Remember when I said that coffee is life? With that, I meant that it gives my stories life. The first thing I need to do to get myself to write is a cup of coffee with milk. Sometimes it's an ordered drink from Starbucks. Maybe it's an addiction, perhaps it's just dependency, but coffee is my fuel.
It may sound cliché, or I may seem like a typical book character (get it? lol), but I need it to function. But once the caffeine is in my system...the game—I mean, the fun, begins.
First, what type of writer am I?
In the beginning, I started as a 100% plotter: documents and documents outlining the story, the plot, character details, and arcs, setting descriptions, chapter outlines. And that works for me because it helps me to stay centered, organized within my story, keeping me from driving too far away.
But along the way of writing my novel, "Book of You & I", I tended to let the story flow a little more. Sometimes the characters themselves drove the plot, and I followed. So....I guess I'm more of a planster. Because following the outline strictly as if it were a Bible hindered my creativity, and, sometimes, we need to let ourselves go.
Setting the mood...
Once I have my cup of coffee (and some snacks because your girl gets distracted easily), I sit at my desk. How do I set the mood? I light a scented candle and play some music. For this specific reason, and to help readers connect to my story, I created two playlists: one for the book's general mood/aesthetic and another one representing the style of music my made-up band plays.
(Yes, there's a band in my book, and you'll love them.)
Most of the time, the words flow out on their own. Other times, well...let's just that the cups of coffee flow more than the words themselves. And let's be honest, writer's block is a b*tch. This brings me to my next point:
How to work with writer's block
I'm not going to lie; I don't. A block can last minutes, hours, and sometimes even months (yes, I've taken about 3-5 breaks because of it). But as I neared the last ten chapters of my book and with the Wattys around the corner, I had to crack my knuckles and get to work.
And what did I do? I asked for advice, confiding in my closest people. The only thing that worked was something my dad suggested: setting a schedule, times, and days when I sit and write. It doesn't matter if it's the best thing since Jane Austen or Shakespeare, just write, and the words will flow.
Yes, I was editing the work from before some of those times, but that's the point too. Just write!
My writing and posting schedule
At first, like most of us on Wattpad, I wrote every day and updated once to twice a week. Saying that now sounds exhausting, and it was. Yes, it got my blood pumping and attracted some readers (mostly still here). But that doesn't work for me anymore.
In the second half of my book, I wrote slower and updated once a week or once every two weeks. For my upcoming works, though, I'm planning to write first (at least half the book) and post at a more constant pace.
This way, I'll write at a comfortable rhythm without staying behind with uploading chapters.
And that's all I have for you today...
I hope this blog helped you in any way. Please share your experiences in the comments, and let's see how many people can connect through that.
See you on the next one, my invisible friends!
Comments