Will Writing Ever Be Easy?
Maybe there are some writers out there who consider the process easy, but for most of us, it’s one of the greatest challenges we embark on during our writing lives. Writing can often be creatively defiant, emotionally taxing, time-consuming, and mentally exhausting. And this is all on top of fitting writing into the normal challenges of our day-to-day lives. Will writing ever be easy for those of us who find the process difficult? Probably not, if we’re being honest here. But do not fret! There are things we can do to make minimize the challenges and maximize our writing process. I interviewed eleven self-published authors about their favorite pieces of advice to help their own writing process. Though there is no “one size fits all,” what they had to say was insightful and it reminds us that we’re not alone on this crazy journey we call writing. So, without further ado, I present to you “Writing Made Easier: 11 Indie Authors Share 11 Writing Tips.”
Ways to Make the Writing Process Easier:
- “You Can’t Edit a Blank Page” – T.M. Ledvina, author of Of Blood, Bones, and Truth
This piece of advice might be common, but it’s straightforward and worth reminding ourselves of. When asked how this piece of advice impacts her own writing, Ledvina admits she is a pantser (a writer who writes by the “seat of their pants” or does not plan). She says she often overwrites her first draft, but there’s a beauty in that because it gives her more fodder to work with during edits. She says, “reminding myself that the scariest part of drafting is the blank page makes me want to fill it with words. I can make them great later.”
(IG @tiamae.books)
http://tmledvina.com - “Write What You Love to Read” – Noelle Rayne, author of An Empress of Air & Chaos
Author Noelle Rayne implores us to remember that we were readers long before we were writers. She expresses that “if you write what you love to read, you will always appeal to an audience.” Rayne mentions suffering from imposter syndrome and says that she combats this by writing what she loves to read. She says it has “allowed me to build a fan base without really trying.” She believes that focusing on the stories we love to read, and ultimately love to tell, will not only attract our ideal readers, but it will allow our “passion and talent [to] come through.”
(IG: @authornoellerayne)
https://www.noellerayne.com/ - “Have Fun!” – Molly Tullis, author of Consort of Darkness
When asked why this tip is important to her, Tullis says, “I dragged myself over the coals worrying about my first drafts…but I wasn’t having fun.” In conjunction with Rayne’s previous tip, Tullis mentions that it “helps [to] write like a reader” and get in touch with the elements of story that draw us in as readers. Tullis’s writing process was changed by “writing conversations or characters [she] enjoyed depicting…and people fell in love with the story that much more.”
(IG: @thebibliophileblonde) - “Build a Community” – Nicole Platania, author of The Curse of Ophelia
In a writing-adjacent tip, Nicole Platania reminds us of the importance of a writing community. She says, “lean on your author friends, celebrate their wins and your own, and commiserate together when things aren’t going so smoothly.” Being a writer, especially being an indie author, can make us feel secluded or misunderstood. Platania says a community “helps the isolated act of writing feel less lonely” and ultimately enhance the writing experience.
(TikTok & IG: @bynicoleplatania)
https://nicoleplatania.com/ - “Don’t Force It” – Jordan Dugdale, author of The Tidings of Misfits
Writer’s block—or burnout—is a real fear for most writers. To combat this, Dugdale says she never forces it. Instead, she tries one of three methods: “writing a scene at a different part of the book…writ[ing] a short story that involves the characters …or work[ing] on a different [project] entirely.” She finds that these exercises give her a break and allow her to move forward more than focusing on word count for the sake of hitting numbers would. In fact, she finished her second book in half the time of the first, simply because she eliminated the deadlines she was starting to resent.
(IG: @jordandugdaleauthor)
http://jordandugdale.com - “Create Your Own Writing Process” – Cass Geller, author of The Golden Key
Cass Geller brings up an important point: “there is no wrong way to write a book.” She reminds us not to get overwhelmed with utilizing specific writing tips, but rather, finding the process that works best for each of us. Sometimes that involves mixing and matching advice or methods. She encourages us to “try out different methods and [not] be afraid to change the process up.” As with anything in life, our processes will change, and we should embrace those evolutions.
(IG: @wonderlandandwhisky)
http://www.wonderlandandwhisky.com - “Use Memory to Write Descriptions” – C.A. Farran, author of Songs of The Wicked
C.A. Farran’s tip is a good lesson in how advice will resonate with each of us differently. Previous writing advice instructed her to write character descriptions a certain way. However, she noted that these tactics didn’t work for her. But when she heard “have your character describe the room from memory,” things clicked. Instead of writing a “grocery list of descriptions,” she was able to dig deep into the character’s memory to describe the surroundings. She even uses her “own memories as examples to see what details stuck out.”
(TikTok & IG: @c.a.farran)
http://cafarran.com - “Use the Enneagram for Character Personalities” – V.B. Lacey, author of Long Live
Regarding the enneagram, V.B. Lacey says “it’s an excellent resource to use when building your characters because it provides lengthy explanations for why each type reacts to the world the way they do” and how their strengths, weaknesses, and other traits influence their lives. After diving deep into her characters’ personalities, she “used the Enneagram Institute” to guide her when she got stuck. She made sure to honor her character’s voices and stories, but she used the “Enneagram as a sounding board.”
(IG: @vblacey.books)
http://www.vblaceybooks.com - “Start a Social Media Presence ASAP” – Jenn Lynn Adams, author of Daughter of the Underworld
Jenn Lynn Adams mentions how important a social media presence is. She says, “not only does it motivate you to keep going, it builds a following of like-minded individuals.” She recommends sharing progress and tracking the journey to publication to connect with others. She notes the added accountability can help during the writing process. And when it came to publish, Adams says, “I already had a following…rooting for me and looking forward to my book.”
(IG: @authorjennlynnadams)
https://jennlynnadams.com/ - “Write the Book” – Jenny Hickman, author of A Cursed Kiss
Jenny Hickman touches on something most of us can relate to when she says, “so many people say they have a great idea for a story and even start writing but never finish.” She expresses how easy it is to get lost in ideas or research, especially as a new writer. But ultimately, none of that matters as much as actually writing the book. Hickman says, “it wasn’t until I sat down and put pen to paper, that I really found out how much effort and persistence it takes to craft an entire story.” At the end, revisions and a good editor can help take the story to the next level, but “you’ll never get to that stage if you don’t finish.”
(IG: @authorjennyhickman)
http://www.jennyhickman.com - “Go at Your Own Pace” – Alek L. Cristea, author of Breakout
Alek L. Cristea says “it has taken me years to understand my pace.” After getting over the initial fear of not being productive enough, he found what works for him: a series of short, intense writing bursts. Cristea says, “I let myself breathe, and stopped needlessly burning out every other week” simply by honoring his natural rhythm. Cristea reminds us that “a book is written a word, a sentence, a chapter at a time, and sometimes it is written when in the shower or when cooking a meal, or simply when taking the time to breathe, watching the world go by.”
(IG: @cyber_spines)
https://www.aleklcristea.com/
What Can We Learn from These Insights?
The biggest takeaway here is that there is no single answer or piece of advice that will magically solve all of our writing problems. Rather, it’s the reassurance that we’re not alone. All writers struggle with some aspect of their writing at some point in time. There’s a sense of camaraderie there—a shared pain that draws us closer.
Unfortunately, there is no single way to make the writing process easier. It’s a combination of factors and can take some experimenting to find what works best for you. Not every piece of advice will resonate with every writer, and that’s okay. Sometimes all it takes is finding that one tip that—that “AHA” moment—that clicks everything into place for us. And sometimes, different tips help us during different stages of our life, or during different books.
Though many of my favorite pieces of advice are already mentioned here, another of my favorites is “trust your gut.” Listen to your instinct, follow your heart, and let the story spill from your soul. At the end of the day, YOU know what’s best for the story you’re trying to tell. Stay true to you and your story, and you will shine.
