Category Archives: Motivation

Getting UnStuck

There are times when you have to stop and assess your surroundings because you’re feeling anxious, stuck, or disorganized.

The past two weeks was one of those times.

Last March, after my historical gothic romance novella, Harbor House: Say You Will was published in an anthology, I took all my storyboard Post-it notes[1] from the psychological paranormal thriller, Harbor House: Last Blood, that occurs in the same location with the same family but 100 years later and typed the notes into a treatment/synopsis outline, giving myself an October publication deadline.

Even though I was finishing the publication of CPE, its companion workbook, and two audiobooks—all projects I had started the year before, and knew I’d be teaching a two-week Master Class, had a blog commitment, and was going to a weekend writing workshop, I figured I could get the book written and edited by summer’s end.

So, I made announcements of my intent to publish Harbor House: Last Blood in October.

What I didn’t expect was the time it would take to finish those three preceding projects. As I worked on them, the outline sat on my desk, gnawing at me, the characters screaming, “It’s our turn. NOW!”

Between then and last week, I was able to write 75% of the first draft. A good beginning, but, I noticed since returning from the weekend workshop that my writing had slowed. I was struggling. I began to doubt I could make the October deadline. After all, it was now August, and the first draft wasn’t finished.

I had to get past a scene that didn’t feel right. So, I went ahead and wrote it, and then later that night, I knew I had to delete it totally. Instead of having a dog poisoned, it would be found locked in a distant room, which appears to have been on purpose. Problem solved.

So, I was writing again, but I was still dragging my feet. Why?

Looking around, I sensed it was my surroundings. My bookcases were messy. The energy (Chi) was stagnant and getting caught in corners.

In the end, I took a few days to…

Cull my books—no more double-stacked shelves!
Move my desk a bit, giving myself more room to move around.
Clean off my desk.
Move my published books to shelves behind me, so that my profile on Zoom is more professional.
Organize my binders so that the projects published are together and the projects to be finished are on a different shelf.
File loose papers into their proper binders or in file folders.

As I worked, I felt the Chi in the room swirling. Energy in motion.

I had been stuck mentally because my projects were stuck (messed up) physically. My environment had been affecting my creativity.

How about you? Do you find you have to clean things out to feel motivated again or to feel refreshed? Do you find changing your surroundings leads to better creativity?

[1] I write about my storyboard Post-it notes method of plotting in my how-to book, CPE: Character, Plot, & Emotion, which has an accompanying workbook with full plotting sheets as an aid. Sold only on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/CPE-Character-Emotion-Diana-Stout/dp/B0D2TQ7ZG8.

Are You a New Writer?

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The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

The January 3 question: Do you follow back your readers on BookBub or do you only follow back other authors?

Are You a New Writer?

Rather than talk about who I follow on BookBub, because it’s the new year, I decided to address new writers, instead. I guess that’s the teacher in me: new year, new semester, new students.

I remember back to when I was a new writer, too. What I share with you are the things that best helped me as a new writer.

Read anything and everything. Read from writers you admire, notice their style, their voice. Read specific genres. Read across the genres. Read all the how-to books you can. Not only the newest publications, but older books, too.

Write a lot. Don’t worry about structure with your first drafts. Don’t edit or delete; just write. Write scenes of your desired genre. Or, just write whatever comes to mind and not worry about genre. Don’t worry about completing a book at this point. Instead, concentrate on making the dialogue sound true and creating believable characters.

Follow writers you admire. Learn about their process, any advice they offer. Take everything with a grain of salt, however, because no two writers follow the same process.

Subscribe to writing newsletters and writing blog; they’ll provide how-to information you need. Use that which sounds good for you.

Look for a critique partner or critique group you can join. In the beginning, you’ll be swapping writings with anyone and everyone. In time, you’ll want to vet them just as they should be vetting you. You want someone who will be honest, telling you what doesn’t work and why. Ideally, you want someone who writes in your genre or is knowledgeable about your genre.

Above all else, be open to hearing comments about your work and suggestions of how you can improve it. You don’t have to like everything suggested or even use it; and, don’t defend your work either. Just say thank you. What they provide and how they provide it will determine if you want to continue critiquing with them.

Attend conferences and make connections. Attending a conference is no place to be shy. Introduce yourself and then ask about their writing. People love to talk about themselves! Create elevator pitches, too. Don’t know what they are? Google elevator pitch. If you go with a group, don’t sit with them at every event. Sit away from them from so you can meet new people.

Create a business card. Make it simple. List yourself as a writer with contact information. That’s all you need.

Don’t think about a publisher or agent, yet. It’s too early. You’re just getting started. That said, any opportunity to hear an agent or publisher talk, sign up! Call it research; it’s a way to determine what kind of agent you want and what kind house you want to publish with. Don’t discount becoming an indie publisher, though. Do the research to compare your options.

Enter contests: local, regional, and national. Choose those that provide some kind of feedback. Consider who’s judging the contests, too. Consider if you were to win, would you get to meet with an agent, publisher, or production companies?

Find a writer’s group nearby or online and attend regularly. Check out past meetings to see what presentations they offered. You want a writer’s group that will help you grow as a writer, a group that provides you with quality takeaway.

If you are in a writing group, consider becoming a volunteer. It’s a great way to make connections. However, any volunteer work you do will take time away from your writing. Be prepared.

Learn and master basic grammar and punctuation. Both agents and publishers want polished work; meaning, reasonably clean work, not work riddled with errors on every page.

And, I can’t repeat this direction often enough: WRITE A LOT! The more you write, the better you’ll become. Practice writing is no different from practicing the piano, hitting the ball, or riding the wave. Dedicated, regular practice improves!

Check out my Recommended Reading page on my website! I’ve got a great list of how-to resources and am adding to the list every month.

And, one last reminder about my two-week Master Class, Punctuation and Grammar Made Easy, starting Jan 6, 2024 with limited seating. So, sign up now! There may still be a seat or two left.

*****

Dr. Diana Stout appreciates her readers and fans and would love for you to sign up for her announcement only newsletter. She promises that your mailbox will love you because the newsletter is only sent out with new release information, discounts, freebies, and giveaways. And, if the season is right, she might provide a recipe from her own cookbook.

Learn more about Dr. Stout at her website, Sharpened Pencils Productions.

*****

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day.

How to Stay Positive

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The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Instead of answering this month’s question, which is an AI question, I queried a writer friend and asked, What would you most like to read about in a blog right now? Her response was, “Staying Positive.”

How to Stay Positive

As writers, when the world’s toxicity seeps into our homes, our thoughts, and feelings, writing can become more difficult. It’s harder to concentrate, to focus.

So, what can you do to stay more positive?

Take a shower. Let the toxicity go down the drain!
Create a playlist that lifts your spirits and matches the mood of your current work in progress and play it when writing.
Take a walk in nature. Listen to the sounds, become one with nature.
List things you’re grateful for every day.
Start a positivity diary. List of all the good things that have ever happened in your life. Keep that list handy and keep adding to it. Refer to it as needed.
Don’t drink. Alcohol is a depressant.
Journal. Write your feelings out on paper. It’s about opening the dam of feelings and thoughts, venting on paper. Afterward, burn it, shred it, or tear into tiny pieces and flush down the toilet. Or, save it, and give those feelings to a character!
Stop worrying—99% of what we worry about never comes to pass.
When tired, take a nap or take a break.
Do something different.
Find a way to laugh. Start saving funny videos. Follow those people! Watch a comedy series or a funny movie.
Do a search for flash mob dances or orchestras on social media.
Dance! Alone for the length of a song.
Blow up an imaginary balloon, blowing your feelings, thoughts, and problems into the balloon. Then, release it to the Universe. Imagine yourself outside, seeing it rise above the houses and disappear into the clouds.
Perform some self-talk.
Plant something. Get your hands into the soil.
Go to a playground and swing or play in the sandbox.
Spend time with people who make you laugh, with whom you feel good about yourself when you leave their company.
Put positive affirmations on your bathroom mirror, at your desk, or in other places that you frequent and will see often. Change them up as needed.
Give someone a compliment.
Don’t take things personally.
Drive a new route home.
Buy yourself some flowers.
Do something differently. Drive a different route, go into an unknown store.
Eat out alone with a book. Enjoy your own company.
List goals you want to achieve. Break down a goal into manageable chunks—something you can do in 10 or 15 minutes. As you achieve them, cross them off!
Remove the triggers!

One of the best things I did to stay positive was to remove anything in my home that triggered me, immediately taking me back to a toxic event or conversation, which I started reliving, noticing my feelings and thoughts became a downward toxic spiral. Even though I had reconciled or had moved past it! Those triggers included clothing, knickknacks, furniture, and especially photographs.

Staying positive requires action on your part.

We are what we say, what we think, and what we DO!

*****

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writers. This group is all about connecting!

A Community of Writers

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The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Congratulations, Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh, as you celebrate IWSG’s 12^th anniversary, achieving the status as one of Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers!

The question this month asks: When did you discover the IWSG, how do you connect, and how has it helped you?

A Community of Writers

I started a writing blog on May 13, 2010. Called Only for the Brave, originally that was the name of my five-year, weekly newspaper blog-like column I wrote back in the ’70s. Only for the Brave was about life as a writer.

A few years later, I started a second blog, Behind the Scenes, with a focus on the craft of writing. Around 2019, I combined the two into this blog you’re reading now.

During that same time period, my attention was drawn to the IWSG blog as two writer friends—Nancy Gideon and Diane Burton—had posts with the IWSG insignia and linking website each month. By May 2019, I was a member and have been writing monthly IWSG blog posts ever since.

What I like most about this group is that they’re all writers. They’re my tribe of people even though we’re in different seasons of success or angst. It’s comforting knowing that I’m not alone.

The benefits of belonging to this group of writers outweigh what can be seen as a negative for some—having to write a post each month, but that requirement is a positive actually. That have-to becomes motivation; it acts as an accountability partner. Any month I don’t post, I’ll lose my spot and be removed from the list, immediately. Those at the top of the list have been blogging since the group’s inception—12 years of monthly blogs!

Joining this group of bloggers motivates me to put my butt in the chair regularly. Any help we writers can get in that regard is always a plus.

I belong to a number of different communities of writers; this is just one kind of community that can help you as a writer.

*****

Dr. Diana Stout is an award-winning writer in multiple genres and media who enjoys helping other writers. She just published the last book of her Laurel Ridge romance series, Sweet Craving #7. The print book of all seven stories will be published later this month. Also, she’s working on a plotting workbook for writers.

In January 2024, she’ll be teaching a Master Class, Punctuation and Grammar Made Easy, with limited seating, so enroll now!

To receive updates and announcements subscribe to her newsletter. Learn more about Dr. Stout at her website, Sharpened Pencils Productions.

Her other blogs are:

Into the Core – a blog about her paranormal experiences and from time to time shares how you can strengthen your intuitive abilities.
Featured Guests with Diana Stout – an interview blog that features writers, editors, publishers, producers, and other guests who work in the writing industry.

*****

Where Do My Story Ideas Come From?

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The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

This month’s question revolves around someone saying, “99% of my story ideas come from dreams. Where do yours predominantly come from?”

Where Do My Story Ideas Come From?

I’m frequently asked where I get my story ideas and the answer can be covered in one word:

Everywhere

Here’s a sampling of some of the places I get my ideas from.

Dreams – but only two ideas have come from a dream. Really dark crime-filled dreams, one of which had me questioning reality. So vivid, I woke up wondering how it was that no one had found the body yet.
Conversations – mostly those I overhear in the booth next to me.
Books – a location, situation, or just a sentence can send me on a what if adventure.
Movies – especially those that have been redone in a creatively different way. I’m spurred by the originality that has me going down the what if rabbit hole.
Voices – yes, the ones I hear. It’s amazing how a character starts whispering in my ear, inspired by any of these other ideas, and starts laying out their idea of the storyline.
Landscapes & locations – the possibilities that pop up are magical
Old Houses – I don’t know what it is, but the minute I see certain old houses, lighthouses, bridges, and other structures, I hear/see the story too. It’s as if I’ve stepped into another era.

If you see me reading, then suddenly looking up and staring out the window… a new story has come to mind.

If I lived to be 300, I would never get to write all the stories that have been gifted to me.

So many stories to tell, so little time.

The Art of Mastering (or Avoiding) Procrastination

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Are you thinking about the novel (or any project) you want to start or finish but you find yourself procrastinating about it? Or, is it writer’s block that has you pausing?

Do you find yourself wondering if procrastination and writer’s block are one and the same, or could they be kissing cousins?

Do you ever wonder why you’re procrastinating?

What would you say to learning that there’s a science and purpose to procrastination no matter how much you desire in accomplishing it?

Did you know that different brain waves affect your creativity?

Did you know procrastination can be dealt with head-on or subtly without anguish and pain?

Want to uncover the roots of your procrastination, so that you can get writing again or move forward on your dream desire?

Got a project that you’ve been struggling with in either finishing or starting? If so, come join my June 5-16 Master Class, Using (& Avoiding) Procrastination.

By using any or all of my methods offered, procrastination will never be your master again.

But, act fast! Don’t procrastinate about signing up! The class is limited to 25 people!

I WANT TO KNOW MORE

From time to time, Dr. Stout acknowledges that she procrastinates, but now, she knows exactly why she’s doing it. Considering she published 4 books last year and is on her way to publishing 4 or 5 this year, she feels she’s mastered the beast. Procrastinating is now a choice with reason. Her classes and presentations are about sharing what she’s learned, wanting to help others reach their greatest desires.

A Writing Career Path: Finding the Joy

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While writing a book wasn’t the start of my writing career, I do remember when I decided to write a book and how the excitement of possibilities appealed to me.

At the time, I was reading a book a day—mostly romances. Those slim, Silhouette and Harlequin romance books that had new titles every month. The books read fast and left me feeling good and filled with hope.

How hard could it be to write them?

Actually, it was way harder than I had imagined. While it looks easy, it really isn’t. It took me a year and a half to write that first book. Selling it was another matter altogether.

It took writing five books to learn about determination, needing a plan (more like an outline), diligence, and sheer grit. Along with agony and disappointment.

I was writing the first few books in an era where there were no computers, only typewriters. Where you had to have an agent in order to submit your manuscript to the publisher. And, where all manuscripts were mailed via USPS, where it could take months or a year to hear back from the agent, let alone the publisher.

Thankfully, the computer came into being amid writing those books. Rewriting became easier. Not much else became easier, though.

Early in my career, I was successful in writing short nonfiction via a newspaper column and then magazine articles. Writing nonfiction, whether creative nonfiction, academic, or technical came easy and still does. I was published in nonfiction within a couple years.

Writing fiction, however, was much harder and required a lot of trial and error. I wrote piles of romance short stories before attempting my first novel.

I remember taking one of those Harlequin books and wrapping it using the brown paper from a paper bag like we used to do with school textbooks, and I put my book’s title on the cover along with my name. I planted that book in front of my typewriter.

I had a goal.

It would take 12 years before I would publish my first book. I nearly gave up in the 10^th year. Why? I had sworn that if I hadn’t published a book by the time I was 40, I’d stop trying. When I turned 40, I was too close to quit.

In fact, one author friend said, “Diana, it’s like your heels are on the edge of the cliff and yet you don’t fall off the cliff. I don’t get why you aren’t published.” My heels had been on that cliff for over seven years.

I didn’t get it either. I’d had two agents come and go, I placed in contests, and every editor said they loved my writing, but…

At 42, it took my being in the right place at the right time to connect with an editor whose publication house was entering the romance genre for me to become a published author. My book was their introduction into the field and they hyped that book heavily.

Two more books published with another house followed quickly, with a sale of a fourth book to yet another house.

Since then, it’s been a fun-filled journey of writing—screenplays, stage plays, poetry, academic writing, a dissertation, more contests, more awards, blogging, and becoming an indie publisher where I’ve now published 14 books, with plans for several more publications this year; Tangled Passions, the fifth book in a series of seven was published on Valentine’s Day.

My writing career has endured the highs and the lows for over fifty years, and finally, after much experimentation and meeting various challenges, I’m finding the genres where my writing joy truly thrives.

Looking back, I’m grateful for the entire journey. It’s been quite the process where the joys outweighed the disappointments. Even the frustrations were short-lived.

May everyone experience such joy.

*****

This year, Dr. Stout expects to publish the last two romance novellas in the Laurel Ridge Novella series, a writer’s resource book, a historical Gothic romance for an anthology, along with a comedy screenplay. Additionally, she’s plotting a Gothic novel and finishing up several other writer resource books. In June, she’ll be teaching a two-week Master Class, “Using (& Avoiding) Procrastination.” To learn more, click here. If interested, sign up soon! Class is limited to 25.

*****

Purpose of The Insecure Writer’s Group: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds. Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting.

My Word for the Year

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The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

This month’s question for January 4 is: Do you have a word of the year? Is there one word that sums up what you need to work on or change in the coming year?

My Word for the Year

I’m a spreadsheet geek.

It’s a new year, so I set up my 2023 spreadsheet and because I’m an analytical geek, as well, I calculated my 2022 writing hours. Here’s how I spent last year’s writing time:

22.18% promoting
15.75% teaching, coaching & mentoring
13.03% in meetings
9.298% on writing tasks

for a total of 60.24% of time spent on writing-related activities other than actual writing.

That meant I was only writing new words, rewriting, editing, polishing, and formatting for only 39.76% of the time.

Eye-opening for sure! Surprising, too, considering I had published five books in 2022 but wasn’t seeing good outcomes in the promotions. As a result, in 2023, I will work to reverse those two numbers. Why? Chiefly, because I recognize that ads don’t really sell books. Readers, via their word-of-mouth accolades, sell books.

So, to spend more time in actual writing and publishing to build up my body of work and less on promoting and other writing tasks, I need to be better focused.

And, that’s how my word for the year became:

FOCUS

I know I’ll be publishing the last three novellas to my romance series, another non-fiction motivational / how-to book—this one on grammar and punctuation, and I have ideas for other projects I want to start plotting. This focus should better help me manifest my writing desires, which means producing more product, which then should attract more readers.

But, wouldn’t you know it. Since I just released my newest book, Charlie’s Christmas Carole, a family Christmas screenplay with paranormal moments that readers say should be a movie, I need to do some promotional work. All the while, I’m whispering, focus, focus, focus, which makes me eager to get back to producing the last three Laurel Ridge novellas.

By the way, Shattered Dreams, the first story in the series, will be free for all readers on Jan 10-14.

How about you? Have you read Shattered Dreams, yet? A second-chance story of love, about two high school sweethearts who were brutally separated and have met up again a decade later?

Also, what’s your word for 2023? What’s the inspiration behind it? I’d like to know!

*****

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer – aim for a dozen new people each time – and return comments. This group is all about connecting.

The next IWSGTwitter Pitch will be January 25, 2023!
Check out details on our #IWSGPit page.

Pssst – Wanna Learn the Secret to Writing Every Day?

Decluttering an Office and Finding Gold!

Decluttering an Office and Finding Gold !

I don’t know of any writer who doesn’t either have a collection of files—online and/or hardcopy.

Personally, I’m a hardcopy writer, meaning I want hardcopies of my material to read and edit. It’s how my career began, and I like being able to spread the manuscript pages out in front of me rather than switching screens or scrolling.

The problem is: the paperwork accumulates. Scraps of papers—even a few napkins—with ideas start piling up.

To make a long story short, I had the equivalent of three file-cabinet drawers worth of story-idea files—some started and some finished with a rough draft.

I had three shelves full of other projects in three-ring binders: screenplays, plays, three mystery series, and several how-to manuscripts, all having multiple drafts written. Some even had beta reader drafts with comments.

The files were arranged alphabetically by title. And, everything but the plays and poetry had been written in the 1990s. I was more prolific at that time than I had remembered. Extremely prolific.

I pulled every project, every file, every binder out of the drawers and off the shelves and started sorting it all, first by category, and then genre. What I discovered was that I had distinctive groupings of novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, academic papers & presentations, poetry, and nonfiction.

I found one letter from a well-known Hollywood production company where a staff member had written that I was a “writer to watch.” (Talk about gold!) Sadly, at that time I had to shift my focus from creative writing to academic writing. I had returned to school fulltime while working fulltime. There was no room for the love of my life then–screenwriting.

It took me three days to fully sort everything. From this sorting, I now have these pure-gold projects to work on:

A collection of short stories—romance and mystery—and short plays.
Screenplays to rewrite, a few others to plot and write out for contest entries or publication, including a horror idea that I started on Halloween night in 1998, scaring myself so much, I had to put it away and have only now taken it out again. Another new genre is a time travel romance—a story I’ve been wanting to tell for decades based on an idea that came from a song.
Book-length mysteries! Two series and a stand-alone.
A collection of my paranormal experiences, which I started as my Into the Core blog a decade ago with the intent of turning those blogs into a book. The blog is ready to be turned into a book as there are so many other blogs first-draft written.
A collection of how-to books. Ideas I had decades ago. At the time, I didn’t have the authority. Now, I do. NOTE: I’m now nearly finished writing the first one, hoping to publish it yet this year. If not, then at the beginning of next year.

I’m going to become that “writer to watch” again.

Behind the Scenes with Dr. Diana Stout

Musings of a screenwriter, author and what goes on behind the scenes

Category Archives: Motivation

Getting UnStuck

Are You a New Writer?

Are You a New Writer?

How to Stay Positive

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

How to Stay Positive

A Community of Writers

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

A Community of Writers

Where Do My Story Ideas Come From?

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Where Do My Story Ideas Come From?

The Art of Mastering (or Avoiding) Procrastination

A Writing Career Path: Finding the Joy

My Word for the Year

My Word for the Year

FOCUS

Pssst – Wanna Learn the Secret to Writing Every Day?

Decluttering an Office and Finding Gold!

Decluttering an Office and Finding Gold !

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Are You a New Writer?

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How to Stay Positive

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A Community of Writers

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Where Do My Story Ideas Come From?

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My Word for the Year

FOCUS

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Decluttering an Office and Finding Gold !

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