Happy New Year! To start off 2025, I'm sharing the best of last year's writing and productivity blog posts. Enjoy!
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• Six Tips for Writing Compelling Cliffhangers

• If an Object in Motion Stays in Motion, How Can We Make It Easier to Begin the Motion of Writing?

• Five Tips to Make Room for Writing When You’re Busy Beyond Reason, guest post by Natalie Zaman

• Writing Tools

• Using Rituals as Well as Routines for Productive Creativity, guest post by Paula Chaffee Scardamalia

• Embracing the Long Road, guest post by Jen Breach

• Waiting Doesn't Have To Be The Hardest Part (To Track)

• Compassionate Planning for Writing Productivity, guest post by Taryn Haas​

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Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with an optional question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, Natalie Aguirre,    
Rebecca Douglass, Liza, and 
Beth Camp. I'm skipping this month's optional question, but wishing the IWSG community Happy New Year!

Quotes from 2024 posts:

Cliffhangers engage readers and keep them turning the pages instead of putting the book down at the end of a chapter. The term originated in the 1930s “from early film serials in which episodes ended with characters in desperate situations such as hanging off the edge of a cliff."

​As writers, we want to make it difficult for the reader to pause, and chapter ends can feel like a logical place to stop. In an International Thriller Writers interview, author Isabella Maldonado refers to a suspenseful chapter ending as a “springboard” that launches reader into the next section.

Here are a few guidelines for creating those springboards and cliffhangers (from my writingworkshop about maximizing suspense).

2. DON’T use gimmicks or false promises.
 
If a chapter ends with a knife, it feels like cheating the reader if the weapon is never mentioned again. As Anton Chekhov said, “One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it.” Jackson's cliffhanger (above) works well because the reader anticipates a future confrontation involving a knife, and she delivers that in later chapters.

Noah Lukeman (The First Five Pages) suggests ending on an impactful sentence but notes that one great closing line isn’t enough if the passages before it are boring. The hook isn’t a “gimmick to catch attention.” Instead we should lead up to it, so that the hook and the text belong together.
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3. ​DO consider breaking a chapter mid-scene.

Chapter endings are more art than science. For example, Suzanne Collins ends chapter nine (and part one) of The Hunger Games in the middle of Peeta’s interview with Caeser, right after he reveals his feelings for Katniss. Her reaction and the end of the interview begin part two,  and this mid-scene break compels the reader to continue.
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4. DON’T end the chapter with a peaceful night of sleep.
 
As writers, closing a chapter as a character goes to sleep for the night feels like a natural break, but it’s often best not to end on a calm, restful moment. Even bedtime can have tension. For example, the end of chapter one in Pandemic sets up the notion that Lil’s safety is a misconception:
 
"In my room, I checked updates on my phone. . . . Police foiled a bombing attempt on a train in Chicago. Four people were sick from an unidentified illness in Maryland. A listeria outbreak caused the recall of cantaloupes from Guatemala. Based on today’s news and our dinner conversation, I added 'lead poisoning,' 'influenza,' and 'food recall' to my alert list.

I snuck downstairs after my parents were in bed. Our organic cantaloupe was from California, but I threw it out anyway. I pitched the honeydew melon, too, just in case.
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Portico, New Jersey, was still safe. Snuggled under my quilt, I tried to sleep wrapped in the comfort of that illusion."
 
As another example, at the end of chapter six in The Hunger Games, right before she goes to sleep, Katniss sees someone who had tried to escape from the Capitol. This causes her concern for a number of reasons as the day draws to a close and ends the chapter on a disconcerting note.
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5. DO analyze the chapter endings of a comparable book you’ve read and loved.

Look at the ending paragraphs of a novel you've enjoyed. On a scale of one to ten, how tense is the chapter end? How does the tension build? What emotion does each chapter close on, and how does that vary throughout the story? We can learn a lot by reading as a writer.
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6. DON’T necessarily worry about chapter endings in early drafts.
 
If you a "pantser," you could write a first draft without breaking the manuscript into any real chapters at all if you wanted. Creating cliffhangers could be handled during revision, when you’ve got the entire story mapped out. If you're a plotter, you can consider chapter endings in your outline. Keep in mind, the best rules are the ones that work for your process.

IWSG Blog Hop
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Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with an optional question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, Ronel, Deniz, Pat Garcia, Olga Godim, and Cathrina Constantine. This month’s question:

Cliffhanger story endings can come in various degrees. Sometimes the main storyline is resolved, with other details left open. For example, in my young adult novel Black Flowers, White Lies, the main character’s story question is answered, while the long-term fate of the antagonist is more open-ended. The series finale of The Sopranos series initially irritated me, but I’ve grown to appreciate how that non-specific closing scene created more of an impact than a definite resolution. 
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There's lots to cover in this post, so enjoy the info about a free workshop, my IWSG blog hop post about ghost stories, some links for Banned Books Week, and writing advice about character emotions. 
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I'm excited to be teaching a free virtual workshop, Keep the Pages Turning: Maximizing Suspense in Your Novel on Monday, November 25th, at 7 PM EST. It's offered through the Orange County Library System. You don't need to be a Florida resident, but you do need to register to attend. 
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Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with an optional question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts,​ Nancy Gideon, Jennifer Lane, Jacqui Murray, and Natalie Aguirre. This month's blog hop question: 

​Ghost stories fit right in during this month. What's your favorite classic ghostly tale? Tell us about it and why it sends chills up your spine.
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 A few books with ghosts that I've enjoyed:

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll. A delightfully creepy young adult graphic novel.
​A Properly Unhaunted Place by William Alexander. In this middle grade novel, ghosts cannot be banished.
The Shining by Stephen King. The ghosts at the Stanley Hotel! Enough said....

I'm also proud that my own ghost story, "The Third Ghost," was featured in the IWSG anthology, Voyagers: The Third Ghost. :)

Banned Books Week just ended. According to the ALA, "In 2023 alone, the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 1,247 efforts to censor books and other resources in libraries—an increase of 65% from the year before. In total, 4,240 unique book titles were targeted, many of them representing LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC voices and experiences." Learn more at the Banned Books Week website.
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I love this writing advice from Charlie Jane Anders in Never Say You Can't Survive. Keep asking these four questions about your characters: 
“How do they feel about their situation? What do they do about that feeling? What result does their action have? How do they feel about this new situation?”

Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with an optional question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. This month, I’m happy to co-host along with Beth Camp, Jean Davis, and PJ Colando.
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This month's question:​ ​
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Since it's back to school time, let's talk English class. What's a writing rule you learned in school that messed you up as a writer?
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​I don’t remember any particularly bad writing rules, but I do remember hating homework with a specified word count. If I reached 290 words of a 300-word assignment, I would add “very” ten times. This didn't strengthen my writing, and since the homework was written by hand, the additional words were probably, in hindsight, unnecessary. (I can’t imagine the teacher manually counting each word.) Luckily, this technique didn’t result in any very bad writing habits. 😊

Another idea is to leave your future self story bread crumbs. ​Some writers recommend stopping when you know what happens next to make it easier to begin again. But if you're not sure what happens next, try making a list of questions about the characters or plot that you need to explore. (How did two characters in a relationship initially meet? How does the main character feel about different people in their family?) My questions tend to be story specific, but you can also use a character questionnaire.

I print the questions on slips of paper and put them in a bowl. If I’m stuck writing, I pull a question and focus on a scene that answers it. You can put writing prompts on the slips of paper, too. I find that the random nature of choosing a question brings joy to the process.
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Another idea is to join a Zoom writing session where you log in to write at the same time as other writers. After a brief intro, you typically turn off your camera to write, then check back in at the end of the allocated time. Writing with others can help get over the hurdle of beginning.
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5 Tips to Make Room for Writing When You’re Busy Beyond Reason

If you’re anything like me, writing is not all you (must!) do. I say must when it comes to my writing because, like so many creative outlets, it saves me. The act of writing reminds me that even if it’s garbage, I can a) do a thing, b) finish a thing—both of which are important to feeling accomplished and worthy to yourself (the most important person to please). That said, finding time to write when you’re raising a family (this does not end, empty nest or not), working full time, and, you know, just trying to live and enjoy life isn’t the easiest. Here are some techniques that work for me:

1. Schedule time for your writing. If writing brings you joy, make it a priority. Of course, there are going to be other things that come first—family, job deadlines, and the like. Everything depends on your responsibilities, personal situations, etc. Scheduling is not only practical, but it gives a nod to the importance of writing to you. Pro-tip: give yourself “bookend” times (no pun intended!): 15 minutes “pre-writing,” and a 15-minute warning that your writing time is nearly up. Book-end times help me get started in the first place and provide a mini-motivator to wrap things up so there is a sense of completeness. Scheduling is a lovely segue to…
2. Time-box your tasks. I ♥ time-boxing because it makes me feel very accomplished. It also helps me organize my tasks so that at the end of the day, I feel like I’ve done SO much. Try this: At the top of each month, take time to make some to do lists: What items MUST be completed this month? Those are your absolute priorities. Next, make a list of the things that you WANT to accomplish in the month. Being realistic (important, this), jot down the approximate times you will need to complete each task. Now you can break the tasks down into weekly, and then daily to dos. When you get to the daily portion of the program, think of each hour of the day as a box—and put a task in it—some tasks may take 2-3 boxes, or a half a box. Lay out your tasks making sure to include brief breaks in between (see #3). Here’s the hard part: start the tasks and stick to the box unless anything unexpected comes up (see #4). Set a timer at the beginning of the task and when you get to the end of that time, STOP.
3. Take breaks and enjoy them. Rest is SO important. Oh sure, there will be times when you’re on a roll and need or want to push yourself to get something done but going full speed (on anything) day after day after day will lead to burnout. Everyone has a burnout boundary. If you time box, allow for time in between each task so that what you’re working on now, doesn’t muddy what you’re going to work on next. Take 10-15 minutes to do something completely unrelated to either task. Have you ever sniffed perfume samples, only to have a sales rep hand you a small container of coffee beans to “clear your pallet” before experiencing a new scent? Same thing. Head clearing has always helped me collect myself and be more productive.
4. Be flexible. Understand that your best laid plans WILL go awry sometimes. Often. More often than you’d like. This is okay. It’s hard when you’re on a great streak and suddenly things go sideways, and you get de-railed. When this happens:
5. Be kind to yourself. Do not—I repeat DO NOT beat yourself up for missing writing days, shortening your time boxing, or not sticking to your schedule. You will get your novel/short story/article/chapter book/poem/etc. done—in the time that is unique to you. Follow the woo philosophy that says that delays, derailments, and obstacles are put in your path to protect you or prepare you for something better. You got this!

Everyone’s writing path is unique, and there is no one-size-fits all solution for everyone. But we’re all in this together—so let me know if any of these tips worked for you, and please, share your tips for mastering multitasking in the comments (I can use all the help I can get!).
Hugs!
Nat ♥

Natalie's latest book is Social Media Spellbook, coauthored with Amy Blackthorn, and available for preorder now. Description:
"Social media is part of our lives, and it’s an increasingly popular place for witches of all kinds to meet and create new spells. On TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and more, witches set intentions, manifest their dream jobs, and even create virtual altars for their ancestors. Social Media Spellbook is a perfect way to take part in this trend by using social media to channel the power of the universe. Authors Amy Blackthorn and Natalie Zaman propose adaptable formulas that draw on symbolic imagery, astrology, tarot, herbs, and crystals—not to mention everyday desire—in a spell-a-day format that anyone, even a beginner witch, can use."

Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with an optional question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts,​ Feather Stone, Kim Lajevardi, Diedre Knight, C. Lee McKenzie, and Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen.
​This month's question: Do you use AI in your writing and if so how? Do you use it for your posts? Incorporate it into your stories? Use it for research? Audio?
​Other than spell and grammar checks, I don't use AI, but I look forward to reading other IWSG blog hop answers.

Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with an optional question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts,​ JS Pailly, Rebecca Douglass, Pat Garcia, Louise-Fundy Blue, and Natalie Aguirre.

This month's question: ​
What are your favorite writing processing (e.g. Word, Scrivener, yWriter, Dabble), writing apps, software, and tools? Why do you recommend them? And which one is your all time favorite that you cannot live without and use daily or at least whenever you write?

But my favorite tools of all are a notebook and a fun colored pen (sometimes purple, sometimes metallic, sometimes purple metallic). I do most of my early drafting by hand. Writing by hand stimulates different areas of the brain than typing, and through the years, it's become an important part of my process. It's a lot easier to keep self-doubt at bay and convince myself that I'm just jotting down some new ideas—a fun experiment—instead of Seriously Starting A Novel. And there's something satisying about filling a notebook with thoughts and ideas in the early stages of a project.

"The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." ~Sylvia Plath

​In our living and ever-evolving language, the original meaning of some words changes over time, perhaps losing impact and significance. Examples of this are ritual and routine.  Because of an element both have in common, repetition, ritual and routine are often used interchangeably and incorrectly, thereby losing their power and significance.
 
In a dictionary, you discover both words have the idea of a repeated act or procedure as one of several meanings. But look at the words themselves and you see how different from each other they truly are.
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Routine, from the French and spelled the same way, means “usual course of action, beaten path,” from its root, route, meaning way, path, or course. A routine is a path or course of action that you repeat or travel over and over again. And so, routine can turn into a rut. After all, a well-traveled path does, after a while become an actual rut.
 
A well-traveled path, though, as any hiker or dedicated walker can tell you, is easy to follow. Signs aren’t necessary. Stones, or other debris have either been removed or ground down by the constant tread of feet, and the path is relatively smooth. Risks or challenges along the way are known and can be avoided or prepared for.
 
Routines are given a bad rep, because you might get too comfortable in them and because they might make you and your life—and/or writing—boring. But…
 
Routines are necessary. In personal life, work life, and in your creative life.
 
Like that well-traveled path, routines are easy to follow, require no direction, seldom trip you up and help you avoid risks. Routines, because of their repeated set of actions allow your brain and body to put energy into other things, like writing, and help you use your time more effectively. Morning routines, go-to-bed routines, drive-to-work routines and many others, all make life easier.
 
You don’t want to spend time and brain power trying to decide whether to take a shower first and then have breakfast, or have breakfast and then a shower. Instead, you develop a morning routine, a set of actions in an order that doesn’t require thinking or even much attention.  Ever driven a car to work or some other frequently visited destination only to realize you don’t really remember getting there? The routine of that well-traveled path doesn’t require much thinking or decision making any more, you don’t have to read road signs or wonder if you are heading the right way.
 
Routines make life easier and more efficient, because you don’t have to think about your actions any more, saving time and brainpower.
 
When routines are disrupted, it is then you discover just how much you value them...long for them even.
 
But a full life comes with disruptions to routines. Sometimes returning to them is easy, but sometimes the return is harder and slower.  And sometimes, you return to those paths changed.

• What routines need to be jettisoned as worn-out habits that no longer serve you?  
• What new routine in your life or your creative space might be helpful?

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Rituals, unlike routines, are more about mindfulness than mindlessness.
 
Deriving from the Latin word, ritualis, relating to (religious) rites (from ritus, “rite”, religious observance or ceremony), the word ritual implies a set of actions having to do with the transcendent or sacred.  The more formalized version of ritual, of course, is that found in church and temple.
 
In current usage, ritual is relegated to either the less personal heights of church or temple, or reduced to the equivalent of routine.
 
But simple rituals you design yourself are the means for adding depth, focus and awareness to your writing life. Use your creative mind to design rituals for transitions into creative work and out again, or bigger events such as the hanging of a show or the launching of a business. While there may be a pattern of repeated actions in these types of rituals, the purpose of the enacted patterns is to bring a mindfulness to the moment.
 
To enhance and empower your creative work, look at where you might create rituals to:

• Ease you from your routines into the meaningful act of creating, such as closing the door and putting on special music just for writing, or lighting a candle, or putting on special music.
• Honor the soul-level dimension of your writing by meditating, doing conscious dream work, free writing, going for a walk in Nature, or by pulling a few oracle or tarot cards.
• Move from fear into confidence, from procrastination into empowerment by listing the fears or blocks and then burning them, or spritzing yourself with a special aromatherapy spray for courage or creativity, or moving into an empowering posture or gesture.
• What is a simple ritual you can design that will enhance your creativity?

 
To increase your productivity along with creativity, observe your routines and how you might use a routine to your creative advantage, and then design one or two simple rituals to connect you with inspiration and help you dive into the writing waters.
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Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with an optional question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, Liza at Middle Passages, Shannon Lawrence, Melissa Maygrove, and Olga Godim.
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This month's question: ​In this constantly evolving industry, what kind of offering/service do you think the IWSG should consider offering to members?

​I'm happy with the sense of camaraderie that IWSG creates, so I don't have any suggestions. I'm interested to read what others have to say in  the blog hop.

Until next month,
Happy Writing!

One of the best ways I've found to avoid distractions is through creative immersions and writing retreats, and I've blogged about their benefits before. I recently helped facilitate an amazing retreat at the Highlights Foundation called Writing Through Trauma to Empower Readers. But a retreat is a special event, not a weekly occurrence.

On a regular basis, I deal with distractions by grouping tasks (like running errands, making phone calls, or responding to email) together during one part of the day. I'm also a fan of setting a timer for writing (with no other activities allowed). Sometimes I purposely leave my phone in a different room. And lighting a candle is a butt-in-chair guarantee. I can't leave the candle unattended!

Distractions tend to be a short term problem. What about the long road? Thanks to Jen Breach for the guest post tacking this topic.

More about Jen Breach:
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Jen Breach (they/them) is a queer, nonbinary writer of 30 picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels for kids, including an eight book series featuring the first nonbinary main character for the age group, and a nonfiction about the politics of global foodways, which won a Junior Library Guild gold standard selection. 

​Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with an optional question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, Janet Alcorn, T. Powell Coltrin, Natalie Aguirre, and Pat Garcia. 

My very first blog post was on Halloween in 2013. I can’t believe it’s been ten years! 

At the time, I thought I would focus on writing resources (a solid idea) and blog twice a week (oh, silly me). I ended my first post with a slightly blurry photo of our Westie, Rocky, and our Schneagle, Luna. (My mom commented about the photo (left) – where are Luna’s eyes?) 
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​Sadly, Rocky has since passed away. Here’s a current photo of Luna (right) with better lighting. :)

I’ve struggled through the years to define how my blog differs from my newsletter (which I started in 2015). The blog has remained writing resource-focused, while my newsletter (please subscribe!) is a little more personal, with reading recommendations, book news, life events, and funny memes. ​

One last thing: I also serve as the communications manager for Rebecca Dykes Writers, a group that serves as a resource for those who wish to write stories about violence against women and girls for young readers. If you're interested, you can sign up for the newsletter or join the digital community.

It’s common to keep a to do list, whether on paper, in your phone notes, or using some type of app. And knowing what we need to get done is certainly helpful. But what about things we can’t do because we are waiting for information or a response from someone else?
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​Sometimes we want to make progress, but we can’t. Say for example, we’re planning a family party. We’ve reached out to a restaurant that might host the group, but need availability and pricing information. I used to find it hard to keep track of these things, because they weren’t technically "to dos." It either cluttered my list because there was no actual action I could take or didn’t make it on the list at all. Then at some point, I’d remember—oops—I never heard back and needed to follow up.

Clearly, this was not a good system.

For something more regular and ongoing, like short story submissions, I keep a spreadsheet with dates and other relevant information. But for more random one-time projects, I've learned to keep a separate "Waiting For" list. I like to use a piece of brightly colored paper where I note in a black marker everything I need to hear back on. This "Waiting For" idea comes from David Allen’s Getting Things Done, and my current list includes the above-mentioned restaurant, feedback from someone else on my manuscript, hearing from an interviewee about available meeting times, and some writing I promised to critique but haven’t received yet. My own to-dos (plan party menu, edit based on comments, schedule interview, provide a critique) can’t happen while I’m waiting for the other people to answer.
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Once a week (usually Sundays when I’m planning the days ahead), I check the list. I can cross off the items I’ve heard back about (and the next step becomes my "to do") or decide whether to nudge if I haven’t gotten a response. Either way, I find that keeping the "waiting for" details in a separate place keeps me more organized.
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​Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with an optional question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts Kristina Kelly, Miffie Seideman, Jean Davis, and Liza @ Middle Passages.

I dread writing synopses, but I haven’t used AI. Rather than give a personal opinion on this complicated topic, I’ll share two in-depth resources: Martha Brockenbrough’s upcoming book, Future Tense: How We Made Artificial Intelligence and How It Will Change Everything, and The Authors Guild Best Practices for Writers.
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One Last Thing....
​For your listening pleasure, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at one of my favorite songs, Tom Petty’s "The Waiting".