Sewing and writing are the two main things that have occupied my free time in the last few months and as with all things, I started to find similarities between the two as I sat ensconced in one project or another.  And now that the holidays are over and my projects have reached their final destinations, I can share those, too.  While I haven’t yet finished writing the draft of my book, I’m happy to say that I’m about 80% of the way through, and my goal is to finish it by the end of February!  That being said, there’s still a lot to do as far as writing is concerned, even though I’ve laid a pretty good groundwork to finish.  But before I talk about that, here’s what I’ve been up to over the holidays!

I spent quite a few hours playing board games and eating delicious food, and of course everyone always wants to know the latest news about my life.  Whenever I tell people I’m writing a book, the typical response is, “Wow, that’s great!  I could never do that.”  It sort of makes me laugh though, because there’s no special superpower that goes along with writing, just hard work.  Sure, having a good command of language will go far, but at the end of the day, I approach writing just like anything else: one step at a time.  Most people plan out their day and manage their time when they go to work, and sitting down at a laptop to put words on a page is much the same for me.  

My writing approach used to be more like a hobby than a job: whenever I felt inspired, I would work diligently for a few hours, days, or weeks, however long the muse stuck around.  Then I would pick it up again a few months later and spend time reorienting myself with my work.  But that’s no way to get things done.  Imagine only going into work when you felt like it or when you really needed the money.  That’s just not real life.  So, I kicked my excuses to the curb and changed my mindset.  Now, even if it’s only for an hour, I make sure to work on something writing-related every day.  Is it always fun?  No!  In fact, most of the time I force myself to trudge through that one scene that just won’t end, or rewrite that dialogue for what feels like the hundredth time, but it pays off to be moving forward.  There are two pieces of wisdom that I find particularly apt to this mindset, especially when it comes to initial drafts.  1) You can always edit a bad page, but you can’t edit a blank page.  2) Writing is like shoveling sand into the sandbox: you can work on the sandcastle later as long as you first have the material to build with.

But what if I get stuck and just can’t move forward?  Another question I’ve heard many times, often from students caked in the mire of their English assignments.  My answer to that: planning. 

This is where sewing and writing overlap, though it could apply to any number of things.  When I embark on a new sewing adventure, I don’t even touch my needle and thread until I’ve completed a vast amount of prep work.  This includes washing and drying and pressing the fabric (ew), measuring and marking my pattern, cutting the fabric, pressing again, pinning all the pieces, and reading the instructions about a hundred times.  By the time I actually get to sewing, there’s usually very little left to do.  There are times when I ask myself “is all this really necessary?”  And sometimes I can find ways to save time or combine steps, but if I ever skip something entirely, I’m almost always sorry I did.  (Yes, even the ironing is useful…)

I use the same process in my writing.  The idea comes first, whether it’s a concept, a character, or a theme I want to explore.  Some ideas are long in the making (such as my current project, which began over ten years ago) and just require time to steep in my brain.  But once I’m ready to start working on it, there’s a method to sifting through the madness. 

Usually I like to write an overview that includes the basic plot, some character sketches, major themes, and the ultimate takeaway from the piece.  Of course, things may change as I get going, but it’s very helpful to have a centerpiece to return to if I ever get stuck.  

If the story is set in another world, then that takes the preparation to a whole new level.  Thankfully, most of my fantasy work resides in the same world, so the worldbuilding carries over from project to project, which can make life easier.  As far as setting is concerned, I like to have a general sense of what’s going on before starting out, but everybody is different!  (On a side note, I recently discovered a website called World Anvil which is tailored to help writers and game masters create and organize their imaginary worlds!  I’ve been using it for a few months and seriously wish I had discovered it sooner.)

Next comes a more detailed outline of the plot.  I like to use a stripped down timeline to get all the major scenes in place, then fill in the gaps of the smaller events.  One book that changed my writing life forever and that I highly recommend is Structuring Your Novel by K. M. Weiland.  Once I read it, I never looked at story structure the same way again!

Character biographies come next, or sometimes concurrently with the timeline.  It’s useful for me to have a document for each major character that fleshes out their personality, their backstory, their quirks, and even things like their deepest fears and joys.  Every writer has their own way of going about it, but I would rather have more information than can I use than end up with a flat and predictable character.  

Once all that is done, I’m finally ready to put pen to paper!  But even then, the planning isn’t finished.  Because the last thing I constantly have to remind myself about writing is that a novel is an ever-evolving being.  Sometimes the plans I laid at the start just don’t fit once the story develops, and I have to make changes along the way.  (Reminds me of real life, too…)  There are times when that one scene I was just dying to write suddenly has nowhere to go.  Then I have to tuck it away where it might be used later or might live out its life in anonymity.  But it’s all part of the writing process.

It might seem like a lot, because it is.  But putting in the work ahead of time and planning for success just makes it that much easier to actually reach the goal.  The last thing I’ll say is one that I alluded to at the beginning.  All the planning in the world won’t help if you never make time for writing.  And the time must be made, not found.  I learned the hard way that if I don’t plan writing time into my day, other things will fill the void because there’s no such thing as free time in our world.
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So now, as I sit staring at the finish line of my novel and reflecting on the journey that started back in September, I’m so thankful that the Lord has provided me with the means and the time to bring this project to completion.  It’s certainly a labor of love, but one that I hope brings a message that the world needs to hear.  I’m excited to share more about the book once I write the final word, and I’ve had such amazing people cheering me on throughout it all!  Hopefully it won’t be long until my victory post, so stay tuned for that.  Until then, I pray that the work I do is pleasing to God, and that to Him be all the glory.