Writing Motivation

One of the hardest parts of being a writer is keeping your motivation. Most of us have been there: rejection number 400, another form, an R&R turned down, our fifteeth time on publisher submission, a CP points out all the holes in your story...you name it, we've trudged the same path as a hundred writers before us. So, how exactly do we keep our motivation?

We all know the old adages "write because you can't not", "write for the passion" and "it just takes one yes", but sometimes those feel like just that...adages. So what can you really do to keep your spirits up? Here's what I do:

1) Keep a note of what you're good at, and what you can improve on. I have this on my whiteboard. The more times one skill gets transfered to the "I can do it well" list, the more motivating it is. Baby steps, people.

2) Go into the guts of your book and find the reason you wrote it. What made you think it was cool and fun? What got you excited? Now go and immerse yourself in it, for no other reason than simple enjoyment. I wrote my fantasy because I loved the idea of magic being made by quantum physics (yes, I geeked out), so I go and watch documentaries on science and magic. It really raises my spirits.

3) Go out and ignore writing for a day. Go do something else. I find the longer I sit staring at the computer, the more anxious I become. Go get some oxygen and outside air.

4) Stay OFF social media for a day. Yes, it's amazing to hear of all the good news about agent and publishing success. It'll probably make you feel a bit frustrated and crappy, too, so give yourself a break.

5) Binge on your favorite thing - movies, books, chocolate, hiking...whatever. Just go on, guilt free, and do it.


So, that's it. This is my way to cope and to keep my motivation chugging along. I hope one of these is useful to you! Now go get your happy!!!

What do you say?

Every writer comes to their story in a different way. Some people approach it with a basic concept, others with a character, some with a first line or a snippet of dialogue. There are as many ways to get a story idea as there are writers and everyone has their own process. However, there are also some super important aspects of writing that every writer must build upon (character arcs, pacing, plotting, dialogue, etc, etc, ad nauseum). Today, I want to look at one of the biggies: Theme.

Right then. Let's start at the top. What is theme?

Theme is the central topic of your book. In the largest sense, it is what readers will think your book is about. It is what the book is saying about the subject it talks about.

Let's look at a few famous examples:


We'll start with the Hunger Games. One of the central themes in this book is sacrifice and the consequences. This starts right off the bat with Katniss sacrificing for her sister and as a result ending up in the Hunger Games. There is also the theme of corrupt power and the effect it has on society - President Snow keeps the poor masses under an iron rule, poor and defeated, but the wealthy flourish (though they are equally held prisoner by their false and politically dangerous world). These are but two of the major themes explored in this book. Then we have the power of love - how anything can be achieved by love: Katniss winning the Hunger Games to get back to her family, despite the huge odds stacked against her and how she saves Peeta at the end of the games.

Next we have the Divergent series. A strong theme here is the concept of choice. Tris makes her own choices and doesn't fall into society's expectations. She joins Dauntless, her brother joins Erudite. The book also looks into overcoming fear, showcased by the simulations the Dauntless must endure in order to succeed. Yet another theme is that of segregation, showcased by the different factions created throughout society.


As you can see, themes can be multi-layered and very complex, and often one connects solidly to another. However, in order to write a great book, you need to have at least one core theme. What do you want your book to say? What do you want readers to question?

* Love versus power
* Honor over ambition
* Freedom versus fear
* Prejudice or acceptance

There are hundreds of themes and topics out there that are worth exploring and each story will lend itself to its own.

How does this help you? It will deepen the core of your story and give it something important to say.

If you know the theme of your book at the start, it's going to color your writing and seep through on every page.

Good luck!!!

How not to eat feet

A sock in the face doesn’t really smell that great, does it? Well, at least not if it’s one of my socks, because I’m a regular farm jockey. But how about yours? Even if your toes are sparkly clean like a “Tide” advert you’re gonna want to avoid the whole foot in mouth thing when you’re querying. After all, no one wants to eat smelly feet.

That brings me nicely (if not stinky-ly) to the topic of query faux pas (or f*ck ups, as they’re fondly known on my side of the pond – and hey, did you not notice I used “Tide” as a detergent as opposed to “Daz”? “Daz” is for us Brits who don’t know what “Tide” actually is). Anyhoo, let’s look at what blunders you don’t want to blunder into when you enter query land…

One - For the love of all things holy, do not compare yourself to the literature greats. Sure, you might be the next big thing, and sure, you might be as good as Dickens or Rowling, or gosh golly Mr. Shakespeare himself…but don’t, I beg you, tell an agent this. You will be fish slapped straight out of the query inbox and deemed “that” writer. You know who you are (and if you don’t, God help you).

Two - Keep your head on your shoulders and not on someone’s butt. Seriously though, I know you adore and silently (and please let it be silently) stalk agents on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook…but you shouldn’t let them know that. Yes, they might have the cutest cat in the world, or they eat their chicken roll just like you do, but do not let this pepper your query letter. And don’t tell them they are the most amazing, wonderful, most beautiful person in the world and you’re going to just die if they don’t love you back. You’re just going to make them feel awkward as they slowly back away from you, looking discreetly for an exit (or a fire extinguisher).

Three - “You’ll regret it if you don’t take me on.” Seriously, guys. They won’t. Honestly. Trust me on this. “But people who turned down J.K Rowling must have regretted it”. Maybe, maybe not. Remember – an agent wants someone they can be passionate about. It’s not all about the money honey.

Four - “I’m sending you my first chapter and if you like it I’ll finish the book.” No. Enough said.

Five - I know agents seem to be the font of all knowledge, but hold your pretty little horses and stuff your mouth with cotton wool before you run off with some grand plans of using said knowledge. Honestly, I think some writers believe agents spout fairy glitter and unicorn dust from every part of their body. While they might (you never know) it is not okay to say, “Since you’re awesome, can you give me feedback if you’re going to say no?” Despite the fact they are super duper busy, it’s just not cool. If I walked up to you and asked you to critique my math homework even if you didn’t like it…well, you get my point.

Alright, there are plenty more faux pas you can make in your query, but that’s enough for now. Wait…what’s that sound? Ah, yes, I can hear you choking on your own toes right now. But, wait, don’t let the alarm bells ringing make you run a mile.

If you make a mess up like this, or have done, it’s not the end of the world. Hopefully, your super sparkling pages will snag their attention, or maybe you’ll just have to move on and do better next time.

Either way, just keep going and keep learning along the way. Good luck in the query trenches and you can laugh at me when I put my rather stinky feet in my mouth (and probably all the way down to my throat). As they say, sh*t happens. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

-Fiona (aka the person with too much feet talk)