Melanie Bell

Author, Writer, Editor

Tag Archives: productivity


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An Author Interview and a Writing Retreat in France

Castillon La Bataille, in the South of France

I’m delighted to have an author interview on Autostraddle this month! Darcy read my YA novel, Chasing Harmony, and asked thoughtful questions about it. I got to talk about music, the messiness of growing up queer, where I got my ideas, and what songs might be on Anna’s playlist right now if she were a real person.

“When I was younger, successes and failures felt huge, and this is the case for Anna.”

-Author Melanie Bell on her YA Novel “Chasing Harmony” and the Messy Process of Growing Up Queer

You can check out the interview here!

I’m writing this from an old house in Castillon, in the South of France. I’ve been saying for ages that I’d go on a writing retreat someday, and I’ve finally made it out to one. I first learned about Chez Castillon at a conference five years ago. It’s an 18th century house that hosts creative retreats.

For a week, I’ve been learning from bestselling author Julie Cohen and working with a great group of fellow writers. We’ve had one-on-one sessions, a tutorial about plotting with post-it notes, and lots of time to work on whatever we’re working on. That, or lounge by the pool and iron out the kinks in our stories by getting input from brilliant peers.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, though I figured that time in France would be brilliant even if I got no writing done! And it is. Great food, great wine, a gorgeous setting, summer-like weather, lovely people, charming animals, and a market this morning. I’ve been running by the river, strolling around the shops, and swimming in the pool. The house is full of books, and it’s nice to have a context where I’m speaking and reading in French, even as I’m writing in English. The hosts, Mickey and Janie Millman, are generous, and Janie’s a wonderful author in her own right.

But I’ve also gotten things done. I’ve restructured the manuscript I’m working on and added some chapters. I’ve refined summaries and queries in an effort to get to the point. “Keep it simple, stupid!” says Julie. (I blushed a little, as I used to teach my university students this. Guilty as charged!) So, would I recommend trying out a writing retreat if you have the time and resources? I’d certainly recommend this one!

Many thanks to Julie, Mickey, Janie, and my cohort of writers! I’ve learned something from everyone here. And now I’m off to soak in more sun before my plane takes off tomorrow!


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The Story in Your Head vs. the Story on the Page

Before you sit down at your computer or with your notebook to start writing, a story swirls around in your head. It’s the story you want to write, the story you need to write. And the story in your head is fabulous. 

The story in your head is as twisty and passionate as the latest bestseller. It makes readers laugh and cry. It’s all about love and power and the world and contains every feeling that’s ever swept through your body. (When you start to put the story on the page, it’s probably about a kitten.) 

The story in your head outlasts Western civilization. It’s the classic of all classics. People on far-off future planets get assigned your text in class and groan. You have attained the immortality of homework.

The story in your head has gaps. And it isn’t necessarily your job to fill these gaps, when the story lives only in your head. You can simply hop elsewhere, to another part of it, and entertain yourself. Your story can be all lavish descriptions of sylvan forests and ball gowns, and that will be fine. No reader’s going to complain about a story that isn’t written down.

But without writing any of it down, there will be no story, not really. No one else can read it. No one will connect with it. And if there’s any truth to your hunch that the story in your head is worth telling, then your own rattling mind is a lonely place to keep that story, isn’t it?

If you want the story in your head to come to life, you’ve got to write it down. (Or share or tell it in some other form; there are many valid choices.) However, it will change in the telling. It might veer off in a different direction than intended. Maybe it’ll even be a better direction, but it will take work to get there.

In your head, a story can write itself in moments. In practice, if the story is long and complex, it takes hours, days, maybe even years. It may take several revisions. Parts will fall off of the story in your head as it assumes material form, and new pieces will attach themselves to it. 

The story in your head was exciting, maybe even perfect. The story on the page is imperfect. But you aren’t going to have a story if you don’t write it down. And good stories deserve to be told.


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So You Want to Write in Lockdown?

How are you all doing? Here in London, we’re well into lockdown #3. Remember lockdown hobbies, and the optimism with which some people took up making homemade sourdough bread and learning new languages? If you’re like me, enthusiasm for indoor activities has waned a bit by now.   

Writing is one of the things keeping me going as I work from home, socialize (as much as it’s possible to do so) from home, and veg out… all in the same general vicinity. As much as it can be a source of vitality and energy, though, it can also be hard to do consistently during this time. And people wanting to try writing for the first time while their lives have moved indoors face the additional challenge of getting started.    

Here are a few things that have energized my writing at one point or another during the quarantimes.

Write socially

When working on my first book, I went to Shut Up and Write sessions where a group of writers gathered, chatted briefly, and then got down to the process of quietly writing. Sessions were timed, and with other people doing the same thing around me, I got a lot of work done. I’ve benefited from finding similar group writing sessions over Zoom where friendly people encouraged each other, shared resources and updates, and provided accountability.

Try something new

Last year (during lockdown 2), I did NaNoWriMo for the first time. I tried writing something in a new genre (romance) and format (novella). During lockdown 1, I read about short nonfiction writing, tried pitching a big publication, and ended up writing something for the Huffington Post. Setting challenges for myself and trying new things kept the writing process fresh and interesting.   

Find a critique partner

Having someone else to exchange writing with keeps your manuscript from languishing forever unseen in your files. I found a fiction critique partner through social media and have been swapping work with her ever since. Having someone intelligent and responsive to exchange feedback with has been helpful and encouraging, and means I’m writing more. 

Take advantage of your personal schedule

If you’re working from home now, like me, you might have gained time back from your daily commute. Try scheduling writing in that now-freed calendar space. Another way of taking advantage of your schedule is knowing your body’s clock. I’ve been reading about chronotypes, or the variations in people’s biological clocks, and recognizing why I’ve never been one of those people who got up and wrote early in the morning. I don’t have to be! We all have different times when we’re at our creative and productive peaks, and maybe learning about yours will help you get more writing done, too.  

Write about what you’re experiencing

During the pandemic, I’ve helped process the stress of a radically changing life and environment by journaling (i.e. inelegantly venting about everything) and writing poems about the virus, Zoom calls, and shifting restrictions. It’s been a wonderful outlet. 

…Or not

Sometimes I just want to escape the 2020s. I’ve found solace in writing fiction set in a pre-COVID world and in other, imagined worlds. Do you wish you were somewhere else? Writing can take you there!

Have you been putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard in lockdown? What keeps you writing?


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Book Review: The Four Tendencies

My January blog posts attest to my fascination with New Year’s resolutions, the goals and intentions that some of us set each year in the hope of making the coming year (or ourselves) better. After the coronavirus pandemic dashed many of our plans for 2020, I wonder how many of us will make resolutions this year. Maybe some of us will focus on taking care of ourselves and each other during this difficult time, or on just being ourselves. But for those who share my perverse fascination with goal setting and change, I found a book this year that offered me some valuable perspective.   

I first encountered Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies framework years ago, took her quiz online, and promptly forgot about it. Then, during England’s second lockdown this year, a mention of the book prompted me to look it up again. I was struggling with some changes I wanted to make in my new, working-from-home life, but I wasn’t making them. I didn’t know how. I asked myself, not for the first time, “Why can’t I change? Why can’t I get myself to do the things I know I should do? Why do I let myself down?”

Enter Gretchen Rubin, who has written books on happiness and habit formation, and maintains a popular happiness-focused podcast. She created the Four Tendencies framework after observing differences in how people respond to expectations. One of her friends was able to run with a track team but not by herself, for example.

The Four Tendencies book posits two different types of expectations: inner expectations, or the goals and standards we have for ourselves, and outer expectations, or the things that other people and external systems expect us to do. Rubin found that people respond to these different expectations in four different, and predictable, ways. 

The people she calls Upholders meet both inner and outer expectations. Questioners meet inner expectations and question outer expectations, choosing to do what others expect only when it makes sense to them. Obligers (like her friend who wanted to go running) meet outer expectations but not inner expectations, while Rebels resist both sets of expectations. There’s a lot more detail about how these four categories work in the book, as well as on Rubin’s website.

Rubin’s book offers thorough chapters about what each tendency means and how it works, along with chapters on dealing with each tendency. Like books on the Enneagram, the personality system I’ve been using for over a decade, it can be read as a self-help book, and/or used to understand how to work with other people. Medical personnel, for instance, have used her work to motivate people with different tendencies to follow their recommendations. 

Helpfully, the book begins with a quiz for identifying your tendency. From there, if you’re an Upholder, you’ll discover ways to manage “tightening up” and learn how following rules can paradoxically bring freedom. If you’re a Questioner, you’ll find tips for overcoming analysis paralysis and finding reasons for doing those irrational things you need to do. If you’re an Obliger, you’ll learn about how outer accountability is key for you – and how to build it into different areas of your life to do the things that you want to do, rather than burning yourself out by doing what others want. And if you’re a Rebel, like me, you’ll learn about motivating yourself by following personal desires and identity, and how to cultivate a sense of freedom in meeting goals rather than obligation.

I love how the Four Tendencies is a practical and focused framework for change. The book offers strategies that work with our “autopilot settings,” and thus it might be called ego supportive. Yes, we can all be more mindful and present, but the book’s suggestions don’t require that. It meets us where we are and gives us how-to’s for accomplishing what we want to accomplish.   

As useful as the Enneagram has been for me, it’s a descriptor, not a toolkit. It suggests that as someone whose personality follows the Type Four “Individualist” pattern, I benefit from bringing discipline and structure into my life, but it doesn’t give any nuts and bolts about how to create structure, or how to get myself to follow it. The Four Tendencies actually gave me some of those nuts and bolts. 

When it comes to change management, different people have different needs. I’ve spent a lot of time hoping to find a perfect source of accountability to get me to act differently, so it’s a relief to learn that accountability isn’t an effective strategy for me – it just feels like pressure, which I then resist. I’m equally recalcitrant with myself, declaring that I’m going to do something while an internal voice intones “Yeah, yeah, I’m not gonna.” Since reading this book, I’ve focused on taking power back into my own hands. Rubin writes, “Rebels can do anything they want to do.” The key for me is to focus on wanting rather than having to. When a sense of determination drives me, I know that I’m going to get that thing done. When I hear “Oh, yeah, yeah, sure,” I either let myself off the hook or dig deeper until I find that sense of determination.  

2020 brought a lot of events we had no control over, and 2021 is looking to unfold in much the same vein. If you’re looking for a book about making changes that are within your control, The Four Tendencies is a good one.


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My First NaNoWriMo, or How I Wrote a Novella in a Month

I’ve posted before about NaNoWriMo, but until 2020, it was one of those things I’d thought about but never attempted. I was usually busy, and more crucially, I’ve never been fast. I’ve completed novel manuscripts, but writing 50,000 words in a month seemed like a daunting task. I was happy to cheer on other, more ambitious writers from the sidelines. 

This year I spent November in lockdown. It seemed like the perfect time to give the challenge a go. I had a few opening chapters of a novella lurking in my folders, waiting for me to finish it, and I decided that NaNoWriMo would be my motivation to do that. I wasn’t sure if I’d write the full word count, but I saw other writers blogging and posting on social media about the progress they made from participating, whether or not they met that tally mark. Some used it to revise or meet other goals, like I intended to do. The tent seemed expansive and friendly.

This manuscript is the first time I’ve tried to write romance as a central focus. It’s also the first time I’ve attempted a novella, although I’ve thought at points that it might turn into a novel. It started out with two points of view, but feedback from a reader suggested that one was far more interesting than the other, so I rewrote the first part to focus on that character. I scrapped my outline and wrote by the seat of my pants, coming up with some of my ideas on long morning runs. It turned out that letting my mind wander while exercising was a great way to find inspiration.

What worked for me? Not, it turned out, joining online communities or engaging with the many passionate writers posting in great detail on forums and chat rooms. It’s wonderful to see so many passionate people creating, and I’d expected to find it motivating, but instead it gave way to something like Zoom fatigue. I joined a few groups and quickly became overwhelmed. Instead, I focused on the story I was telling. Maybe I’d socialize about it later, when it was done.

Complicating things, I had some serendipitous work projects come up for the month, so my time wasn’t as open as I’d expected. My writing stopped and started around other commitments that I didn’t want to forego. What helped throughout all that was writing regularly, in little bits almost every day. I felt closer to my characters’ lives. It was a challenge to write a new kind of story in a new genre, but word by word, it came together. 

I allowed my usual writing process to take the forefront, editing as I go. That’s usually seen as a “no-no” for writers during speed events like this one, but when I tried to draft with more of a stream of consciousness, I missed letting my editorial mind improve things. I’m an editor by trade, and it turns out that I value letting that skill set shape my work. It makes the next draft smoother.

The last day was a milestone. I’d set a 25,000-word novella mark by that point and wasn’t sure if I’d achieve that word count or finish the draft. Animated by the frenzy of a student with a due date, I wrote into the evening. The story wanted to tell itself. It knew where it was going. Soon, I reached the end.

It helped to have a deadline. 

I’m delighted to have given NaNoWriMo a try and met my personal goal. It was a great experience, and one I hope to repeat. NaNoWriMo writers out there, how did things go for you?


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The Bestseller Experiment: Can You Write a Bestselling Book in a Year?

For two years, I’ve wanted to go to London Book Fair. This year I was finally going to get there, accompanying colleagues to look after ICE Publishing’s stand, network, and learn. Then, as you can probably guess, the fair was cancelled due to the coronavirus. The sound reason did not dim my disappointment. Despite the cancellation, though, I got one good thing out of the London Book Fair: acquaintance with the Bestseller Experiment. 

When reading through the list of Insights Seminars planned for the fair, I saw that there was a live episode planned for the Bestseller Experiment podcast. The name intrigued me. A bestseller is a big promise. What could a “bestseller experiment” be and how did it work? I looked the podcast up and discovered it was created by two British men, both named Mark, who sought to write, edit, publish, and market a bestselling book in a year. What an awesomely audacious goal! I began listening, and soon I was hooked. 

The pair of podcasters make appealing foils for each other. Mark Stay is a seasoned writer, with a novel and movie to his name, and a veteran employee of the traditional publishing industry. With the benefits and cynicism of experience, he acts as the podcast’s pessimist, skeptical of the likelihood of success but game to go forward. Mark Desvaux, a Canada-based life coach who’d started books prior to the podcast but hadn’t finished them, is the pair’s optimist, bringing enthusiastic belief in their success and a sense of spirituality to offset his co-host’s national outlook. It’s fun to listen to the two Marks bouncing off each other. What really makes the podcast shine, though, is the caliber of its interviews. 

From the get-go, Mark and Mark interview industry professionals and bestselling authors of both traditional and indie titles. They set out to find the “secret sauce” that makes a book or an author into a bestseller, speaking to the likes of Bryan Cranston, Joanne Harris, Joe Abercrombie, Michelle Paver, Shannon Mayer, and professionals from NaNoWriMo, Kindle Direct Publishing, authors, agents, editors, and more. All the interviewees speak lucidly and eloquently about their craft and share a wealth of knowledge about the industry. Their writing journeys differ, from those who have worked in obscurity for years before having a sales or publishing “breakthrough” to early success stories, from those who hate revision to those who love it, but all share a belief in writing success because they have all experienced it. Every episode I’ve listened to so far has been worth the time, and all have left me with a feeling of hope.  

What bestselling secrets has the podcast shared? So far, the interviewed authors share a belief in taking yourself seriously as a writer (most of them write every day and set themselves word counts), having deadlines (I share their experience of writing faster when somebody gives me a due date), and writing about topics that matter to you. Again and again, the authors reiterate that you can’t write a bestseller cynically, and that good books come out of love of the subject you’re writing about. Many of them recommend go-to books on the craft of writing, and some share marketing tips. Editors and agents encourage writers not to worry about trends and to write what they’re interested in. The need for self-care when writing is also explored.  

The Marks also share the stages of their journey in writing a book. In one of my favorite episodes, Ben Aaronovitch tells them off for writing a 50,000-word “outline”! I also enjoyed listening to the Marks discuss an editor’s critique of their manuscript. Since they wrote about a female protagonist, the editor suggested using a female pseudonym, and I’m pleased to note that they succeeded without one (though Mark Desvaux used the shorter pen name ‘Mark Oliver’). It’s no spoiler to note that the Marks indeed wrote and self-published a Kindle bestselling novel in a year. Back to Reality is a fast-paced story about time-travel, body swapping and the lives one could have lived. Its success doesn’t surprise me given the excellence of the Marks’ podcasting platform, but it does make me smile. They did it! And the podcast is still going and growing, with many of their listeners publishing books including more bestsellers. If you’ve ever dreamed of writing a bestseller, you might enjoy listening to it, too. Thank you, London Book Fair!   


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Three Takes on Writing What You Love

“Write what you love” is widespread advice, yet it can be hard to reconcile with the realities of the market and the day-to-day challenges of the writing process. Still, I’m a believer in the wisdom of this advice. Here are three instances in which I find it helpful.

1. Writing something you would love to read.

Many writers write for themselves first. The reasons for this are myriad: writing to heal, to investigate a personal question, writing on a subject of interest or expertise… there are probably as many personal reasons for writing as there are writers. It’s useful and powerful to write things that appeal to you as a writer. Chances are, if you love it, there will be an audience out there for it. There is, however, a risk of writing becoming self-indulgent. You might, for instance, write something about your life that lacks interest for a wider public. Alternatively, you might infuse your words with layers of personal meaning, with a result that is confusing and leaves readers wondering what the point is. (Not that I’m guilty of this or anything!)

While writer appeal can be the thing that gets us putting one word in front of the other, if you’ve had any feedback to this effect, think about reader appeal. When you get stuck, ask yourself what would interest you at this juncture as a reader. Imagine that you’re the reader of your work in progress and write what would be important and compelling to that side of yourself. There’s no room left for writerly self-indulgence when you’re seeing through a reader’s eyes (or rather, any “indulgences” here will be sure to have appeal for other readers). Some of my favorite authors speak of writing the books they have always wanted to read, especially those that they haven’t been able to find. What has your reader self been longing for that hasn’t been available? Try writing that.   

2. Staying motivated.

When you write, loving what you’re doing is the fire behind the keyboard. If you’re passionate about your premise, your characters, your plot, you’ll keep coming back to it. Even when the writing process gets rough, tapping into a love of the project itself can keep you motivated. When writing becomes your love affair, you’ll really want to get that book written. If you have certain pivotal scenes that you envision in your mind like a video clip on repeat, you’ll be excited to get the points in your project where you actually write them. For all these reasons, I’m an advocate for loving your writing. Many books wouldn’t exist without the passion driving their creation. The risk-taking, innovation, and investment that lead to art would often not exist if the writer didn’t love either the process, the anticipated end result, or both. After all, there are easier ways to make money.

3. Writing towards a result you care about.

But what if you’re writing for money, rather than for a passion project? First, congratulations on getting paid for your work! Second, that’s something to love, too, isn’t it? Write for the value that you’ll get from the project in that way. Or what if you’re writing something because you believe it’s important to say, even if you don’t like it very much? What if the writing is difficult, but you need to get the words out? Come back to the reason, the “why”, and the heart that drives it. Here’s another take on the “Write what you love” question: Write what matters to you.


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New Year, New You? Think Baby Steps.

It’s that time again: time for New Year’s resolutions. January rolls around and you make plans for the year ahead. You envision your best self and create resolutions hoping to make that person real. Sometimes your goals pan out. If you’re anything like me, though, all too often the following year arrives and the idealized self remains a distant dream, with resolutions left behind somewhere along the way. Many of my editing and coaching clients share my experience – a fairly common one – of having big dreams but struggling with practical goal-setting.

For a couple years, I made resolutions to do things I was already in the habit of doing, as I was confident that these goals would be fulfilled. Indeed they were, but while these easily achievable resolutions showed that I could continue on a positive course of action, they also added nothing new to my life. Later, I tried setting short intentions, choosing an overarching word or phrase, such as “making money,” to guide my year, and I set goals that were concrete but out of my comfort zone. These measures helped. But as 2019 brings in a new crop of enthusiastic articles about changing your life with the shifting of the calendar year, I think a change in philosophy is called for as well. Below are some measures that have helped in my own goal-setting and in my work with clients.

Think big if you want – as a starting point.

Lots of us find it fun to imagine the best version of ourselves. How can we know who we might become if we don’t allow ourselves to dream? Go ahead and make that vision board if you enjoy doing so, or that wild list of things you want to do in the future. Map out all the books you want to write or the countries you want to travel to. Your dreams will serve as fuel for your daily life. As the next steps suggest, though, be mindful that you can’t do everything at once.

Then bring the dream down to earth.

This is where practical goal-setting measures come in. The big dreams we have about our lives may not be realizable all at once, but if we think things through and plan carefully, we can create realistic outcomes that we wish for. Getting in shape, for instance, becomes easier if we don’t just purchase that gym membership but set a schedule, join an exercise class, and/or commit with a friend to exercise together. Writing a novel becomes easier if you set yourself a daily word count and working time. In 2017, Kacie Berghoef and I blogged about setting SMART goals. Try out this method of practical goal-setting by making your resolutions specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound.

Hold yourself accountable.

I mentioned setting a schedule and finding a gym buddy. Once you’ve created a goal for yourself that moves in your desired direction and works with the life you have now – something small, not too time-consuming, trackable, and concrete – put measures in place to hold yourself accountable to it. Pencil (or type) commitments into your calendar. Set up a mutual support system with someone else where you check in periodically with each other about your goals. Many of my editing clients have found it useful to set deadlines and have check-ins. In some cases, working with me as an editor/writing coach and having that external cheerleading provided motivation for them to finish their projects. Make sure that you are committed, that your progress is being observed, and if possible, that someone besides you is invested in your achieving the goal.

You don’t have to do everything now.

You may have noticed the use of “goal,” singular. The key in achieving goals is not to set too many all at once. Rather than climbing that mountain right away, commit to baby steps by starting the training process. If you tend to make long lists of resolutions, set yourself fewer goals than you think you can realistically accomplish: that way your efforts will be focused. If you have a big vision and aren’t sure where to start, pick one step in that direction that you can get started on right away and commit to regularly. The key is just to get started. The fruits of a beginner’s effort will bring you more satisfaction than a dream unrelated to your actions.  

If you get closer to where you want to be, that’s a win.

We don’t always fulfill our new year’s resolutions. As I looked back on my goals for 2018, there was one that stood out as uncompleted. I hadn’t made the progress that I’d hoped, and felt disappointed looking back – until a loved one pointed out that I’d improved. I could see then that even if I hadn’t been 100% successful, setting and working towards that goal had still been a success. Maybe it’s the same for you. Are you in slightly better physical shape, for instance? Did you start that novel, even if you didn’t finish it? At the end of each year, look on your progress and celebrate. After all, no one says that you have to complete a goal in a year – you can keep going for as long as you like!

Good luck with your goal setting, and happy 2019!


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Celebrating My Wins of 2018

Some of my publications in 2018

It’s hard to believe that 2018 is almost over. Hopefully the year has had bright spots for you as it has for me. Following the publication of The Modern Enneagram in 2017, this has been a fruitful year of career building in writing and editing. I’m celebrating these wins as we honor the year that’s coming to a close and move towards the next.

Freelance editing

When I moved to Edinburgh from San Francisco in May 2017, I left my long-held part-time job as a writing tutor/instructor at an art college and moved into full-time self-employment. Initially, I offered writing coaching and set up an Enneagram workshop as well as seeking out editing projects. Beginning in 2018, my money-making direction clarified itself. While continuing to copy edit nonfiction, I had opportunities for developmental editing on fiction projects and began working with a new publisher on manuscript evaluations. It’s been richly rewarding to dive into story structure, hone my constructively critical eye, and give input in a way that’s appreciated.     

Anthology (and other) publications

While in Edinburgh, I participated in two lovely local writers’ groups and continued submitting my work. In addition to having articles and short pieces published, my work was accepted for four anthologies! It’s been exciting to have them arrive in the mail throughout the year and to discover gems from writers I wasn’t previously familiar with.

Here’s a round-up of my publications this year:

–Hashtag Queer, Vol. 2 Anthology: Mira (short story)

–Queer Around the World Anthology: Four Walks in Montreal (creative nonfiction)

–Spoon Knife 3: Incursions Anthology: The New World (science fiction short story)

-Shut Up and Write Anthology: How a Volunteer Grandma Helped Me Find My Voice (personal essay)

-Page and Spine: Quicksilver (short story)

-Write Naked: What One Freelancer Did With a Month Off (guest post)

-School of Shine: Setting Intentions for the New Year; What I Left Behind; Land, Love, and My People (personal essays)

-ELearning Industry: 6 eLearning Trends to Watch for in 2018 (research article)

 

A few of my pieces were also chosen to be reprinted:

–The Quilliad: Beast (poem)

-IEA Nine Points: Thoughts on the 2018 IEA Conference and Community (originally a blog post)

-Go Conscious: How Each Enneagram Type Can Build Healthy Habits (originally a blog post coauthored with Kacie Berghoef)

 

Enneagram conference presentations

While words are the most natural source of steady work for me, I love the depth and impact of the Enneagram. In 2018 I traveled to Amsterdam to give the mini-workshop, “Writing Your Enneagram Journey,” that participants enjoyed at summer 2017’s IEA Global Conference. I was also approached by my friend Chloe Keric-Eli, a Montreal Enneagram teacher, to submit a joint proposal for 2018’s IEA. As immigrants between multiple countries and cultures, our shared experiences led to the idea of presenting on “Where Culture Meets Type.” Participants at both conferences dove fully into the exercises, bringing insights about their personal and cultural stories that were illuminating for many in the room.      

A day job (and a move!)

Freelancing as an editor as my primary occupation provided wonderful opportunities to gain new skills, but it also highlighted additional things I wanted to learn. I realized that the most effective way to learn many of these would be to find an in-house role. Further, I hadn’t moved all the way to the UK to sit in my flat during working hours rather than engaging fully with the culture. Working with my primarily North American client base just wasn’t quite the same. I applied to day jobs in the editing field and was offered one in London working for RUSI, London’s venerable defence and security think tank. I moved in July, leaving a beautiful work-from-home space and gaining colleagues, increased confidence in my work, and skills ranging from project management methods to document design. When I’m not at my day job, I continue to work as a freelance editor on select projects. I’ve gotten quicker with my work, and more assured in making editorial choices. I’m committed and growing. I look forward to seeing where this career path takes me.

A novel draft completed

I have manuscripts sitting in my Dropbox folders that never made it to the book deal stage, and know from experience that finishing the first draft of a novel is a different beast from finalizing it and from hitting a chord that resonates with the reading public. I am, however, proud of the draft I completed this year. It’s a fantasy adventure story – the kind of thing I read for fun; the kind of thing I wrote as a youngster and teenager, and even then neglected to submit anywhere in favor of more “serious” stuff. I’ve been learning in the last few years that being fascinating does not make a thing less real. I put a lot of feelings about immigration and identity into this novel about magic. I got to invent a world with cities in caves and clouds, and I loved spending time there. I got to write “the end.”  

What are your wins this year?


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How to Switch Between Your Writing and Editing Hats

Writing and editing are complementary skills, two sides of the same coin. When you write, it’s helpful to develop your self-editing ability so that you can polish your prose (or poetry). Having done both writing and editing professionally, I’ve found that switching between the two isn’t always easy. In this blog post, I’ll take a look at the differences between writing and editing your own work. Here are some tricks I’ve discovered to hone both skill sets and move between them smoothly.

When you’re writing:

  1. Let your creative mind have free reign. Writing your first draft is the time to experiment, follow tangents, and get your ideas and impulses out on the page. Keep on going, perhaps scheduling yourself so you write regularly whether you feel like it or not. Just show up and get things down. When you’re not writing, let the project live in the back of your mind. You might find that ideas come to you at unexpected times, perhaps when you’re out and about or about to fall asleep – keeping a notepad or note app at hand can prove handy. Leaving room for inspiration is especially useful for those of us who write by discovery, figuring things out as we go along. (All of us do this at some point.) Have fun with it!
  2. Plan if it works for you. Some of us are plotters and outliners. This can be useful for generating ideas and giving ourselves a map so we have a sense of where our writing is going. With fiction, I used to get stuck in the middle of my projects, but have found that an outline guides me in having ideas for what to write next. Don’t be afraid to veer off script, though if a more interesting idea comes along than the one you’ve planned. Whether you’re more of a discovery writer, an outliner, or a blend of both, either technique is great to the extent that it helps you get your writing done. The key is…
  3. Don’t self-judge. It’s all too easy to let the editorial voice jump into the writing process. This is valuable at times, such as when it has a plot suggestion or catches an error in your sentence. At other times, the voice can get harsh and critical, becoming more of a judge than a guide. If this happens, remind the voice that you’re on your first draft, the one where you’re hashing everything out, and will address its concerns later. You can even save that critical feedback in a separate document to consult when you’re editing. (Save the things like “Fix plot hole with spaceship in chapter 3,” not the things like “You suck.”)


When you’re editing:

  1. Get to the point. Editing is worlds away from writing in mindset. This is where we look at our draft critically and make sure it’s got all the essentials. Take a good, hard look at structure and clarity. For each important element, ask yourself: Would your readers (or your reader self) like it? Would they get it? Does it need to be there? Make sure the beginning, middle, and end all flow together and make sense.
  2. Check spelling and grammar. This is what a lot of us picture when we think of editing because it’s a vital part of the job, even if it’s not the only important one. If this isn’t your strong suit, a computer program such as a spell checker or Grammarly can help you out. I’ve found that repeating words, homophones (similar-sounding words like “to,” “too,” and “two”), and words that sound or look similar can be as tricky, if not trickier, to catch than typos. You might also try reading your work aloud. Do this carefully so you can catch any “the the”s or “ladies” that are supposed to be “ladles.” The read-aloud technique has benefits beyond spelling, too. Some fiction writers swear by this as a way of hearing whether their characters’ voices ring true, and if you find yourself getting bored in the middle of reading, you’ll know this is a section you need to liven up or cut down.
  3. Polish those sentences. Along with addressing content, spelling, and grammar, sentence-level editing or line editing is a big part of what professional editors do. First-draft sentences are often choppy, overly long, or unclear. Once you’ve done structural work on your draft to a point you’re satisfied with, take a look at each sentence individually and in context of the larger piece. Does it flow? Does it sound nice? Can readers follow it easily? Does it help achieve the pace and tone you’re going for?


As you can see, writing involves a lot of creating. Too much doubt can stop us in our tracks, feeding the inner critic and getting in the way of finishing the project. Editing is the opposite: it’s all about questioning. Instead of building something from scratch, we “renovate,” improving our writing by addition or subtraction. The great news is that I’ve found working with each skill set improves the other. When writing, we learn how things should sound, how to structure our work, and what gives a piece energy. When editing, we learn where to cut back or expand, how to speak to readers, and how to communicate clearly. Learn to wear both hats flexibly and your writing will shine!