127. Writing practice. "I can do this." (Step 2)

“To write a novel, you really need to be able to already be able to sit down and write. Even if it's just a little bit at a time.”


This episode is part of a mini-series based on the “Trust Your Creative Heart Roadmap” where Beth Barany discusses the method she developed to help writers go from idea to published science fiction and fantasy novel.

In “Writing practice. ‘I can do this.’" (Step 2) How To Write the Future podcast host, Beth Barany continues her exploration of the roadmap where she asks two questions to help you assess where you are with your writing practice and shares why it’s important to focus on all aspects of writing.

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ABOUT THE HOW TO WRITE THE FUTURE PODCAST

The How To Write The Future podcast is for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to write positive futures and successfully bring those stories out into the marketplace. Hosted by Beth Barany, science fiction novelist and creativity coach for writers. We cover tips for fiction writers and get curious about the future of humanity.

ABOUT BETH BARANY

Beth Barany, an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist, teaches novelists how to write, edit, and publish their books as a coach, teacher, consultant, and developmental editor.

RESOURCES

GET HELP WITH YOUR WORLD BUILDING - START HERE

Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

Sign up for the 30-minute Story Success Clinic with Beth Barany: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/story-success-clinic/

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• SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
• SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade

c. 2024 BETH BARANY

https://bethbarany.com/

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Transcript

127. Writing practice. "I can do this." (Step 2)

BETH BARANY: Hey, everyone. Welcome to How To Write the Future. I'm Beth Barany, your host, creativity, coach writer, novelist, podcast, host filmmaker, all the things, and writing teacher. I’m with you here sharing my Trust Your Creative Heart Roadmap.

And today we're doing step two. So, if you missed the overview where I go through all eight steps very quickly. Or you missed step one, go ahead and check out those episodes.

[31] Step Two: Your Writing Practice

BETH BARANY: So today, I am queuing up my stuff here. Today, I am going to talk about what I'm calling step Two. Step One was an assessment, and a clarification and clarifying your goals.

Step Two is focusing on your writing practice, getting your writing practice going.

Now, maybe you already have a writing practice because you've been keeping a journal for a long time, or maybe you write non-fiction, or you write for work, and you know how to get yourself to the writing.

What I've noticed, over the years of working over two decades with writers is that to write a novel, you really need to be able to already be able to sit down and write. Even if it's just a little bit at a time. That's really all that you need to get going into learn how to get better at writing on a regular basis.

Because a big part of being able to write long form, being able to write fiction, being able to have a career where you write a lot of books is the ability to know how to get yourself to the writing. I liken it to coming up to the trough and then drinking. It's a two-step process. And what I mean by that is setting up the conditions In terms of your environment, in terms of blocking off time in your schedule, and then also it's how do you get yourself past some resistance past the blank page, past the doubts and the fears and the worries. There is a thing I like to say, which is writing begets writing.

Once we get started, it's easy to keep going, but getting started is often the hardest part. So, building that writing habit and knowing how to start by putting words on a page that will take you halfway there. So, there's several things that can help you do that.

One is an attitude of, "I can do this. “And I'm going to tell you right now, "You can do this. “If you can sit down and write a few sentences, then you can sit down and learn how to write scenes and learn how to write books. So, the trick is start writing. Because writing begets writing.

 And I will clue you in, onto my very favorite tool to do this, which is timed writing. Timed writing is a great way that I get started, that my husband, who is also a writer, gets started.

And between the two of us, we've each written several dozen novels. I think I'm on novel number 16 at this recording. And I think my husband is on like novel number 20. Yah, we still use timed writing to get ourselves started. And sometimes, we use a variation of that. Like I've heard my husband say things like, I’m just going to write five words. That’s awesome.

And sometimes when I'm really tired and feeling very drained, but I want forward momentum, I will say, I'm just going to look at my story. So that means I have to open it up and look at it. or open up my story notes. I'm just going to look at my story notes. That gets me going every single time.

Even if it's for five or 10 minutes. Afterwards, I feel so much better that I focused on my writing.

[03:55] The Two Questions

BETH BARANY: Now there's two questions I like to ask to help you assess where you are with your writing practice. And that is: What is already working for you? What is working? That could be that you already know how to sit down and get started.

That could be that you have so many ideas, you don't know what to do with them. And so, you have a lot to say. That could be you love working in certain mediums. You love writing in your notebook or you love typing into Microsoft Word or Scrivener or another writing program. Or you love the research phase and writing things down and organizing your notes. So, what in your writing practice right now is working for you? I’d love to know. And it would be good for you to know most importantly. And then the second question, and if you've listened to step one, this will be familiar. It’s: What would you like more of? So, when you think of your writing practice, and I'm just gonna use myself as an example right now, when I think of my writing practice, what is it that I would like more of. And actually, I'm at the phase where I'm doing a lot of dictation. So, I want to practice more dictation, not dictation of fiction, per se, but dictation of my creative process notes, more on the journaling side. That’s what I'm thinking about when I think of my writing practice right now. I actually, Can sit down, and I can get to work. But it took a lot of practice. It wasn't easy at first.

[05:21] One more component about the Writing Practice

BETH BARANY: Now there's one more component about the writing practice is, I remember when I first started, I didn't know what to write.

I knew I wanted to write fiction, but I didn't know what to say, even though the desire was there. So, part of having a writing practice is having something to say. So, part of the practice is the saying what you can say and putting it down on the page. 

 So, the other very important tool that I use is free writing.

So often when I’m doing timed writing, I'm actually doing free writing because that is very much being in the present with my thoughts and my ideas. And my doubts and my worries and my fears and just writing them down.

And then from there, I can ask myself questions about the story, which we're going to touch on starting in Step Three. We're going to start to talk about story development. So, stay tuned for that.

Today we talked about step two in my Trust Your Creative Heart Roadmap, helping you go from idea to finished science fiction and fantasy novel that you are so proud of, that you are publishing, that you are marketing, that you are so excited that readers can find your book.

[06:33] STAY TUNED FOR STEP THREE

BETH BARANY: All right. Stay tuned for step three, where I will talk more about story and story development.​

[06:39] Workbook

BETH BARANY: And just so you know, there is a little workbook that comes with the series.

So be sure to check that out in the link, or go ahead and put into the comments, if you're listening to this on YouTube and say, "Send me the workbook." There is a workbook that comes along with this roadmap.

So that’s it for this week. Write long and prosper.