Chapter Text
Resource Guide for Completing Fics and Fic Challenges (NaNoWriMo, Flufftober, Kinktober, Womptober, etc)
A quick preface - I curse. A LOT. I write like I speak. I talk fast, I curse a lot, and I often say the first thing that comes into my mind. So if you’re looking for a clean-mouthed writing guide, this isn’t it. If you want clean and nice, I recommend Getting Things Done by David Allen. The guy’s kind of a stick in the mud but the book’s a bestseller for a good reason. As with anything, take what you need and leave the rest. Ya don’t have to get down with everything the guy says to get a few key takeaways from his book. I honestly abhor some of his suggestions, but hey the book was a gift so I’m not mad about the big takeaways I’ve gotten from it.
Moving on!
Hi there, I’m Slappyrad (AKA Slappy, and my pronouns are she/her)! I’m fresh off of completing 31 prompts for Flufttober2021 and I considered writing this guide in time for NaNoWriMo . After some gentle nudging from the Lizzie’s Bar Discord channel, I’m gonna just get this knocked out and posted, hopefully in time for NaNoWriMo . (edit: Yay, I did it! Yeah I've got no chill, so heads-up on that.)
So, my apologies in advance if this is a bit scatterbrained; but hey, in the spirit of NaNoWriMo, getting it done on time supersedes having a *chef’s kiss* perfect project.
In summary, here’s basically what I’m going to discuss in this post:
- Have very clear goals
- Come up with a plan
- List non-negotiables
- Create and stick to a schedule
- Devote time to breathe and get away to clear the mind
- Be consistent
- LIMIT DISTRACTIONS (I use caps because this is incredibly important)
- Done is better than perfect. Just. Get. It. FRICKIN’. DONE.
- Write clean and simple. Form follows function (what an ironic term, but hey it works).
Here are some resources I *highly* recommend - and this resource guide is pretty much just chunks of lessons gleaned from these works, as well as a pretty hefty sum of time and skin in the game invested in professional and personal development (that means I spent some monties, y’all. You’re welcome).
Of course, with anything advice-related, take what you need and leave the rest, y’all (you’re gonna hear me say that a lot. It bears repeating).
Anyway, here we go:
Start With Why by Simon Sinek (also check out his empowering TED Talk “How great leaders inspire action” - there’s a reason it’s one of the most popular TED talks of all time)
Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
On Writing by Stephen King
No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty (the founder of NaNoWriMo; the ultimate NaNo guide)
The One Thing by Gary W. Keller and Jay Papasan
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (also I HIGHLY recommend her TED Talk “Success, failure, and the drive to keep creating” She touches on an incredibly important question - what do we do when our “greatest work” is behind us? An amazing talk.)
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
Daring Greatly by Dr. Brené Brown
Unbeatable Mind by Mark Divine (his podcast is also quite good)
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Dr. Carol Dweck
The Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard
High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard
The Charge by Brendon Burchard
You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Rise and Grind by Daymond John (I had the pleasure of meeting Daymond the day I bought this book, and let me tell ya. What a down-to-earth, honest to goodness kind man)
The Power of Broke by Daymond John
Make The Connection by Bob Greene and Oprah Winfrey
The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes
Braving the Wilderness by Dr. Brené Brown
Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferris
Three Feet From Gold by Greg S. Reid and Sharon Lechter
You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
And these two books, PLEASE listen to the audio versions:
More Myself by Alicia Keys (my dear goodness...she’s such a goddamn genius. And SUCH a lovely person)
Songteller by Dolly Parton (truly an angel on Earth. And she’s also a genius. I’m not playing.)
There are a lot of business books listed up there, but if you read them and give them a shot, you’ll find that there’s some great life advice in there as well. And again, take what you need, and leave the rest. I’m also particularly disinclined to listen to advice from rich people, but again, I take what serves me and the rest, they can keep it.
Onto the writing stuff!
“No subject is terrible if the story is true, if the prose is clean and honest, and if it affirms courage and grace under pressure”
- Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemingway in the film Midnight in Paris
Welcome to this resource guide for completing challenges! This is also helpful advice for just finishing any work - so if you've got a WIP or multiple WIPs, this is for you :)
For some context, I’m going to tell you a little bit about myself.
I don’t fuck around. I might not be the best, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who works as hard as I do.
When it comes to writing...I have no fucking clue what I’m doing.
But I sure know how to PRODUCE. I completed 31 prompts for Flufftober 2021; one fic a day posted for the entire month of October. I did this during an incredibly busy, record-breaking quarter at my job, and I was the most productive person on our team.
I don’t write much fiction; okay, well I haven’t written much fiction until this year (2021), thanks to lil miss ‘Rona. I needed a creative outlet to deal with all this shit and I found an outlet (*ahem* okay an escape/coping mechanism) in video games and fanfiction, Then I discovered a lovely fic based on the game I had gotten really into, and well it just snowballed from there.
I dabbled in creative writing many years ago, and fanfiction was my gateway. Then, I was introduced to NaNoWriMo .
NaNoWriMo was a complete game-changer for me. I learned how to buckle down, knock out my goal for the day, and most importantly, not give a shit about what I was writing about. The whole premise is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. That novel doesn’t have to be good . My biggest takeaways from my four attempts - and four wins (yep, that’s right - I’m 4/4 with NaNoWriMo. I don’t fuck around.) - was how to build the habit of getting into a rhythm and flow, and also that the entire thing might not be great, but there are great moments . And for 30 days’ worth of writing, I’ll gladly take a few good moments. A 30 day commitment isn’t much, so I’ve learned not to get overly attached to my writing when I do NaNoWriMo.
Now with Flufftober 2021, I had the challenge of both writing 31 pieces as well as publishing them. That meant writing, editing, cleaning up, and oh gosh, bracing myself for criticism. But y’all, we’re writers. That shit’s gonna happen. Criticism is imminent in our world.
On that note, I have a compromise with myself, especially because I know who I am as an author.
I don’t take this shit seriously.
At the end of the day, this is just a bunch of shit I’m making up (fictional writing, that is). So why take it seriously?
And if I’m not enjoying it, what the fuck am I writing for? Granted, I mostly write to read stories I want to read, and to get these goddamn ideas out of my head. But if I’m not getting anything pleasurable from it, then I really need to invest my time and energy into something else.
Anyway, onto the compromise.
We will invariably get some kind of feedback that gives us an opportunity to consider things. If it’s constructive feedback, we can implement it if it is in alignment with our writing. If it’s destructive in nature, then realize this, my friend - it’s not personal. Often when we get feedback, the person is projecting their shit on us. That’s their business, not ours. Sometimes people also completely misread things; they read into things. Our brains have a funny way of conflating words and stories and making them personal.
If you’ve given adequate warnings and tagged your work, then you’ve done your part. How people take it and perceive it is up to them.
In Big Magic , Elizabeth Gilbert discusses something that happened to her at an event. A woman came up to her and shared how much she (the woman) related to Liz’s experiences in an abusive relationship. Liz never had that experience; the woman had inserted herself into Liz’s story and took it personally.
Our readers may do that as well. *shrug* It happens. People will people; humans are interesting, fallible creatures.
There’s also this incredibly helpful advice from Ruiz’s The Four Agreements book, which can be summarized as such:
- Be impeccable with your word (so for us, include tags, trigger/content warnings, and write a good summary)
- Don’t take anything personally. Ruiz gives some incredible insight here, so for elaboration, please read his book. Libraries have it in print format, e-reader format, and audio versions. It’s worth the read, 100%.
- Don’t make assumptions. Welp, this is just great advice for how to be a good human, honestly.
- Always do your best. Something that the author puts a great deal of effort into is discussing that our best is circumstantial; for instance, writing with a migraine may be different than writing in ‘perfect’ conditions. And I’ll toss this in here - sometimes the best thing we can do for our writing when we’re sick is to not write.
Onto the productivity discussion!
Here’s my preface to this section - I am severely dyslexic, I have learning challenges, and I have attention challenges that make life very interesting. Not to mention some serious brain damage and a whacky back from my various life adventures. To save a long story, I’m lucky to be alive and I’m grateful, but I have a troubled brain and lots of back pain. So, if I want to get anything done, I’ve got to set myself up for success.
Here are my tips and tricks (many I've borrowed from The One Thing):
- Work in blocks - I like 45/15 (45 minutes of work, 15 minutes break time). I used to do 50/10, but in October 2021 I realized I spaced out about 40-45 minutes into writing and I needed to revise my schedule
- Set specific time(s) to write and stick to that. I program an alarm to get up earlier in the morning, and an evening alarm after supper to write.
- Consistency builds habits, and habits help with motivation and such. Willpower burns out, so being focused and consistent will get the job done.
- Completely limit distractions. When I work, my phone is in Do Not Disturb mode, face down.
- Listen to lyrics-free music while writing. If I need mood music with lyrics, I listen to it in the shower, on my writing breaks, while driving, when working out, or before I write. But when I’m actually writing, I only listen to distraction-free instrumental music. My personal favorites are: Mac Quayle (particularly the Mr. Robot and The Assassination of Gianni Versace soundtracks), Purple Cat, Laffey, Gustavo Santaolalla (especially the soundtracks for The Last of Us), brillion, Sweatson Klank, Kollen, SCayos, Birds of the West, Malibu, Kainbeats, Alsever Lake, Ky Akasha, and Softy (just to name a few)
- It’s worth investing in a commercial-free membership to a music service (I like Apple Music. The algorithm is phenomenal)
- I put brackets in my pieces where I need to fill in dialogue/exposition that I need to research, if I get stuck I put placeholders to come back to, etc. But being very focused is paramount for me. I've got reading and learning challenges so focus is key for my success
- Set time aside to respond to comments on fics, messages on social media, emails, etc.
- Schedule time for fun activities to get away from storytelling. It’ll make you a stronger storyteller ;) I totally stole this idea from a tattoo show - an artist was struggling with creativity, so the artist’s mentor took the artist on a stroll. Together, they checked out art museums, outdoor stuff, etc. Inspiration is all around us. Let the world inspire you. You don’t have to invent everything ;) ♥
- Remember that there’s an actual world outside of our brains and it misses us. Go outside, touch some grass.
- Meditation/mindfulness. I have been meditating for decades and I still fucking SUCK at it. But meditation isn’t something we do because we’re good at it. We do it because we need to do it. Personally I use Headspace, but any YouTube meditation or meditation resources will do the trick.
- Have a dedicated writing area/work space. This sets a positive trigger in the mind, so whenever we see or we are in our work area, we know it’s time to get to work
- For me, with my back issues sometimes I have to move around, stand up, stretch, or have my legs up or stand up when I write. So I’ve got to make concessions for that; if I leave my office/writing area, I must acknowledge that another area will invariably mean I’ll get distracted. So, in go the noise-cancelling earbuds and the baseball hat to get rid of visual distractions, forcing me to focus solely on my computer. Sometimes it works. Often, it does not.
- Not every day is going to be ideal. Sometimes, the best productivity hack is to take a day off. I’ll say it again - sometimes, the best productivity hack is to take a day off.
- Take an hour off before bed to let the brain stop running like a hamster on a wheel. I can’t fucking sleep if I try to go to bed right after I finish writing. I need time to decompress.
- Don’t EVER compare my ‘success’ to someone else’s success. Don’t compare kudos, hits, comments, etc. Their success is theirs. My success is mine. I’m not competing with anyone; I do this to push myself, not to compete. This is also why I like challenges, and don’t participate in competitions. Competitions don’t inspire me; challenges do. This is also a practice in The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People.
- Stick with ONE PROJECT. Y'all know how creativity works - ideas breed ideas. But stay focused on ONE THING AT A TIME. That lesson is basically the crux of The One Thing, and Jen Sincero talks about it a great deal in You Are A Badass At Making Money, because ideas breed as much in fiction as they do in business. Wanna hear a great business idea? Ask an entrepreneur who has yet to get their business going because they've got a million other "great" ideas. Ideas aren't shit until we do something with them. So DO SOMETHING WITH THEM! But do them one at a time.
When I set a goal, I make that thing my priority; however, it comes after my non-negotiables. For me, those non-negotiables are:
- My relationships (my marriage, my friends, my family, my pets)
- Self care (meditation, yoga, dancing, memes, puns, counseling, lots of tea)
- Adhering to my boundaries in every facet of my life
- My career
Literally in that order.
Some things that admittedly suffer when I embark on these ambitious challenges are sleep, workouts, and meal preparation. Granted, I could be better about that, but again, for me, when I embark on really ambitious challenges, other things in my life may suffer; ugh fine, they will suffer. However, my non-negotiables are exactly that - they are NOT negotiable.
Right, so onto the getting up early part.
Eh eh eh! I don’t want to hear it.
Mornings are miraculous , y’all.
I LOVE getting up early. Granted, when the alarm goes off - or worse, if I get up like a minute or so before the alarm - I’m not the most chipper chip in the bag. But once I get going, I’m going. I used to get up at 4:00 AM and work four jobs just to keep my life together, so getting up a few hours earlier to write now isn’t a problem.
This is a hard habit to build, but the trick is to frickin’ BUILD THE HABIT.
Two books have been instrumental in my habit-building are Miracle Morning and Make The Connection .
Both are spectacular books, but if you have to pick one, choose Miracle Morning ; it’s helpful for habit building all around, and it’s a truly touching book.
When it comes to getting up early, the big crux is this - set an alarm and get up as soon as it goes off. No more snooze button.
Look, if getting enough sleep is a non-negotiable for you, then stick to that. And if mornings just won’t work, then know yourself and know that it won’t work. This isn’t rigid; find what works for you .
But I know me - or I should say, I learned this about myself. I used to think I was a night owl. I was wrong. I just liked to sleep in. But I've learned that for me, mornings work . Once I’m in a routine, I’m unstoppable.
Also, some quick notes:
- Snacks and ready to eat foods are gonna save time and limit distractions. I like romaine heart leaves with hummus, some kind of protein (for me it’s cooked chicken or lunchmeat like turkey or ham), tomatoes, cucumbers, and if I’m feeling fancy I’ll add black olives and feta cheese, and maybe some lemon juice and olive oil or Greek dressing. I eat these like tacos; they’re a staple in my household. We do tacos like this as well - a protein, shredded cheese, fresh homemade salsa (I also add extra cilantro - look if you’re a ‘cilantro tastes like soap/socks’ person then skip it, okay?!) and corn and/or black beans
- If you're going to partake in caffeine, be sure to stay hydrated. Caffeine often is a diuretic; stay hydrated to counteract that.
- Stay hydrated and take bathroom breaks!
- Um do I need to say how important personal hygiene is? Wash your ass. It baffles me this needs to be said but y’all...you’d be shocked.
- Practice breathing exercises. Look into Pranayama and/or box breathing (I’m a Pranayama practitioner myself; even after having Covid, it’s helped me immeasurably)
- Unclench your buttcheeks. Didn’t know you were doing it, were ya?
- Unclench your jaw. Doing that too, huh?
- Practice mantras. I like, “I got this” “I am safe” “I can, I will, I AM doing this!”
Now let’s discuss mental blocks.
I wholeheartedly and fully acknowledge that we get blocked sometimes. Crushing depression, agonizing anxiety, and just straight-up blocks (writer’s block and such). It’s important to acknowledge and discuss these things - they are VERY real, they are absolutely valid, and they are part of the human process. Some of us struggle with these more than others, and this doesn't invalidate us as people and it doesn’t make us lesser or “different.” For some of us, it’s an integral part of who we are.
I often think of William James, aka the father of modern psychology. In The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck, Mark Manson goes into wonderful detail about William James; however, Mark Manson has an amazing write-up on his website titled The Prime Belief. I can’t link it here due to the AO3 Terms of Service, so please Google it or go to Mark’s website and enter The Prime Belief in the search function.
The crux of that article is this - William James was a man who seemed to have every fucking odd against him. Illness, challenges with abilities, excruciating pain, massive depression. James made a pact with himself that he would spend a year doing whatever he could within his power to change his circumstances, or he’d un-life himself.
He made it through the year and became one of the 100 most influential psychologists of all time.
I’m also an enormous advocate of Dr. Viktor Frankl’s work, and I highly recommend Man’s Search For Meaning . Talk about finding light in the darkness. That book is haunting and a very tough read, but it discusses how to move forward in life with seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Just do your best. In the end, the person whose opinion matters the most is yours. Take care of yourself. Please, please practice some self-care, and be good to yourself.
Ultimately, it all comes down to choice . I used to have this yoga teacher that would set the room at 104 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s 40 degrees Celsius), warm us up, and then go to freakin’ town with some VERY aggressive power yoga. On Friday evenings we’d have hip-hop yoga classes, which I LOVED. They were high-intensity classes that we’d often do under blacklights. But this teacher, she lived for doing wild shit in class. I’m talking yoga with burpees. Fuckin’ BURPEES, y’all. And all the while, we’re sweating and cursing, and this lovely bright-eyed yogini would yell at us, “REMEMBER YOGIS! WE GET TO DO THIS !” And I’d be like BISH YOU’RE MAKING ME DO THIS!
Ugh. But she was right. It really is a choice.
And that revolutionized how I did difficult things.
We get to do this . If we make a choice to embark on a challenge, that’s a conscious decision that we’ve made. So when we embark on writing for a challenge(s), we get to do it .
I love telling stories. I love generating ideas. And when I tell my story, I love going over it and finding moments that wow, I am really happy with how things worked out.
But I really struggle with writing.
Having good habits - keeping a schedule, eliminating distractions, and being disciplined about my hard limits/non-negotiables - really helps me move along.
Finally, I’m going to share something that my weekly writing group and I live by. Sometimes, we write some real bad shit. Dr. Brené Brown calls these initial things an SFD - Shitty First Draft. I call them my Ugly Babies. It’s something that I came up with, and it’s mine and I created it. But it’s totally shit. And that’s okay, it can be fixed. But when I write my Ugly Baby, I know it’s ugly. The idea is to just get it out of my head and get the rough idea out there. I can fix and refine it later.
Some of the coolest shit I’ve ever written was initially written as an Ugly Baby.
I’ve also done this for life stuff, like press releases and event promotions. I’ll write some bullshit that makes it sound like an action-adventure comic book, but once I get the ridiculous version out, I can fix and refine it.
Just. Get. It. OUT. Done is better than perfect.
Feel free to leave any questions in the comments - I’ll leave this resource guide as incomplete for now, and if there’s a need/demand for an FAQ, I’ll do a part II ♥
Happy writing!
All my best,
Slappy ♥