Writer and editor Martina Tyrrell publishes a newsletter for writers “to inspire and support you to meet your writing goals.” Because I’ve been tangled in a long-term project and need support, I subscribed. I’m glad I did.
Accountability & Time Management
Martina’s first two posts affirmed what I already do: check in weekly with my accountability buddy, and manage my time for optimum creativity. But even with these tactics in place, I was floundering. Martina’s next three posts about planning a project and fencing in my writing time helped me resume swimming in words.
Planning
The two posts about planning a project arrived like a life raft, keeping me afloat as I sputtered at work on the novel I’d “finished” in 2014, cut in half in 2015, and put aside in 2016, when I started learning to hunt and writing about it. That story is now under contract to be published in early 2026. But the novel is a mess.
Even while I was writing the hunting memoir, I kept taking notes and writing scenes for the current novel. As a result, I’m now overwhelmed by hundreds of bits and pieces, clueless about which ones to include and which ones to trash. I keep in mind what the British writer W. Somerset Maugham said about novel writing: “There are only three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” To this truth I can add, “The rules differ for each story.” The novel I’m struggling with now is my fourth.
I’ve never outlined a novel before. But Martina’s posts have convinced me to give planning a try. It’s already helped by forcing me to focus on the arc of the story and given me the courage to toss a great deal of what I wrote. I remind myself that this was not wasted effort. Knowing what to leave out is as important as what to keep in.
Paralyzing Procrastination
But it was Martina’s post, “Ringfence your writing time,” that has helped most. I needed to be reminded to make clear and impenetrable boundaries around my writing practice to overcome the nearly paralyzing procrastination that has tempted me to give up. “Procrastination,” Martina writes, “is driven by feelings of self-doubt and anxiety, causing us to avoid tasks for which we lack self-belief.”
This resonates, as does the cure: “Creating structure where none is externally imposed is an important step in overcoming procrastination and achieving your writing goals.”
This is not news to me. I’ve arranged my entire life around protecting my mornings to write. But like any regimen, I sometimes depart from it, so it’s good to be reminded that this is what I need to do: walk to the word shop while the world is still asleep and write.
Determination & Support
I agree with Martina that writing a book is hard. But with determination and support, it can be done. I have the determination, and I have support from a variety of sources to which I’ve just added Martina Tyrrell’s writing blog. Each post has arrived like a gift and has helped me resume writing with confidence and joy.
I no longer remember which of us contacted the other first: me, as a reader of Martina’s earlier blog, Carina of Devon or Martina as a reader of Living in Place. Martina lives in Spain; I live in Vermont. We’ve never met in person, but we’ve been exchanging emails for several years, the way friends keep each other informed of life’s challenges and changes. Learn more about Martina here.
Your post is just what I needed now! 5th draft memoir, 7 years and counting. Time to outline the arc and toss what doesn’t fit.
Deborah, you’ve made me blush! I’m so happy to hear that my newsletters are helpful to you. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with others. And keep on writing!!