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3 and ½ Steps To Outline Your Novel!

23/6/2020

Approximate reading time: 3 minutes

You can watch the accompanying video to this blog on my YouTube channel here.

Whether you’re a seasoned writer or new to the writing craft, my super-easy (and fun!) outlining method can help you to have your novel outlined in 15 minutes or less. As always, take what you feel is useful for your own process and leave what isn’t.

What you need before you start:
* Pen
* Lined notepad (with at least 4 clean pages)
* Alternatively, you can use a whiteboard and marker

Step 1. Rough outline notes.
Open your notebook to the first clean page. On the first line, write “Beginning”, then “Middle” somewhere around the middle, and “End” several spaces before the bottom. Under each of these sections, write down the ideas you have for the beginning, middle, and end of your story. Alternately, these can be Act 1, Act 2, Act 3. If you work on beats, you can do those instead. Remember, adapt every piece of writing advice to what works best for you.

You can keep this outline stage as detailed or as basic as you like. The main purpose is to get you thinking a bit more deeply about the manuscript as well as to show you that you have something to work with – or whether you should bother starting.

It also gives your ideas room to expand. Sometimes, it’s easier to get the thoughts flowing onto paper rather than keeping them swirling in your mind.

Once that is complete, move to . . .

Step 2. GMCF Statement.
This is what I call the “Goal, Motivation, Conflict, and Fear” statement. Understanding these four things deepens your story and helps with character development. If you want to know even more about each individual part in this stattement, you can watch my GMCF series of videos on my YouTube channel here.

At the top of your next clean page, write “GMCF Statement”. Put “Goal”, “Motivation”, “Conflict” and “Fear” as your subheadings every few lines under this main heading.

Then, ask yourself the following questions:

A. What does my character want?
- This is the goal. It can be internal, external, or both. Both is usually the better option, but stories can work with any of these. An external goal has to be tangible (e.g. a job promotion) whereas an internal goal can be more abstract – they probably don’t know what they need to achieve success from within. As an example, the internal could be something like needing to learn discernment when it comes to being vulnerable versus putting up boundaries.

B. Why does the person want it?
- This is the motivation behind the goal. There is always something that drives a character to do the things they do. What makes the character/s want what they want?

C. What is stopping the character from getting what they want?
- This is the conflict. The thing that is getting in the way of them getting what they want. It could also be destroying their motivation. Again, this can be something internal or external. Perhaps they are not confident enough (internal) or they have someone competing for the same job as them (external).

D. Fear is something a lot of writers skip, but I feel it adds an extra element to stories. Ask yourself what your character is scared of. Specifically, what they’re scared of if they don’t achieve their goal. What is the worst that could happen?

Note all of the ideas you get for these down under their appropriate subheading.

When you are done, it’s time to . . .

Step 3. Draw a mind map.
If you have never done a mind map, now is the time to try! They are amazing for all sorts of creative problem solving.

Write your mind map question in the middle of the page and put a circle around it. The mind map question should be some form of: what makes my character the only one who can play out this story?

Next, write all your ideas, even the ridiculous ones, off arrows coming from the middle circle. Check out my example below.

Once you are finished with that, go to the . . .

½ Step! The “miscellaneous” bits.
I do a quick miscellaneous notes page (which is why it’s only half a step!).

On this page, I include:
Setting.
- What country is the story set in? Is it rural or the city? Will it be in a mansion or tent?

Month/season
- Is it summer? What month? Does your character need to be wearing a jacket or bikini? Remember to think about whether it is the southern or northern hemisphere because the seasons will be different.

Themes
- What are the themes you want to work on in your novel? Is it putting yourself first? Learning to trust? Even if love is one of the themes – and it will be for a romance novel – try to break it down further. For instance, is it “all love is self-love”? Is it “what is unconditional love”?

Character description
- I tend to keep this simple, focusing on hair/eyes/skin, but you can go as detailed as you like.

And, that’s it. You’re done! This is my complete outlining process. It’s simple, fun, and gives you a lot to work with in such a small amount of time.

How did you go? Is there anything else you would like to know when it comes to outlining? Let me know in the comments.

Yours in writing,

A.K. Leigh xo

#outline #outlining #noveloutline #howtooutline #mindmap #GMCF #GMCFstatement #roughoutline #quickoutline #howtowrite

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Twelve Easy Eye Strengthening Exercises For Writers

19/5/2020

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Approximate reading time: 3 and 1/2 minutes
N.B. For those who prefer vlogs, the video version of this blog will be available soon.

Many people have commented on how good my eyesight is for someone who is both a writer and over the age of 40. I do not wear glasses – not for reading, writing, night-time use, or any other reason. I put some of this down to healthy living (no smoking or drinking, regular exercise, and being a vegetarian) and some to eye exercises I have performed for many years. I know it is not genetic, because everyone in my immediate family wears glasses, whether it’s for reading or other reasons.

If I included everything I do below to keep my eyes healthy, this blog post would be looooong. So I had to narrow it down to those exercises I felt would be the most helpful to writers.

There is a condition known as “digital eye strain” that is common amongst writers. Tell me if any of these symptoms sound familiar after a day spent at the computer:

-Dry eyes
-Tired eyes
-Sore, red eyes
-Blurred vision

These are the main symptoms I have addressed in the exercises below.

(Important note before you begin: check with your doctor before starting any exercise routine, even one that may seem innocuous to you):

The eye exercises:
1. Blink (50 times).
When you stare at a computer screen for long periods of time, something called your “blink rate” decreases. This can lead to tired, dry, and sore, red eyes because your eyes are not being lubricated by your blinking. I do around 50 blinks at the beginning of an eye training session and another 50 at the end. You can choose whatever number you wish.

2. Take regular breaks.
The longer you stay at your computer, the higher your risk of developing digital eye strain symptoms. Regular breaks are a must.

3. Distance training.
Don’t worry, I’m not asking you to go for a run! Working on a computer employs your short-range vision. You need to balance this out with spurts of distance vision. To do this, aim for the "20-20-20 rule", which states that you look up from your computer every 20 minutes, at something that is 20 feet (6 metres) away, for at least 20 seconds. The object you look at can be a roof corner or the bookshelf on the other side of the room, but also try to look out a window, or up at the trees if you’re outside. Follow this with more blinking.

4. Focus training A (10-15 times).
Pick a point in the distance that is in focus for you. Then, see if you can shift your focus until the point blurs. Adjust your focus again until it sharpens.

5. Focus training B (10-15 times).
If the above exercise is too tricky for you, stretch your hand out in front of you and point your finger. Focus on the tip of your finger. Notice how everything around it blurs? Next, move your gaze to a spot a little in front of your finger. See how your finger is blurred now? That is what you want to achieve.

6. Focus training C (10-15 times)
With your finger still out in front of you, slowly bring you finger toward the point between your eyebrows (while you focus on your finger). Then, move your finger away from your face until you are pointing again. Follow your finger with your eyes.

7. Ahoy, me hearties.
This is where you get to embrace your inner pirate. Get yourself an eye patch. Yup, an eye patch. Cool options are available these days. I have a cute pink one. Place it over your dominant eye (find out yours) and write for a minimum of ten minutes. Then, switch eyes. I sometimes do this when I’m reading. Even if, like me, you don’t experience blurred vision, I approach it as another tool that is keeping my vision excellent for longer.

A lot of people forget that the eye is a muscle (well, a group of muscles) and muscles respond to exercise. Having said that, the efficacy of the following exercises is debated by science and the medical community. But they have worked for me, so I’m including them.

Note: Keep your head still for all of these exercises. (P.S. You WILL look silly doing them, so be prepared. Ha!).

8. Look up and down (10-15 times).
Exactly what this sounds like. You can place a finger on each of your eyebrows to make this easier.

9. Look side to side (10-15 times).
Again, you can put a finger at the corners of your eyes to guide you.

10. Look on the diagonal (10-15 times, both diagonals).
Look up and down on a diagonal.

11. Roll your eyes (5 times, each way).
Think about those people you’ve always wanted to roll your eyes at while you’re doing this one to add an extra bit of fun into it.

12. Infinity (5 times, each way).
Focus on a point at least 3 metres (10 feet) away from you. Then, trace an imaginary infinity/ figure-of-eight symbol on it with your eyes.

The above is a sample of the many eye exercises available to you. I also incorporate sun-gazing, night vision training, and other hand-to-eye exercises. However, these are a good introduction.

Are there any other eye exercises you would like me to share? How did you find these?

Yours in love, romance books, and eye exercises,

A.K. Leigh xxoo

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10 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me As An Aspiring Writer

12/5/2020

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Approximate reading time: 3 minutes
You can now watch this blog in video format on my YouTube channel

Despite what popular culture would have us believe, being a writer is NOT an easy career choice. I have been a full-time, professional writer and author for the past five years now, so I know it can look easy (especially on social media) to new writers. However, I have a strict routine and picked up plenty of tips and tricks along the way. That is what makes it seem so breezy for me! It was not always this way.

Here are some things I wished someone had told me when I was first starting out:

#1 – Nobody is an expert (and that’s okay).
You will hear many fellow authors claim that they have all of the answers to your particular writing problem. For instance, if you follow their precise x, y, and z plan, you will write a bestseller. The truth is, nobody knows everything. We are all learning as we go. Some of us, myself included, like to share what we’ve learned. BUT . . . nothing works for everyone. By all means, read all the advice and try it out, then take on what works for you and your readers and discard what doesn’t.

That being said:

#2 – You will get better at writing.
All it takes is patience, practice, and dedication. Easy, right? J Ha! On a serious note, the more you write, the better you will get. It also helps if you take writing courses and read plenty of craft related books.

Remember this important tip as well:

# 3 – Belief in yourself is a must.
Naysayers will crawl out of their dungeons to sap you of your passion the second you declare your intention to be a writer. It happened to me, it’s happened to many other famous authors, so it will probably happen to you. Ignore them. Then, remind yourself of this: I have 20 books with my name on them, have singed publishing contracts with two of the top “Big Five” publishing companies (Pan Macmillan and Harlequin), and write full-time. Those people who try to crush dreams have zero belief in themselves and, therefore, think everybody else shouldn’t. Hang in there. If you have a dream, believe in yourself, become more discerning in who you share your goals with, and keep going.

It also helps if you:

#4 – Have interests outside of writing.
Not only does this give you a break from your head, but it also adds fuel and experiences to your writing.

Which leads to:

# 5 – Learn from every experience you have, whether good, bad, ugly, or somewhere in the middle.
EVERYTHING can be used in your stories. Draw on the emotions, feelings, and events of your life (past, present, and future) to add rich detail and texture to your plots, characters, and storylines.

Then, tell yourself that:

#6 – There is no time limit on getting your book done, but get it done!
Procrastination is such a common problem amongst writers, mainly, I feel, due to self-doubt and the romantic idea of the “tortured writer”. Every writer suffers from bouts of self-doubt –
yes, even me! But I have learned to harness this into my creativity and writing. The trick is to accept it and keep writing anyway. It’s true that you are not on a deadline (unless, you are!), but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t push yourself to finish as soon as possible. One word at a time is the only way to reach your goal. Set reasonable, achievable daily word or page goals to finally finish your manuscript.

As mentioned above:

#7 – Reading will make you a better writer.
There is no getting out of this one. Research has shown that reading improves your writing faster than anything else (yes, really). If you want to be a writer, you need to read. Aside from the pleasure and knowledge gained from reading, doing so teaches you about style, voice, genre expectations, tropes, structure, characterisation, pacing, plot development, story arcs . . . do I need to go on?!

It’s vital also to:

#8 – Have realistic expectations.
The harsh reality is that 99% of authors earn less than $10,000 AUD per year from writing. This is not something to get upset over, it’s something to keep in mind before quitting your day job and getting your hopes pinned on being a full-time author. Yes, it can be done, but don’t go into this career with a blindfold on.

Remember to:

#9 – Appreciate and celebrate each step of the journey.
You can get so focused on where you want to be that you forget to appreciate where you are and how far you’ve already come. I celebrate every win: from getting a fabulous 5-star review to reaching number 1 on Amazon (for my non-fiction book, The Dreaming Writer. Woo hoo!).

Last, but not least:

#10 – Keep writing!
Writers write. The only way to call yourself a writer, and to get better at it, is to write consistently and continuously. Get into a routine and stick to it.

All the best in your writing journey,

A.K. Leigh xo
Are you ready to fall in love . . . with Leigh?
www.fallinlovewithleigh.com

P.S. Do you follow any/all of these tips? Are there any others you could add to the list? Share your positive comments below. :-)

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How to finish Your Novel With These 6 Simple Steps.

17/4/2020

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Approximate reading time: 3 minutes

Last month I talked about how to start your novel. If you haven’t read it, go have a quick look to check if you have followed the steps. Then, come back here. You might not think so now but starting is the easy part. Around 97% of aspiring writers never finish their novel. The reasons for this are varied: lack of skill, realising that writing is hard, not feeling passionate about the process, and having no support. That’s where this month’s blog comes in – I am going to run you through simple steps that address these problems so you can finish your novel and not end up a statistic.

1. Know your beginning, middle, and end.
At a minimum, you should know where your story is going. In working with all types of writers, as well as drawing on my own process, I’ve discovered that it doesn’t matter whether you have a detailed chapter outline or only a vague idea of the story. As long as you have a general idea of the way the story starts, what happens in the middle, and how it ends, you will find it easier to finish. And, yes, the idea can be as simple as: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl over.

2. Write the first draft as quickly as possible.
Don’t worry whether your first draft is “good” – here’s a #prowritingtip from Ernest Hemingway, “The first draft of anything is s**t”. So stop trying to be good and focus on what matters: writing. All you need to worry about is getting words down. At this stage, don’t bother too much with the finer writing skills, such as description, whether you are showing instead of telling, character arcs, snappy dialogue, setting, and so forth. The first draft is the basic story – beginning, middle, and end. Having the skeleton of something to work with – that also has “The End” written on it – is highly motivating and means you will be more likely finish your novel.

Once you have completed the first draft, take a deep breath, pat yourself on the back, and go out to celebrate. You have earned it! Plus, you are about to enter one of the hardest parts of writing: rewriting. Some writers and writing coaches suggest leaving time between drafts (at least a week), and I am of this camp. Giving yourself some distance does tend to help with clarity. You can see what parts of the story need tweaking with clear, fresh eyes. While you wait, you can read up on the craft of writing or do what I do: start a new writing project.

When you are ready to jump into the second draft, head to the next step:

3. Writing is rewriting.
This is the point where you are really going to learn that writing is hard work. You will need to rewrite your manuscript multiple times. Every writer has to do it. When (yes, when) your manuscript is accepted by a publisher or agent, you will have to do even more rewrites. If you want to be a professional writer, you had better get used to this concept “write now”. With each new draft, your aim is to make improvements. However, it can feel overwhelming for aspiring writers to tackle everything in one go. Hence, it is perfectly acceptable to use each draft to progress one aspect of your novel forward. For instance, you might add detail and description to your second draft. In your third draft, you could focus on dialogue. The fourth could be about exploring your character arcs. And so on until you have incorporated as many writing skills into the piece as you can.

4. Do the math.
Another way to stop the process from overwhelming you and making you lose passion for it, is to “do the math”. If you want to write a full-length novel in one year, you will need around 50,000 – 80,000 words depending on which genre you are aiming for. This seems a daunting figure until you calculate it into a minimum weekly or daily word count. You can do this by dividing the total word count by 52 weeks or 365 days. For instance, 80K total words divided by 52 weeks equals around 1540 words per week. This equates to around 219 words per day. Not so shocking now, is it?

5. Once you’ve done the math, give yourself a deadline.
Having a deadline pushes you, motivates you, and holds you accountable to your writing. It is also helpful to have deadlines throughout the process. I have deadlines for every draft I do. Publishers and agents will give you deadlines as well, so being able to reach them now will work in your favour in the future.

6. Find your champions.
I was not always supported in my dreams of becoming a writer. In fact, sometimes I was actively discouraged from it and told that I would never be published – and this was from people close to me. You might have encountered this. If so, I understand how disheartening and discouraging it can feel. I want to say this to you: don’t give up. Instead, find your champions. There are hundreds of writing groups, organisations, and communities both online and physical that you can join to gain that encouragement. I am a member of the Romance Writers of Australia. They have numerous resources available to writers as well as critique partners and a yearly conference.

Do you have any other steps you would add? What has your experience been with writing your novel? What have you found the most challenging? Let me know in the comments below.

Yours in writing,

A.K. Leigh xxoo

#writing #writingblog #writingadvice #howtowriteanovel #howtofinishanovel #novelinayear #writingmotivation #writinginspiration #writingtips #finishwriting #finishyournovel #writenow #writers

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Make 2020 The Year You Finally Start Your Novel In These 5 Easy Steps

13/3/2020

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Approximate reading time: 1 minute

Thinking about writing your first novel can take years of wasted moments. Don’t make the same mistake with starting! To paraphrase the famous Wayne W. Dyer quote, “Don’t die with your novel still inside of you”. Let’s make 2020 the year you start AND finish your novel.

How to start.

1. Get help from those who are more experienced.
- You can do this in a number of ways: working with a professional writing coach such as myself and through books on the writing craft.

2. Attend writing workshops, conferences, and retreats.
- These are fantastic places to receive inspiration, network, and learn the craft of writing. I will be attending a special writing retreat later this year. So keep an eye out for my future blog on the benefits.

3. Gather your tools.
- Like any artist, you need tools. It can be as simple as a notepad and pen or as elaborate as three computer monitors for each stage of your process. Find what works and use it. If you have no tools, you won’t start.

4. Schedule time.
- One of the most common excuses I hear is that a person “doesn’t have time” to write. So make it! Literally write the time into your diary or calendar. And, make it clear to those around you understand that you are NOT to be interrupted. This part is important. You will be interrupted, and you will need to be firm in sending them away (as a mother, I understand how hard this can be. More on that in an upcoming blog post!).

5. Write!
- This is the most obvious yet overlooked part of the process. At some point, you have to sit and put words down. Everyone approaches this step in their own way. Feel free to play and experiment with plotting or pantsting (writing without a formal plan). But get your first draft down as quickly as you can. This will make you feel like you have achieved something important (which, of course, you have!).

Next month, I’ll be giving some handy tips on how to FINISH your novel, so make sure you check back!

Is there anything else you can think of to add? Please share in the comments.

Yours in writing and editing,

A.K. Leigh xo

#howtostartyournovel #writethatnovel #tipsforstartinganovel #writenow #writingblog #writingtips #writingtipsblog #startwriting #startyournovel

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The 5 characters your story MUST have.

7/12/2019

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Approximate reading time: 2 mins

You want your book to be as rounded and exciting as possible, regardless of genre, right? In that case, make sure you include the following 5 characters in your manuscript:

1.         The Protagonist.
This is the hero/main character of your story. When a reader picks up your book, it is to find out what happens to this person. You might have more than one protagonist (I’m looking at you George R. R. Martin), and that is fine, just make sure YOU know who they are and centre the events around them. Otherwise, your reader will be left confused.

Example: Jane Eyre from Jane Eyre.

2.         The Love Interest.
Now, before you say, “But, Alicia, my story isn’t a romance, why do I need a love interest?”, have a look at every successful novel ever written. THERE IS ALMOST ALWAYS A LOVE INTEREST. Humans are wired to seek out meaningful connections, which is why we love to read about them. Introduce a love interest and see how it takes your story to the next level. The impact the love interest has on the plot and other characters is up to you and the conventions of whatever genre you are writing in (hint: it will need to be more for a romance novel and less for certain other genres, such as horror).

Example: Mr Rochester from Jane Eyre. Later in the book there is also her cousin, John Rivers. Yes, there can also be more than one love interest.

3.         The Antagonist.
This is the person, event, or thing that blocks the protagonist from achieving their goals. Like the protagonist, there can be more than one. The more antagonists you have equals more conflict, and you want as much conflict as possible. You can also mix up the types of protagonist. For instance, the weather could be one and an assassin could be another. Be bold in experimenting with this!

Example: President Snow/The Capitol, the challenges and harsh environment during the games, and the other competitors in The Hunger Games.

4.         The Sidekick.
We all know, and usually love, this character. It’s the best friend or new acquaintance of the protagonist who gives them sound advice, unwavering support, and help on the journey to come.

Example: Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings.

5.         The Mentor.
This character is different to the sidekick in that they are not always by the protagonist’s side. They also sometimes engage in tough love to kick the protagonist into action. To make this character even more complicated, they can sometimes be an antagonist.

Example: Consider both Dumbledore and Snape in the Harry Potter series.

An end note: many books have been written that do not include these 5 characters. Like everything in life, you need to know the rules, and be expert at keeping them, before you can start breaking them. If you are at the beginning of your writing career or don’t feel like your novel is strong enough, then remember to put all 5 of these characters into your final manuscript.

All the best in your writing,

A.K. Leigh xxoo

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Writer’s Procrastination: When is it wasting time and when is it helpful?

6/11/2019

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Reading time: approximately 2 minutes

Like many writers, I am a master procrastinator. Even so, I manage to get a mammoth amount of writing and publishing done (along with my writing coaching, author services, mothering, studying, and other commitments).

For instance, on 5th December, my tenth book for 2019 will be published! You read that right – TEN books. Part of this is due to excellent organisational skills (more on this in another blog coming soon) and part of it is knowing how to utilise what I call “helpful procrastination”.

Did you know there is such a thing?

You do now. :-)

One of my favourite romantic poets, John Keats, would tell his friends that in those moments when it looked like all he was doing was staring into the distance, that was the time he was doing his best work.

But most of us are not John Keats . . .

John Keats

So how do you know the difference between “helpful” and “wasteful” procrastination? Following are some guidelines I use to put myself back on track.

Helpful Procrastination is:
-Writing a blog post
-Reading (fiction, non-fiction, a magazine, this blog and others, a newspaper, etc.)
-People watching
-Research for a book
-Making notes for a book
-Taking a writing course or class
-Talking to/networking with other authors and writers
-Certain daydreaming techniques (see my non-fiction book written as Alicia Leigh, The Dreaming Writer, for more on this.)
-Attending writing festivals and events
-Studying writing
-Thinking about writing/your story, plots, and characters

Wasteful procrastination is:
-All those “little things” you do to get out of writing (e.g. playing a game on your phone, making a phone call that can wait, paying bills during your writing session, suddenly needing to do the vacuuming, checking your social media and/or email for the twentieth time that day, watching too much television, etc.)

You can also ask yourself these two questions:

1. “Is this activity serving my writing?”
No = stop doing it and return to your writing
Yes = keep doing it

2. “Can this wait until after my writing session?”
No = keep doing it
Yes = stop doing it and return to your writing

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Armed with this knowledge, I am not saying you will never again indulge in wasteful procrastination. That is an unreasonable and unrealistic goal. You are human, and sometimes the wasteful type is exactly what you need. The point of this post is to help you experience more of the helpful kind and less of the wasteful kind.

Now, it’s over to you. Put these steps into practice and see how your procrastination morphs from wasteful to helpful, then let me know how you went in the comments below. Also, feel free to comment with any other helpful procrastination tips, tricks, or techniques you use.

Happy writing,

A.K. Leigh xo

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3 and ½ Steps To Outline Your Novel!

Twelve Easy Eye Strengthening Exercises For Writers

10 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me As An Aspiring Writer

How to finish Your Novel With These 6 Simple Steps.

Make 2020 The Year You Finally Start Your Novel In These 5 Easy Steps

The 5 characters your story MUST have.

Writer’s Procrastination: When is it wasting time and when is it helpful?

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