STEPS TO STORY EP 4 - Roundtable Discussion -
[00:00:00] Nicole Meier: Hey writers, it's Nicole here. Welcome back to this very special episode of Steps to Story. I'm so excited about this episode because I have an opportunity to do a roundtable discussion with five of my small group writing clients. You'll be hearing from them today about how they went from idea to action with their novel manuscripts, what's working in their process and what's not, and most importantly, in my opinion, The powerful impact of community being in a small group has had on their work and also their author mindset.
[00:00:33] Nicole Meier: So I hope you'll settle in and listen to these five beautiful writers. We had a chance to gather in person recently because we did a small writing retreat. So settle in and enjoy the listen.
[00:00:52] Nicole Meier: Welcome to Steps to Story, a show that helps aspiring authors turn their ideas into action. And transform their dream of writing a book into a reality. I'm your host, Nicole Meyer, multi published author and certified book coach. I spent the first part of my fiction writing career desperate for guidance that was unavailable to me.
[00:01:14] Nicole Meier: I wrote draft after draft, flying by the seat of my pants, with lots of passion, but little guidance. Thankfully, there was a writing community that opened its arms and welcomed me. This community sustained me. But when it came to strengthening my novel writing process, I was determined to find a better way.
[00:01:35] Nicole Meier: One that didn't involve piecemeal strategies. and confusing courses. Now, more than a decade later, I'm serving my younger self who yearned for support while writing a book. If you're an emerging author seeking guidance, this podcast is for you. Are you on the list to get my novel writing guide? I designed this workbook to take you through five essential strategies that will level up your novel writing process.
[00:02:05] Nicole Meier: Grab your free copy at nicolemeyer. com forward slash crafting greatness. That's NicoleMeyer. com forward slash craftinggreatness or at the link in the show notes.
[00:02:26] Christy: Okay hi,
[00:02:27] Nicole Meier: welcome everybody. I think it would be really fun for the listeners to find out first just everyone's name and what genre you're writing. Kelly upmarket fiction. Christy upmarket
[00:02:38] Megan: fiction. Megan upmarket fiction with elements of auto fiction.
[00:02:45] Salima: Selima, thrillers.
[00:02:47] Holly: Holly, literary fiction.
[00:02:49] Nicole Meier: Okay that was great.
[00:02:50] Nicole Meier: That was easy. Let's go on to something I know a lot of writers want to know is how did you go from idea to action? If you guys can kind of talk about that a little bit, I think it would be great.
[00:03:04] Holly: This is Holly. I'll go first. Three things come to mind. The first step felt like naming it. I said out loud to people I loved and you know me well, I'm writing X.
[00:03:16] Holly: And that felt at first terrifying and false. And then the second thing is starting to build some community around that and that's been one of the unexpected joys and really supported the process. And the third is It's starting to say no to and set aside other priorities to make space for this. I noticed I wasn't able to just simply add it on top.
[00:03:42] Holly: I had to discard some things to make time for it. And it wasn't just adding like two hour blocks in a color coded calendar. It was big chunks of time for quiet and still and then action.
[00:03:56] Megan: This is Megan. I think the first thing that really happened was as I felt compelled to write down a particular scene that had occurred in my own life, which has kind of dictated the semi autofiction experience.
[00:04:10] Megan: But the thing that really kicked my butt into gear was joining Nicole's writing workshop. And establishing a sense of community and not being afraid of being judged, not being afraid of the idea that writing was somehow less than any other career choices I had made, um, that I was capable of doing this big scary thing, because there were these other wonderful women who are here with us today, uh, who are doing the big scary thing right alongside me.
[00:04:43] Kelly: Okay, hi, this is Kelly. I second everything that Holly and Megan say about making space and finding community. And I think the very first thing that I did was try really hard to not write a book. And I had an idea that maybe I would. And then for about a year, I decided to ignore that voice as hard as possible and take everything I could do to not follow that path.
[00:05:11] Kelly: Maybe if I tried other hobbies, I thought that that wasn't for me and that I would not be able to do it and what a silly thing to think about myself. And then at some point it was just tapping on my shoulder so hard that I had to turn around and look at it and be like, Oh, I think indeed, maybe I should pay some attention to this.
[00:05:28] Kelly: And that's when I realized that I could pay attention to it, but I didn't know how. And so I started to do a lot of learning. That started with talking to people, finding a cold group, reading lots of books, listening to podcasts, telling myself that I have learned how to do things in the past so I can definitely learn how to write a book.
[00:05:47] Christy: Hey, this is Christy. I, a little bit similar to Holly, I have, I was driving, uh, my two girls and an idea came to me. And I also tried to ignore it, but the character would not let me go. And so finally one day I sat down with a fresh notebook and started to free write. And then tried to just walk away from the notebook, but she kept coming to me.
[00:06:12] Christy: So eventually I found Nicole. That turned into an outline. She helped me really find structure to the story and allowed me to keep going. So here we are.
[00:06:22] Salima: Hi, this is Salima. I have published a couple of short stories, so tackling a full length novel manuscript was really intimidating to me. However, the first thing that I did was I announced it on my social media, which was terrifying and shared it with friends and family.
[00:06:42] Salima: And I've been along on this journey with other writers who are in the same position as me. And I've shared this journey with writers who are on the same path as I am at the same points and we have gone through this journey together. So that's been incredibly powerful. Being cheerleaders for each other and collaborating, helping each other through.
[00:07:08] Nicole Meier: Okay, so far you guys are coming up with awesome answers. I just love hearing about the journey because I've seen where you guys started and I see where you are now. You all either have drafts that you're halfway through or finished drafts. So what I'd love to know from you each is what's one thing that's worked in your manuscript writing process and what's one thing that definitely has not?
[00:07:31] Nicole Meier: Hi,
[00:07:31] Kelly: this is Kelly. I really like this question because I struggled with it for a while, the working and not working. What I think did work for me was understanding that I needed a routine and that what immediately did not work for me was looking at everyone else's routine and trying to replicate it into my own life.
[00:07:48] Kelly: So what I realized after a lot of trial and error is that Lovely writers that I know who get up very early and write first thing in the morning can do that and they have so much productivity and that was very hard for me. But maybe I was having a similar experience in the afternoon and writing when worked for me.
[00:08:06] Kelly: So finding a routine that was like very adaptable to my life and made it something that I could keep as a habit. Even if it didn't necessarily look like the routines I was reading about made it so that I could finish my manuscript in a timely fashion and kind of keep writing forward.
[00:08:23] Megan: Hey, this is Megan.
[00:08:25] Megan: So building off of what Kelly said a bit, I think one of the things I absolutely had to stop doing was comparing Not even necessarily routine, but comparing people's progress and understanding that if all I wrote today was a journal entry, that's holy moly, I have no idea what I'm doing. There was as much value in that as sitting down and stamping out a thousand words.
[00:08:51] Megan: Making peace with that process was a really big part of the journey for me and I think the thing that I do do that I enjoy is I really love setting the environment around me while I write to be as peaceful and distraction free as possible. My dog is on top of my feet, is probably about as distracting as I can handle, but a clean desk, a nice candle, a warm cup of coffee or tea.
[00:09:20] Megan: Just really setting that environment to be peaceful and productive. Closing the door on the laundry that needs to be folded, or the dishes that need to be unloaded from the dishwasher. Hey, this is Christy.
[00:09:32] Christy: The thing that has worked for me, um, that I learned from Nicole is the seven point story arc. I tried writing before and sort of floundered around and figuring out what the characters were supposed to do.
[00:09:44] Christy: It was a very charming story, but it didn't end up where it needed to be. So the seven point story arc really helped figure out where the conflict was and how to drive the story forward. The thing that didn't work was Sitting down to write and feeling the resistance, very similar to Kelly of there's always something else to do, but the writing itself felt so self indulgent that it was hard to push away those thoughts that I should be cleaning out the dishwasher or doing somebody's laundry, instead really taking the time for myself and the story that was in
[00:10:18] Salima: my heart.
[00:10:19] Salima: This is Selema, and there are a few things that I've heard within this group that have really resonated with me and a few powerful phrases that I wanted to share. One thing that Nicole always says is ground yourself in place and time, and that is something that has had a huge impact on my writing and throughout this drafting process because I ground myself in my space, I ground myself in my writing practice, and then I ground my characters where they are, and that helps me visualize the story and allows myself to write it on the page.
[00:10:54] Salima: And then something Kelly says is that everything informs the story. So even if you're not putting words on the page, going through your Pinterest board and working on character descriptions, that all informs the story and is progress.
[00:11:10] Holly: Holly here. One learning around something that has not worked well, and we talk about this in the group, is a relationship to perfectionism and bringing skills that brought success in other areas of life, perhaps in career, to a creative process requires some unlearning.
[00:11:31] Holly: And so starting writing with this. It's hard, charging, gaining idea of what will be accomplished in X period of time. I have learned very quickly does two things, uh, cuts off anything I want to actually create and sucks any joy from the process. So what has worked and this is such a beautiful thing about the process is that it's a healing process and I'm learning a lot about life and different ways of being through creative work is.
[00:12:02] Holly: Trusting and watching what unfolds in approaching the work, just one tiny little curiosity or joy at a time and listening to a different part of myself, a voice that comes not from achievement or external oriented mind, but a voice that comes from my heart. And that has been a transformative
[00:12:26] Nicole Meier: practice.
[00:12:27] Nicole Meier: Okay, so great so far, you guys. I want to talk about something that I have been seeing with writers, I know that you all have been seeing this too, there's a yearning out there, especially now that we've come out of somewhat isolation from the COVID years. I mean, I cannot tell you how many writers come to me and say, I want to learn how to craft a strong manuscript, but even more so, I want to learn how to find my community of writers.
[00:12:53] Nicole Meier: So I'm just going to go around and ask you guys about how you found community, what it's meant to you, and why it's so important to the creative process. Hi, this is Kelly.
[00:13:04] Kelly: I think community was probably my very first question even before, how do you write fiction? Because one of my big fears of doing a big writing project was how much alone time it involved.
[00:13:15] Kelly: And I'm a big extrovert and was nervous about how to do this all by myself. I would go back to something Holly said, which is when I started thinking about how to build community, I kind of approached it a little bit like networking for any other thing I'd done in my life, in which I started telling people first what my goal was and then asking them if they knew anyone, which is.
[00:13:40] Kelly: That's really kind of how I ended up meeting Nicole and finding this group. And even before that, talking to one of my neighbors in my driveway and finding out he was writing a book and then asking him if he wanted to have a group. And for a while, he and I met and talked about books and really just putting out there, this is what I'm doing, A, and B, I would love some help.
[00:14:02] Kelly: I would love some support. I would love to support you. Who wants to be on this journey with me? And eventually landed in this lovely group, which. It's really been so beneficial, but it took a little bit of trial and error.
[00:14:15] Megan: Hey, it's Megan. So, one of the things that I think has been really interesting about having a community is the fact that I was very reluctant to the idea of community.
[00:14:27] Megan: I have always taken a sense of pride in being able to achieve on my own and being Successful just by virtue of being able to push through something and learning of Nicole's opportunity to join a group Sounded appealing for the accountability sake but never in a million years would I have anticipated the benefits that came from having people who were so supportive and You know, we're in that same headspace working alongside each other, even though we're all working on very different works, and having an ease of friendship that kind of generated out of that experience, because the group kind of naturally curates itself, not to diminish Nicole's very expertise work in helping to curate that group, but I think we all kind of found each other at the right time, and ultimately, it has served an incredible purpose, Going into this I could have never anticipated and I'm eternally grateful for
[00:15:29] Christy: this is Christy I was working with Nicole one on one when she approached about the group and the community and Being an introvert.
[00:15:38] Christy: It did not sound appealing at all But Nicole kept encouraging saying how important community was and deep inside there was part of me that was hoping to find friendship Writing is such a solitary event that having friendship and support along the way was appealing. So eventually Nicole was right and it has been the greatest gift to me of having these strong, amazing women alongside me to support and encourage each other.
[00:16:06] Holly: This is Holly and I want to pick up a thread that Kelly laid down around finding community and what comes to mind is Wanting so much to be invited to or belong or have something come to you, what I talk to my kids about is that if you want something, then you can just create it, invite and create it for others.
[00:16:31] Holly: And so. Reaching out to people you know who are writing and making a nice dinner and inviting some folks over just to talk casually about sharing their creative pursuits without any kind of commitment. Just building relationships without a expectation and letting the process organically evolve seems like a great place to start.
[00:16:52] Holly: And just looking for what you can offer others and in that process receive what you're looking for yourself. This is Salima, and
[00:17:02] Salima: I echo what everyone's said about the power of community. I had a deep yearning as well to connect with other writers, and I'm actually a part of a few different writing communities, in person community as well as an online one, and when we gather, we write together, which is great for accountability, but I was, still had that piece that just felt like it was missing.
[00:17:25] Salima: Which is why when Nicole announced this group mentorship, I just jumped at the chance to do it because I love doing anything with Nicole. The combination of accountability, community, and learning has just been so incredible because we are all learning throughout this journey together. We're on that same path and able to share tidbits and pieces, experiences, and learn from each
[00:17:51] Nicole Meier: other as well.
[00:17:53] Nicole Meier: Okay, I'm just loving everybody's answers, and I think what I want to do is do a roundtable, but before we get into that, if you could all just share one thing that you would tell your earlier self who was just about to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, what's one bit of advice?
[00:18:12] Salima: Hey, it's Salima. If I had one piece of advice to give my earlier self when starting my draft, it would be what fellow author and friend Carrie Chappin said yesterday at our retreat, which is that if you are feeling stuck and aren't sure if you should keep going with this draft, if it's self doubt that's holding you back, that is not a good enough reason to stop.
[00:18:34] Salima: That is what I would tell my past self and something that I'm going to remind myself throughout the rest of this draft until I finish, which is to keep pushing through, and if I'm feeling self doubt, that's not a good enough reason to stop.
[00:18:47] Kelly: Hi, this is Kelly again. I think the thing that I would tell my previous self, my one year younger self or two year younger self, is that To not be so scared because I think that fear is a big reason why I and a lot of people don't approach really big projects like writing a book because you think of all the ways it could be hard and the things that can go wrong.
[00:19:10] Kelly: But what I've learned over the past year especially is that there will also be so much joy and I think it would be sad to prolong that. So if you're thinking about doing something so big and the fear is what's holding you back, ask yourself is there also so much joy to be had that you could.
[00:19:26] Kelly: potentially be missing out on? And can you get to that sooner?
[00:19:30] Christy: Hey, this is Christy. I think the thing that I needed to hear whenever I was just starting this process was really to allow myself or to give myself permission to start having so many other competing priorities, families, young daughters to love on, that taking time away from that wasn't self indulgent, that it was really important to myself and to be true to that.
[00:19:57] Megan: Megan again. One of the biggest things I would tell my past self is to kind of move forward writing with no fear and no expectation that what you're writing has to ever see the light of day. If the story is something that's coming from your heart and you absolutely have to get it on paper, write it that way.
[00:20:21] Megan: Write it with no one else in mind. No one else is looking over your shoulder. It may never leave your hard drive, and that's okay. And if it does, it very well could be an amazing bestseller, and that's fantastic. But have enough pride and excitement and pour your heart and soul into the words. Put them down, because they mean something to you.
[00:20:41] Megan: And they very well could mean something to somebody else, if they ever see
[00:20:45] Holly: it. Dear, brand new fledgling writer. Holly, I want to tell you one thing, and it is, I'm so excited for you. Keep going, sweetheart.
[00:21:02] Nicole Meier: Okay. I think what I wanna do is close this out with a rapid fire round table question. So in any order you guys want, what's one word that would describe how you're feeling about your writing process today?
[00:21:16] Nicole Meier: Excited,
[00:21:18] Megan: hopeful, inspired,
[00:21:21] Nicole Meier: connected. Ready? Awesome. What's one thing that you love from our time together that you don't want to forget?
[00:21:32] Kelly: Laughing.
[00:21:34] Megan: Reframing. Role models.
[00:21:38] Nicole Meier: Friendship. Everything. And what's one thing you'd like to tell new emerging authors that have never put pen to paper? What do you want to tell them today?
[00:21:51] Nicole Meier: Don't wait.
[00:21:52] Salima: Write the story you want to read. Make time.
[00:21:57] Nicole Meier: It'll be fun. Just do it. Awesome, you guys. Thank you so much and to all of the emerging writers out there I hope you got some negative truth that you could relate to today and That's it If you want to check out my coaching programs for fiction writers visit Nicole Meyer comm that's meier And, if you liked this episode, I'd love you to take a minute to leave a rating and review for this podcast.
[00:22:32] Nicole Meier: This will help more writers like you to discover the show and to get going on their writing journey. Thanks so much for listening. Until next time, happy writing, everyone.