Oh, hi friends!
I bought a backpack the other day to take on bike rides. I also wanted to be able to run with it. I did the cursory Internet research (like three hours of reading) and the Internet told me to buy one specific one. Five stars!
Well, the box arrived, and I took out the backpack and I put it on and…I hated it?
It looked fine but didn’t fit quite right. It was too long and the shoulder straps didn’t lie naturally on my back. The zippers were a pain to open. We were instant enemies.
And yet I thought…maybe it’s me! Maybe I’ll adjust the straps and it’ll be better. All those people can’t be wrong.
Nah. Three days later and the verdict is in: I really hate it.
So I guess the moral of the story is: Someone’s five-star review can be your one-star review. And go with your first instinct. And TRUST NO ONE. (Just kidding.)
Goodbye, garbage backpack!
Head up here, but feet on ground.
"Trust your process."
Really liked this 4-minute video of Hank Green distilling the things he wish he knew when writing his first novel. Here’s a quick summary!
Characters first or plot first?
He started with plot and thought it would carry him through but realized he would have to love the characters like friends to have the motivation to carry them through and tell their story.
Biggest writing tip?
Fall in love with your characters.
Writing schedule?
Not a thing he has! Some weeks busy, some weeks not. But if he doesn’t write 1,000 words a week, the story leaves his brain and he no longer thinks about it in the shower. Starting back up again is a whole ‘nother process.
Finishing?
Nothing but time writes a book. If you don’t spend the time, it doesn’t get done.
How to plot a book?
The plot would change as he wrote, but instead of going back and changing things immediately to make it cohere, he kept a file called “Things I Need to Change” and would dump everything he needed to go back and look at it in there.
Favorite thing to write?
You don’t have to write linearly. You can write the scene you’re excited about right now.
What’s made you a stronger writer?
Having expertise and passions in other worlds like social media and writing nonfiction essays. It all adds up.
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Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara