Genre Chat – A Writer’s Focus for the New Year – Cherrilynn Bisbano
Cherrilynn Bisbano is an award-winning writer. She founded The Write Proposal after reading hundreds of book proposals with avoidable errors. These errors cost the author a contract or representation. As a submission reader and junior literary agent, Cherrilynn wants you to succeed. Her desire is to help you present a professional and memorable proposal. She has written proposals for Paws for Effect, a Hollywood movie company, and helped edit many proposals. As the managing editor of Almost an Author, she helped the website earn the #6 spot on the Top 100 best writing websites for 2018 by The Write Life and Top 101 Websites for writers with Writers Digest.
Cherrilynn can be reached at editor@thewriteproposal.com
For more information about the Write Proposal visit www.thewriteproposal.com
Show Notes
The New Year is just around the corner. As writers, it’s important to fine tune our senses and discipline our minds so that we can capture the events unfolding around us and share the experience with others. We’ve compiled a list of personal goals that we hope will serve as a guide to refocusing the writer’s mind in the New Year.
1. You don’t have to wait for a New Year to refocus your mind. You don’t even have to wait for a new day. You can refocus your writing journey in a new second. The most important choice is the next one, because that choice can change everything.
2. Treat writing as a job, and not as a hobby. A dedicated writer is not defined by whether or not they are published, but by how seriously they take their writing career. Write every day. Start with small attainable goals, even if it’s just 15 minutes of writing a day. Write even when inspiration isn’t there and doesn’t seem to come. Some of the best scenes and chapters are written when you draw from your skill and talent rather than random spikes of inspiration.
3. Every good writer is a good reader. Studying the craft is important for every writer, no matter where they are in the journey to publication. Even bestselling authors constantly improve their skill and read other bestselling books to deepen their knowledge of the craft. Reading allows us to observe the subtle techniques of good writing.
4. Write about your experiences. During each experience, whether stressful, beautiful or exciting, view each moment through a writer’s perspective. Take note of how each emotion catches in your chest. How can those feelings be described in such a way that a reader would identify and share the emotion with you or your character? Stop, look and listen to the world around you. Listen to the way people converse in a restaurant. Absorb every sound in nature. Learn from the technical jargon used in doctors’ offices and repair shops. Details observed in the chaotic dance of every environment can make your stories vibrant.
5. Network with other writers and broaden your knowledge of the craft. Many writers’ websites, including Serious Writer, have courses and content on the craft of writing. Attending a writers’ conference broadens an author’s opportunity and creates amazing connections with other writers.
Write for knowledge, write for entertainment and write for healing. We are communicators, and whether our writing inspires one person or millions, each word is worth our full passion and dedication. Each New Year provides a clean slate, but every moment is a new start.