Description:

Listen in for a quick peak at what to expect with the Diary of a Writer podcast!

Transcript:

Hello and welcome to the Diary of a Writer podcast. I’m Lexie, the host and writer in question. As the title suggests, I am a writer sharing my experiences as I try to become a published author. I also share a few tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way. And, hopefully I’ll also get to hear from you, listener, my fellow writers. So, get cozy, relax, and enjoy. I hope I can help you on your writing journey and that we can commiserate in all the ups and downs that come with being a writer and chasing your dreams.

Description:

Dear Listener, it's me, Lexie! It's great to have you. This episode is an introduction to both the podcast and myself. I go through some of my experiences as a writer just starting out to how I got to where I am now. I'm still an aspiring author, but hopefully, together we can all reach our writing goals.

One of the main reasons I created this podcast is to create a community of writers. So please don’t be afraid to interact with the pod. Write a review and send in questions, and if you want to keep up to date with the podcast then feel free to follow us on Instagram @diaryofawriterpodcast.

Transcript:

Intro :

Dear listener,

Hello and welcome to the Diary of a Writer’s podcast. My name is Lexie and I’m the writer in question. It’s nice to have you here, whether you’re a fellow writer or a curious observer. I’m here to talk you about all things involved in writing. The challenges, the successes and everything in between. Let’s struggle through our writing journey’s together on this episodic adventure. So please, relax and enjoy...

Main:

Welcome to the first ever episode of the Diary of a Writer podcast. I’m so happy to finally be doing this. I’ve recently wanted to have some kind of format to talk about writing but I was stuck between blogging, YouTubing (if that’s a word), and podcasting. Obviously, I ended up going with podcasting and I chose it because I feel like it’s super accessible (as I hope to reach and interact with other writers) and hopefully the most fun :P I guess we’ll have to wait and see about that.

You know, it’s taken me a long time to call myself that. A writer. To me, a writer was always someone who got paid for their work. Essentially a professional writer, but over years I learned that you don’t have to be a professional writer to call yourself a writer. You don’t have to have written dozens of poems or thousands of words. If you like to write then you are a writer. Or at least, that’s the philosophy I like to follow.

Anyway, I thought I would start this podcast with a little introduction. As I said, my name is Lexie. I am a writer and an aspiring published author. I chose to make this into a podcast because I personally love listening to podcasts and I love writing, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to bring those two interests together. More than that, though, when I was looking for a podcast about writing to listen to, I didn’t find one that I really vibed with. Some were too serious or didn’t have the kind of information that I was looking for. So, just as many other writers have done, I decided to create something that I myself was looking for. I wanted a way to bring writers together. To hopefully create a community for writers to share their stories and challenges when it comes to writing. And I wanted to share my own experience with writing to hopefully help others going through their own journey.

It took me a long time to really pursue writing. It was never the main goal for me. It was more like a hobby. Which, of course, is perfectly fine. Most people who love to write have it as a hobby, which is great! In my case, though, it was always something I wanted to pursue professionally. I was just afraid to do it. To put all of my eggs in one basket. There are so many fears that come with doing that. Worries about not being good enough. Not being successful. Not being financially sustainable.

The good thing about writing though is that you don’t need much to get started, theoretically. You just need an idea, some time, and somewhere to record your words. Again, all of these, theoretically, are easy. It’s not always the case of course, and we’ll talk about more of these challenges in upcoming episodes.

My start with writing, though, was relatively simple. At fifteen, I was already a huge reader. I was obsessed with a lot of 2000s classic YA, like Twilight, Hunger Games, Percy Jackson (which is technically middle grade), The Mortal Instruments, Perks to Being a Wallflower, and the list goes on and on. However, I didn’t think about writing my own piece until my ninth grade English teacher gave us a creative writing assignment. I think I ended up writing about a pair of teenagers who find that their neighbors have built some kind of monster in their basement. Kind of Frankenstein-esque. That’s all I really remember about it, but it was enough to get me started.

I don’t know why I never really thought to write before then, but once I started it opened my mind to a bunch of different ideas. Suddenly, the book that I was always hoping to read was attainable. I wouldn’t really be able to read it, but I could create the story. So that’s what I did. I wrote the first few chapters of my first book. Every now and then I would add a little more. Take a break. Come back to it. Completely change it. Write a bit more. Then take another break. I never got past the first few chapters. I had an idea, but for some reason I was just stuck.

Then, later when it was time to start applying to college, I started looking for schools where I could major in both neuroscience and creative writing. At the time, my goal was to be a pre-med student, but I didn’t want to give up on creative writing just yet. So, that’s what I did. I found a liberal arts school with an open curriculum where I majored in Biology (instead of neuroscience) and minored in creative writing, all whilst being a pre-med student.

College was a great way to get me writing more than I had before. Not only did I end up with a portfolio of pieces that came from assignments, but I also got to meet other writers and read their work. One of my favorite parts about creative writing classes was being able to read other people’s work. It’s fun and inspiring seeing the way different people approach storytelling, and it’s super helpful getting their advice on how to make your story better. Between the class and a creative writing club we had on campus, I was writing more than ever.

Going to school for something you’re passionate about is great, and if you have the opportunity to do it, I highly suggest it. However, it’s not a necessity. You can achieve the same experience through local classes, creative writing clubs, or even with friends who share the same interest. And of course, if you can’t find any of those, you always have books. Reading can also give you a lot of guidance when it comes to writing. Read the kind of books that you want to write. Read books that you wouldn’t normally go for to get a different perspective. And read books about writing! There are so many good ones out there. I mean, of course, I’m also here to help and clearly I know everything as an aspiring author making her very first podcast. Who else do you need really? But on the very slim chance that I don’t know something that you want to know more about, here are few books that I’ve either read or been recommended to read. Mooring Against the Tide by Jeff Knorr and Tim Schell, and Thrill Me by Benjamin Percy are two that I found really helpful when I was in school. The first one is especially good if you like to write both fiction and poetry. Then there’s On Writing by Stephen King, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, and Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Stephen King’s is supposed to be very good for fiction writing, and the other two are good for artists in general. The Artist’s Way also acts as somewhat of a workbook as it gives you tasks to work on every week.

Anyway, to get back on track, college was great for expanding my writing skills as well as meeting others going through similar journeys. I also ended up rewriting the book I had started in high school. Rereading what I had written as a teenager after taking a few creative writing classes really made me realize how bad my writing was before, but hey, we all have to start somewhere.

After college, I went to graduate school for Stem Cell Biology, so nothing really to do with writing there, but I spent every spare minute working on my book, and by the end of my master’s I finished with the first draft. From that point, I decided to officially take a break from science and focus on writing. It had taken me a long time to realize, but medicine and scientific research were not for me.

I graduated the summer of 2020, which was the perfect time to move back home and take a break with academics. Instead I focused on writing for two years, working on my book and writing a couple of novellas, until finally I decided to take the leap and apply to graduate school again, this time for a master’s in creative writing, which is where I am now.

It was a long road with many twists and turns, but I am happy about where I ended up. It wasn’t easy, and for some of you it might end up being easier or harder, who’s to say? But hopefully, it’s also worth it in the end, whether your picking up a pencil for the first time to start your first novel (or more realistically hitting strokes to fill up a dauntingly empty word doc), or joining a writing club, or about to take a class in creative writing. I hope you enjoy it and that it’s worth it in the end.

I am still editing my novel and I’ve worked on a few other pieces in the mean time. All of this is to say that I’ve had a lot of ups and downs when it comes to writing. I’ve had writer’s block, as I’m sure every writer has had. I’ve had issues with staying motivated. Doubting whether I’m good enough. Whether I made the right choice to pursue writing. All of it can be very overwhelming and daunting. The main thing that helps is knowing that you’re not alone. That other writers, or even artists in general, are going through the same thing. *Most have had these same thoughts and they have only gotten as far as they have because they never gave up. I hope that this podcast can help you keep going, dear listener, and let you know that you’re not alone. That I’m in the same boat as you, and that, hopefully, over time we can build a community of writers that can support one another on this journey.*

So, yeah, that’s me. I hope you enjoyed this episode, learning a little bit about me and my experience. And I would love it if you would share your experiences as well in the comments. Also, please let me know if you have any specific issues or questions you would like me to cover. I’m no expert by any means, but I hope that I can at least help a little by sharing my experiences with you along with any knowledge I do have on the subject. Thank you for listening and once again, welcome to the Diary of a Writer podcast! Let’s have some fun :)

Outro:

If you’ve made it this far into the podcast, thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to give this podcast a listen. As I’ve mentioned before, one of the main reasons I created this podcast is to create a community of writers. So please don’t be afraid to interact with the pod. Write a review and send in questions if you want. Tune in next week for a new episode, where we’ll venture into the curse that is Writer’s Block.

If you’re thinking, hm, this was really nice to listen to, but everything was pretty general and I need more specific feedback, then don’t you worry. It’s coming!

In the mean time, if you want to be updated on what’s going on with the pod please feel free to follow the podcast on Instagram, our handle is @diaryofawriter. And if you have a friend or someone you know who might be interested in this podcast, please let them know. Word of mouth really helps when it comes to podcasting. And also please give us a rating and a comment on whatever platform you are using.

Thanks again for listening and I’ll see you next time!

Your Friend,

Lexie

Description:

Writer’s block. Every writer - no matter what you write - has been plagued by it. However unpleasant, it is, unfortunately part of the writing process...but that doesn’t mean we have to let it upset us. Listen here to learn how to get past writer’s block and how you can avoid it, so you won’t have to deal with it as often!

Transcript:

Intro :

Dear listener,

Hello and welcome to the Diary of a Writer podcast. My name is Lexie and I’m the writer in question. It’s nice to have you here, whether you’re a fellow writer or a curious observer. I’m here to talk you about all things involved in writing. The challenges, the successes and everything in between. Let’s struggle through our writing journey’s together on this episodic adventure. So please, relax and enjoy...

Main:

Writer’s block. It’s something that every writer experiences at some point. If you’re a writer and you haven’t...well I wish I also had that super power. In my experience though, writer’s block is unfortunately part of the writing process. It’s stopped me from working on almost every single project I’ve ever worked on, and is usually the cause of my procrastination.

90% of the time, writing is an enjoyable and fun experience. But that other 10% of the time it can be liking pulling teeth. It’s important to remember in these moments that everything in life, even the things you are passionate about, might not always be easy or fun. I promise I’m not trying to a downer, but as a writer who has constantly questioned whether I should pursue it as a career, in those 10% moments (sometimes 20% if I’m being honest) it made me doubt whether it was the right option for me. I would compare myself to my friends or other writers who just couldn’t seem to stop writing, who always had something to say. They would write and write and write for hours on end, and I would be like - I can write like an hour max before I need to take a break. If you’re one of those people that are always writing and just can’t stop, then that’s great! But if it hasn’t been the case with you, then don’t worry! It’s okay as a writer to not be totally in love writing all the time. It doesn’t mean you don’t love it. It just means that like everything in life, it’s not easy.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. How do we get back to writing when we have writer’s block? In those annoying moments of frustration? Well, just like everything else in life, the best way to deal with it is to prevent it altogether. What I mean by this is that there are things we can do to prevent writer’s block so we don’t have to deal with it in the first place.

Also, if you’re listening to this and you’re like, okay that’s nice and all, but I already have writer’s block, learning how to prevent it is not going to help me. Don’t worry, I’ll be giving some tips for that too in a minute, but for now let’s focus on how to avoid it.

First thing you want to do is choose your setting. Where are you going to be writing? Where is the best place for you to write? Do you want somewhere that’s going to be quiet, some place that’s going to lively or full of people? Do you work best at home or out with other people? If you’re not sure, maybe think about where you would work if you were working remotely, or if you were studying for an exam.

Are you easily distracted when you work? Then you might want to turn off your wifi and your phone while you’re writing. There are pros and cons to this, of course, because on the one hand it keeps you from getting distracted, but on the other hand you might need the internet to look something up while you’re writing. In that case, turn on the wifi to open the windows you need to, before turning it back off.

Sometimes I like to write at home, but I am rarely productive when I do. So, I usually try to find somewhere outside of the house to work. I tend to work at a cafe or at a pub. Public libraries or bookstores are also good places to work. Also, if you can find a writing club, sometimes they will have periods of “free write” which is where you sit with other people while you all work on your own projects. Free writes are fun because although they are generally quiet, you can sometimes lean over to ask for another writer’s advice on your piece or how to solve a potential issue - although it does depends on the group. Some free writes are strictly quiet while others are more communal.

When I do work at home, I find that I’m most successful when I am outside of my bedroom and somewhere with natural light, when possible. I personally like to feel comfy and cozy while I’m writing so I’ll sit in a soft chair or on the couch, but I do know some people prefer to work in a more structured place, like a table or desk. Also, if I’m at home, but want to feel like I’m somewhere else, feel cozy while I’m writing, or want to get in a certain headspace then I do two things. First, I put on music. I’ll put on music to either match the tone of what I’m writing or put on music that I’ve listened to so many times that I can listen to it without being distracted. Sarah J. Maas has said that she’ll listen to movie soundtracks when writing different scenes, and Cassandra Clare and Christine Riccio will often listen to a specific playlist or album when writing in order to illicit a certain feeling. You can also listen to lo-fi beats, which I personally haven’t done, but is perfect for working or studying. The second thing I’ll do is use an additional screen, usually my TV, to go on youtube and search the word “ambience”. If you are working somewhere that doesn’t have a second screen, you can always split your screen and have your doc open on one side and youtube open on the other. This is, of course, if you have opted to keep your wifi on.

Searching the word “ambience” will bring up a bunch of different settings like a library or a cafe or a living room with a fire place and is often accompanied by Jazz music that will play for hours while you work. These settings do a good job of creating a cozy feeling and making me feel like I’ve left the house a little. Sometimes I’ll listen to the jazz, but if I feel like listening to something else I’ll just mute the video and play my own music on my computer or on my speakers. However, there are tons of different options beyond the ones I’ve listed. You can also find ambience for specific movies that will play the movie soundtracks in the background, like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, which is really cool.

Once you’ve chosen and set up your workspace, the next thing you should do is plan out what you want to write. You can do this on paper or in your mind, but it’s important that you take the time to brainstorm a bit before you start writing. You can do this twenty minutes before writing, while sitting in your workspace, or you can go on a walk or take a shower while you brainstorm. There are no set rules, as long as you take some time to think about it before hand.

Another thing you can do is to stop writing in the middle of a sentence when you are coming to the end of your writing session. There are definite pros and cons to this. Stopping mid sentence is helpful as it gives you a place to start when you return to your project. That way it’s easier to get started writing again because all you have to do to start is finish the other half of your sentence. Essentially, it keeps you from staring at your screen wondering how you should jump back in. The problem I’ve discovered with this process, however, is that sometime I can’t remember how I wanted to end the sentence. So, I’ve put a pause on using this method, but if you think it would help you, definitely try it!

My final piece of advice on how to avoid writer’s block? Write as often as you can. The more you write, the more you’ll get used to it. It’ll make it easier to leave a piece and return to it later, without losing time trying to remind yourself where you left off. Also, the more you write about something the more you’ll end up thinking about it which will keep you working towards what might happen next in the story, instead of not knowing what to write next time you sit down at your computer.

So, those were some tips on how to avoid writers block...Now, let’s move on to what you can do if you already have writer’s block, which is usually the case for me!

One method that I’ve found very helpful is to do sprints. This is when you put on a timer and try to write as much as you can in that time. I first heard about this method from Lauren Graham in her book, Talking as Fast as I Can. Lauren refers to the method as the kitchen timer method, where she puts on a timer for an hour, gets rid of all distractions, and writes during that time. She can work on whatever project she wants in that time. She can work on a writing project. She can write in her journal. She can write a poem. Anything, as long as she’s writing something.

Personally, when I do these sprints or the kitchen timer method or whatever you want to call it, I like to work on a specific project. I’m not much of a journal writer. I’ll contribute to my journal every now and then and write an entry or a poem, but it’s not a daily ritual for me or even a weekly ritual. I only do it when I feel like it - which is not often. I’ll also do shorter sprints, keeping it to about 30 minutes. I find that this is long enough to get into the piece without being too long that I run out of things to write. This way, I can write and by the time the timer is up I’m in the flow and I’m ready to restart the timer.

Another reason I like this method so much is that it puts some pressure on me to write. The first time that I tried it and I found that it actually worked was when I started using Highland 2 - an app available unfortunately only on macs. The nice thing about this method is that anyone can do it, but if you do have access to Highland 2 it’s useful for sprints because they’ll keep track of how many words you write in each sprint and how long each one is. That way, you can go back and compare how effective you’ve been, or if you’re like me, you might want to break your record for how much you can write in a certain amount of time.

Another way to combat writer’s block is to minimize your writing doc and instead work on further developing your characters. My writer’s block often comes from not knowing what to write next rather than the lack of a desire to write. Sometimes, if you don’t know what you want to happen next in a scene, it’s either because you need to revise your plot points or because you don’t know your characters motivations well enough. In my case, it’s usually the latter. I’ll have an idea of where I want the story to start and where I want it to end, and I’ll know some of the major plot points in between but I won’t know what should happen in between to connect the landmarks.

I prefer to do this when I’m writing instead of detailing every single little scene because it makes it more exciting when I’m writing. Sometimes when I write it’s like I’m watching the story happen as a write. Almost as if I’m reading it as I’m writing it, and if I spoil it for myself too early on the story get boring really fast. However, sometimes in those scenes I’ll lose steam and not know what to write next. Although, if you know your characters, then ideally you know how they would act in different scenarios.

The best way I’ve found to work on character development is to do a character sheet. Ideally you would do this for every character, but often times I’ll do it just for the main characters or the characters that I feel like I know the least. There are a lot of options online for character sheets that go into a lot of detail. So, if you want to do a deep dive then this is perfect for you. However, in my case, if I try to go too far into detail I’ll end up losing steam pretty fast. So, the character sheet that I’ve found most useful for me is relatively simple. In this character sheet you’ll have three sections. The first will be physical appearance. This is good for knowing how to describe your character when you’re writing but it’s also good because it already tells you a little bit about the character and their personality. What is their style like? Do they dye their hair? Are they tall or short? Do they crouch to make themselves smaller or stand tall with confidence? The second sections focuses on their psychological make-up. This is where you dive into their personality, their habits, their pros and their cons. Are they messy? Are they up-tight? Are they a slacker? Are they extraordinarily kind? Are they arrogant? The last section is a biography. Essentially, you want to write their life story from the moment they’re born to their appearance in your piece. You can make this last part as detailed or general as you want. Overall, these three sections help me to know my characters more, especially the last one. And knowing who they are and where they are coming from allows me to know what they’ll do next and how they’ll react in different scenarios, and what they will do next in my story.

Sometimes, the best way to know what you want to write next is to read what you’ve already written. You don’t want to go too far back into what you’ve written, because then you will use all of your energy editing instead of writing. So, I would recommend maybe reading a couple pages to get back into the groove of writing. It’ll put you back in the headspace of the world and help you to remember the tone and voice you’ve been writing in. It’ll also help inspire you to write what comes next.

If you’re still stuck, then sometimes the best thing you can do is to take a break. Do some meditation. Go on a walk. Do some exercise. Take a shower. Listen to some music. Re-watch a tv show you’ve seen a million times - you don’t want something that will be too distracting. The idea is to give your brain a break, so that when you come back, you’ll hopefully be more relaxed and less frustrated, and so that you’ll have a fresh pair of eyes to review your project. Also, sometimes during your breaks, you’ll end up having an idea that will take you out of your writer’s block. I was writing a piece and got an idea from watching Gilmore Girls - one of my favorite shows. I was having trouble establishing a relationship between two of the characters in my short story, The Wicked Witch of the West End. In the story, the two main characters have a strained relationship. Watching Lorelei and Emily argue, I got a better idea of how a conversation might happen between my characters. The characters themselves are very different from Lorelei and Emily, but the tension is similar. So, sometimes, different forms of writing can give you inspiration for your own pieces.

However, if you’ve tried everything and you are still stuck, then the best thing might be to just change the scene altogether. Sometimes if something’s not working, it’s because it needs to be re-written. Maybe the story needs to go in a different direction or the dialogue needs to be changed. Maybe you’re trying too hard for a conversation or a scene to go one way when it be more natural to go a different way. If I don’t know what to write next or if I’m bored with where the story is going, it’s missing something it needs to have.

Depending on where you are on your writing journey, or whether you are a casual writer or a professional writer, we’re all plagued by writer’s block. I hope I’ve been able to give you tools that will help you get through those roadblocks and feel more motivated to writing in spite of them. If you have any recommendations for how how get past writer’s block, feel free to share! I would love to add tools to my toolbox, but it could also help other listeners. So, thank you in advance for your advice!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode and stay tuned for the next few episodes. We will be exploring many different aspects of writing. How to create your story. How to world build. How to get published. How to get paid as a writer, which is, uh, very important. How to get started writing and much much more. There’s so much to talk about when it comes to writing. And if you have anything else you want to know more about don’t hesitate to let me know. You can find me on instagram @diaryofawriter to let me know what you want to hear next and to be notified when the next episode will be out.

Outro:

If you’ve made it this far into the podcast, thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to give this podcast a listen. As I’ve mentioned before, one of the main reasons I created this podcast is to create a community of writers. So please don’t be afraid to interact with the pod. Write a review and send in questions if you’d like.

In the mean time, if you want to be updated on what’s going on with the pod please feel free to follow the podcast on Instagram, the handle is @diaryofawriter. And if you have a friend or someone you know who might be interested in this podcast, please let them know. Word of mouth really helps when it comes to podcasting. And also please give us a rating and a comment on whatever platform you are using.

Thanks again for listening and I’ll see you next time!

Your Friend,

Lexie