The Resources I Recommend to Writers, Part 1

My students sometimes wonder how I can possibly draft an 85,000-word novel in six months while juggling my full-time roles as the Director of a Writing Center and an English lecturer. The secret? I'm incredibly fortunate to have ample free time outside of work to dedicate to my writing. Without children or caregiving responsibilities, and with a nine-month academic contract, I enjoy a long summer break from mid-May to mid-August. During those three months, I fully immerse myself in my writing, frequenting independent cafes in Laramie and making the most of the near-empty university library. It's a writer's dream come true.

Of course, novels can't simply be put on hold until the long summer break rolls around. To stay on top of my craft and to meet those unforgiving deadlines that don't happen from May to August, I need to be writing consistently all year long – summer break or not. Fortunately, I've discovered four fantastic resources that help me stay focused and productive no matter how many papers I need to grade or how full my inbox gets. Let me share them with you:

Writing Partners

If you are serious about publishing your work, you need writing partners. However, as some of my students have humorously pointed out, your ideal collaborator shouldn't be 'the best writer I know' —that is, 'your mom.' You need writing partners who are as serious about getting published as you are. They need to be cutthroat. Critical. Their feedback should inspire that 'ah hah' lightbulb moment. So, where can you find these partners? I found mine through an online workshop run by Catapult (since closed, RIP), but there are many other online workshops out there. Check out my writing partner Caitlin Kunkel's list of workshops. Additionally, one of the hosts of my favorite podcast, Bianca Marais, organizes a semi-regular beta reader match up. The deadline for this round of match-ups is June 2, 2024.

Milanote

I came across Milanote when searching 'How to plot a novel without using Scrivener'. Don't get me wrong, I definitely see the value of using a premium word-processing program to structure my novels, but I like to use Scrivener for later drafts, when things are a bit less messy and the structure is more or less hanging together. When I found Milanote, I was looking for a program that would allow me to drop notes, images, links, and files into a visual project board. I have used it consistently for the past seven months to organize my research, jot down ideas, outline chapters, and reverse-outline. [Tip: a free account provides you with 100 free cards, but you can earn 20 additional cards for every referral!]

Save the Cat! beat sheet

When I read a novel, I am never just reading for pleasure. I am paying attention to the scaffolding; the internal beats that create tension and conflict. What serves as the inciting incident? How does the protagonist respond and grapple with her inevitable journey? Is there a false victory or defeat at the midpoint? And to what extent must the protagonist evolve during their dark night of the soul? I was introduced to Save the Cat! in a screenwriting seminar during my undergraduate degree. You might have heard of it. It's a popular methodology developed by Blake Snyder, focusing on structuring compelling narratives through identifiable story beats. Jessica Brody has adapted Snyder's method for novel writing in her book 'Save the Cat! Writes a Novel.' Upon reading it, I completely revamped my process of plotting my novels. Suddenly, what felt 'intuitive' had a name. I designed structural analysis spreadsheets for my favorite novels, delighted to find that every book adhered to the blueprint outlined by Snyder and Brody. While not exhaustive, having a 3-act, 15-beat structure in mind certainly helps me write tighter and more purposeful drafts.

Save the Cat beat sheet for my favorite novel, Megan Abbott's THE TURNOUT

Matt Bell's craft book, 'Refuse to be Done'

I wish Matt Bell had published his craft book, Refuse to be Done while I was earning my undergraduate degree in creative writing, struggling to understand why my first drafts weren't popping out of my head and onto the page as fully-formed masterpieces. The book's subtitle 'How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts' reminded me that it's okay for a first draft to be messy. I'm telling myself the story for the first time, allowing myself to be surprised by my character's actions, seeing what floats to the top. The revision happens later, in drafts 2 and 3 (and maybe 4, 5, and 6!). It's a slim book, but Bell packs it with applicable advice and concrete tips.

Refuse to be done! And refuse to waste time line-editing your first draft.