Student Author Writes 4 Novels: Elizabeth May Spotlight (Part 2)

Do you have a specific method for writing your novels, such as outlining or timed writing sessions? 

It depends on the novel and the day. I outlined my high fantasy novels and made those outlines pretty detailed, but when I got to my horror novel, I wrote maybe five key points in the story and let loose. It's the whole plotter vs pantser debate. I find myself doing both. If I write a short story, half the time I don't even make an outline or write any notes at all. 

I'm about to sound insane. I use a website called callofwriting.com — and I recommend it to everyone — but I always give the same warning. Callofwriting forces you to keep writing for whatever goal you set (that can be timed or word count), and if you stop writing, all your work is deleted — there is absolutely no way of getting it back. I know that would likely send most writers into a spiral, but for me, it works, and I've hardly had work get deleted. The work that I have had deleted is work I've found I enjoy more after I've rewritten it. That's my secret to writing as much as I do. 

Another one of my secrets is music. I know many people can't focus with music; but, for me, I find it helps me set the tone of my writing. So if I'm writing an action-packed scene, I'll listen to something fast-paced, or if I'm writing something creepy, I'll put that Tiptoe Through the Tulips song on repeat — again, I probably sound insane. I'll often spend more time looking for the proper music than actually writing. 

I also write in chronological order. I know some writers jump around in stories and write end scenes before they have scenes before it. I don’t ever skip ahead in a story to write a scene. I find skipping ahead can sometimes throw me off my rhythm and interrupt my creative streak.

Have you faced any struggles while writing novels? 

I've faced plenty. Many of which are me fighting myself. I still struggle with the nagging thought that maybe I am wasting my time writing novels and that no one will ever read them. That's when I go back to look at those statistics of my online writing. 

I think my biggest struggle I faced was very early on. When I started my first novel, which wasn't my high fantasy book, it was a whole different story — one I no longer remember fully. I can recall the general idea; there was an underground assassin group, and my main character was somehow going to become a part of it. 

There's this quote from an author that I can't remember at the moment, but she basically says that an idea for a story is like a gust of wind blowing past you, and sometimes you have to grab hold of the end of it and pull it back to you. 

Early on in writing that assassin story, I was hit by that gust of wind that had everything clicking perfectly together. I was writing it, and I was maybe two minutes away from getting it all down, when I was interrupted by a visiting aunt. In the 30 seconds it took me to answer her very important question on what I wanted for lunch, I lost the story. The gust of wind blew past, and I was unable to grab hold of it again. 

I struggled for a while with that story and didn't quite know where to go with it. I eventually gave up on it. The draft sits forgotten in my documents. That's what taught me to have a sign on my door that says, "I'm writing, only interrupt me if the house is on fire or someone is dying." 

The other thing I learned is that it's okay if you lose a story idea; there's always something else out there. For me, it was my high fantasy novels, novels that are now so incredibly important to me. 

Do you have any tips for writer’s block?

The dreaded writer's block question. I genuinely have never faced writer's block. I've never run out of ideas. My mind is constantly coming up with ideas. Just the other day, I was walking across campus thinking of a creepy ghost story I had read, and then suddenly I had a new story: a wild west paranormal murder mystery — a weird idea to say out loud — but one I can't wait to start writing and see what happens. 

I fight writer's laziness, though. It's when I just can't get myself to get up and write. I'd rather sit and doom scroll. That's when I use callofwriting, because it forces me to write. It could also help someone get out of writer's block by doing the same thing, forcing someone to write instead of staring at a blank page. 

My other tips would be to turn off your phone — or at least silence it — and have a dedicated writing location. I don't have a writing location; I drift everywhere and can write everywhere, but I remember the time I used to need an area to close the door and write in peace. 

My main tip would be to experiment with where and how you write, and find what works for you. Maybe you write better in silence. Maybe that spot on the floor in the corner of your room helps you think better. Maybe listening to Mambo No.5 on repeat strikes you with creativity. 

Continue Reading Student Author Writes 4 Novels: Elizabeth May Spotlight (Part 3)