Prompted Writer

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Setting a Writing Schedule

As a mom of three littles and a homeschooler on top of it things get chaotic and busy. My writing life is in the evening when the kids have gone to bed, but that’s also the time that I spend with my husband, clean the house, you get where I am going with this.I’ve been pondering the reasons I haven’t finished my novel yet. One of those being, I haven’t treated my work as a job. To me, it was more like a hobby, something I did in my spare time. 

Balancing life between raising my littles and working on my writing is difficult. Can I do the thing I love and desire without sacrificing my children, husband and relationship with the Lord? Looking at my schedule and the season of life I am in my husband and I have come up with something that works for our family! It will look different for everyone but there is no right way or wrong way to do this. We’ll start small and go from there, one day a week I will either go out or lock myself in the bedroom and write. Once I come home, or downstairs, my computer goes off and I spend my time with my family. It’s a simple change, but it’s a move toward making this more than a hobby.

I’ve learned to bring my laptop with me wherever I go and when I have a moment, I will write. I use the voice recorder on my apple watch to remember things when I am driving, the note app on my phone catches everything else, and my journal goes more into depth about the ins and outs of my day. This helps when I sit to write I can quickly scan my notes and begin writing. All of that to say, I don’t want to waste time when I should be writing. 

What does your writing schedule look like? How do you balance writing with littles?

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A Review of the Book, ‘Save the Cat! Writes a Novel’

One of my favorite books I reference multiple times while writing is, ‘Save the Cat! Writes a Novel’ by Jessica Brody. It has become a staple and I have sticky notes and highlighters to prove so. I’m not one for plotting but quickly realized that I needed to be as I rewrote my novel for the fifth time. Not exaggerating! I have put the beat sheets (plot points) outline into my scrivener workspace and followed it hoping and praying that this was it, that I would officially finish my first draft… side note; I’m not, but almost.

 
You may wonder why the book is titled ‘Save the cat’ and that’s a valid question. It comes from the late author Blake Snyder who wrote the original ‘Save the Cat!’ Book for screenwriters. It was a tip he used for avoiding common pitfalls of storytelling, “If your main character starts off somewhat unlikeable, then, in the early pages of your story they should save a cat (yes, like from a tree or a burning building or shelter), or do something comparable that immediately makes the reader root for them, regardless of their original likability.”

All right, so back to why you’re reading this post. Let’s talk about beat sheets and what they are. In the book, there are fifteen beats (3 acts) and Jessica goes over each one giving you examples from other books. She makes it easy to follow and complete each beat; it was the hand-holding I needed! 

ACT 1:

1. Opening Image: A “before” snapshot of your hero and their world.

2. Theme Stated: Briefly alludes to the transformative journey that your hero will take and the flaw or flaws they will eventually conquer

3. Setup: Sets up your hero’s life and their status quo world before everything changes.

4. Catalyst: Disrupts the status quo world with a life-changing event.

5. Debate: Shows how resistant your hero is to change and/or prepares your hero to break into act 2.

ACT 2:

 

6. Break Into 2: Brings the hero into the upside-down world of Act 2 where they will fix things the wrong way.

7. B Story: Introduces the character that who will somehow represent the B Story/spiritual story/theme and help your hero learn it.

8. Fun & Games: Deliver on the promise of the premise of the novel and shows us how your hero is faring in the new Act 2 world (either having fun or floundering.)

9. Midpoint: Marks the middle of the novel with either a false defeat or a false victory while raising the stakes of the story.

10. Bad Guys Close In: Provides a place for your hero to rebound after a false defeat Midpoint or fall down after a false victory Midpoint, all while the internal bad guys are closing in.

11. All Is Lost: Illustrates your hero’s rock bottom (lowest moment) of the story.

12. Dark Night Of The Soul: Shows how your hero reacts to the all is lost and how they eventually break through to a resolution. 

ACT 3:

13. Break Into 3: Brings the hero into the synthesis world of Act 3, where they will finally fix things the right way. 

14. Finale: Resolves all the problems created in Act 2 and proves that your hero has learned the theme and has been transformed.

15. Final Image: Provides and after snapshot of your hero and your hero’s life to show how much they’ve changed.

Detailed and what I was looking for, this book helped me when I direly needed revamping on my WIP. She also reveals the ten universal story genres which helped me nail down what direction would best suit my story. If you’re stuck and need a little extra help, or you’re looking for a new way to plot your story I highly recommend checking out this book!

 

**This post may contain affiliate links. All that means is if you purchase from one of these links we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.**

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I’m so tired of being afraid

Anyone else feel this way? Anxiety is the worst, it makes you scared, almost as if paralyzed by doubts and fears. I’m tired of fearing everything, it takes a toll on my thoughts and emotions! Having scripture around my home and memorizing it are two ways that I have slowly started to combat anxiety. What are ways that you have found helpful to overcome it?

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Writing When You’re Not Writing

I’ve expressed a lot lately about taking breaks, and I grasp how fundamental it is to take one every so often. Inspiration is all around us, and we need to look up periodically to observe it! Here are a few things you can do to stimulate that inspiration:

  1. Observe your surroundings–When I am out, I like to observe people around me. Watch their facial expressions, the way they interact with others, and how they handle conflict. I write it down either in a notebook or my OneNote account.
  2. Use your sense–Try to describe the things you do daily with more flair and color, so instead of saying, she sipped the coffee, you could add in the five senses (or only a few). She savored the bitter black liquid. Keep a journal to look back on!
  3. Music–I love to listen to music! When I come across a line in the song, I like I will write it down to look back on. Same with words, phrases, quotes, and photos. I’ve got most of this saved on my Pinterest boards to look at when I need to be inspired. When writing I like to listen to music with no words, I feel I can concentrate better.
  4. TV & Movies–Use them to analyze and learn what makes a good plotline in the story. Would you go on the journey with them? What would you do if you were in the same situation? What flaw did they overcome? Did you like the story, or not, and why? What lie did they believe?
  5. What if?–Take a story, any story, and ask what if… what if Cinderella didn’t lose her slipper? What if Snow White had a sister? What if the seven dwarfs were dragons?
  6. Read–This is probably the most obvious one of them all, but I would encourage you to read. Read things that aren’t in the genre you write! I would LOVE to hear what books you’re reading this summer.

What are ways you keep inspired while taking a break? Leave me a comment below and let me know!

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Write Every Day Course!

I am excited to introduce you all to my new writing friend Samantha Proctor; she created a fantastic writing course called ‘Write Every Day‘ that encourages you to write more consistently. As writers sometimes, it’s hard for us to find the time to sit down and write, but when we do, the results are noticeable. Every day she will give you a daily quote, encouragement, daily action, writing challenge, and a comment conversation starter. Samantha was very involved and a great motivator, she sends you a personal weekly email and is there to answer any questions you may have, course-related or writing in general. That was probably my favorite part, having a writing buddy to keep me accountable, give advice, encouragement, and a swift kick when needed 😉

Included in the course are printables to help you achieve your goals and a private Facebook group. Honestly, this course came at the right time for me I had started so many novels and never finished them, my writing was sporadic and I could never accomplish my goals. Since finishing this I have a renewed hope and passion for writing, I have actually started writing short stories instead and have taken a break from my Novella. Not because I cannot write a Novella, but sometimes you need to step away from something to gain a new perspective. The daily actions and writing challenges were exactly what I needed to give me that push and get my mind and creative juices working.

Here is what you’ll learn from this course:

There are five parts to this course.

Part one is about getting started. It’s about writing instead of just thinking about writing.

Part two is about setting realistic goals that don’t overwhelm you. It’s also about learning to accomplish those goals once you’ve set them.

Part three is where you learn to stick with your goals even when it’s not exciting anymore. In this part, you’ll learn to be disciplined even when you aren’t motivated.

Part four is all about rediscovering your love for writing. This is the fun part where you get to enjoy the process of spinning words together and creating stories.

Part five is the shortest part. It’s all about celebrating your success and ensuring that you continue to write long after this course is over.

Most importantly, you’re going to learn how to write consistently. If you would like some more info on the course, you can go here, but if you’re ready to jump in and start writing my sweet friend has given my readers a discount code for 20% off the course use, WRITEMORE in the add coupon section to take advantage of this offer.