The other day, I came across a video of a young person lamenting that we do not spell words the way they sound, thus making the English language overly complex. It prompted me to wonder whether any books were written phonetically, so I initiated a conversation with Gemini. I thought I’d share an edited version of our conversation with you.

Me: Could you convert a sentence phonetically?

Gemini: Which convention should we use?

1. IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet): The standard system for representing sounds. Example: /həˈloʊ haʊ ɑːr ju/
2. Pronunciation Respelling (Dictionary Style): Uses familiar letters and “diacritics” (dots or bars) like you see in Merriam-Webster. Example: *\hə-ˈlō haʊ ˈär ˈyü*
3. Newspaper Respelling (Phonetic “Sound-Outs”): Often used in news scripts; it avoids special symbols and uses CAPITAL LETTERS for stress. Example: huh-LOH HOW-ar-YOO
4. Arpabet: Developed for computer speech (Siri/Alexa) using only standard keyboard characters. Example: HH AH L OW HH AW ER Y UW
5. X-SAMPA: A “hardcore” keyboard version of the IPA for computer precision. Example: /h@”loU/

Me: Wow. I had no idea so many conventions existed. Can you convert the following sentence into both Newspaper Respelling and IPA?

“Once upon a time in a land far, far away, there lived a man who would only spell using newspaper-style respelling.”

Gemini:

• Newspaper Respelling: wunss uh-PON uh TYM in uh LAND FAR FAR uh-WAY, THAIR LIVD uh MAN HOO WOOD OHN-lee SPEL YOO-zing NOOZ-pay-pur STYL ree-SPEL-ing.
• IPA: /wʌns əˈpɒn ə taɪm ɪn ə lænd fɑːr fɑːr əˈweɪ, ðɛər lɪvd ə mæn huː wʊd ˈoʊnli spɛl ˈjuːzɪŋ ˈnuːzˌpeɪpər staɪl riːˈspɛlɪŋ/

Me: Has anyone ever written a book that used the Newspaper Respelling as prose?

Gemini: There are a few famous examples where authors “break” spelling for narrative effect:

1. Feersum Endjinn by Iain M. Banks: One character writes entirely phonetically (e.g., using “4” for “for”). Once your brain “clicks,” you can read it quite fast.
2. Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban: Set post-apocalypse where English has “broken down.” Example: “I dont think it matters what the idear of the thing is…”
3. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh: Uses phonetic respelling to capture a heavy Scottish (Edinburgh) accent.
4. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Phonetic Editions): There are actually editions printed entirely in IPA!

Me: The writers who chose to write phonetically seem to have had a narrative reason for doing so, which makes sense.

Gemini: You’re right—it’s a tool to pull the reader into a character’s mind. When you read phonetically, you’re “hearing” a performance. Here is how some famous lines land when spelled phonetically:

1. Moby Dick (Herman Melville)

• Newspaper Style: “KALL mee ISH-may-el.”
• Original: “Call me Ishmael.”

2. A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)

• Newspaper Style: “it wuz dhuh BEST uv TYMZ, it wuz dhuh WURST uv TYMZ…”
• Original: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

3. The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)

• Newspaper Style: “in uh HOLE in dhuh GROWND thair LIVD uh HOB-it.”
• Original: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”

Me: I think it’s funny how my impression of the words changes. The Dickens line reads almost remedially.

Gemini: That’s because standard spelling has a visual “shape” we respect—a concept called 

Orthographic Aesthetics. This is the idea that the specific arrangement of letters carries emotional weight independent of sound. When we strip that away:

1. The Phonetic Bias: We associate “sound-it-out” spelling with children’s workbooks. The “prestige” of the literature evaporates.
2. Loss of Visual Elegance: Words like thought or cities lose their architectural beauty and become purely functional.
3. The “Voice” Changes: Phonetic spelling often makes the narrator sound more casual or aggressive.

Me: Let’s try a line from Shakespeare.

Gemini: * Original: “To be, or not to be: that is the question.”

• Newspaper Style: “too BEE, or NOT too BEE: THAT iz dhuh KWES-chun.”
  It sounds less like a prince contemplating existence and more like someone giving very aggressive instructions on how to use a beehive!

Me: Yeah, it sounds almost illiterate.

Gemini: It’s a paradox: it’s a perfect representation of the sounds, but it looks “illiterate” because it ignores the rules of literacy. It’s like an X-ray of a person—100% accurate, but not the “person” we’re used to seeing.

Me: Let’s do an Edgar Allan Poe one. Perhaps The Raven.

Gemini: When you take the “shadow” out of Poe’s spelling, the results are… surprisingly bouncy.

• The Raven (Original): “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,”
• The Raven (Newspaper): “wunss uh-PON uh MID-nyt DREER-ee, WYL I PON-durd, WEEK and WEER-ee,”

The Verdict: In the original, “dreary” and “weary” feel heavy. In the newspaper version, DREER-ee and WEER-ee sound like names for a pair of cartoon ducks. The “doom” evaporates! It’s amazing how much “darkness” is carried by a silent E.

Me: “Bouncy” is the perfect word for it!!!

This is where our conversation ended. I hope you enjoyed this nerdy deep-dive as much as I did. We can now see that if we spell words phonetically, we would lose the orthographic aesthetics (the visual subtext that shapes our impressions of a story). While writing that way might make for some innovative prose, we’d lose the visual “skin” that gives our words their soul.

Do you know of any other stories that were written phonetically? If so, share them in the comments.

Nicole Criona

The post What Happens When You Spell Everything The Way It Sounds? appeared first on Los Angeles Writers Group - Writing Workshops, Coaching for Writers, Developmental Editing.

In honor of new starts and beautiful changes, I’ve created a survey that I’d be so grateful if you filled out. This survey will help me create the situations that you most desire. 

If you take the 3 – 5 minute survey, you will get a 25% off discount code to either the online or in-person Creative Writing Workshop.

In the meantime, check out our current workshops and our new schedule page!

Warmly,
Nicole

Instagram Flash Fiction Contest

Every once in a while, we post and new writing contest on our Instagram page. We post a picture, you write a short piece (this month: 12 words), and whoever gets the most likes wins a Creative Writing Workshop!

Upcoming Literary Things to Do in LA

Oxy Live! Presents: A Conversation with Roxane GaySeptember 30, 2025 | 7:00pm to 8:30pm | Thorne Hall, Occidental College CampusEvent cost: Free with RSVP

Join us for an evening of conversation between best-selling author and feminist icon Roxane Gay and visual artist and cultural collaborator Alexandra Grant. 

About the Artists:

Roxane Gay’s writing appears in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, A Public Space, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many others. She is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. She is the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, the New York Times bestselling Bad Feminist, the nationally bestselling Difficult Women and the New York Times bestselling Hunger. She is also the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel. She has several books forthcoming and is also at work on television and film projects. She also has a newsletter, The Audacity and once had a podcast, The Roxane Gay Agenda.

October is jam-packed with thrilling free events at LA County Library! Don’t miss out on the fun and excitement all month long! 

In support of Next Chapter Writers’ Summit, West Hollywood Library will be open from 10 am – 6:30 pm on Sunday, October 5, 2025.

Hear of anything fun happening in LA? Forward it to lawritersgroup@gmail.com, and it might be featured in our newsletter!

Want to be the first to receive this newsletter and news of newly released workshops? Join our Newsletter.

The post September 2025 Newsletter appeared first on Los Angeles Writers Group - Writing Workshops, Coaching for Writers, Developmental Editing.

Why Gift Certificates are the Perfect Gift

• Experiences over things: In a world of material possessions, experiences make more meaningful and memorable gifts. Writing workshops offer the chance to learn new skills, connect with other writers, and grow creatively.
• Fuel their passion: Show your loved one(s) that you support their writing dreams by giving them the opportunity to develop their craft further.
• Flexibility: Gift certificates allow the recipient to choose the workshop that best suits their interests and schedule.
• Something for everyone: Whether they’re interested in exploring workshops or private coaching, we have options for everyone.

Ready to give the gift of creativity? Choose any amount for your creative writing workshop gift certificates and give the writer in your life the inspiration they need to thrive.

The post The Gift That Keeps Them Writing: Creative Writing Gift Certificates appeared first on Los Angeles Writers Group - Writing Workshops, Coaching for Writers, Developmental Editing.

I don’t know about you, but the thought of doing anything every single day (except eating) makes me want to jump off a bridge. Some people love that kind of structure. That’s awesome. But I despise that kind of routine. It sucks the creativity right out of my being. No matter what anyone tells you, there is no single path to writing success.

Like cult leaders, some people will preach that their way is the only way to achieve salvation, find god, or become a world-renowned author. No. No, it isn’t. They are as human as you are. They don’t know any better than you do what will work for you. Great if it worked for them. That doesn’t mean it will work for everyone. 

The Writers’ Downward Spiral

I have been working with aspiring writers for the better part of 20 years. I’ve been coaching them for more than ten years. If there is one thing I know for sure, it’s that telling yourself you must write every day is a sure way to spiral into burnout. Here is how it goes: 

• A writer tells themselves they must write every day to be worth anything
• They do it for three or four days and feel like they are accomplishing something. 
• Life throws them a complication, and they don’t or can’t write for a day because, like all humans, they need sleep and downtime. 
• They spend the rest of the day mentally beating themselves up for missing a day. 
• They attach pain to writing (a mind-body coach would tell you the body receives a mental beating in the same way as a physical beating).  
• They slip into a minor depressed state and don’t write the next day. Or the next. Or the next. 
• Months go by, and they haven’t written a thing. And why would they? They know that life will happen again in a few days or a week, and they won’t be able to write again, and this cycle will repeat. 

Writing consistency is more important than frequency

I tell my writers NOT to write every day. 

Here’s why:

First, even people who work full-time get two days off a week. 

Second, consistency is far more important than frequency. If you have a busy life, as most of us do, and you only have time to sit down every Saturday at 3 pm, then write every Saturday at 3 pm. Devote yourself to that. If it doesn’t work, find another time that might work. If you have time every M-W-F morning, then use that time. Don’t be afraid to adjust. I have a client who finished an entire trilogy of books by writing only every Sunday morning. 

Third, consider measuring your progress by word count. Start low, with perhaps 50 words a session. Then increase if you want to. If measuring your session by time works for you, then do that. But again, start low. It’s all about figuring out what works for YOU. I had one client who would only commit to a sentence a day. Several months later, she presented me with the first half of her story. I have helped many writers get through their first drafts this way. I know that it works.

So the next time someone tells you that you have to write every day, in your brain, add this clause to the end of the saying: …if that works for you. Write every day if that works for you. If it doesn’t, figure out what does. It’s okay to build your schedule with as little or as much as you can manage. Consistency is key. Give yourself time off from writing. And above all, do not beat yourself up for missing a session. 

Nicole Criona

Nicole Criona is a Creative Writing Coach and Owner of Los Angeles Writers Group (LAwritersgroup.com), where she runs creative writing workshops for aspiring authors. She specializes in coaching creative writers through their first (and often subsequent drafts).

The post Why you should NOT write every day appeared first on Los Angeles Writers Group - Writing Workshops, Coaching for Writers, Developmental Editing.

When you’re building your collection of craft books, it’s good to cover lots of bases. Last time, we looked at George Saunders’s A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. This book took us on a fantastic journey into the heart of the short story and helped demystify many terms of writing craft. 

Now let’s look at another craft classic that, as a writing coach, I believe should be on every writer’s shelf. A book that brings us to the essence, to the absolute ground zero of writing. A book that embraces the question of how do we face the page or computer screen. How do we muster up the courage to sit down with our own minds and trust ourselves and write. And how do we even start? 

This book, which has inspired countless writers since it was first published by Shambhala Publications in 1986, is Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. This Craft Classic teaches you how to free yourself to sit down and write. And Goldberg also teaches you how to live a beautiful and inspired life.

On a Mountain in the Catskills, I Learn About Monkey Mind and Discover Goldberg’s Book

One summer when I was living in New York City I had writer’s block. I was also reading a lot of books on Zen, and I decided that getting up into the mountains might help me concentrate better. I called a Zen monastery whose number was printed in the back of one of the books I had been reading and tried to convince them to let me come.

“Yeah, you want to write here, and you’d love being in the mountains. But do you have any interest in Zen? Do you even know what Zazen is?” I could hear the monk’s scowl through the phone. Zazen is the seated form of Zen meditation that they do in Zen monasteries. I knew that much but not all that much more. Even so, I signed up for a one-month residency.

The first week was exhausting, rising so early to get to the meditation hall. Sitting Zazen on my black cushion at 4:00 AM, my mind wouldn’t calm down. I found it hard to focus on my breath. Just count your breath from one to ten…yeah right. I couldn’t get to three before a rush of thoughts derailed my efforts. And I couldn’t believe the thoughts I was having. They hardly made any sense. Nothing poetic or brilliant there, so who was I to think I could write, let alone do Zazen in a monastery…

Monkey Mind

At the weekend breakfast at the Abbot’s house, as the fog lifted off majestic Mount Tremper, a novice monk came and sat next to me on the porch. 

“How’s your first week going?” 

“It’s amazing here,” I said, gesturing to the mountain that was now bathed in morning light.  “But wow, I am so surprised that I’m having trouble concentrating when we meditate. My mind is all over the place.” 

“Oh yeah, monkey mind.” 

“Monkey mind? That’s it!” This wise novice had nailed it. “You’re so brilliant to come up with a term like that. That’s exactly what my mind feels like! A bunch of monkeys jumping around!” 

The novice laughed, “Oh no, that isn’t my term. That term ‘monkey mind’ stretches all the way back to early Chinese writing from the later Qin Dynasty….”  

That ancient Chinese term, that cage of chattering monkeys, was this why I was having trouble writing? Later that month, when I discovered Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones in the monastery library, I found out that yes, this was indeed the case. 

Beginner’s Mind

As I sat in the monastery library reading Goldberg’s book for the first time, I realized that up to that point, my experience of writing was one of fear, anxiety, and doubt. Doubting my own mind and doubting any idea that emerged from my own thoughts. And a lot of my coaching clients have felt this way too. 

Now here was a book giving me “…permission to write the worst junk in the world, and it would be okay.” A book telling me to buy “…a cheap spiral notebook…” that would let me feel that I could “… fill it quickly and afford another.”  

In our writing notebooks, Goldberg says, “Give yourself a lot of space in which to explore writing.” She talks about the Zen concept of “beginner’s mind.” About having openness like a beginner, that each moment, each experience is fresh.  She tells us, “…. beginner’s mind is what we must come back to every time we sit down and write. There is no security, no assurance that because we wrote something good two months ago, we will do it again… Each time is a new journey with no maps.” 

Every time you show up for writing you begin to trust “your own mind” more and more. You then create “a confidence in your experience…{as your}… understanding continues to deepen.” Writing, like Zazen, is a practice you can do for your whole life. 

“Make Writing Your Practice…”

In fact, after she had been practicing Zen for a few years and writing too, Goldberg tells us that her Zen teacher Katagiri Roshi said, “Why don’t you make writing your practice? If you go deep enough in writing, it will take you everyplace.” 

In Writing Down the Bones, Goldberg lovingly shows us that using writing as a practice can be a skillful way “to help you penetrate your life and become sane.” She says writing “…can be applied to …anything you love and have chosen to work with in your life.” 

Writing Down the Bones has short chapters that after a first consecutive reading can be read in any order because Goldberg means for each chapter to stand on its own. So in working with this book, you can choose any chapter and zero in on what that chapter is showing us. Each chapter offers us clear, specific ways to let writing into our lives and create a deep and sustainable practice to last for a lifetime.

Writing Practice: First Thoughts, Timed Writing, and The Rules

Goldberg creates rules for writing practice based on the idea of “first thoughts.” Those initial insights that come up before our editing mind takes over too early, possibly snuffing out our wild and fresh creativity. These rules center around trusting our beginner’s mind and cutting through the monkey mind that can derail us. Goldberg says that the “…basic unit of writing practice is the timed exercise.” 

You decide that for your “timed exercise” you’ll write for 10, 15, 20 minutes or so.  She suggests you start with a small increment of time so that you will “…fully commit yourself to it.” In fact, you must commit to that length of time. Do not give up or get distracted. 

Here are the rules Goldberg lays out for us in her chapter, “First Thoughts”:

1.     Keep your hand moving.  (Goldberg explains don’t “pause to reread” but keep going).

2.     Don’t cross out. (She informs us that this is editing while you write. You must leave everything in, even if you didn’t mean to write it. She will show you in a later chapter that there is a time for editing but not yet).

3.     Don’t worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar. (She even encourages you not to worry about staying within margins or on the lines of the page). 

4.     Lose control.

5.     Don’t think. Don’t get logical.

6.     Go for the jugular. (Goldberg urges, “If something comes up in your writing that is scary or naked, dive right into it. It probably has a lot of energy”).

She goes on to explain that this process will encourage us to “…burn through to “first thoughts, to the place where energy is unobstructed by social politeness or the internal censor…” She urges us to trust these “first flashes,” that first thoughts “…have tremendous energy.”  

Possible Antidote to Anxiety

I realized while sitting in the monastery library that a writing practice was a possible antidote to my anxiety. Such deep and sustained practice had the potential to cut through my monkey mind that had been chattering on undermining my every effort. Now, decades later, Writing Down the Bones endures as an amazing support and a trusted friendly companion, as the best books are.  

I recommend Writing Down the Bones to nearly every coaching client I work with who needs help blasting through writing blocks, cutting through monkey mind, and learning to trust themselves. So many of my clients have found that Goldberg’s writing practice method has helped them break through their doubts to create meaningful writing and a practice that sustains them for life. I know this book will help you too. 

Try This at Home

You need to read through all of Writing Down the Bones to get the full experience of what Goldberg is showing us about writing practice. Including how to fight “the tofu” of resistance. How to become “a tourist in your own town.” How to create “writing marathons” and “writing circles.” And how to use “loneliness” and “trust ourselves.” 

But to get us started, here are a few timed writings Goldberg shares with us in her chapter “A List of Topics for Writing Practice.” Remember to use the writing practice rules we have just learned and enjoy going deeply into these timed writings that Goldberg offers us:

• “Begin with ‘I remember.’ Write lots of small memories. If you fall into one large memory, write that. Just keep going.” 
• “Give me your morning. Breakfast, waking up, walking to the bus stop. Be as specific as possible. Slow down in your mind and go over the details of the morning.” 
• “What is your first memory?” 

Resources

For more about LAWG workshops and coaching:

LAWritersGroup.com

For more about Natalie Goldberg:

Natalie Goldberg

Good reads: Natalie Goldberg (Author of Goodreads: Writing Down the Bones) 

For more about Zen and Buddhism:

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice by Shunryu Suzuki | Goodreads

Dainin Katagiri

The Buddhist Review: Tricycle

Upaya Zen Center 

Written by:

Resa Alboher

Resa Alboher is a writing coach, editor, manuscript consultant, writer, and creative writing teacher. She is one of the founding editors of St Petersburg Review, on the editorial board of Springhouse Journal, edits fiction for Running Wild Press/Rize, and has been a lecturer in the Summer Literary Seminars International programs. She writes across genre and her publications include River Dog Zine, Cold Moon Journal, Roads & Kingdoms, Cosmonauts Avenue, Scapegoat Review, Black Heart Magazine, Rewire Me, Mango Salute, Have an NYC 2, Maintenant 5, Rattle, and Radar Productions.

The post CRAFT CLASSICS: Writing Down the Bones appeared first on Los Angeles Writers Group - Writing Workshops, Coaching for Writers, Developmental Editing.

The little green monster latched onto me and sucked away my creative juices. Writer’s block doesn’t begin to describe it, more like writer’s paralysis. This led to contracting the first worst disease a writer could catch: Writer’s Hypo-confidence Syndrome. 

The Envy Spiral

The little green monster latched onto me and sucked away my creative juices. Writer’s block doesn’t begin to describe it, more like writer’s paralysis. This led to contracting the first worst disease a writer could catch: Writer’s Hypo-confidence Syndrome. 

I listed all the reasons I shouldn’t write. I wasn’t a creative writing major—I studied history! Seasoned writers told me that “if you want to write, you have to read.” I have read quite a few books in my time, but 95% were non-fiction. It seemed that every writer I encountered was preloaded into this world with the background and skill set required to write a masterpiece, except me.

I was ready to take down my work—to retire from this writing thing altogether, so  I looked at my reviews one last time before I erased myself from the archive. I had wonderful reviews, too. People loved the humor. They thought my stories were inventive and well-structured. People loved the “Shiny Fic” as well, and for good reason. However, that didn’t mean they didn’t love my work. We had different strengths.

What’s the writer’s secret sauce?

In generative writing workshops, other authors read their work. These are first drafts, just written, so no one expects perfection. I was taken back by one woman’s story set in the South, which had such vivid descriptions that I got breathy as if I were really there in Mississippi’s humidity. The way she wrote complex emotions into a single phrase triggered another episode of Writer Envy.

Again, I stopped, interrupting my page in its tracks. But this time, instead of getting ready to hang up my inkwell forever, I thought: “What does that Mississippi story have that makes it work so well? What is the secret sauce?”

The author used unique sensory details. She incorporated the smell of sweat, the flickering of fireflies, and the sweet taste of cool, minty lemonade. It was precise to a lived experience she knew and felt. I never lived in the South. The dusty desert was my home. Could I incorporate enough sensory details into my own story? Could I make the reader swelter under the hot wind off the front range, and taste the spice of really good salsa?  Totally! As I turned back to my unfinished page, I knew I found the cure for Writer Envy. I needed to answer the question:  WHY do you envy their work? What is the author’s recipe?

Seek Out Writer Envy

Instead of giving up on writing, I learned from the authors I envied. I looked for work I loved that would trigger my Writer Envy and worked on my immunity. Each dazzling work inoculated me and taught me another strategy or practice to bring into my own work.

I am not saying “just get used to writer’s envy”. I am urging you to seek it out. Find that trigger of your envy, and use it. Get specific: Sensory details, character development, and a great plot. Don’t just look at seasoned authors. Hunt the envy everywhere. Therein lies the cure. 

I still suffer from Writer’s hypo-confidence. I don’t think there’s a writer who doesn’t. As far as Writer Envy goes, I hope for it now. Writing isn’t a baking competition with some British Chef screaming at you. It’s a recipe you formulate and experiment with lovingly over time. If you find the right group, it can be an exchange. I found that type of group with fan fiction and now with LAwritersgroup.com. Even if you do not have a group of writers, you can still incorporate the best parts of your favorite writing into your own.  Find a group of novice writers, and seek out that envy. When you have it, you’ve found a special recipe. Use it with your own ingredients. 

Written by:

Rachel Stull

Rachel Stull is a devoted Science Fiction nerd, D&D player, and former high school Earth Science Teacher turned author whose interest in World War II history led to pursuing a degree in European history and penning her first novel, “A Secret Never to be Told.” (Romance set in Bletchley Park told through the eyes of a 94-year woman with dementia after the death of her husband), which is seeking representation. Currently, she is working on part two of three-part science fiction series set in a dystopian world, not unlike our own.

The post Writer Envy appeared first on Los Angeles Writers Group - Writing Workshops, Coaching for Writers, Developmental Editing.

“I want to take the time to express my gratitude for creating this workshop and for being such a light and helping hand in my journey with writing. I have naturally been getting back into writing for months now and that’s how I discovered your website, in it I found the most beautiful and comprehensive 15-day writing challenge that really pushed me into a new territory of writing. It challenged me in all the right ways and I’m certain that whoever takes on this challenge will undoubtedly come out a more confident writer. Nicole, you have built a beautiful community of writers and I look forward to joining another workshop soon.” – Karina A.

If you are interested in receiving critique or guidance on your book project, please Schedule a Free Consultation or check out our Private Coaching options. View all creative writing workshops here.

The post Testimonial: You have built a beautiful community of writers and I look forward to joining another workshop soon appeared first on Los Angeles Writers Group - Writing Workshops, Coaching for Writers, Developmental Editing.

But today, I’ll be focusing on fear-based writer’s block. The voice that, when you write a sentence, says, “This is so awful, I can’t stand to look at it,” or “I’ll never figure this out,” or “I’m terrible at this.” The kind that freezes you immediately with shame. 

What is ‘Fixed Mindset’?

The term ‘fixed mindset’ comes from Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford University. Fixed mindset is a way of thinking that says that your intelligence, abilities, and skills are fixed from birth. There’s no sense in trying hard with this mindset. You’re born with talent, or you’re not. In fact, it’s a sign that you’re no good at writing if words don’t drip from your pen like literary honey.  

You can probably already see where this mindset can turn into a major pitfall for writers. Who among us has never been stuck in a story? Who loves every sentence that’s ever fluttered across their mind? Whose writing has been universally accepted by the population of the world as ‘the best ever’, especially in first draft form? Yeah, no one. 

As soon as a stumbling block occurs, as soon as writing becomes difficult, a person with a fixed mindset is likely to be thrown. After all, if trying hard to overcome obstacles is a mark of a lack of talent, then if you experience any setbacks in writing, it must mean you’re not as good as you thought. Or worse yet, that you’re just not cut out for this. 

A lack of positive feedback calls into question your worth as a human being. All criticism might as well boil down to: “You’re a fool to think you could do this.” You may as well quit when the going gets tough. If you were ‘meant to be’ a writer, then it would be easy, right? Folks with a fixed mindset can’t stand being last or worse than others. Failing or losing. Because it’s a reflection on them as a person and not where they are in the learning process. 

Fixed Mindset Among the “Gifted”

Many ‘gifted’ adults fall into this trap, since when they were children, so much came easily to them. They assumed this was because they were born with an advantage. And frankly, in some ways, they were. In school, ‘gifted’ children often do get further than those who struggle simply by being born fitting academia’s definition of ‘intelligent’. 

A gift is something you were given. You didn’t earn it. You didn’t work for it. It was handed to you. Certainly, the ability to breeze through classes that other students need to labor through is a gift.  

But once the graduation caps are thrown, thinking of yourself as gifted is a horrible setback. Gone are the standards by which children and young adults are judged. Gone is the praise from pleased teachers and faculty. In its place is a world where you must prove yourself. A place where outcomes are often divorced from talent and much more a combination of drive, skill, persistence, timing, and luck.  

If you haven’t guessed it, yes, I was considered a gifted child. Personally, I got a ton of mileage in every subject from being good at writing essays. From a very young age, my writing was a subject of admiration from the adults around me. (Hang on, this isn’t going to be tooting my own horn, believe me.) It was pretty much assumed that I would go into writing in some capacity since I liked it, and I was ‘born with a gift’. But here I am, 41, with nothing but a handful of unproduced scripts and a bunch of roleplaying posts to show for those decades past.  

Growth Mindset

So, what am I supposed to do? ‘Growth mindset’ is the opposite of a fixed mindset. This mindset says that everyone can improve. Getting published, becoming famous, getting paid, it’s all far less important than the amount of sincere effort you put into your work. You, and everyone else, are constantly learning. Failing is fine and natural. You are not your writing. Any setbacks can be remedied by working through them.  

It makes sense. If someone with a fixed mindset gives up at the first or third sign of a challenge, they aren’t going to finish their piece. Someone who keeps going will. Growth mindset reduces stress. It allows for enjoyment of writing itself to become a greater factor than some distant goal. It encourages people to go that distance. 

My Fixed Mindset

For a long time, I’ve suffered with my fixed mindset. It’s natural that I would. Once we were past first grade, we were rewarded for A’s, not for ‘trying the hardest’. Yet, even though I know the fixed mindset robs me of joy and paralyzes me, I struggle to change. Because I know that we all need money to survive. The more people love a story, the more money the author is likely to make, leaving that author more time to do what they love. A part of me still believes that writing should be so much easier, like when I was a kid and, my work was held to different standards.  

When I sit down to write these days, the first thing I feel is fear. “It isn’t easy like it used to be, and with that, it’s not fun. I’m too far back in the learning process, and it’s going to take too long to get to where I want to be. My prose is ugly, stilted, vague. I’ll only end up with something I hate. All of the promise I had as a kid is gone. I have no purpose. No meaningful effect on the world. I won’t be able to ‘live my dreams’, and with that, I’ll end up working in some mundane job for cash, never to return to that simple joy except in games.”

Can I adopt a growth mindset? Technically, yes. I can change the way I think, the way I talk to myself, my perspective. But that isn’t going to happen overnight, and it seems to me that I’ll continue to suffer through my writing as I make this tremendous shift.

Play Mindset

When I was a kid, I never felt fear in writing. It didn’t matter if other people liked it or not. I wanted to see how the story went. I was telling the story to myself first. Others only came to mind when it was finished. I wrote for the joy of it. 

We’re encouraged to turn our play, our talents, our hobbies into work, so that we ‘never work a day in our lives’, only to find out that turning these delightful activities into work can often make them miserable. Not because of the ‘other things that come along with it’ like marketing, social media savvy etc, but because the hobby you loved is now a commodity. Now writing is work. It has to be better. It must be judged. 

But I wonder if, with a tiny bit of patience, I can get back to this ‘play mindset’. Maybe I can follow a story through to the end of the first draft with an audience of me. I can forgive mistakes and quick run throughs and missing pieces because it doesn’t matter.

There’s no such thing as ‘failure’ in play. Nothing you do raises or lowers your value as a person. Story bits are allowed to make no sense, and sometimes, nonsense is the most fun of all. The only goal is self-enjoyment. You can feel joy throughout the process, yes even those sticky parts, because there’s no pressure to ‘get it right’. All stories can, and must, be edited, but oftentimes the first draft is not the place for that. Certainly, not for me.

Your Mindset

Play mindset isn’t a growth mindset. While I admire the growth mindset, it’s not something I ever had. To adopt that mindset is a daunting task, one that will take effort, patience, and a fundamental shift in my core. But ‘play mindset’, that I had and lost. That I understand. 

It’s akin to the infamous ‘love the process’, but ‘process’ always seemed so professional, so sapped of life, that thinking about it as play instead takes some pressure off. I share this in case any of you might find this way of thinking to be useful in your writing. As writers, we know how powerful using different words to describe similar things can be.

I would still love to be published, to make money from writing, to be lauded. But with play mindset, that’s just icing, the cake is the characters I get to know, the worlds I explore. When I write, I’m the very first person to experience this particular story, and there’s a magic in that. A magic I’d love to recapture.

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Written by:

Kathryn Graham

Kate is currently experiencing writer’s block due to her fixed mindset. She will write you a proper bio as soon as she switches to ‘play’ or ‘growth’ mindset.

The post Fixed Mindset and Writer’s Block appeared first on Los Angeles Writers Group - Writing Workshops, Coaching for Writers, Developmental Editing.

I’ve become a bit of an armchair expert on how to stay focused while grieving. Grief can come from the loss of a relationship, a pet, or even a job. Grief is not the only painful human experience. We may feel overwhelmed by daily responsibilities, political upheaval, or the unknown. When these events become too much, working on our art can feel futile. At this time, we may not seem to care anymore.

Art Will Save Us

A friend texted me when I was particularly distressed. He said, “Art will save us.” He’s right. Focusing on art can be self-care, an act of resistance, or an act of supporting others, even if you’re years from finishing. Art helps us grow, entertain, and challenge ourselves and others. It helps me to think that every word I write, every brush stroke I lay down, proves I will not let anything get me down.

During a group coaching session, we crowdsourced some ideas to help each other continue to create during these kinds of times. We were all relieved that we weren’t the only ones struggling. You are NEVER the only one struggling. It’s okay if you need to take a break from your art. But if you want to push through, we have a few ideas for you.

Tips on How to Stay Focused in Troubling Times

• Change your environment. Create a new space for yourself or go somewhere else to write. I rearrange furniture to inject new energy into my space. 
• Talk to a friend. Allow yourself to open up and be vulnerable. Commiserate. You’ll feel less alone.
• Let yourself feel it. Avoiding uncomfortable feelings makes things worse. The more I let myself cry or rage, the better I feel afterward.
• Turn off the news, social media, and phone alerts. As one of my group members pointed out: “…the news is designed to evoke an emotional reaction.” Social media and game designers want to suck you down a rabbit hole. You’ll be amazed at how peaceful your life gets if you turn it all off.
• Micro Journal or Morning Pages – Use The Artist’s Way method and write three pages a day to download all the crap that plagues your brain. For those resistant to morning pages (like I am; I can barely function in the mornings), consider a Micro Journal. Keep a small notebook and write ten words or a list of things daily. Here is an excellent article about micro journaling.
• Embrace distractions. My best friend was terrified of police, firefighters, and paramedics. After she left, I became obsessed with arrest videos on YouTube. We do weird things when we’re grieving or overwhelmed, so try not to judge (within reason, of course).
• Do just one thing. Stop thinking about everything you have to do and focus on one simple thing you can do right now. At the height of my depression, I would wash a single coffee cup in a sea of dirty dishes. That one thing would afford me just enough hope to do another thing and another.
• Sleep a lot. I was feeling rundown, so I went to the doctor. My doctor told me that I wasn’t getting enough sleep. I walked away cursing all doctors for the way they treat women. I tracked my sleep. It turned out that after a week of getting enough rest, I felt normal again.

It’s Okay to Go Slow

It’s okay to be selfish when you’re overwhelmed or troubled and can’t focus. Be kind to yourself even if you have to let a few people down. You’ll know when you’re stretched too far, and when you can push yourself just a little. At those times, write one sentence or lay down some gesso on a substrate. If you take it one step at a time, you’ll find you’ve walked farther than you thought possible.

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Written by:

Nicole Criona

Nicole Criona is a Creative Writing Coach and Owner of Los Angeles Writers Group (LAwritersgroup.com), where she runs creative writing workshops for aspiring authors. She specializes in coaching creative writers through their first (and often subsequent drafts).

The post How to Stay Focused During Troubling Times appeared first on Los Angeles Writers Group - Writing Workshops, Coaching for Writers, Developmental Editing.

I’ve been writing stories since I was a kid. I always hoped that someone would see the spark in me and take me under their wing. A few years ago, I had a breakthrough on a story. I thought I nailed the mystery and suspense in the first dozen pages, but I wasn’t sure where the plot was going. I wanted support. 

At the time, I didn’t want help with grammar. I wanted someone who would take my work as seriously as I did to tell me that my idea had value. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anyone to give me feedback. So I started looking around for coaches and editors. 

A good writing coach can help you identify what you need. It turned out that I did want support, but I also realized that I needed someone who could help with plot, structure, character development, and scene-writing technique. I consider myself lucky that my first attempt at finding a Writing Coach landed me with someone who was a good match for me as an up-and-coming writer. 

Back then, I would have loved to have found an article that helped me figure out what I needed. A coach? An editor? What’s the difference?

What does a Writing Coach do?

A Writing Coach nurtures your abilities as a writer based on your skill level and genre. This involves recommending writing craft books and guides, competitions and events, and writing communities. They can also provide more in-depth analysis of your structure, scenes, and prose to develop your craft. They give you the tools you don’t know you’re missing. 

There are different kinds of coaches: Story Coaches, Support Coaches, Book Proposal Coaches, Publishing Coaches, and, of course, Writing Coaches. A coach provides ongoing feedback, motivation, accountability, and mentorship. They can act as motivators, supporters, and truth-tellers. 

Coaches can prepare you for the harshness of feedback. They can educate you on the difference between preference and craft, how to defend your choices, how to create a consistent narrative, and so much more. A good coach will help you understand your options for solving story or scene issues or even brainstorm with you, whereas editors may assume you already know how to fix issues in your manuscript.

Find a Writing Coach who can work within your genre. It doesn’t make sense to hire a coach who specializes in memoir if you’re working on a book of poetry. Many websites for coaches will specify which genres they work with and how to get in contact with them. 

Writing Coaches are different from Editors in that Writing Coaches support you while you’re writing. A coach can provide the guidance and techniques to rewrite and self-edit your work-in-progress, but they’re not going to take over the responsibility of completely editing and reworking the project.

What does an Editor do?

An Editor appraises your completed work based on years of professional experience in literary publishing. They come in when your draft is complete, preferably after you’re several drafts into your story. Editors want to see your finished product. There are exceptions. Some editors do it all, as do some coaches. 

In the same way that Coaches can serve specific or multiple purposes, so can editors. This includes but is not limited to Line Editors, Copy Editors, Developmental or Substantive Editors, Proofreaders, and Acquisition Editors. For example, a Line Editor reviews the readability of a text, whereas a Developmental Editor approaches your book globally and helps with your overall structure, suspense, character development, and more. Generally, a Developmental Editor tackles your complete first draft. In an upcoming post, I will go into more detail about what each of these specialties means and how you can identify and utilize the terms for yourself as you self-edit. 

Taking in feedback can be a lot to handle early on. When your work is stricken with corrections and suggestions, it might bruise the ego a bit. Neither an editor nor a coach should make you question your abilities as a writer; instead, they are here to help build up your material to the fullest extent. 

Writing Coaches and Editors vs. Readers

In my previous article, The Difference Between Alpha Readers and Beta Readers, I discussed how readers often volunteer their time without asking for payment. That difference in cost is an important factor in choosing a reader versus a Writing Coach or an Editor. A coach can range anywhere between $50 to several hundred dollars per session depending on their experience, who they prefer to work with, and the number and length of their coaching sessions. 

An editor’s rate will be on a similar scale, often based on the word count. As mentioned, depending on what kind of editor you’re looking for and how complete your manuscript is, the pricing will also be affected by the specialty. 

Timing is important when you’re working with either a coach or an editor. If you’re in a crunch with your manuscript, be prepared to pay a higher price for a quick turnaround with an editor. Meanwhile, expect working with a writing coach to be a slower but motivating interactive process.

So, do I need a Writing Coach or an Editor?

No matter how much experience you have, writing consistently is a tiresome experience. Again, there is a longer-term collaborative rapport between the writing coach and the writer, whereas an editor tends to work separately from you and for one-time or multiple meetings, depending on your arrangement. Think of it this way: A writing coach is your first stop to generate a first draft, a developmental editor helps you with rewrites, and an editor is your last stop before you publish your work.

Maybe you’re struggling with getting anything onto the page at all. At that stage, a coach might be a good option because, like a sports coach, they’re meant to get you moving when you’re down and reframe your mentality as a writer. An editor should come in once you’ve gotten through writing a manuscript. Chances are, you’ll encounter editors and coaches at some point in your writing career. The fun part of working with either is  you  become a better writer. 

I hope this helps you on your writing journey and that you feel a bit less mystified than I did when I was first looking for support. 

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Written by:

Riley Sailer

Riley is currently working on a Horror novel and is coaching with Nicole. She has had a passion for writing for as long as she can remember. Though she graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in History and a minor in Film Studies, writing scripts and stories has always been her number one hobby. She currently resides in Southern California with the hopes of finishing her first novel by the end of the year. She also really loves pancakes.

The post What is The Difference Between a Writing Coach and an Editor? appeared first on Los Angeles Writers Group - Writing Workshops, Coaching for Writers, Developmental Editing.