 2025: The Overwhelm Kicks In

This week just felt like personal failure all over the place. In our private coaching group, I was prepping for a BIG masterclass on growing your author account on Instagram (a huge success, as I go back and edit this part of the blog post) but because I was so preoccupied, a lot of my other work suffered. 

I'm being serious when I say it was difficult to give myself a little bit of grace for this. The presentation had something over 300 slides, and was a complex explanation of social media - and for some reason, I couldn't give myself a break for putting all of my creative energy into that and not into my book. 

Is this silly beyond belief? Yes. But I need you to know that when you talk to me about overwhelm, I get it. Believe me, I get it one zillion percent. The worst part is that my overwhelm is optional - I literally do this to myself - and I still fall into this trap all the time. 

Here's something that might help: 

Overwhelm leads to burnout. Burnout leads to things falling apart. Things falling apart leads to...well, I don't need to tell you where that goes. 

(I hope you like my Star Wars reference - I'm always looking for goofy ways to tie this into my life)

But what do we do with this overwhelm if, unlike me, your overwhelm is not optional? 

A lot of my students have jobs that don't include their writing. A lot of them are parents, or students, or just have busy lives (for completely valid reasons). 

This is what I tell them to do, and what I coach them through when we talk about it: 

• take away everything that isn't essential. Even writing. 
• get recharged. Eat, sleep, go to work. Just do the bare minimum. 
• When you stop feeling like a zombie and start feeling like a person again, start adding things back again. One at a time. SLOWLY. 

The key to defeating overwhelm is to understand it and respond to it appropriately. This is the only way to manage it so you don't burn out. 

January 29, 2025: Breaking Through the Fear with Tools

In addition to crippling overwhelm, I realized fear was the root of my block. I was terrified of getting things wrong, so I procrastinated. To push through, I returned to The Complete Novelist's Kit. The structure and guidance from the kit helped me break free from my fear and create a clear plan for moving forward.

I will probably scream this from the rooftops until the day I die, so here we are again:

Pansters need structure, too. 

Considering yourself a pantser doesn't mean you're above structure, and if you're a pantser because structure stresses you out, that only means you haven't found the right one yet. I hate structure. I hate people and ideas policing my writing. I HATE BEING TOLD WHAT TO DO. But if you're prepared correctly and you've learned the right skills, structure will hold you up when you feel like the world is caving in. 

I had this conversation with a client the other day. She was stressing about some things we were working through - we had some big goals, and the question was, but I don't know how to do this. What will I do when I get to (goal)? 

My answer is the same one it always is: we're learning systems and structures now that will support us when we get there. 

I have no idea how I'm going to edit, publish, sell, market my book. But I do know that I have systems and structure that I've developed over the last 20 years that support me when things get tough, and even though I don't always know what I'll need to know in the future, I have faith in my systems that when the time comes, they'll be there. 

One of those systems is The Complete Novelist's Kit. I made this for me and my students to document the systems I use and to help limit the overwhelm we all feel. I will always, always recommend it, not just because I made it, but because it works. 

Recently, I got a message from someone who bought the kit: 

(this image was used with permission)

I get messages like this one all the time - and I need you and everyone to know that I cry actual tears when I get them, because I know the pain I went through that drove me to make this kit. I know the frustration and the creative fatigue and the impostor syndrome that makes people want to quit writing their books. 

And now I know the relief of realizing there is an easier way to do it. Thousands of other writers all over the world do, too.

January 31: Finding Momentum Again

I gave myself the day off today, because I spent several hours preparing for How to Grow Your Author Account on Instagram in our private coaching group. 

It was a massive success, and my brain needed a massive break.

February 1: Merv Gets a Name

Since I've been feeling really overwhelmed at the task of writing, I spent time today looking over my character planners and especially working through our new mysterious character. What are his motivations? What does he want? How does he help the plot? 

Most importantly, what is his name?

Well, my friend, we got one: Gideon. 

I actually hate this name for characters, which was why it surprised me when he popped into my brain. I had that, oh...that's who you are, moment. (If you've ever had this sudden connection with a character, where they appear in your brain fully-formed, then you'll know how special this moment is). 

I really couldn't argue with him anymore. 

Okay, Gideon? Who are you and what do you want? 

He has yet to tell me, but I have a funny feeling we're going to find out soon.

February 2: Reflecting and Recharging for the Week Ahead

Technically it's the second day of February (happy groundhog day for me) but it's the last day of my workweek/fiscal month so today I reconnected with my writing plan in the Annual Book Writing Planner. 

Things got a little bit off track in January - between personal challenges and my own disorganization, it happens, and I was ready for it. (There's a second in the planner called challenges and solutions, where it walks you through how to anticipate challenges and plan for them. I use it all the time, which is why I'm not freaking out right now). 

The planner helped me outline what I should be looking at in February to stay on top of my goals: 

• I want to have the first draft done by March, so I'm looking at 50,000 words in February. That's about 12,500 words/week in February, which is a lot but it's very doable. With the right priorities I'm confident I can do this. 
• I didn't finish my character arc planning in January like I'd hoped, but I did create better understanding of the characters in general, which is more than what I had in the beginning. I'm not complaining. 

It's Okay to Start Over

When things go haywire (and they do) it can feel like the only option you have is to spin out and quit. One of my best mentors, however, taught me that you don't need to quit - you just need to take a time out. 

It's okay to do what you have to do to get out of crisis mode. I needed last week to reset, because the month of January was a roller coaster. No one would have liked what I wrote, anyways, not even me - because when you push too hard, the creative brain evaporates. 

I'm excited for February. I'm excited for this upcoming month. And I'm excited to see where this year will continue to take us.

What's Up Next?

If you’re facing your own writing challenges and want the same tools that helped me break through my own writer’s block, check out The Complete Novelist's Kit. It's designed to guide you through the writing and publishing process, offering structure and clarity when you need it most. Click here to get your copy and start making progress today!