Make yourself vulnerable. Get over those insecurities and put yourself in your writing. Bare your soul, showing the world your passion for the story and its characters.
Be wholly in control, but let yourself go, giving yourself the freedom and permission to make mistakes.
Ignore the trends. Ignore what you think other people will want to read and instead write what you want to read.
Be brave enough to break the rules, making certain you have a full knowledge of how and why the rules work in the first place.
Ignore the urge to write for publication, but know what works for publication within your target market and, more importantly, why it works.
Listen to your characters, but decide for yourself if what they want is what you want for the story.
Be honest with your emotions and those of your characters. Delve into the truth of a scene and don't be afraid to explore what you find there.
Know only you can write the story, but be open to outside influences.
Broaden your experiences--this includes reading widely and frequently--because they will influence not only what you write, but the way you write it. They will steer you away from writing copies of someone else's story.
Practise. Like anything, writing from your heart takes practise. So keep writing.
What helps you to write from your heart?
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
The Insecure Writer's Support Group website has launched!
I have the honour of being one of the admins for the site, along with Joy Campbell, Joylene Nowell Butler, Susan Gourley/Kelley, Michelle Wallace, L. Diane Wolfe and, of course, the Ninja Captain and spark behind it all, Alex J Cavanaugh. As a team, we helped to put it together and are currently working hard to build it into something truly special.
Along with being chock full of writerly resources, the site will offer encouraging and helpful posts on writing. We will post every Monday and the first Wednesdays. We hope to eventually open up the Wednesdays to guest posts too. So please check it out HERE.
We've also set up a Facebook group. We'd love to see you there!
Oh and our twitter hastag is still #IWSG
How has the Insecure Writer's Support Group helped you?
Yeah! Great site and FB page. I'm all signed up and subscribed. It looks awesome Lynda. And thanks for these tips. I have to crawl into my characters head to feel what they feel. I have been know to blubber over the odd scene. :)
ReplyDeleteShah X
http://wp.me/p2rnfx-2sC
"It's the heart that makes a story shine, the heart that pushes your story to a new and riveting level." Good tips all, Lynda.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips on writing from the heart. And awesome that the website launched. Hope it's okay to join the Facebook group if I don't post on IWSG day.
ReplyDeleteOf course! All welcome! Just as everyone is welcome to the website!
DeleteLovely points here! Thank you Lynda! Totally write what you want to read from the heart and keep at it! Yay! take care
ReplyDeletex
Great tips, especially knowing you are the only one who can write the story.
ReplyDeleteAnd big thanks to YOU! Couldn't have put together the site without an awesome team. You were a big contributor and I really appreciate it. In other word - you rock!
Thanks so much, Alex. As I've said before, I'm totally honoured to be a part of this.
DeleteUseful tips, as always, Lynda. For me, putting myself in the place of the character works every time and yes, I believe in not following every trend, but writing the story that's on my heart and mind. It's been a pleasure working with you on the IWSG.
ReplyDeleteAnd with you, Joy. We all make a great team!
DeleteAll of those are excellent for writing with passion.
ReplyDeleteVery excited about the site. I think we did good. I also realized I needed to track down my fellow admins.
I have to agree about doing good. And welcome!!
DeleteWriting from the heart is the only option for me -- I would lose interest in anything else.
ReplyDeleteWell done on your involvement with IWSG - very exciting!
congrats on the new site!
ReplyDeleteAll the tips were excellent, Lyn, but I liked "Ignore the trends" the best. The thing that helps me write from my heart the most, though, is to "be honest."
ReplyDeleteSo many times we may think, "If I write that, they'll think I'm..." and out of fear, refuse to write it. It's that dot, dot, dot they need to read. At the end of that ellipse is truth as only you can tell it. And usually, it's a universal truth that we all share, only few of us are willing to admit it.
Wonderful, as always, and I think I'll go check out the new website and FB page. I didn't know it had launched (I would have used the new banner!)
M.L. Swift, Writer
There are so many ways fear holds us back...if we let it.
DeleteAwesome to see you in the FB group too!!
(doggone it. I hit the sign out button instead of the publish button. now I've got to remember what I typed)
ReplyDeleteWriting from the heart is the mark of a good writer. Great advice.
Checking out the site this am.
What great advice! It's hard to open yourself up. We're taught not to let others see our vulnerabilities, our deepest emotions. Yet without doing so, our writing is boring.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much to you & all those who worked on the website & FB page. Super work!
Great tips indeed and yep, I ignore all, do what I want to do and away I go
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I'm having a hard time with some of your tips, especially the "don't write for publication" part. I keep tossing out ideas and partially written ms's because I don't think the premise is high concept or marketable enough. It's frustrating. Congrats on the IWSG website! I've found it on FB and sent a request. :-)
ReplyDeleteHa, I so wish it was easy. I can't count how many ideas I've tossed because it didn't feel right for the market. That's okay, though. I have to fall in love with a project before I can throw everything I have into it. That's the part where we still do need to know about the market.
DeleteI started to leave a comment and had a finger spasm and either posted mid-sentence or deleted it - not sure. Please delete if not.
ReplyDeleteI will start over.... I love the IWSG site. And your advice is great as always.
I have a new blog and identity to replace the old. I re-follow you. http://tonjamatney.blogspot.com
Thanks, Tonja. I've already found you and followed :)
DeleteJust joined the fb group! And love the tips. I find that giving myself some quite time alone to just *be* really helps writing flow from where it counts :)
ReplyDeleteI love your photo today, Lynda.
ReplyDeleteYou guys did such a great job with the website. I'll be visiting that bad boy quite a bit in search of tips. You always give out fantastic ones, just like today. Thank you!
http://www.elsieiswriting.com/
Awesome new site! I went forth and joined. Looks to be a great resource for writers. This is also a super list of things to remember. Having a heart in one's writing is SO important...it's a slippery thing sometimes though!
ReplyDeleteGreat points, Lynda. I'm so excited for our new site and many great posts to come.
ReplyDeleteLove the website.
ReplyDeleteIs there any other way to write?
The question should be, 'Is there any other way to write well' ;)
DeleteWriting from the heart vs. writing from the head?
ReplyDeleteSomething to ponder...
As always, a wonderful post Lynda!
Thank you!
You are multi talented and did a fabulous job with the new site.
Excellent advice. And the website is fantastic! Big day for the IWSG. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, to all of this, Lynda! I especially loved the "broaden your experience." That is essential. I'm back from my much needed break. Great to connect here again.
ReplyDeleteHi Lyn, nice to see you as one of the adminstrators of the IWSG site. At times I start writing from the head. During those time the thought of getting published fast makes me drop from the heart to the head territory. But then wisdom smacks me and I push away all insecurities and give a free rein to the story and the characters.
ReplyDeleteRachna Chhabria
Co-host IWSG
Rachna's Scriptorium
WOW! Quite the expansion, you guys are really working hard to make something great. Now, I'm laughing at myself a bit with the email I wrote you last night glugglug.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, self-possessed tips, btw. You are all class, woman.
I'm not sure why you're laughing at yourself. Your email was very special.
Delete:) I meant the part about loathing. Actually, all of our email exchanges this week have been Aussie awesome. ;)
Deletexx
Writing from the heart is the best way touch another person no matter how many read your book. You give wonderful advice and at the end of day we the writer determine if our stories get read. Congrats on being and admin to the IWSG website Lynda and congrats to Alex and the team.
ReplyDeleteYour advice is always wonderful, Lynda, Thank You. And I'm off to check out the new sight.
ReplyDeleteLove those tips. I tend to play it safe and therefore my writing is boring. I do need to make myself vulnerable. This comes just as I'm rethinking some character motivation in my current WIP. I needed this advice. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteLet me know how you go
DeleteGood advice! Writing from the heart has been a sort of therapy for me. Not always easy to become so vunerable but always worth it.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice on writing from the heart and not being afraid to bare the soul. The group has helped me gain confidence and make connections. Feeling grateful.
ReplyDeleteI am very good about ignoring trends and listening to my characters. I wouldn't want to write any other way.
ReplyDeleteSo, so true!
ReplyDeleteI listen to my characters and such but I'm trying to become more brave and push myself a bit more. Thanks for the advice :D
Great advice. I think the toughest part is baring your soul though words. Does it get easier with practice?
ReplyDeleteabsolutely. It definitely gets easier the more you write and the more you share that writing with others.
DeleteCool about the website! And great guidelines from you!
ReplyDeleteGreat advice. And I'm so excited about the website. I hear you did a lot to help with that, so thanks for all the hard work!
ReplyDeleteAs always, a great post! I think too many people forget the story comes from the heart, and if the author doesn't LOVE it, how can anyone else?
ReplyDeleteThe new site is awesome!!
ReplyDeleteI think we can always tell when the story doesn't come from the heart. I've stopped reading several books in the last few weeks that just didn't have any heart in them at all!
I love these tips and your supportive words. I can't believe it has taken me this long to get over my insecurity enough to finally join the IWSG! I am already feeling more confident, just from reading posts like this.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear you've joined the group. I've been a part of it for two years and it really has been such a support.
DeleteGreat tips!! Cyberspace seemed overwhelming until I found the IWSG :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's such a great support network, I'm happy for the expansion. Great post as usual Lynda!
ReplyDeleteNas
What helps me, Lynda? Being 77 and having lived more lives than the proverbial cat :0)
ReplyDeleteLynda, you always seem to have such a clear perspective on everything. I envy that! ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats with your new venture. The group looks awesome! :)
I agree with you point for point, especially about being true to oneself:) Great post:)
ReplyDeleteIgnoring trends can be tough, especially when it means you will probably be rejected for not writing what is trending in the market.
ReplyDeleteIgnore the trends. Break the rules. Love those. I also appreciate that you have to know the trends and the rules in order to be successful at either. Read a lot. Excellent tips!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats on the new website!
Hi, Lynda,
ReplyDeleteI always write from the heart. It makes your writing REAL. Readers can spot lack of heart IMMEDIATELY. So why even try to gloss over it. Reach inside yourself and show the heart, emotion, and passion....
The IWSG site is awesome! SO glad you guys did that. And your advice on writing from the heart is so spot on. I did that so much with my last novel that I felt extremely vulnerable. But i know it made the story better for it. It really is the difference between books that rivet you, and those that don't.
ReplyDeleteA person willing and ready to write from the heart can compensate for minor deficiencies in talent or skill, in my opinion. :))
ReplyDeleteFollowed the new blog, though I still don't have FB.
I think it comes down to honesty. Writing to fit a certain niche or target market is doomed to fail.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the IWSG site! It looks awesome already. :)
I think the advice and encouragement you've given here is really good. I personally believe that being brave is one of the greatest struggles authors deal with (I know I do). There are so many obstacles for us to face in our writing journeys that it takes bravery to: start a story, finish a story, edit it, promote it, and be proud of it despite what haters say.
ReplyDeleteGood post.
Love, love, love your thoughts on writing from the heart, Lynda!
ReplyDeleteI'll check out the links for IWSG now.
Stopping back in to tell you that I dedicated something to you and your fellow IWSG website creators on my Thursday post. Hope you like it:)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the dedication to the IWSG admins. :)
DeleteThanks for the advice. I'm not sure if I can do each one, but I know I can try. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from Shout with Emaginette
"Ignore the trends. Ignore what you think other people will want to read and instead write what you want to read." <--- Agree with that! I've always loved that quote from Toni Morrison: "If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
ReplyDelete