Are you getting ready to attend a writers’ conference?

Guess what? So am I! And I want to make the most of my time there, so let’s think through what will help with that.

You’re likely going for at least two reasons: to learn and to connect. You might also be going to pitch your project. Let’s prep, plan, and pack to get the most out of this upcoming event, so you’re even better prepared to learn, connect, and pitch.

And given that I work with a lot of published authors and speakers, it’s possible you’re one of the presenters. One day I might share detailed speaker recommendations, but for now I did weave in a few suggestions to make your faculty conference experience a little easier, too.

Event Binder

First, I should mention the Event Binder. This idea originated with Kathi Lipp on an episode of Writing at the Red House. Years ago I heard her describe what she includes in her “dossier,” as she calls it, and I’ve adopted and adapted the list to make it my own.

I load it up with all travel information (printed out, obviously) like reservations, and confirmations; contact names and emails; an envelope for receipts; a mileage tracker where I can log each outing; a printout of the schedule; and more. If I’m speaking, I print out copies of my messages in case technology fails.

That said, I do create redundancy by dropping the same information into a folder on my phone in an app like Google Drive or Notion. And I’ll save the key locations in my maps app so it’s a quick click and I’m on my way.

If you’d like a list of what I have in my Event Binder whether I’m an attendee or speaker, head to ​annkroeker.com/conferenceprep​ to get a checklist.

Research Speakers

Hopefully you already read the session descriptions when choosing this conference and got a feel for the presenters and other faculty.

Study the conference website

Now, in the days before the event, study the website to learn about the organizers and faculty. You never know who you’ll be sitting next to at lunch or crossing in the hallway—knowing the team and speakers means you’ll be able to connect more personally during any random interaction.

Follow and watch or listen to speakers online

Find and follow key faculty on social media. Search YouTube and podcasts to find your favorite speakers. Listen to at least a few minutes of their interviews, presentations, or lectures. 

[Edited to add an excellent suggestion from writer Li Mitchell, who replied to my newsletter and suggested “joining presenters’ email newsletters (if they have them) and getting to know them through email before you attend their conference …because then when you met them in person, you would already have spoken through email.”]

When you do this, each speaker will lift off the pages of the conference materials and seem even more “real” when you hear them tell a personal story about family or childhood in a podcast interview. You’ll get to hear their voice. You’ll see mannerisms if you see them on video. If you have time before the event, you could read one of their books.

Write what you discover

If you create an Event Binder, write questions to ask and details you learn next to their name and session description. If you need more space for key bits of information, grab a sticky note so you have more room to write. If the speaker says something that stands out—like a hobby, a school, or a trip you relate to in some way—write that down, too.

These little notes are handy—if you brush up on what you’ve written before their session and meet them afterwards, you’ve got a conversation starter (“I heard you love Belgium—my husband’s from Belgium, and I love it, too!”).

The more I learn in advance, the more excited I get about the conference. I hope you do, too.

Find Friends who Plan to Attend

Most events like attendees to use an event-specific hashtag on social media. In fact, they might tag you or share your posts when you share.

If you feel comfortable sharing ahead of time, highlight the event by tagging the organization or organizer and use the hashtag—before you go to the conference. It’ll get your post in that feed and you might meet people online and connect with friends and colleagues in advance who search it and plan to attend, as well. 

It’s a way to get buzz going ahead of time and build anticipation.

Prep & Pack

The last and obvious thing you and I need to do before the conference is…pack.

When I take my time to ensure I’ve brought the items that will help me make the most of this event, it’s easier to relax and enjoy myself.

Grab the binder, of course, if you make one.

For me, it slides in the main compartment of my day bag that I’ll be carrying around all day. For me, it’s a backpack. You’ll want to choose your bag.

Choose Your Bag (Mine’s a Backpack)

If you’re physically able to carry a backpack and you don’t feel too…collegiate…toting it around on your back, I recommend it. 

Pack what you need for the day

A spacious backpack will hold a laptop (if you take one) and/or an iPad-type digital notebook, paper, pens, a small lunch (and floss, for after lunch), snacks, gum or mints, business cards, water bottle, umbrella, portable power bank to charge a drained phone, and other bits and baubles—whatever you like to carry with you from building to building, room to room. 

Obviously we’ll all have different items we like to have on hand. Those are ideas to get you started. And something like a backpack gives you lots of slots to stay organized.

Leave space for goodies

Be sure to leave space for goodies, because you’ll acquire things while you’re there, like you might buy a book from the event book table, or freebies from exhibitors and sponsors, like free pens, water bottles, coasters, and the like. 

Whatever bag you end up bringing, leave space for swag.

Is it unprofessional? Could be an advantage!

One year I carried a ridiculous purple backpack. I stuck out and felt self-conscious, even unprofessional, but it’s what I had and it held what I needed. 

A dear friend and I were chatting after a session where she was speaking, and she noted my purple backpack. We joked about it. “Well,” I said, “it makes me easy to spot!”

She was leaving a day early and wanted to say goodbye to me, but in the sea of attendees criss-crossing the campus, she assumed it would be impossible to connect with me again. She felt sad about it.

Then, she saw a flash of purple.

I heard my name. “Ann! Ann Kroeker!” I looked up and saw her waving with both arms, and I raced over to give her a huge hug. “I saw the purple!” she exclaimed.

That purple backpack accompanied me to a lot of writing events. After that, I got over any sense of feeling unprofessional. 

In recent years—and I don’t know why—I eventually bought a new backpack. And it’s gray. So all these years later I still carry a backpack, but you’ll never find me in a crowd.

Now I’m going on and on about this backpack, and I’ve dragged you into the weeds, but I’ll end by saying this: don’t go out and purchase a backpack—gray, purple, or otherwise—just because I’m talking so much about it. By all means, use what you have and enjoy. You know what works for you.

Too heavy for your health? Find a rolling bag

And as much as I love a good backpack, I know not everyone is physically able to carry one. In fact, I had lower back pain years ago that made it impossible, so for those outings I would borrow a rolling briefcase from my mom, which saved the strain. 

Books for Signings

If you purchase books by faculty, take those along and see if you can find a time for the authors to sign them. Don’t worry if you didn’t have time to purchase speakers’ books in advance, because you’ll probably be able to purchase them on-site to have them sign. 

And of course if you’re speaking, coordinate with the conference to have your books available for purchase and see if they’ve planned a signing.

Many conferences schedule author book signings for their speakers, and it’s always fun to enjoy that fleeting one-on-one moment with the writers you admire. And if you’re the speaker doing the signing, it’s wonderful to interact with people who are enjoying what you’ve written.

In a smaller setting with no official book signing, you might try to find an opportune moment. If you’re chatting with the author, they seem relaxed, and there’s not a line of other people waiting for their moment, ask (but give them an “out” to say no). I did this with the late Phyllis Tickle, and she gladly signed my copy of her memoir and the series of The Divine Hours I pulled out of my backpack.

I was glad I took them along.

How Will You Take Notes?

Consider how you like to take notes.

I love typing up conference notes on my laptop, but sometimes I want to travel leaner so I grab my ancient iPad. It works, but the battery drains away fast. So it’s not the best option these days.

Even fully charged batteries of new devices will eventually drain and WiFi can slow down when hundreds of people log in at an event, so I always take paper and pen, as well, in case the machines fail. In fact, I add extra lined sheets of paper in my Event Binder.

It’s nice to have options, and analog always comes through. Plus, it’s quieter than tapping a keyboard during someone’s talk.

Critique Appointments

Some events offer critiques, where a publishing professional—such as a professor, agent, or editor—reviews your writing submission prior to the conference and meets with you to discuss its strengths and offer suggestions to improve the project.

If you signed up for this, you will have already sent a digital copy to them prior to the event so they could review it.

Check your email, though, in case they ask you to bring one or more physical copies of the document to the conference.

And prepare to take notes during the meeting. Will you use a laptop (that might be in the way), an ancient (or new) iPad, or paper and pen? Record their suggestions quickly, as individual sessions aren’t a leisurely coaching call. You’re only going to have a few minutes with them. Make the most of it and listen to what they say.

Prepare yourself emotionally for their input, no matter how harsh it may feel. Practice smiling and saying, “Thank you so much for your time and input! I’ve learned so much from you.”

One Sheet & Proposal

If you signed up for a pitch session at your writers’ conference, you may want to create and print off copies of a One Sheet that summarizes your project.

Even if your pitch goes well and the agent or AE (acquisitions editor) likes it, they probably won’t ask for a hard copy of your proposal that they’ll have to lug around all day. Most interested agents or AEs will ask you to email it to them after the event, so take them up on it and don’t worry about loading down your bag with a bunch of hard copies of your proposal. But you might want to pack one, for that one agent who loves the project and wants the hard copy to review on the flight home. 

Nearly every agent or AE will accept a One Sheet because it is, after all, only one sheet of paper. In fact, some agents request them. I encourage people to create and take a One Sheet.

What’s a One Sheet? I’ll record an episode about One Sheets sometime, but for now check out the link below with more information (see the Resources).

Practice Your Pitch

You’ll want to be yourself and sound natural when you head into a pitch session, but you also want to make the most of that brief time slot and avoid rambling.

To ensure you can talk about your book with clarity and confidence, practice your two-sentence hook and your slightly longer elevator pitch. When your pitch feels conversational, and yet tight and clear, you’ll leave time to discuss it further and connect with the publishing professional. Stop after your descriptions to let them ask questions. Enjoy the conversation.

A few years ago I hosted literary agent Cynthia Ruchti, who led a simple training to model how you can develop a pitch that makes an impression. She offered inspiration to novelists, especially, and included tips for authors of nonfiction (see below).

As with a critique session, prepare yourself emotionally for the agent or AE input and response, no matter how disappointing it may feel. They might request your proposal or a partial (of your novel), or they may say it’s not a good fit.

Either way, practice smiling and saying, “Thank you so much for your time and input! I’ve learned so much from you.”

Business Card or Digital Equivalent

An optional conference item that may seem a bit antiquated is the good old reliable business card.

A member of my platform membership program attended an event where she couldn’t even carry a bag, so she ordered something called the Dot, a digital alternative to a physical business card. It worked well given her limitations. https://dotcards.net/ 

This kind of technology is common at Silicon Valley events, but literary people tend to be a little old school. If you have physical business cards, take along a stack. They’re fun to swap. 

Are You Speaking?

If you’re a speaker at a writers’ conference, you’ll need to include extra items in your Event Binder, like a copy of your talk(s), all the places you’re expected to be with your own personal schedule, pitch sessions and names of people who signed up, speaker meal information, speaking contract, and other information.

I like to bring a flash drive with my slide deck in case my laptop doesn’t play nice with the event system. I also invested in various dongles and adapters to connect my computer to the screens in the room.

I even have a gadget to advance my slides, just in case the facility doesn’t have one. It keeps me from being tethered to my computer tapping the spacebar. It’s a little unnecessary and over-the-top, but my husband got one at a conference he attended years ago and gave it to me, since I speak and he doesn’t. 

You may also want to grab a clipboard and print out a sheet for people to sign up for your email list with a note granting permission for you to add them to your email service provider. You can go home, add them to your system, and send them notes, resources, and any handouts.

Conference Countdown, Then…Go!

Despite this long list of suggestions, I’ve survived crazy seasons of life where I just had to throw everything in bags and hope for the best. I didn’t research a single speaker and still had a great time at the conference. I learned tons, made new friends, and connected with industry experts.

Make lists, prepare as best you can, then pack your bags and count down to your travel day.

If you’re planning to pitch, I wish you the very best.

As for me, I’ve got my binder in my backpack, and I’m ready to learn and connect! 

Have you attended a conference and have ideas to share that will help people prep, plan, and pack? Drop those in the comments!

Resources

This is how to Prep, Plan, and Pack to Get the Most out of Your Next (or First!) Writers’ Conference, part two in a short series.

• Conference Prep for more information on Your Conference Event Binder and other ways I prep for writers’ conferences
• Choose Your Next (or First!) Writers’ Conference (part 1)
• Write to Publish Conference (use my faculty affiliate code AK2024 at checkout for $25 off)
• The Festival of Faith & Writing (April 11-13, 2024; I plan to attend this)
• Kathi Lipp’s Event Dossier episode
• Dot cards
• One Sheet info (also from Kathi Lipp)
• Perfecting Your Pitch with Cynthia Ruchti

Get Your Conference Event Binder

Grab this fillable workbook to create your own Conference Event Binder (and other goodies) You’ll get:

• Checklists for both attendees and speakers
• Mileage log to print off and track
• Receipt log to print off and track

Get your FREE Event Binder resource

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Attending my first writers’ conference proved to be life-changing—or at least career-changing. In the years since, I’ve attended a wide range of writing events, and each one has in some way substantially contributed to my career.

Some deepened my knowledge, others expanded my professional network—most did both.

I can’t imagine where I’d be without them.

Could a writers’ conference be a life-changing/knowledge-deepening/network-expanding opportunity in your future, even this year? If yes, how do you determine the right conference for you?

This post is the first of a short series on how to get the most out of your next (or first!) writers’ conference, starting with how to choose your next (or first!) writers’ conference. 

The Gifts of a Writers’ Conference

In the early days of my writing career, I explored freelance writing. Thanks to a mentor, I learned how to pitch myself as a writer for companies looking to outsource things like company newsletters and I gained a few core clients.

That launched my professional writing business.

But as a creative writing major attracted to poetry and essay writing, I wanted to explore other types of writing and submit to magazines, for example, so I picked up everything I could from library books.

The books, while excellent, were not enough to answer all my questions or help focus my efforts. And the internet did not exist at that time. In time, I instinctively knew I needed to start connecting with writers and learn from them. 

In fact, I started to crave it.

Somehow I heard about an event in Chicago called Write to Publish. I registered and attended it as my very first writers’ conference.

Nervous and unsure what to expect, I showed up and sat through sessions, as speaker after speaker delivered talks that energized my creativity, while the speakers themselves embodied a life I wanted to pursue: that of a working writer building a body of work to be proud of.

Many first-time conference attendees feel so overwhelmed by the flood of information at events like these, they conclude they could never pull it off and give up, walking away from writing and publishing altogether.

I felt overwhelmed, yes, but mostly excited and empowered. It was exactly what I wanted; it was exactly what I needed.

By the end of the conference, I interacted with attendees who in time became colleagues. I met someone who became another writing mentor. Those conference connections formed the beginnings of my professional network.

If you attend a writing conference…

• You could meet your next coach or mentor.
• You could meet like-minded writers and form a writers’ group.
• You could meet industry leaders who offer to look over your project.
• You could meet someone who introduces you to key people you only dreamed of meeting one day.
• You could meet a writing buddy who becomes an accountability partner.

If you’re considering attending a conference or any kind of writing event for the first time, I hope you find it proves to be a pivotal step in your journey. You never know how a chance encounter in the hallway or a timid hello as you take your seat in the auditorium could be the start of a professional relationship or a literary friendship that changes your life.

Writer’s Conference or Writers’ Conference?

As we dive into what a writers’ conference is and how to choose the right one for you, we have to face two small but fascinating issues. One, believe it or not, is punctuation; the other is labels.

Let’s start with punctuation.

You surely think this is overkill, but humor me for a minute.

Sometimes you’ll see an event called a writers’ conference, other times a writer’s conference. Occasionally you might spot a writers conference with no apostrophe. And then a few call their events writing conferences, avoiding the need for an apostrophe altogether.

In most industries, no one would care one bit about this level of detail. These conferences, however, are events catering to…writers, agents, and editors. So of course we notice the apostrophe (or lack thereof). And of course we start wondering how that tiny fleck of ink affects the attendees’ (or attendee’s) experience. 

Without wasting more time on the grammatical implications, I bring it up for practical reasons. Because when asking your writerly friends what conferences they recommend, apostrophe placement may not matter much, but in an online search each version could produce different results. 

 To turn up the perfect event for you, try using all the different search terms:

• Writers’ conference
• Writer’s conference
• Writers conference
• Writing conference

In your online searches, you also might change the word “conference” (singular) to “conferences” (plural). Conferences (plural) might turn up a list of events in a single article, which will save you time in your search.

If you search for the singular “conference,” your search results may deliver endless events to sift through one at a time…but it still might be an advantage, as you might find a new event that wasn’t around when a list of events was compiled into one article.

What a Writers’ Conference Tends to Offer

Most writers’ conferences feature speakers with sessions that educate authors about topics like industry expectations, genre-specific recommendations, author platform advice, tips for developing book proposals (especially for authors of nonfiction), queries, and other publishing advice. 

Conferences can also come in all different sizes, but most will offer keynotes, lectures, and breakout sessions. Some may include readings and workshops paced throughout a long weekend or some are a full week. 

Most writers’ conferences offer pitch sessions for writers who have completed non-fiction book proposals or for those who have complete manuscripts for their novels or memoirs.

Many conferences will have different tracks: one track might be for novelists, and the other might be for non-fiction authors. One might offer a track for unpublished authors and another for more advanced authors to discuss topics that new writers aren’t ready for. 

Knowing all of this can help you choose the best fit as you’re searching.

Is a conference a conference by any other name? 

The other question is this naming or labeling. Gatherings for writers might go by different names. In addition to writers’ conferences, I’ve seen and attended:

• writing retreats
• writing seminars
• writing festivals
• writing workshops
• and a writers’ colloquium

Each designation suggests a different purpose and personality. When you realize how one tends to differ from another, you’ll be able to match your professional needs and goals with the right event. 

For example, you might want to write and talk about craft at a retreat led by a writer you admire, maybe in a beautiful setting. This event would feel dramatically different from a two-day conference hosting hundreds of authors that offers 15-minute agent pitch sessions and is held on a college campus or at a hotel. 

Match Your Purpose and Project to the Type of Event

That’s why you’ll want to first be aware of what kind of writer you are and the writing you’re focusing on at this moment, then determine your purpose for attending a writing event.

This will include where you’re at in your professional and publishing journey. Then consider your current project and its stage of development. Today, I’m mostly covering the in-person conference experiences, but you may find similar benefits at something labeled something else.

Study the descriptions carefully, read the fine print regarding refunds and take into account that certain experiences may be much more expensive than others.

What Kind of Writer Are You?

Knowing yourself and your writing goals and writing stage can help you determine your purpose for attending an event. It can help you decide if you’re better suited to an event for:

• authors of nonfiction books
• authors of novels
• authors of literary writing (literary novels, short stories, essays, poetry)
• authors of genre-specific books
• bloggers
• freelance writers who are actively pitching and submitting (or want to learn how)
• writers interested in writing for the ABA and general market
• writers interested in Christian publishing
• writers interested in self-publishing

When you realize an event doesn’t offer speakers or sessions suitable for the kind of writer you are and the writing you’re pursuing, cross it off your list. It won’t be worth your time.

What About Your Project?

Next, consider what you need given where you’re at in your writing life and with a given project. 

Are you:

• a newbie with no project or book in the works, simply ready to soak in everything possible?
• an experienced writer who has taken a break and you want to dip back in and learn how the industry has evolved?
• an experienced writer with a project in a specific genre?
• an unagented novelist with a completed manuscript, ready to pitch?
• an unagented author with a nonfiction book idea, and you want to understand the industry?
• an unagented author with a completed nonfiction book proposal (or nearly complete), ready to pitch literary agents and/or acquisitions editors?
• a writer wanting to self-publish a book?

Given your current project’s status, you can decide which conference offerings will move it forward to its next milestone.

Even if you’re an unagented writer—that means a writer without a literary agent representing you—if you have a partially developed nonfiction book proposal, you may want to attend a writers’ conference to meet people and practice pitching. You might converse with an industry expert who offers ideas to strengthen your project!

What’s Your Purpose, Goal, and Need?

Once you narrow the options to an event that seems right for you, you’ll have access to useful information provided by industry experts, and you’ll meet other writers, literary agents, and acquisitions editors who are in the same space as you.

Here are common benefits:

Learn and be inspired: If you’re new to writing and publishing or if you’re new again to it after a break, search for events that will provide you with foundational advice from trusted professionals lined up as faculty. The combination of motivating keynotes and educational breakout sessions could be just what you need.

Network: You’ll be mingling with other writers at these events. Some may be at the same stage as you, and others will be further ahead. You’ll chat at the coffee station during breaks between sessions. You might sit next to each other or stand in line together to meet a speaker at the end of a presentation. These may become future colleagues who endorse your book when it comes out or introduce you to an industry gatekeeper—they might be an industry gatekeeper!

Find an agent: If you have a completed manuscript or book proposal but you haven’t yet landed an agent through querying, look for events designed for your genre with literary agents and acquisitions editors from agencies and publishing houses that interest you. Be sure they offer pitch sessions and sign up the minute that option is available. Even if you don’t land a spot with your ideal agent, as I mentioned, you might bump into them naturally and have a chance to interact.

For the Shy, Introverted Writer

Even if you’re an introverted or dreadfully shy writer, don’t let that keep you from attending a writing event.

I’ll be encouraging you in another episode to make an effort to meet new literary acquaintances. Building a network of like-minded literary people is priceless. For now, know this: You might not meet your kindred spirit, but it’s highly likely you’ll meet someone you can at least follow on social media.

And you might get to know someone who can help you take the next step in your creative journey—you might encourage them, as well.

The Writers’ Conference Investment

Conferences and other writing events aren’t cheap. In addition to the registration fee, you may need to ask for time off work, arrange for childcare, pay for travel, housing, and meals.

It adds up. And the writers who most benefit from conferences are rarely at a stage where they are compensated well for their writing, so it becomes a conundrum.

Small, Local Events: When my kids were young and our funds were limited, I looked for nearby one- or two-day events within driving distance. They often brought in two or three speakers and focused on a narrow aspect of the writing life. Those really helped me at that stage. Just because they’re small doesn’t mean they’re not offering valuable input.

Scholarships: Some events offer limited scholarships, so if you feel you qualify, reach out and ask the event organizers.

Grants: If you have enough time before the event, you could consider applying for a grant that aligns well with your writing project(s) and target reader.

Subsidized from Personal Budget: You might consider how other aspects of your life and work could subsidize this event. Be clear about what you hope to gain from attending—and how it fits into your long-term writing goals. That could be a way to view your investment in attending this event.

When I attended Write to Publish, I was building my freelance business. It probably took another year to start making substantial income, but in time I made enough to cover those initial costs. 

I wasn’t super savvy back then, but in retrospect I think I was viewing my writing as a small, startup business. The conference was an investment in my professional development, and I gained information and connections that contributed directly to my success.

Meet at Write to Publish?

In a remarkable turn of events, I’ll be on the faculty of the Write to Publish conference in Wheaton, Illinois (Chicago area), June 11–14, 2024. 

Yes, all these years later, I’ll be on site at the same event that changed the trajectory of my writing career. This time, I get to be there as a coach to support and serve Christian writers who want to be traditionally published. 

It’s humbling to come full circle, and I can’t wait to be there again.

If, after learning more about ​Write to Publish​, you feel it’s a good fit for you, use my affiliate code AK2024 at registration checkout to get $25 off. 

Make sure it’s a good fit—that’s part of the research. Again, Write to Publish is geared to Christian writers and traditional publishing. 

Do Your Research

I have attended so many different types and styles of writing events over the years. I have loved every single one of them, whether they were in person or online, whether they were a one-day or a week-long event, whether it was a retreat or a conference.

Determine your criteria right now. What you need today might be different a few years from now when you’ll pick a different event. Dive in to research the options that suit you best.

Study the faculty, the session titles and descriptions, and how the days are structured. Do they have agent pitch sessions or not? Do you need that?

If you’re writing novels for the general market or you’re writing genre fiction, skip the Christian conferences clearly designed for authors of nonfiction. Avoid those that are focused on essayists submitting to literary journals, unless that’s what you want!

There’s no one perfect event, and no one event is going to have everything you need for all time. As I mentioned, I’ve attended many different types and styles of events over the years, and each one has given me a little something different to walk away with and apply to my writing journey. 

Your Writer’s Conference

As you find one that feels like a good fit, don’t delay too long because some of them fill up. In fact, some might be full already—you can register or get the waitlist for your favorite. 

And look forward to connecting with people in the publishing industry who might be instrumental in getting you where you want to be as a writer in 2024 and beyond.

Resources

Once you choose your conference, keep an eye on the second article, about making the most of the conference itself (with tips for preparation and creative ideas to try while you’re there).

• Write to Publish Conference (use my faculty affiliate code AK2024 at checkout for $25 off)
• The Festival of Faith & Writing (April 11-13, 2024; I plan to attend this)
• Jane’s Guide to Getting the Most out of a Writers Conference (Jane Friedman)
• The Top Writers’ Conferences for 2024 by Book Publicist Scott Lorenz (Westwind Communications):
• AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) Directory of Conferences & Centers
• Poets & Writers Conferences and Residencies Database (of particular interest to literary writers)
• Writers Conferences 2024: 60 Incredible Events to Consider This Year (The Write Life)
• It’s Fun to Write with Others! (episode 236)

I stared at a blank screen. Why did I ever think I could pull this off?

Until that moment, I’d only written short projects. Articles, essays, poems. 

As I sat staring at the screen, questioning myself in about every way possible, I was supposed to be writing my first book—a manuscript of over 50,000 words.

Overwhelmed, I sat at the keyboard, frozen.

Sound familiar? Have you felt inspired to write a book you believe will truly help people—even transform them—but you’re not sure you have what it takes? 

Well, once upon a time, this writing coach was in the exact same place.

I was staring at the screen, inspired to write a book, but doubting myself: Do I have what it takes to write a book?

Could I Write Something as Big as a Book?

How does an essayist-poet-freelancer embark on the massive task of completing a 55,000-word manuscript?

That question felt unanswerable and I felt inadequate.

This prose-freezing self-doubt was a huge problem, however, because I’d signed a contract. I was obligated to write a book I didn’t think I could write.

First, a Proposal

For a year or so my friends had been urging me to move forward with writing a book after I kept sharing concepts with them in conversations over coffee or during play dates at the park. One after another, they would say, “You should write a book about that!”

I’d laugh it off. “Me? Write a book? Ha!” 

“But you’re a writer!” they’d insist.

“I’m a writer of short things. A book is too long, too huge.”

They’d shrug and we’d go back to wiping yogurt off our kids’ faces.

One day I was meeting with my mentor, a writer named Ruth (I had two writing mentors named Ruth—what are the odds!—and this was the Ruth who lived nearby). Nearby Ruth was the author of a book acquired by a publishing house based about three hours north of us. 

She offered to introduce me to the editorial team, so I could pitch the idea to them over lunch. She said she’d drive me up there herself! All I had to do was hop in the car, share the project with them, and hand out copies of a book proposal. 

It was all arranged.

What a great mentor, right?

I just needed to create the book proposal…which I didn’t have the faintest idea how to put together.

“You can look at mine”

“I need a book proposal? Can’t I just describe the book?”

“They need the book proposal,” Ruth said. “That’s how they do it.”

It’s the same now as it was then, by the way. For nonfiction projects, an author produces a book proposal before landing a book contract with an agent or editor. (Learn more about the process and purpose by watching this webinar.)

Back then, I had no idea what a book proposal looked like. This was pre-Internet, so there were no samples to download or coaches to hire.

“You can look at mine,” Ruth offered. “You can see how it’s laid out and how I described my book. Then you can plug in your book’s details in the same places.”

Can you believe that? My mentor offered to let me see her own book proposal like it was no big deal.

But it was pivotal. Life-changing. Career-forming.

Crafting my First Book Proposal 

Hers was the first book proposal I ever saw. I pored over it, following the flow to craft my own. Her subheadings showed me the purpose of each section. Her content gave me ideas for how to phrase the business-y stuff about mine.

Weeks of work went into that document.

I wrote the overview, typed up a bio, and listed famous people I could ask for an endorsement (I didn’t personally know famous people, but at that point in my life I knew people who knew people, so I added names with an explanation of each friend-of-a-friend connection).

Then I got to the meat of the proposal: 

The Table of Contents.

The chapter summaries.

This took time, because I was essentially writing the book without writing the book, and if you recall, I’d never written a book before so I had no idea what I was doing.

But I knew what I wanted to say, more or less. Like I said, for a year or so I’d been talking with friends about these ideas.

I did my best, summarizing what I thought I should include in each of those chapters, arranging the ideas in an order that made sense. I invented a marketing plan. I wrote an introduction and a sample chapter.

Then I got in Ruth’s car and rode north with her to my meeting with the editorial team.

An Offer, a Challenge

After introductions, Ruth left me at the sushi restaurant where I met with the team.

I pitched. I showed them the book proposal. I dripped soy sauce on the table and soaked it up with a napkin, laughing it off. (It was not only my first time pitching a book, it was also my first time eating sushi.)

To my surprise—despite the soy sauce spillage—they were interested. After I got home there was a lot of back-and-forth, but in time they offered me a contract to write that book.

That’s how I found myself sitting at the computer with a signed contract and a deadline…and a wave of self-doubt.

And after spiffing up the first chapter, which I’d already written for the proposal, I found myself staring at that blank screen.

Breaking It Down

“Ruth! What have I gotten myself into!” I practically cried when I updated her. “How can I write an entire book? It’s too much, it’s too long!”

Ruth calmed me down. “Hold on, Ann. Yes, you can write this book.”

“I can’t write that many words!”

“You don’t write them all at once,” she said. “You’ve got your Table of Contents, right?”

“Yes. In the book proposal.”

“You’ve summarized what you plan to put in those chapters, right?”

“Yes.”

“Treat each of those chapters like one of your longer articles, and write them one at a time.”

How about that! I flipped through the document and realized she was right.

I’d already outlined the entire book. My ideas were right there in the book proposal I so diligently pieced together. 

“I’ll try.”

Ruth smiled. “You can do it. I know you can do it.”

You Already Know How to Write

I could breathe again. She demystified the whole thing and framed the writing of a book around the kind of writing I already knew I could pull off.

I followed her plan to write one chapter at a time—like a long article—and move on to the next, piecing them together to make the book. 

I tend to be a little more of a “pantser” than a “plotter,” but I sat at the keyboard grateful for the book proposal because it forced me to create structure for this project before I sat down to do the work.

All I needed to do was follow the plan: the road map I’d already developed to take the reader from page one to the end. 

Turns out I had everything I needed.

How Maggie Smith Plays to Her Strengths (You Can, Too)

We come to new projects with strengths from other parts of our writing lives—and from our lives as a whole.

Maggie Smith’s interview on the Write-Minded podcast emphasizes this reality: that even experienced writers approach each project as a new challenge.

Cobbling it together

She explains that her memoir, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, was “cobbled together.” She could see that having written poetry books didn’t really prepare her for writing a full-length memoir.

“How does one write 65,000 words,” she says, “because I honestly have no idea, as someone who writes poems that are typically less than 17 lines long and has never thought about word count. I had no idea how to sort of sustain.”1

Not that I’m comparing myself to Maggie Smith, but like me, she knew how to write short but had no experience with how to write long.

Distilling experiences and presenting images

And she also didn’t see herself as a storyteller. “I’m not really a storyteller primarily in my poems, or at least I don’t think of myself that way. I think of myself more as an ‘image presenter’ or an ‘experience distiller’ or ‘crystallizer’ than a storyteller, so I thought, This is going to be interesting.”2

It seems she had the same “Do I have what it takes?” concern as you and I.

But unlike me, it sounds like she didn’t freeze or panic. Instead, she drew from her strengths—her gifts and experience as a published poet—to creatively piece together one of the most unusual and popular memoirs of 2023.

Writing vignettes

Her approach? She wrote vignettes one at a time independently from each other, out of chronological order and without an outline. The book “distills” and “crystallizes” her experiences and presents images, holding our attention. 

Assembling them

With help from an editor, she assembled the book by sorting these pieces to find themes, styles of writing, and various connections that flowed together.

Following her intuition

By color-coding them she arranged them on her living room floor until she found what seemed balanced. “It was a craft project,” she jokes, which is how she puts together her books of poetry, following her intuition, looking for “the natural progression.”3

Trusting herself

She trusted the writer she already was and the writing she’d already done to find a way into this writing that was new.

She played to her strengths and found her structure, her voice, her stories, and every word to make her book beautiful.

Every Book Is New

David McCullough has said, “Every book is a new journey. I never felt I was an expert on a subject as I embarked on a project.”4

Novelist Cassandra Clare says it’s true in fiction, too. “No matter how many books you’ve written, whenever you sit down to write a new book you always feel the same challenge — how do you shape this story into a book that people are going to love.”5

Jennifer Dukes Lee’s Atypical Book Project

I interviewed Jennifer Dukes Lee about writing her guided journal Stuff I’d Only Tell God. She’d already written multiple trade nonfiction books, but never anything like this guided journal. It’s a book of questions, not answers.

But Jennifer leaned into who she was as a journalist, a blogger, and an author. She’s both a natural and trained question-asker. She was born curious; she was a journalist by trade. She already had what it would take to write this book that was in a totally different genre than her others.

I have been writing online in a pretty open way since 2009….and…I was a newspaper reporter. But in the same way that I was interrogating police chiefs and mayors and governors, I began to interrogate my own life in that way. So I feel like turnabout’s fair play.6

By turning her own question-asking training on herself, she developed questions she knew could work for anyone ready to pen an interesting, deep, thoughtful journal that opened them up to the things that matter most.

And she wrote a book unlike any she’d written before, because she had what it takes to pull it off, even when she wasn’t sure about that when she started the project.

Tap into Yourself to Write This Book

Every book is new, so even if we’ve authored other books, we may find ourselves wondering, as Maggie Smith and Jennifer Dukes Lee did, if we have what it takes. Like Cassandra Clare, you may know how to write a book, but you don’t know how to write this book. 

Trust what you know and what you can research and learn. Draw from skills you developed the first time you wrote a book or from what you gained while writing other kinds of projects.

Tap into your personality, too, to find your way forward. 

• Are you organized and methodical? Capitalize on that with orderly research, outlines, and bullet points. Then write from what you’ve included in your detailed outline.
• Are you spontaneous and playful? Drop everything to write a chapter when you sense a burst of inspiration!
• Are you pensive, reflective, contemplative? Document your insights, and weave them in to offer vulnerability and insights uniquely yours.

With experience and personality, you have what it takes to write the book that’s on your heart.

Write Your Book Your Way (You Have What It Takes)

Your book is your book, your experience is yours alone, and your personality is one-of-a-kind. Put all that together, and you have what it takes—you can get ideas by seeing how others write, but in the end, you’ll find it within.

As my deadline loomed, I no longer panicked because, with Ruth’s reassuring reminder, I saw how to write that book with the truths I’d gleaned in the voice I’d developed. 

Drawing from my work writing feature stories for the local paper, I ended up weaving in the wisdom of others, too, interviewing moms to include their stories, ideas, and insights.

I figured out how to write that book—and a few weeks before it was due to the editor, I finished the draft, and enlisted beta readers to offer their input. I incorporated changes for the final draft and sent it off.

Turns out I had what it takes.

I’ll bet you have what it takes, too.

A Plan That Works for You

I’ll go out on a limb and make one suggestion that I believe will help. Regardless of your style of writing, genre, category, subject matter or experience, creating and following a plan will save time and build confidence—even if you’re a “pantser” (that is, even if you write by the seat of your pants).

If you’ve written a book proposal, you’ve got the plan.

In your proposal, you’ve developed the ideas you want in the book and organized them into a Table of Contents. This takes time—you can use different tools to unearth and organize the things you want to say and the information your reader needs. Learn more HERE.

Word by Word

Turn to the chapter summaries (sometimes called the annotated Table of Contents) and follow those to start writing the book, idea by idea, word by word.

When your ideas are in place, thoughtfully built out to support our claims, we write everything—no matter how long or involved—word by word.

Anne Lamott’s brother panicked because he needed to turn in a report on birds and hadn’t even started it. She says her brother sat at the table with books and pens unopened and untouched, because he was unable to take action.

I know how he felt, because I sat frozen at the keyboard, overwhelmed at the thought of writing an entire book. He had to write an entire report on birds in one night; he must have wondered if he had what it takes. 

“Then my father sat down beside him,” Anne writes, “put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’”7

If you feel like you don’t have what it takes, it’s okay. Every new project leaves a writer feeling like that, but we know what to do. We make a plan, tap into our unique strengths, and then take it word by word. Just take it word by word.

Resources:

• Craft Your Best Book Proposal on-demand webinar: Learn what goes into a quality book proposal so you’re prepared for the next step in your publishing journey: CLICK TO WATCH
• Go Ahead and Play to Your Strengths (episode 57): CLICK TO READ & LISTEN
• Don’t Be Afraid to Evolve (episode 47): CLICK TO READ & LISTEN
• Want to Become a Better Writer? Journal Before You Write (interview with Jennifer Dukes Lee): CLICK TO READ, LISTEN, or WATCH
• How to Structure Your Nonfiction Book: CLICK TO READ & LISTEN

Footnotes

1. “Playing with Narration in Memoir, with Maggie Smith.” Write-Minded Podcast, 23 Oct. 2023, podcast.shewrites.com/playing-with-narration-in-memoir/. Accessed 5 Jan. 2024.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. “David McCullough on Teaching Citizenship – Sagamore Institute.” Sagamore Institute –, 10 Aug. 2020, sagamoreinstitute.org/david-mccullough-on-teaching-citizenship/. Accessed 5 Jan. 2024.
5. Cicurel, Deborah. “Cassandra Clare Books – Mortal Instruments Books – City of Heavenly Fire.” Glamour UK, Glamour UK, 28 May 2014, www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/cassandra-clare-talks-to-glamour-about-city-of-heavenly-fire#:~:text=At%20least%20if%20I%20felt,people%20are%20going%20to%20love. Accessed 5 Jan. 2024.
6. Kroeker, Ann. “Want to Become a Better Writer? Journal before You Write – Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.” Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach, 21 July 2023, annkroeker.com/2023/07/21/want-to-become-a-better-writer-journal-before-you-write/. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
7. Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Anchor Books, 1995.‌ (p. 19)

“Never go to bed until you have a story to tell,” says Kevin Lynch, Creative Director at Oatly. I heard him interviewed on a podcast and stopped jogging to write down what he said about that daily story:

It could be a deep thing that you learned, it could be a movie that you saw, it could be a way you took home, it could be a conversation that you had…it could be anything.”1

Indeed, we can live a “storied life” without a celebrity-level lifestyle full of famous people and fabulous soirees. We’re living “story-worthy” moments each day—we simply need to notice them…and capture them.

Every day we have understated interactions and flashes of insight that create meaning. In fact, simpler, subtler, more relatable stories can captivate readers far better than wild escapades that don’t show any change.

These daily stories serve as fodder for our work, weaving into what we write as anecdotes, illustrations. Sometimes they serve as the narrative spine of a full-length project.

Thus, the more stories, the better—as Kevin Lynch observed in that interview, capturing a story each day gives us 365 stories every single year. 

To start your story collection today, try these three ways to ensure you have a story to tell by the time your head hits the pillow tonight:

1. Reflect to discern your “story-worthy” moment from the day
2. Create a story worth telling before closing your eyes for the night
3. Gather memories that come to mind and use those as story prompts

1. Reflect on the Day to Discern Your “Story-Worthy” Moment

In his TEDx Talk, on his podcast, in his book Storyworthy, and at his blog, storyteller Matthew Dicks invites every person, not just writers, to document their “most story-like moment from the day” for what he calls Homework for Life™. 

He takes five minutes at the end of each day and thinks back: What made this day different from all the rest?2

The idea is so simple. He writes a sentence or two—sometimes just a string of words—and later, when he has time to write it out in full, he’s got what he needs to bring back that memory from that day: the moment he chose to document. 

With his Homework for Life™, we note the small discoveries, the daily surprises, those meaningful moments we don’t want to lose. In other words, these daily stories don’t need to be earth-shattering events. They can be quiet, understated internal shifts.

He keeps his in a spreadsheet, making it easy to search keywords and find connections and themes from year to year.3

Begin this process, and you’ll be transformed by seeing how ephemeral interactions, observations, and moments are actually filled with meaning…that a day that seems like any other day is packed with specificity.

We are living stories every single day.

2. Create a story worth telling

The next way to avoid going to bed until you have a story to tell is to create a story.

That’s what Kevin Lynch suggests: “If someone asks, ‘How was your day?’ and you don’t have a story to tell them, go create one.”4

He continues, “By doing so, it pushes you out of your comfort zone and kind of gets you used to doing a little more experimentation and being vulnerable and putting yourself in vulnerable places or situations.”5

What story could you create before bed? Could you…

• read a surprising story?
• pull off a stunt?
• record a silly video with a family member?
• send an email to someone famous?

Or maybe the story you plan to tell before going to bed isn’t something that happened on that day—maybe it’s a memory, and that’s what you’ll create?

If so, this next approach will be worth incorporating into your daily storytelling habit.

3. Gather memories to use as story prompts

During the holidays, as an example, you may string some lights, stir up mugs of cocoa, and next thing you know you’re flooded with memories. Some might be magical childhood Christmas mornings; others might be hard years of loss. 

When you’re in the company of loved ones, and you’re chatting amidst familiar aromas and eating from heirloom dishes laden with classic family favorites, these memories resurface.

We can bat them away and live in the moment, or—because we’re writers and storytellers—we can share that memory as a story with those people who might enjoy the nostalgia. We can do that right on the spot.

Or we can jot down details and return to them later, crafting them into a story to slip into our projects.

How to capture those memories

You might recreate in vivid detail last year’s trip to a Christmas tree farm, or you may recall only  fuzzy mental snapshots of opening Christmas stockings when you were six years old. Either way, these are memories you want to grasp, to collect. 

These are packed with multisensory textures—colors, fabrics, foods, smells, sounds, and sights. For a moment pretend you’re a cinematographer filming your mind: 

• Imagine turning around 360 degrees within that memory.
• What and who do you see as you pan that space? 
• What’s in the center of the memory’s frame? 
• What else can you see—what colors, fabrics, foods, smells, sounds, and sights?

Record enough details and you’ll be able to flesh it out later, when you’ve got time to write. 

When the memories are hard

As I said, the memories may be positive and uplifting, but some may bring up a twinge of pain or the weight of grief. Those can be crafted into unforgettable stories. They can demonstrate growth, resilience, hope, and healing. 

Writing out the story flowing from a hard memory can be cathartic and healing. However, if a memory stirs up trauma of any kind, exercise caution and absolutely avoid revisiting a traumatic event that’s going to trigger a response.

Start Collecting Your Daily Stories

I hope you start collecting your stories in the way that makes the most sense on that day. 

When you commit to telling a story by the end of the day, your story collection expands and provides material for the rest of your life.

Again, as Kevin Lynch points out:

It gives you a raft of stories. You do that for a year and you probably have 300+ stories. As you’re kicking around concepts for an assignment or you’re in a presentation or you’re trying to connect with a potential client or what have you, you’ve got a lot of things to draw from.”5

As writers, we want a lot of stories to draw from. To build that “raft of stories” available for your creative work, wind down your day with at least one memorable moment.

You can tell the story about something that happens today, you can create a story and make it happen, or you can remember a story from your past.

Whatever approach you take, you can live a “storied life” starting now.

What’s your story?

Resources:

• Back to Basics: Generate Ideas to Find What You Have to Say
• Cultivate Curiosity for Your Best Writing Life, Pillar One
• Come to Your Senses as You Write
• Trauma-Informed Writing Transforms You and Your Words, with Michelle Stiffler

Footnotes:

1. Source: Interview with Kevin Lynch, Creative Director at Oatly, on The Beautiful Thinkers Project podcast with Caroline Hadlock (beginning at 21:17 mark)
2. Dicks, Matthew. “Homework for Life | Matthew Dicks | TEDxBerkshires.” YouTube, TEDx Talks, 8 Dec. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7p329Z8MD0
3. Ibid.
4. Lynch Interview
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.

When I was in college, practicing in public meant sitting under an oak tree on campus, flipping open my spiral-bound notebook, and scratching out a poem as students walked the path beside me. 

Creative writing classes gave me another way to practice in public, when my poems were workshopped by my peers.

As a young adult building a freelance writing career, I submitted my work to literary journals and magazines—that was about the only way I could practice in public. Those low-tech days limited how and where we could share our words. 

Today, the world has exploded with numerous ways to practice in public—I can share my work with you using tools I couldn’t have dreamed of when I sat under that oak tree on campus. Some of my content goes out through my coaching newsletter, my Substack newsletter called Story Hatchery, social media, and my website. 

Tools to Practice in Public

At the click of a button, from the palms of our hands, we can instantly share our work with the world using:

• websites
• newsletter apps like Substack, Beehiiv, and Ghost
• social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads

Each time we hit “publish” or “post,” we’re practicing in public.

And each time we turn around and write another piece, we have more experience, more input, and more empowerment to become a better writer. 

Benefits for Writers Who Practice in Public

Jeff Goins and others urge us to “practice in public,” because “there is no better way to improve than to put your work out there, sharing it for the whole world to see.”1

Of course there are good reasons to practice in private, but when we look up from the pages of our journal and share ideas with others through tools like newsletters and social media, we find readers. We build our platform. We experiment. 

Heavens, there are loads of benefits from practicing in public! Let’s dive in and see why it’s worth it to start…

1. Save Time and Write with Intent

If you write in private more than in public, you’re likely not achieving your goals. Marion Roach Smith argues that writing privately in response to a prompt wastes valuable time—time that could be dedicated to a work in progress. Writing with purpose and sharing it with the public, though, allows you to focus on creating meaningful content. Save time; write with intent, boldly practicing in public.

2. Write Better and Faster: Experiment, Adjust, Improve

When writers learn new literary techniques, it’s fun to experiment with them in a low-stakes setting like LinkedIn or Instagram.

Practicing in public allows for rapid improvement. Similar to that oft-referenced experiment where pottery students rapidly refined their skills by making numerous pots (instead of laboring over a single pot), writers hone their techniques through continual practice and sharing—the more the better! 

By sharing your work, you experiment and receive immediate feedback. This iterative process allows you to adjust and improve, refining your craft over time.

Because you’re sharing more often, you find ways to express your ideas more efficiently, making you a faster writer, too. Try time-savers like this:

• create platform-specific templates or outlines to copy and use each time you begin—you’ll save time and get started sooner
• use dictation to speak drafts into existence (there are so many options for how we can do this on our phones!)
• set a timer and freewrite as fast as possible to get a solid draft out
• connect with a friend and share your idea with that person in a recorded Zoom session or put your voice recorder on the table if you’re in person—the transcript can be your draft

3. Learn to Write Tight.

Strunk and White said it succinctly: “Omit needless words.”2 Character and word limits of newsletters and social media force us to omit needless words and “write tight.” By keeping our content concise and clear, we practice a core writing skill regularly in short form, then carry it into our long-form projects.

• Writing tight at the idea level avoids idea sprawl. We practice conveying one specific idea or topic clearly without unnecessary elaboration. This carries over to long-form projects when we think of paragraphs or sections in a chapter: one main idea per unit.
• We write tight stylistically by focusing on the sentence level, shaving away what’s unnecessary. And learning to write tight cleans up purple prose so the idea moves along at just the right speed. 

4. Develop Consistency and Gain Confidence

Writing and sharing publicly gets you in a consistent flow. As you formalize your public practice and set up a personal publishing schedule, you learn to meet deadlines, develop workflows, and enhance your overall productivity. The professional mindset builds trust in your abilities, which encourages continual growth and the confidence to pursue challenging topics.

5. Find Your Voice 

Practicing in public allows writers to discover and refine their authentic voices. By experimenting with new words and different tones, styles, and perspectives, we craft a voice true to how we think and speak. This increases the chance we resonate with our intended audience.

If one post doesn’t sound quite like “you,” no worries! Post something else the next day. The opportunity to post often in these low-stakes spaces gives us freedom to find our voice.

6. Clarify and Validate Your Message

Planning to write a book? Get those ideas out now, in short form, a little at a time, before they’re a book—get them out of your head and out into the world! 

In his book Perennial Seller, Ryan Holiday says, “A book should be an article before it’s a book, and a dinner conversation before it’s an article. See how things go before going all in.”3

It’s okay if it isn’t perfect yet. Put words to what’s floating around inside you and see how it flies. Test ideas intended for a future book by writing them first as an Instagram post, article, Opinion piece, or newsletter.

Did people read it and react or interact? Good! That speeds up the “feedback loop,” as they say, and serves as a great way to get input—to see if we’re striking a cord, resonating with readers. Because you practiced in public, you have the information you need to write a longer version, full of illustrations and inspiration.

Isn’t it better to write short and small first instead of devoting months to a full-length book…only to publish to crickets? Isn’t it more fun to see readers react with enthusiasm to the shorter versions of book ideas? Practice in public and you’ll find motivation to go all-in!

7. Realize We Contain Multitudes4

By consistently creating and sharing content, we realize the abundance of topics we care about. We can follow our curiosity to explore new thoughts and make new discoveries, sharing them with readers. Notice and share trends, lessons, insights, and wisdom with your audience. There’s no end to what you can write about, because your wild, glorious, creative life is brimming with so much to share every single day! 

8. Build a Platform Organically (and Have Fun)

Practicing in public means we consistently share with readers our heart, passion, questions; we continually offer valuable answers and solutions. Doing so builds our personal brand and identity by associating ideas with our name—we get known for the tone and topic, post after post. 

And you’ll naturally connect with others who write on similar topics. You can interact with them in the comments. Who knows? Maybe you’ll collaborate with them. So many things become possible when you show up often, even daily, practicing in public. Before long, you’re reaching readers in ways you never imagined.

Writing (and Publishing) Regularly Can Transform Your Craft and Reach a Wider Audience

Try publishing your own short-form work, so you don’t have to wait for anyone. You’re your own boss. This means you write without waiting for a gatekeeper to give you the green light. With this freedom, you’ll tap into joy and feel playful. 

Readers sense this. Have fun practicing in public and you’ll be yourself, which means the right people will be drawn to you. You’ll see your words impact them in real time. 

You can certainly submit to other publications, increasing visibility and building credibility through bylines. Go for it! That’s another excellent way to practice in public. It just takes more time than when we publish ourselves.

The more we share on various platforms, the better chance we have to connect with a wider audience, engage with diverse thinkers, and build a loyal readership base over time—all because we choose to practice not just in our private journals but also through avenues that push our ideas into the world.

So don’t be shy! Give it a try, because your writing improves and expands when you practice in public. 

Resources:

• How to Be a Better Writer (Pt 3): Write Tight: https://annkroeker.com/2018/09/04/ep-168-how-to-be-a-better-writer-pt-3-write-tight/
• Are Creative Writing Prompts a Help or Hindrance? https://annkroeker.com/2023/10/12/are-creative-writing-prompts-a-help-or-hindrance/
• The Paralysis of Perfectionism: https://annkroeker.com/2017/11/14/ep-127-the-paralysis-of-perfectionism/ 

Would you like someone to gift you a coaching session or coaching package with me? If so, send that friend or family member the link to annkroeker.com/coachinggift where they’ll see how they give you what you really want: a 1-to-1 session with your very own writing coach—and a flourishing writing life in 2024!

Footnotes:

1. Goins, Jeff. Real Artists Don’t Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age. Thomas Nelson, 2018. (p. 129)
2. Strunk, William, and E. B. White. The Elements of Style: With Revisions, an Introduction, and a Chapter on Writing. Macmillan, 1979. (p. 23)
3. Holiday, Ryan. Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work That Lasts. Portfolio/Penguin, 2017. (p. 42)
4. Here I’m paraphrasing Walt Whitman, from Song of Myself, 51. Citation: American. “Song of Myself, 51.” Poets.org, 15 Feb. 2019, poets.org/poem/song-myself-51. Accessed 8 Nov. 2023.

Dear Writer,

It’s easy to freeze up when we’re writing for the faceless masses or the random reader who happens upon our words.

What do we say to all those people? How can we speak with heart to a total stranger?

Next thing you know, we second-guess our ideas, our prose, our very selves. We fade to beige without saying what we really think, without being specific, without our signature wit and whimsy. 

What would that random person who doesn’t even know me think if I crack a joke?

We lose our creativity, our passion, our joy.

We freeze. We get stuck. 

We’re afraid to stand out, so we play it safe. We write dull, ordinary prose that could be penned by anyone at all, even ChatGPT.

Unlock Your Creative Voice: Write a Letter to Your Reader

One way to unlock creativity is to write a letter—a letter to your reader.

And not just any nameless, faceless reader but a specific person you actually know.

Dear Anthony…

Dear Paula…

Dear Lissa…

When you think of the kind of person you’re trying to reach with your words, does Lissa fit?

Good. 

Now, write her a letter about a question or struggle that she herself has voiced. 

Weave in ideas that can help. 

Encourage her with a vulnerable story.

Add a little pizzazz that only you can include—after all, she knows you. She’ll grin at your joke and “get” your allusion.

When you’re done, you can send her the note, if you want.

Or you can cross out Lissa’s name and replace it with the type of person you write for:

Dear Weary Homeschool Mom…

Dear New Gardener…

Dear Journaler…

If that feels awkward to publish, cross off the salutation altogether. 

Dear Anthony…

Dear Paula…

Dear Lissa…

I’ll bet you can find a great hook in your opening lines, and the letter-writing trick disarmed you enough to write fresh and real and personable.

Writing a Letter to Your Reader Frees Your Natural Voice

From the writer’s perspective, writing a letter to your reader can remove that feeling of writing to the faceless masses and instead invite an easy tone and thoughts that convey empathy and intimacy.

J. Willis Westlake, author of an 1800s book about letter-writing, says:

In other [writing] productions there is the restraint induced by the feeling that a thousand eyes are peering over the writer’s shoulder and scrutinizing every word; while letters are written when the mind is as it were in dressing-gown and slippers — free, natural, active, perfectly at home, and with all the fountains of fancy, wit, and sentiment in full play.1

By tricking your mind into donning its dressing-gown and slippers, you can achieve that “free, natural, active, perfectly at home” tone, style, and voice. Your readers will love reading your “fancy, wit, and sentiment in full play.”

Genuine Letters Contain Our Most Interesting Content

And it’s not just our style, tone, and voice that letters unleash; it’s also the content itself.

Westlake continues, “Though written, as all genuine letters are, for the private eye of one or two familiar friends, and without any thought of their publication, they nevertheless often form the most interesting and imperishable of an author’s productions.”2

In other words, these letters contain our “most interesting and imperishable” ideas. So why not write them as letters first?

Discover Epistolary Writing

This letter-writing format is labeled “epistolary” writing. And the epistolary approach is used more widely in published work than you might be thinking. For example, advice columns.

Advice Columns

Advice columns like the classic “Dear Abby” and more recent “Dear Sugar” dished out empathetic responses that addressed specific needs that were sent in from readers.

The writer connected directly with the recipient who asked the initial question and with every reader who “listened in.”

Epistolary Nonfiction Books

Then there are nonfiction epistolary books, which invite us to peruse a letter exchange, and as we do, we feel we’re listening in on an intimate conversation. 

Recognize these letter collections?

• 84, Charing Cross Road, by Helene Hanff
• Letters to a Young Poet, by Rainer Maria Rilke 
• The Letters of Vincent van Gogh

Epistolary Novels

You may have read epistolary novels that rely on this format to create “an intimate space between the characters and the readers,” as the Smithsonian Postal Museum writes. “[Because] letters are usually intended to be a closed communication, the readers are allowed to peer into the relationship created by the author.” ‌“Epistolary Novels as an Intimate Space.” Si.edu, 2023, postalmuseum.si.edu/research-articles/epistolary-fiction-themes/epistolary-novels-as-an-intimate-space. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.

Here are a few novels in this format:

• Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
• The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis
• Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson

Letters Between Writers

When I was a college student, I wrote to an author whose book gave me hope and instruction when I was struggling personally and creatively. I sent her a long, vulnerable, typewritten thank-you letter explaining how her book gave me inspiration, vision, and tools to pursue my creative life.

She wrote back!

In fact, her response was an exuberant typewritten letter even longer than mine. She included vulnerable details related to her own creative journey and urged me to move forward.

We continued to exchange letters over the years, and each one she sent answered questions and gave me advice for writing…and for living.

Letters Capture Our Most Creative, Interesting Ideas

We almost published these exchanges as a book in the epistolary format—maintaining the format of letters. 

Had we published them, the “interesting and imperishable” ideas from my mentor—in the intimate form of our correspondence—would have remained. Readers could have listened in, as it were, to our interactions. They would have received her insights for themselves even though she typed them out first just for me.

So the letter-writing structure can be an interesting experiment if your recipient is open to letting your notes (and possibly their responses) be shared with the wider public.

Write Your Reader a Letter Today

Picture your reader—that specific person who comes to mind. The reader whose specific problem you understand.

Open an email if you need to trick yourself even further and put that person’s name in the recipient line.

Relax. Write to her in a conversational tone. Say what you’re truly thinking. Express empathy, tell a story, offer a couple of ideas.

By shrugging off the sense that you’re writing to “everyone” and instead addressing just one person, you’ll feel free to be creative. Your writing style will produce more authentic and engaging content.

Tweak or delete the salutation, copy the text into a newsletter, social media post, Substack, or blog post, and then…

Click publish.

I’ll bet that genuine, heartfelt note will sparkle with your true voice and resonate deeply with your readers.

Sincerely yours,

Ann

Footnotes:

1. Popova, Maria. “How to Write Letters: A 19th-Century Guide to the Lost Art of Epistolary Etiquette.” The Marginalian, The Marginalian, 21 Dec. 2012, www.themarginalian.org/2012/12/21/how-to-write-letters-1876/. Accessed 25 Oct. 2023.
2. Ibid (emphasis mine).

Let’s look at the pros and cons of using writing prompts to decide if we’re fostering creativity or frittering away time.

I remember the pleasure of writing about ladybugs for my high school freshman English class based on the prompt written on the board.1

And then there was the book I found a year or so at the library: Write to Discover Yourself. The author suggested we “portrait” the important people in our lives.2 I wrote pages and pages about my dad based on that prompt.

Prompts continued to play a big role in my creative writing journey when college professors supplied our class with poetry prompts.

Those prompts did exactly what they were designed for: they sparked creativity, teased out long-buried memories, and helped me spin creative storylines I would never have imagined on my own. Prompts have so effectively opened me up, I decided to gather a collection for others to use called 52 Creative Writing Prompts, to help get pens moving and ideas flowing. 

Do Prompts Distract or Delight?

But am I doing a disservice? Are prompts mere distractions, diverting writers from purposeful, goal-oriented writing?

Some argue we need to stop using prompts and only write toward public-facing projects. Why waste time on writing prompts that fill notebooks and journal pages, when we’re struggling to find time for the writing we claim we want to do? Why write in response to a random prompt instead of composing the essay we want to submit, the book we want to draft, the article we want to pitch?

Let’s peek at arguments for both sides, the pros and cons of prompts, to see if we need to embrace or abandon them in our creative writing life. 

Pros of Creative Writing Prompts:

On the plus side we have benefits of creative writing prompts, such as how they:

1. Spark Fresh Ideas

Creative writing prompts inspire writers who struggle to generate any ideas at all by giving them an energizing starting point. Prompts also spark fresh ideas in writers who tend to return again and again to topics they’ve written about before. Prompts press writers to explore subject matter outside their comfort zone, breathing new life into their rotating collection of pet topics and pillar content. 

2. Overcome Writer’s Block

Prompts offer a lifeline to writers grappling with writer’s block—they invite a “stuck” writer to write freely for ten, 15, or 20 minutes without those words needing a destination or purpose other than to get the ink flowing.

3. Provide Low-Stakes Practice

Writing prompts intended as practice serve as low-stakes exercises, encouraging writers to play and experiment without the pressure of immediate evaluation by editors or readers. Prompts allow writers to refine their craft and explore techniques in the safety of their writing notebooks and journals. In time they may develop a more captivating style.

4. Prepare for Assignments

Freelancers who’ve been assigned a topic for a magazine or essayists who have entered themed writing contests benefit from writing from prompts. It’ll prepare them for assignments based on narrow parameters. 

5. Offer a Writing Warm-up

When writers tap out a few words in response to a prompt before diving into their long-form/high-stakes project, they can enjoy a brief warm-up that loosens them up.

6. Enhance Honesty and Depth

With prompts, writers delve into deeper personal experiences, memories, emotions, and themes without fear of judgment, leading to more honest and profound writing.

7. Lead to Personal Growth and Healing

When intentionally selecting prompts that invite reflection—maybe even under the direction of a therapist—writers can experience transformation through personal growth and healing. It’s no surprise that when we spend time in personal writing such as journaling, we grow and mature as people, which in turn makes us better writers.

Cons of Creative Writing Prompts:

To be fair, we need to look at the cons of creative writing prompts and how they might hinder our writing.

1. Waste Time

Critics argue that writing prompts can lead to aimless scribbling on topics unrelated to our writing goals and projects—time we could have dedicated to a work-in-progress. Instead, it’s being swallowed up by an unrelated prompt. Marion Roach Smith wonders why we can’t try warming up by writing toward the main project itself. Her big argument: when you write from prompts “you’re frittering away your time” instead of writing “with intent” and “for real.”3

2. Spit Out Stilted Prose

Savannah Cordova observes, “If you choose a prompt that’s too far out of your comfort zone (or one doesn’t really inspire you), it’s no surprise that the response will usually come out sounding forced.”4

3. Lack Purpose

Prompts are usually random—in fact, some websites offer random prompt generators. These offer no clear direction or purpose; they simply invite us to write a random scene. Lacking purpose, have we strayed from our goal of completing a project?

4. Allow Writers to Avoid Feedback

While some writing groups use prompts and offer input from the group, writing to prompts privately means we miss the opportunity of receiving input and feedback from real readers. In contrast, when we write for readers in public in a place like Substack, we can see our work resonate with others when they respond in the comments.

5. Encourage Procrastination

Are some writers using prompts to avoid their main project? Relying on prompts for this purpose could be a form of procrastination instead of hitting a word count goal on a more important and urgent project. “Admittedly, prompts can be valuable — as an exercise,” writes Jeff Goins. “But eventually, you don’t need another day at the gym. You need to sign up for the marathon and run. You need to go play a real game. You need to do something. Here’s what I find productive — far more than writing prompts (no offense to those who use them): Write something meaningful and share it.”5

Is it really either/or? 

It’s easy to see the appeal of creative writing prompts but important to consider the downsides and “dangers” of them, as well.

Words of caution from Marion Roach Smith and others remind me that while a solid prompt can open up the flow of words, it could also—if not used judiciously and with purpose—keep me from hitting my most important targets and deadlines.

But is it really either/or?

An integrated approach to prompts

I could propose a controversial conclusion banning prompts from serious writing work. Yeah, sure. I might get more hits on social media or responses in online searches.

But studying the pros and cons of using creative writing prompts has led me to a less controversial and more integrated conclusion. And maybe those who argue against them would agree to a thoughtfully integrated approach as well.

Here’s what I’m thinking…

Real Projects May Benefit from Prompts

Prompts could be used when we’re working toward the deadline and find ourselves stuck or blocked. Yes, a real project might benefit from a prompt.

We can set a timer and write for 20 minutes from a prompt to get our words flowing—any words flowing. When the timer beeps, we return to the official project with fresh eyes. The timer limits prompt-writing and minimizes distraction and procrastination while the prompt refreshes the mind. We’re still completing the “official” writing—in fact, the time spent responding to the prompt might brighten the tone of the finished piece.

Prompts Invite Creative Connections for Effective Slants

Prompts could be used to generate a narrow focus for a freelance pitch, landing on a creative slant or angle that gets a “yes” from an editor. In this case, prompts aren’t keeping us from our “real” work but are in fact used to inform and inspire our “real’ work. 

Prompts for Personal Reflection Make for Better Writers…and therefore Better Writing

And behind the scenes, free from public scrutiny, we could use prompts for inner work that shapes us into more insightful and compassionate writers.

It would be hard to measure a prompt’s influence on a future manuscript, but the writer will have more to draw from because they used prompts to privately sort out life, pain, problems, and confusion.

Creative Writing Prompts Have a Place in the Writing Life

That doesn’t seem like a time-waster to me. Those private writing sessions? They could stay in a journal or notebook or who knows? One day that unfiltered writing may liberate the writer to produce more vulnerable projects that transform readers. And maybe one day they actually pull from some of those private writing sessions. Some of the actual content may find its way into a powerful piece.

I agree that writers with limited writing time will want to choose prompts wisely, avoiding procrastination by funneling as much as possible into their work-in-progress.

But I do think prompts have a place in our writing life, our writing practice, and our writing process.

As for me, I’ll be using prompts…with purpose.

Q4U:

How about you? 

How have prompts served your creative work or distracted you from it?

Will you continue to use prompts? If so, how will you use them (and how often will you use them)?

52 Creative Writing Prompts:
A Year of Weekly Prompts and Exercises to Boost Your Creativity

Get your copy on Amazon

Footnotes:

1. Kroeker, Ann. “Creating Worlds from Words: The Unremarkable Beginnings of a Writing Life.” Substack.com, Story Hatchery, 15 Apr. 2023, annkroeker.substack.com/p/creating-worlds-from-words-the-unremarkable. Accessed 12 Oct. 2023.
2. Kroeker, Ann. “Ep 180: Write to Discover – Start with Yourself – Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach.” Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach, 8 Jan. 2019, annkroeker.com/2019/01/08/ep-180-write-to-discover-start-with-yourself/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2023.
3. ‌Smith, Marion Roach. “Memoir Writing Resolutions. Number One: No More Writing Prompts – Memoir Coach and Author Marion Roach.” Memoir Coach and Author Marion Roach, 27 Dec. 2011, marionroach.com/2011/12/memoir-writing-resolutions-number-one-no-more-writing-exercises/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.
4. https://www.facebook.com/jamigold.author. “Writing Prompts: Helpful? Or a Waste of Time? — Guest: Savannah Cordova.” Jami Gold, Paranormal Author, 16 Apr. 2019, jamigold.com/2019/04/writing-prompts-helpful-or-a-waste-of-time-guest-savannah-cordova/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.
5. Jeff Goins “The Last Writing Prompt You Will Ever Need.” Goinswriter.com, 2015, goinswriter.com/writing-prompts/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Children gaze at a vast blank wall and see opportunity—inspired, they grab a permanent marker and scrawl across the surface in loopy circles and jaggedy lines without hesitation. 

Why, then, do we adults stare at the blank page—not unlike a blank wall—and freeze up? Instead of scribbling out ideas that fill the white screen, we writers often come up empty, the blank page producing a blank mind.

We get too far ahead of ourselves, thinking about readers before we’ve written a single word, afraid of what they’ll think. Or we second-guess our ideas or skills. We worry about that and more, and next thing you know…we stop writing and stare at that blinding white abyss, paralyzed.

The blank page need not intimidate or cripple us. Why? Because with the ideas below, you can fill that great expanse with words so that it’s never really blank when you open it.

Try one of them the next time you open a document and feel fear trickling down to your fingertips. I hope they’ll free you up long before you freeze and you’ll replace fear with joy by effortlessly filling the page with words.

1. Templates

Create templates for your content, whether it’s a newsletter, blog post, or podcast. By inserting the structural elements you tend to use each time, you approach the page with a sense of familiarity. Templates serve as a framework to jumpstart your writing process, making the page feel less daunting.

2. Outlines

Embrace the power of outlines. The classic 5-paragraph essay structure you learned long ago—with an introduction, three main points, and conclusion—is a reliable starting point for informative articles. For more creative pieces, try narrative outlines with a three-act structure (even if it’s short) or a beginning, middle, end approach. Outlines help you organize your thoughts and create a roadmap for your writing, banishing the fear of the blank page. See the links below for ready-made outlines you can use to add structure to your document.

3. Record Yourself & Transcribe

Take a walk and record your thoughts about the topic you want to write about. Then, get a transcription made of that recording and paste it in—you’ve eliminated the blank page altogether. It’s as if you’re simply editing and expanding on (and refining) your existing thoughts, which is far less intimidating than starting from scratch with nothing but a blank page and blinking cursor.

4. Record a Conversation & Transcribe

Meet with a friend on a virtual platform like Zoom, click the record button, and explain your idea. As your friend engages with questions, you’ll be able to clarify and delve deeper. This approach captures your natural voice as you share what you’ve been researching and thinking about. Thank your friend, download the audio, and then use a program like Happy Scribe or Rev.com’s AI transcription service to transcribe the conversation. You’ll end up with a working draft for your writing project. TIP: more and more free AI transcription services are cropping up, so be sure to search for the latest options and you might not even have to pay. 

5. Pull from Your Journal

If you’ve been jotting down ideas, thoughts, or snippets of writing in a journal or a similar document, don’t let them go to waste. Pull something from there and paste it into your current document to kickstart your writing. Things like Morning Pages, Dream Journals, and freewriting can be sources of inspiration.

6. List Bullet Points

Before you even have a minute to think about the blank page, start writing your ideas in the form of bullet points—they don’t have to be complete thoughts or sentences. No more blank page! And you’ll have prompts you can use to draft your content. You can expand on each bullet point to develop your ideas further, gradually filling the blank page with meaningful content. Move them around until you find the ideal flow and structure. Problem solved.

7. AI Writing Apps

If you’re open to experimentation, consider using an AI writing app. These tools can generate ideas and even provide outlines based on your input. While they may not perfectly replicate your voice, they can jumpstart your creativity and offer valuable suggestions—maybe even a rough draft you can work with—reducing the intimidation factor of a blank page. Manage your expectations, though, because it may take a long time before it comes close to matching your style and writing voice. Use it as a starting point before making the final project sound like you.

Beat the Blank Page & Write with Confidence

With these fill-the-page strategies, you can conquer the blank page and approach your writing with confidence and creativity. Each method makes the page less daunting, so you can seize the opportunity and make your mark on the world with your words, scribbled with joy.

Try one of these ideas this week and let me know how well it works for you!

Resources:

• Ready-made outline: Problem-Solution (this articles shows how you can apply this outline to different projects, including opinion pieces, blog posts, and nonfiction books)
• Ready-made outline: Past-Present-Future (this article makes an argument for outlining; scroll down for applications of this outline)
• Ready-made outline: Zoom In / Zoom Out

____________

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When I was visiting my grandmother one summer afternoon, she pulled out a letter I sent her.

“This is good,” she said.

“Really?”

She pointed at the paragraphs and said the ideas were well organized, my writing flowed well, and I included lots of details. “It was interesting to read,” she said.

Then she looked up at me and smiled. “Maybe we have another writer in the family?”

Did I gasp? Her words certainly sent a jolt through me. Did she know how badly I wanted to write? Could she have known how much I yearned to be a writer?

Surely the thought of me as a writer seemed far-fetched to her. After all, my mother was a seasoned editor and columnist, endowed with innate writing talents—Grandma saw her earn accolades in college and as a career journalist.

My father was an editor at a prominent metropolitan newspaper, shaping stories, crafting headlines, and curating front-page content.

Even my brother, a skilled wordsmith, showed promise as a creative writer, eventually becoming an award-winning copywriter for ad campaigns.

And then there was me—Grandma knew her granddaughter was a sprinter on the track team, a clarinetist in the band, and a dedicated student earning good grades. Yet, no one, myself included, saw me as a writer…well, I helped put the school newspaper together, but I was hardly an ace reporter.

Yet here she was, encouraging me to write, cheering me on.

During that brief exchange when pointing out the strengths of my letter, Grandma kindled a spark of hope within me.

External Validation Bolsters Us

While external validation shouldn’t dictate our writing journey, it bolsters us when we face the inevitable resistance that hits us from within and without. Her words reverberated in my head (and my heart) for years, counteracting doubts that crept in, giving me courage to push past obstacles and move toward a future with words.

Around that time, my best friend in high school praised the short story I wrote: “The Medallion of Kilimanjaro.” Her sincere reaction made me believe I could tell a captivating story.

A few years later, my college boyfriend nudged me to enroll in creative writing at our university—his vote of confidence aligned with Grandma’s earlier endorsement, solidifying my self-perception as a writer.

In one of those creative writing classes, a poetry professor urged me to submit my work to the undergraduate journal. Armed with her belief in my potential, I sent in three. The outcome exceeded my expectations—each of the three submissions was accepted for publication, and one poem secured a prize.

I could continue to list even more people who added to that chorus of encouragement, bolstering my confidence. Editors, friends, team leaders, mentors. With their voices cheering me on, I took risks. With their affirmations in my head and heart, I pursued a writing career—I built a writing life.

Who Cheered You on as a Writer?

Who cheered you on throughout your writing journey?
Who pointed out your potential and steered you toward a life of words?
Whose voices gave you confidence?

Was it a mentor, teacher, peer, editor, friend, or coach?

If they never voiced their thoughts, would you have given up?

Make a list of the people who offered you encouragement to pursue this path. If possible, track some of them down and thank them.

Perhaps you could mail them a letter?

After that…cheer on another writer. Encourage them as they face obstacles on the path to achieving their writing goals.

When you do, you’ll be one of the powerful voices adding to the chorus of those who give them confidence to stick with it—to pursue writing and build a writing life.

Resources:

• My Writing Life Beginnings, Pt 1
• My Writing Life Beginnings, Pt 2
• Writers: Never, Never, Never Give Up
• 5 Writing Strengths

_____________________

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Just as musicians credit their musical influences, writers, too, have literary inspirations who help them discover and shape their unique voice.

At a White House event for poets in 2011, Billy Collins said to students about finding your voice:

You’re searching for the poets who make you jealous…you’re looking to get influenced by people who make you furiously jealous…And then copy them.1

Billy himself was influenced by the work of Wallace Stevens—I suppose he would say he was furiously jealous of him.

Anne Lamott’s Seemingly Effortless Prose

Author Shauna Niequist openly mentions the influence of Anne Lamott on her work.

The first time I read Anne Lamott, I thought, “Is this allowed? People can write like this and it gets published?”

I laughed at her sometimes-crass and often sarcastic style. She opened the door to a whole new way of writing, with honesty and sass. While hers was not exactly my style, I admired the conversational tone—the seemingly stream-of-consciousness flow of ideas—that, upon close examination, were carefully crafted.

That skill to make her work seem like it effortlessly spilled onto the page but was actually carefully constructed?

That made me furiously jealous.

Annie Dillard’s Literary Craftsmanship

My friend and co-author Charity Singleton Craig has mentioned Annie Dillard’s impact on her. She frequently quotes her and I sense hints of that literary genius in my friend, as well as in Dillard.

I read Annie Dillard in my early 20s and wondered, “What is this?” I liked it, but I didn’t “get it.” I didn’t understand what she was doing.

But I saw that she stitched her work together with precision using the tools of a literary craftsman. And that, I admired.

That made me furiously jealous.

Madeleine L’Engle’s Bridges of Trust, Love, and Hope

As a child, I read Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. Whether I voiced it or not, I know I wondered, “How did she do that?”

At that time I didn’t want to write in that style or genre, but she led us to trust, love, and hope through the delight of quirky characters. I was thrilled how intimately she connected with her reader—with me. I was grateful at the time.

Now, as an adult who writes, I’m furiously jealous. I want to create bridges of trust, love, and hope, as well.

Scott Russell Sanders’ Unpretentious Midwestern Truth

Charity and I attended a lecture by Scott Russell Sanders. In my notebook, I scribbled notes. Then I leaned back and listened. Finally, I wrote, “I want to write like that” on the page of my notebook. I tilted the page toward Charity to show it to her. She nodded.

She could see I was furiously jealous.

He writes about the Midwest, where I’m from, so I’m always impressed with how he brings it to life. His work connects with me in the familiar references of trees and rivers and birds. He names them and I know them.

He makes creative choices seem less mysterious than Dillard and more accessible. He’s conversational in some ways but not curmudgeonly like Anne Lamott. When I read him, I think, “Hey, I could try that.”

He’ll tell stories, create scenes, and introduce a theme, a phrase, a word. He presses in, gently, a little more—labyrinthine at times and progressively, sequentially, other times.

I want to write like that.

He’s unpretentious. I can tell that the ideas and stories he shares on the page are true. When I met him at that event with Charity, it was clear: he is who he seems to be on the page.

That’s who I am and want to be, too, in my writing.

In life.

Unpretentious.

I want to be like that.

What Writers Make You Furiously Jealous?

When you say about a writer or author “I want to write like that,” that’s a creative influence.

When a writer’s work makes you furiously jealous, that’s a creative influence.

When you think, “Hey, I could try that!” that’s a creative influence.

Make a list of all the people whose work makes you furiously jealous—maybe even make a list of the work itself.

Then ask:

What do I love about this piece?

How is its sound, topic, and style appealing to me?

Why does it speak to me?

What about it could I learn from it?

How could I emulate it without plagiarizing?

Study that work.

Pick apart that prose.

Underline and circle and copy out sentences from that work. Figure out how they did it. Because writers who make you furiously jealous are your best mentors.

And as you study them—as they mentor you—like Billy said, they’ll lead you to your own authentic voice.

____________________

Register for:

Build Your Writing Lab: Dissect Quality Prose to Learn Techniques Used by the Pros

with Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach
Wednesday, August 23rd at 12pm ET

This free training will empower you with a proven system to become a better writer.

In Build Your Writing Lab, you’ll start to see every piece of professional writing with new eyes and find inspiration in their techniques. I’m not holding back — you’re getting six different approaches to dissect text and discover how to improve your craft.

If you’re ready to set yourself up for success, register now — you’ll see your work transform and your confidence increase with each writing experiment!

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____________________

Footnote:

1. The. “Poetry Student Workshop at the White House.” YouTube, YouTube Video, 11 May 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVIOKLXK9uY&t=1870s. Accessed 3 Aug. 2023.

On a sunny spring day, I sat with seven homeschoolers on a stretch of grass for a creative writing session. The older kids started to fidget before we even started. "What are we doing out here?" "We’re going to see what’s around us." A fifth grader pointed with his pen. "I see sky, clouds, cars, building. Done." The others laughed. "We’re going to be quiet and listen, too," I added. "I hear birds. Done." More chuckles. "Before we write," I began, "Let’s look at the sky. What color is it?" Someone said blue. "What kind of blue? There are so many blues. Is it dark blue like these navy pants? Or is it blue like turquoise? Or is it the kind of blue you want to swim in? Or the color of your mom’s eyes?" They looked up. "Write down phrases that describe this particular blue at this particular moment of this particular day. Compare it to other things that are blue." They studied the sky, and one by one, each started writing. "What else do you see—you mentioned clouds. What kind of clouds? Puffy white cumulus clouds or light and filmy cirrus clouds?" Group Your Senses We continued exploring multi-sensory details. They grouped their ideas by sense, so each stanza of the poem they were going to write began: I see… I hear… I smell… I touch... I taste... This simple "senses" poem isn't just for kids. You could try sensory writing, too. Sensory Writing Practice Slow down and tune into the space around you, ideally outdoors. Look, listen, inhale deeply. What do you notice at this particular moment of this particular day? Write down keywords and adjectives. Capture images and sounds. What smells do you breathe in? Compare those details to something else. You'll be crafting metaphors with nouns and more seemingly unrelated nouns that end up enhancing meaning. Touch different textures. Taste something—well, taste what's appropriate (don't eat anything poisonous)! As you capture the particulars, you'll realize that this moment is one-of-a-kind, and you're writing about it using all your senses, as those kids did. Pull Your Senses Together When you realize the poem is coming together, group the sensory details you've described to form those stanzas: I see… I hear… I smell… I touch... I taste... Rearrange as needed, of course. Write an opening line if you like. Maybe two. Write a closing line if you like. Maybe two. Maybe three. Read it aloud. Sensory Writing for Life You've preserved in multi-sensory detail a moment of your wild and precious life. And you've practiced a skill you can use in all your writing to bring your stories and scenes to life for your reader with this multi-sensory detail. Years ago I attended a writing workshop and the leader referenced Flannery O’Connor, paraphrasing a section of “The Nature and Aim of Fiction” from ​Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose​: A lady who writes, and whom I admire very much, wrote me that she had learned from Flaubert that it takes at least three activated sensuous strokes to make an object real; and she believes that this is connected with our having five senses. If you’re deprived of any of them, you’re in a bad way, but if you’re deprived of more than two at once, you almost aren’t present. (Emphasis mine, 69) The workshop leader held up an imaginary artist's brush and said, "One, two, three...and you're done!" Include in your poetry and prose—fiction or nonfiction—at least three sensory details and your reader will be in the scene with you. Read It Aloud and Applaud Right there in the grass on that day with the homeschooled kids, they arranged their poems, scribbling into spiral notebooks balanced on bony knees. When we brought them back inside, each child read their poem aloud for the other mom, who had stayed inside while we wrote. We applauded after each poem. One of them read a simple series of images and metaph...