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Writing

Pitching to Agents

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As a pitch and query editor at Eschler Editing, I know that in-person pitching can inspire fear in the most stoic of individuals. If pitching to an agent or editor gives you the heebie-jeebies, take comfort that you’re not alone, and then take a deep breath and get ready to shake it off. Because if you prepare, you don’t need to fear!

Up first, writing the pitch. Well in advance of the actual event, you should know the guidelines for your pitch—the duration of the session, the length of the pitch, and so on. Those are the parameters within which you’ll work.

In this article, we’re going to talk about writing and preparing a pitch that you’d deliver in person to an agent or editor in a 10-minute pitch session. Elevator pitches, one-line pitches, Twitter pitches, and other types of pitches can follow this same formula. See below for hints on tweaking for those formats.

So, Let’s Build Your Pitch!

Step One. Write down the following:

  • Title
  • Genre
  • Setting (where)
  • Protagonist (who)
  • Main Conflict (what)

Books are about someone. And they have stakes. You want to include both in your pitch.

Try to:

  • Evoke some emotion
  • Make your character stand out
  • Tell more about your genre without really saying it
  • Use as few words as possible

Step Two. Write down one vivid detail that makes any of the above elements in Step One different from everything else out there.

This is about making your story different. Think “Who, What, Where, and Why Should I Care?” It’s this last part that you’re focusing on here. Why should an agent care about your setting, protagonist, or main conflict? What makes them different? 

Agents/editors read a lot of slush. They hear a lot of pitches at conferences. Why is yours special? That’s what you’re aiming to say here.

Step Three. Answer three questions:

  • What is the barrier between the main character (MC) and what he or she wants?
  • Who is the villain? What is the BIGGEST thing the villain is keeping from the MC that prevents the MC from overcoming the conflict?
  • Does the MC have any special abilities (doesn’t have to be paranormal) that MUST be mentioned?

Answering these questions helps identify the uniqueness of your character and the inherent stakes in your plot. Both are essential to a pitch, no matter its length.

Step Four. Write down three “big” words—evocative words—that relate to your story.

You’re only going to use one of these, and you’re going to put it in the last sentence of your pitch. It’s essentially your curve ball—the thing that makes an agent/editor say, “I need to read your full, stat.”

Step Five. Set a timer for 5 minutes and write:

A one-paragraph pitch for your novel using the information you’ve collected in steps 1–4. In the last sentence, use one of your three “big” words to finish the pitch. This is a cliffhanger pitch. You’re not giving a synopsis of the book. You’re dangling a carrot, enticing the agent or editor to ask for more.

It’s important to note here that the pitch should be about 5 sentences, or about 125 words.

Putting It into Practice—the Example

We’re going to write a pitch based on the movie How to Train Your Dragon, following the steps above.

One sentence from steps one and two: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (title) takes place on the island of Berk, where fifteen-year-old Hiccup (who) lives with his tribe of bloodthirsty Vikings—but he can’t bear to deliver the fatal blow to a dragon (something interesting/unique/vivid—and to make it even better, it’s the conflict).

Three sentences that convey the conflict and stakes from the three questions you answered in step three: Hiccup wants to impress his dad (the “wall”)—the tribe’s chief (more conflict)—with his dragon-slaying talents, so he enrolls in dragon training (bigger “wall”). Every morning he wields a mace and shield while sneaking off in the afternoons to play with the Night Fury he’s befriended. Eventually his weapons are replaced with games as he learns that dragons aren’t the monsters he’s been brought up to believe (minefield of conflict).

A final sentence from step four that has your “big word” and cliffhanger curve ball: Using his quirky sense of loyalty, Hiccup has one shot to prove himself and set a new course for the future of the entire tribe.

That’s it. Something you can easily memorize and recite in a couple of minutes. Make it snappy. Push yourself to write some awesome sentences. And stop at a point that makes the agent or editor have to know more.

Now’s the time to edit your pitch for length if you’re preparing an elevator pitch, a one-line pitch, or a Twitter pitch. See if you can take out the three middle sentences, leaving just your first and last. You might need to do some tweaking, combining, or rearranging. But at least you’ll have a base from which to work. Remember, all pitches should convey a unique MC who has a unique conflict with high stakes.

Step Six. Practice.

Practice in front of the mirror. In the car on the way to work. With a friend at critique group. Over the phone to your mom. Practice. Practice. Practice. You’re going to practice the pitch so much that you’ll have it memorized—which is the goal.

Whew! You’ve written and practiced your pitch.

Next, you’ll prepare for the actual session.

Preparing for the Live Session—a Few Tips

  • Level the playing field. An agent or editor doesn’t hold the key to your entire future happiness or your self-esteem. You weren’t hoping to marry everybody you ever had a date with, and finding the right agent is just the same. You’re both just looking for a good fit. Remember, the agent or editor is just a person. You’re a person. The agent/editor likes watching reruns of Seinfeld. So do you! Shake off the rejection anxiety.
  • Play to win. Research the agent. Know what the agent is looking for, what the agent has sold, and so on. You’ve written, memorized, and practiced your pitch. You’ve got this.
  • Act like the star player. Basically, this is a “fake it till you make it” statement. I’m telling you to pretend. Nervous? Pretend you’re not. Act confident. Act happy and friendly. Smile. Ask them how they are. If they’re enjoying the conference. Act calm, cool, and collected. Act like you’re exactly who they want writing books for them—because you are!
  • Leave time at the end for the agent or editor to talk. Realistically, introducing yourself, settling into the pitch, and pitching should take 3-4 minutes. In a 10-minute session, that leaves plenty of time for you and the agent/editor to talk more about your work.

While a request for the full manuscript is nice, it shouldn’t be your only goal. If you can get an agent or editor to give you feedback about your pitch—which is really feedback about your book—that’s a win.

Now, go write your pitch!

Headshot of Elana Johnson.

Elana Johnson

USA Today Bestselling Author, Top 10 Kindle Unlimited All-Star Author, and #1 Bestselling Author on Nook and Apple Books, Elana Johnson writes clean and wholesome contemporary romance, usually set on the beach or within the vicinity of the beach. Unfortunately, she lives in a landlocked state and must travel to the beach to get her fix, which her husband gladly accompanies her to do a few times each year.

She also writes contemporary Christian cowboy romance as Liz Isaacson and sweet romantic women’s fiction as Jessie Newton, and all of her books are part of the Feel-Good Fiction Books brand.

This article appears courtesy of Eschler Editing.

    How “Save the Cat” Can Save Your Story – Part Three

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    Previous Parts
    How “Save the Cat” Can Save Your Story – Part One
    How “Save the Cat” Can Save Your Story—Part Two

    In my last article, we talked about Save the Cat’s “Transformation Machine.” In this article, we’ll learn about the next three plot beats that draw on your hero’s want while planting subtext about their emotional wound and true need. If you know your hero’s background, you can infuse the story with that rich resonance we want to create with our readers. Studies have shown that most readers will read about 25% of a story before giving up, so these next beats are all the more important. Resonance is the key to hooking your reader and keeping their interest.

    The first three beats—Opening Image, Theme, and Set-up—established our world, the main characters, and the hero’s essential problem. Now it’s time for the plot to come crashing into the hero’s life in a very big way.

    Beat 4: Catalyst

    The Catalyst is a single-beat scene that hits around the 10% mark of your story. Think of this event like a bomb going off in your hero’s life—it’s unexpected (to them, though the reader may anticipate it), upsets everything, and can’t be ignored. If you can honestly say that the hero could ignore the Catalyst—you know, if he weren’t in the book you’re writing—then chances are good it’s not a sufficiently disruptive event. While the hero will spend the following few chapters debating what to do in response to the Catalyst, the truth is they have no choice but to act.

    Pro Tip #1: Imagine your hero going about their day—same-old, same-old—when a bomb smashes their house to bits, leaving them alive, but suddenly living a very different life. That’s the kind of impact your Catalyst should have.

    Beat 5: Debate

    When writers feel like something is “off” with their manuscript, I always review the Catalyst and Debate. Getting these two beats wrong will mess with the book’s flow. In these cases, I find the Catalyst is almost never life-changing enough, and the Debate is never (I mean, never) long (or deep) enough.

    The Debate should be 10% of your book!

    If you’re writing a 100,000-word long book, the Debate alone will cost you 10,000 words. That’s a lot of words! My chapters tend to be 2,000 words long, so I’d need to write five chapters of Debate. That’s 10% of your story spent on boring stuff.

    Or is it?

    The Debate is only boring if you write it that way.

    Imagine that Beat 4’s bomb lands on your hero’s house and everything goes up in flames. It’s a total loss.

    Beat 5 asks, “What now?”

    If (as is common for many writers when they first come to me) your answer is, “Then she moves in with her boyfriend, and it’s awesome, and they live happily ever after!” then, well, you have a problem. That’s not interesting, and it’s not real life.

    The Debate beat allows you to lean into what you know about your hero and the internal journey you want to take them on.

    In real life, if a bomb randomly blew up someone’s house, the victim wouldn’t stop talking about the event. They’d have a hard time working, sleeping, eating, or doing anything. Their mind would be on a constant loop of “A bomb just destroyed my house!”

    First, they’d freak out a bit. (Understatement.) Then they’d call the fire department, police, and a friend—because where are they gonna sleep? And what will they wear/do/think? Everything they owned was just destroyed. (More freaking out.)

    They’d talk to the police and insurance people. And talk to them again. The place where they spent their first night might not be where they want to stay long term, so they’ll talk to more people and make more arrangements.

    They must pick through what’s left of their life, which will be so hard. Lean into that pain.

    This is an opportunity to make a change. Maybe they work from home, so really, do they want to rebuild on the same lot? Or do they want to follow their lifelong dream of living and working in Belize? Do they even want to build another house? Maybe they want to move downtown into a trendy condo. The options are endless, challenging, and ultimately, revealing. They might even find themselves thankful for that bomb because the misfortune will allow them to fix everything that’s wrong with their life.

    That hope, that belief that they’re in control and know what they’re doing is exactly where you want your hero to be as they Break into Two (Beat 6).

    Pro Tip #2: If your Catalyst doesn’t yield this kind of life-altering dilemma, it’s not big enough or radical enough.

    Pro Tip #3: Make a list of everything that needs to happen because of the Catalyst, then build your Debate. You’ll discover plenty of material to fill that 10% of your book, and it will inform Act 2 in powerful ways.

    Pro Tip #4: If you’re writing a “Call to Adventure” story, the Debate can be a preparation beat—but should be no less demanding of your hero.

    Beat 6: Break into Two

    The Break into Two beat is a single scene showing your hero choosing to move into Act 2. The event should be physical and occur entirely of their own volition.

    This shift from the set-up phase isn’t Harry Potter going to Hogwarts. It’s Harry running head-first into a brick column, believing it’s a magical gateway to wizarding school.

    It’s not Katniss volunteering to be Tribute. It’s Katniss boarding the train from District 12 and stepping off into the completely different world of the Capitol.

    A bold decision or action provides the perfect lead-in to Act 2—otherwise known as the Upside-Down World. But you’ll have to wait for the next installment to learn how to solve that whole “messy middle” business.

    Here’s a hint: With Save the Cat, there’s no such thing as a “messy middle.”

    A headshot of Ali Cross.

    Ali Cross

    Ali Cross is a USA Today bestselling author, motivational speaker, and story development coach who loves to help writers level up both professionally and personally. A happiness enthusiast and believer in hope and magic, Ali’s a sucker for underdogs, redemption stories, and happily-ever-afters. She explores the concept of joy and where it can be found in her YouTube show and podcast, Write4Joy. She lives in Utah with her hacker husband where they collaborate on stories, artificial intelligence, and their plan for virtual world domination.

    Find Ali at her website or @thealicross online.

      Art Can Make You a Better Writer

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      I am a visual learner. Images help me remember and understand things more thoroughly. Art has helped me become a better writer as well. Here are four ways to harness the creative power of art in your writing.

      Turn to Art for Mental Respite

      Art can inspire creativity by activating the part of your brain that is responsible for contemplation and daydreaming. Your brain isn’t designed to stay in work mode constantly. Giving your mind a break from structured assignments allows it to relax—it’s like a brain vacation. When my kids were small, they once sent me to my room for a time-out. It made for the best day ever! Sometimes your brain just needs a break.

      Reflect on Art to Inspire Your Writing

      Slow down and take time to analyze artwork or an interesting photo. Give yourself a moment to ponder about the details and reflect on your impressions. Doing this can lead to new ideas and give you insights that will spark your writing.

      A painting called Pirates by Ned Young, an artist from Brigham City, Utah, hangs on our living room wall. It depicts two young boys standing atop a haystack next to a barn. One boy holds a sword and wears an eye patch, while the other boy looks through a telescope. Beside them, a skull-and-crossbones flag waves on a pole. When I look at that painting, it takes me to a place in my childhood. I can smell the hay. I can feel the summer heat. It makes me wonder if cats live in the barn. Are the boys looking for a place to hide treasure, or are they escaping from hungry cannibals? I get all these impressions from a watercolor painted in Utah.

      Art isn’t just displayed in galleries—it’s all around us. You can find artistry in the way leaves overlap and create interesting compositions. Cloud formations are one of my favorite works of art. Look closely at a spider web or ripple patterns in the water. Find music in the sounds around you. Our Father in Heaven is the ultimate artist.

      If you make art appreciation part of your life, your observation skills will grow. Your ability to write accurate descriptions will improve as you increase your awareness of the world around you.

      Cultivate Empathy through Art

      Elevating your awareness of the creativity around you can increase empathy toward others. As you pay more attention to the subjects in art and how they are portrayed, you may notice details that evoke an emotional response. For example, The Child’s Bath by Mary Cassat holds a special place in my heart because it depicts a woman bathing a toddler, and it elicits feelings of comfort, love, and contentment.

      The Child’s Bath by Mary Cassat

      On the flip side, The Scream by Edvard Munch also reminds me of motherhood, particularly when my kids haven’t picked up their Legos, and I step on one.  

      The Scream by Edvard Munch

      Find Story Ideas in Art

      When you ask questions about what you’re seeing and why the artist portrayed the image in the way they did, it can kickstart your creativity. You can explore even further by inserting yourself into the picture and asking questions from a new perspective. What made the artist choose this subject? If you were the person in the painting, why are you in that setting? What is your story? Engage your senses as you ask these questions. What might you taste, smell, or hear in this situation? Use your enhanced focus to sharpen the way you write your descriptions.

      Take the opportunity for an art break, whether it’s enjoying a painting, a sculpture, or the intrinsic beauty of nature. Art will stimulate your mind, boost your creativity, and help you become a better writer.

      A headshot of Cathy Witbeck

      Cathy Witbeck

      Cathy Witbeck is a Canadian-born author-illustrator transplanted to the USA. She remembers writing and drawing ever since she could pick up a pencil. She did an especially lovely piece of artwork on the side of the septic tank with house paint at a very young age. Perhaps that’s when it was discovered that she was gifted, or maybe it’s why she was sent to the USA.
      She has five grown kids and one grown husband. When she isn’t writing and illustrating, she is chasing after grandkids intent on making their own artwork.

        Four Steps to a Page-Turner

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        Forget the old adages you’ve heard. In a real race between a tortoise and a hare, the hare would win every time. It’s biology. And what applies to biology applies to writing as well: no one wants to write at tortoise speed or produce a book that would make a tortoise yawn—especially when all the hares out there are rushing to compete for today’s readers (and their short attention spans). Here are a few steps to transfigure your fictional tortoise into a hare.

        Step 1. Offer your tortoise a carrot. Every character needs a reason to press forward with increased purpose. Without a goal, we flounder then wallow in the comfortable couch of laziness. Long-term goals are vital to a plot, but short-term goals are the steps to get there. Without them, your story will lag and your audience will drift off to sleep. If you want a title to study, Robison Wells offers lots of carrots in his book Variant. First, he establishes an environment that makes his character uncomfortable. Because the character is not the type to ignore an itch, he feels compelled to set short-term goals along the way—to find out more about what makes his environment tick. The more he discovers, the more unsettled he becomes.

        Step 2. Remove distractions. If you’re going to offer your tortoise a carrot, you’d better make sure he doesn’t already have lettuce to nosh on. There are times when distractions are appropriate and interesting, but if your story is dragging and you need to speed things up, your character needs to focus. Remember the importance of short-term goals: write less thought and more action. If your character is focused on beating that rival, delivering that package, or sending that life-changing letter, the inherent conflict is more immediate and important, and your character has to fight harder to accomplish his goal. Without pesky thoughts to distract him, your character is free to follow his gut, which inevitably leads to mistakes, loss, and increased tension—all things that speed up your prose and force your reader to pay attention. In Divergent, Tris’s survival frequently depends on her ability to focus on the task at hand.

        Step 3. Turn your tortoise on its back. It may be difficult to watch him struggle with his legs flailing in the air, but this struggle springs from his primal desire to survive, and it ultimately strengthens him. The writhing tortoise is in danger and may lose everything. This vulnerability is something with which every reader empathizes. Empathy ties your reader to your character’s fate, making every kick of every limb more important. If your readers cheer for your character, they won’t want to walk away in the middle of the race. In most contemporary novels, the inciting incident that puts your character’s physical, emotional, social, or spiritual world in danger usually happens in the first chapter of the book. The resulting vulnerability and struggle carry the reader to the novel’s end. Any time your character discovers the reality he has long believed is riddled with lies or half-truths or realizes the depth of his personal flaws or challenges, your character has essentially been turned on his back and is forced to set his life—or his understanding of it—aright.

        Step 4. Use magic words. Active verbs and descriptive nouns illustrate everything your reader needs to witness without wasting time or crowding the page with heavy blocks of text. Experienced authors not only know which words to include, but which words to cut. Remove the words that slow your prose to a clunky, awkward creature carrying its house on its back. Twist passive phrases into active voice. Precision wordsmithing sculpts a lithe, muscular machine built for speed. One of the best wordsmiths I’ve ever read is Jerry Spinelli. He magically tells an emotional, intricate story with a few precise words. Maniac Magee is still one of my favorite novels, and it is practically poetry—every word in this book counts.

        Do This Now

        • If you haven’t read Jack M. Bickham’s Scene and Structure, read it, mark it up, and memorize as much as your brain can hold. Bickham’s amazing explanation of the importance of goals and how to create believable conflict will change the way you approach fiction writing and will give a nice backbone to your creative content.
        • Read through your manuscript and break it down into goals. Do this either through highlighting or by writing a few words in the margin describing each goal. If you go a page or two without making any marks, odds are you’ve hit a lull in your story.
        • Play the what-if game. This little game is one of my favorite plot/character developing techniques, and it’s a game that Orson Scott Card recommends in his book Characters and Viewpoint.  Let your imagination run wild, asking what-if questions that put your character in different situations, have him come from different backgrounds, or challenge him with different types of conflict. Follow through on these questions and imagine where the changes would lead your character. This process has revealed some fantastic plot twists for many authors.

        What techniques have you developed to keep your novel moving?

        A headshot of Amy Maida Wadsworth.

        Amy Maida Wadsworth

        Amy Maida Wadsworth published three novels with Covenant Communications, which are available for Kindle and Nook. Amy started teaching fiction writing in 2006 and has been a writing coach ever since. She works as a freelance editor and blogger for Eschler Editing and is pursuing her master’s in human development and social policy. This article appears courtesy of Eschler Editing.

          How “Save the Cat” Can Save Your Story—Part Two

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          In Part One of our article series, we introduced “Save the Cat” (STC) Acts as a guide to help you understand the purpose of each part of your story. Each act is broken down into “beats”—essential story parts. It’s entirely up to you how detailed you plan out each beat prior to writing, making STC completely customizable. As a rebel myself, I thoroughly enjoy things I can make entirely my own—and I suspect many of you feel the same too.

          The Transformation Machine

          Consider your hero’s transformation before outlining, and especially before you write. Knowing the hero’s wound (flaw or problem), their want (what they think will solve their problem or make them feel better), and their need (what you as the creator of their story know they truly need) will inform how your hero behaves at each beat. The Transformation Machine is about creating resonance between your reader and your hero by making the hero relatable. The more your readers can see themselves in the hero’s problem or flaw, the more readers will want to read about them.

          Enough chatting. Let’s get plotting!

          Thesis—or the World as It Currently Is

          Where we show our readers who the main character is, what’s lacking in the character’s life, and create that resonant bond between the reader and the hero.

          You need to establish a resonant connection to deliver on your story’s promises. The first three beats of Act 1—Opening Image, Theme, and Setup—are particularly      designed to do just that.

          Beat 1: Opening Image

          Beat 1 is a snapshot of the hero’s current life. You’ve heard the advice to start with action. A conflict reveals what’s wrong in their life, which captures the reader’s attention and builds resonant bonds. However, avoid so much action that the hero’s plight is lost beneath the action.

          Pro Tip: Imagine the ending and make your beginning the mirror opposite. If it ends with a happily ever after, then start the story with a breakup or with a character who can’t get a date.

          Plantser Tip: If you know the beginning and ending, you can happily draft knowing you’re heading in the right direction.

          Beat 2: Theme

          Beat 2 is “scheduled” for the 5% mark in a novel, but it’s very flexible. I like it during the first 10% of a book because it sets the tone for the character arc, but you can place it wherever makes sense to you—even at the beginning of Act 2. Later than that, however, and it loses its power.

          Imagine this beat as a conversation with your mom in which she says something wise and meaningful, but you brush it off because “she doesn’t understand.” The thing about moms, though, is that they usually do understand. You can substitute any kind of mentor/authority figure here. Deliver this advice or warning any way you see fit—a prayer, a song, a poem, an old wives’ tale. However it’s delivered, the hero needs to reject it, creating that resistance humans are so familiar with. By the end of the book, they’ll embrace the theme and grow—and perhaps inspire some positive change in your reader as well.

          Pro Tip: The theme is directly related to your character’s need. Knowing this need will help you craft the best rewards and punishments for your hero.

          Beat 3: Setup

          Beat 3 encapsulates up to 10% of the novel. Its purpose is to introduce the hero, the world, and hint at what’s wrong with the hero’s life. It reveals how the hero behaves at home, at work, and at play, which increases your opportunities to create resonance with your readers.

          Pro Tip: Don’t get hung up on “at home, at work, at play.” What’s important is to show how the hero’s problem affects their family relationships, their success at work (or school), and their friendships.

          Failing to establish these early beats is like trying to change a light bulb while standing on a cardboard box. You’re more likely to crash through the box than brighten your room.    

          -Ali Cross

          Examples of the Beats    

          In the opening scenes of The Hunger Games, Katniss struggles to do all the things under the worst circumstances. Poverty, oppression, and hopelessness are familiar conditions everyone fears. No wonder the book was so universally loved.

          In The Lion King, young Simba wants his father to teach him how to be a leader and a warrior, but his father never has time—another relatable problem. None of us have ever been lion cubs, but we’ve all experienced the sting of an absent or distracted parent.

          As we move into Beat 4, Catalyst, and Beat 5, Debate, we’ll be grateful we put hard work into those first three beats. I promise it’ll be worth it, whether you’re a Plotter or Pantser or something in between.

          See you next time as we explore “Fireballs, House Fires, and Other Disasters That Move You”—otherwise known as Catalyst, Debate, and Break into Act 2.

              

          A headshot of Ali Cross.

          Ali Cross

          Ali Cross is a USA Today bestselling author, motivational speaker, and story development coach who loves to help writers level up both professionally and personally. A happiness enthusiast and believer in hope and magic, Ali’s a sucker for underdogs, redemption stories, and happily-ever-afters. She explores the concept of joy and where it can be found in her YouTube show and podcast, Write4Joy. She lives in Utah with her hacker husband where they collaborate on stories, artificial intelligence, and their plan for virtual world domination.
          Find Ali at her website or @thealicross online.

            Tomorrow I Will Write a Book

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            I’m forming a club for people who feel like frauds when they call themselves writers. Prospective members are those who write on occasion, but don’t write often, haven’t finished anything in a while, and although they want to publish something, are working at such a slow pace that it looks like it’s never going to happen. This club would also be open to those interested in painting, drawing, sculpting, animating, etc. I know I’m not alone. Care to join me?

            Wait. I don’t want to be a part of this club. I want to write, but I’ve been saying that for so long. Am I supposed to give in and accept that I will never reach my goals?

            No. I refuse to give up, and you shouldn’t give up either. I’ve been trying to stop procrastinating for years. In this article, I will detail the steps I’ve taken to become a more productive writer.

            Step 1. Realize When You Are Making Hollow Excuses

            I don’t know about you, but my excuse for not writing was always, “I don’t have time.” My justification never changed because I never had time.

            Well, I had time to watch over seven seasons of The Walking Dead with my fiancé this year, and I don’t even like that show. Plus, I wrote and published three books while I was a pregnant stay-at-home mom with a toddler and later a newborn. I realized if I could be productive at that busy stage of my life, my excuse of “not having enough time” was really a way to rationalize my procrastination.

            How do we turn these bad habits around? We need to face reality and admit when we are choosing to procrastinate.

            Step 2. Confront Imposter Syndrome

            Maybe you tell yourself you’re not a “real” author because you’re self-published, you don’t have a critique group, or you stopped marketing the books you already have out. Or you’re not a “real” writer because you don’t write every day, go to writing conferences, or fraternize with other writers.

            Here’s a beautiful fact—having a desire to write makes you a writer.

            However, being a writer does not only mean you are someone who writes. To be a writer, you have to assume so many other roles. You must be a researcher, an observer, a comedian, a romanticist, an adventurer, and a storyteller. You read books, watch movies and shows, and listen to songs. You absorb other people’s stories in the media and the world and learn from them. Writing? Ha. That’s the easiest part of the process, where you get to sit and create stories on your own. Everything else you do as a writer, you are doing constantly. To be a writer is to see the world differently.

            And isn’t that part of why we write? To make sense of our observations?

            You don’t have to write a specific number of words a day or even write on a regular basis. Being a writer means you have the potential to change people’s lives with your words, even if you haven’t written them yet. Practice mindfulness. Talk to people. As you go through your day, notice the things you observe and what makes your perspective on the world unique. So, stop feeling like you aren’t a writer, an artist, or anything else. Accept that you already are.

            Step 3. Create Goals

            What exactly do you want out of your artistic career?

            There are so many subjects in different genres that I enjoy and want to write about. I have more story ideas than I may ever be able to write. I decided that if I was going to dedicate so much time to writing, I should make the most of that time and choose the path that would have the most positive impact on my career.

            Narrow down what you want to accomplish with your writing. Will you write books? Screenplays? Hire an illustrator and do web comics? Do you want your writing endeavors to be lucrative, or would you rather write for enjoyment?

            It’s easy to get caught up in thinking in terms of our materialistic world, but I find this mindset can severely limit my point of view and the options I’m willing to consider.

            Step 4. Pray for Help

            Pray about what to write. Pray for opportunities to write. Pray for alignment in your life, heart, and soul. Pray about what needs to change for you to be able to make your work a part of your life. Pray about how to use your gifts. Carefully consider what is going on and what needs to happen for you to be able to spend more time doing what you love.

            When we’re struggling with what path to take and everything we choose feels wrong, it’s important to remember to seek God’s counsel, and to give Him room to answer us. He knows how we can best use our talents to bless the lives of others, and He knows what’s best for us and all our needs, as well. For me, sometimes what feels right isn’t necessarily what I’d choose for myself. For example, when I got the prompting that I needed to publish a book as quickly as possible, the timing didn’t make sense. The book I wrote and published was not one that I would have thought to write at that time.

            I haven’t regretted changing my mind about something that felt wrong, and I’ve always been grateful for doing what feels right. I know I want to follow God’s path for me. As long as I feel like I have that going for me, I’m usually happy with where I am and what I’ve accomplished. And I know this path includes writing.

            Step 5. Take Responsibility for Time Management

            My last leg of this journey has come down to establishing priorities and being responsible with my time. I’ve had to get to know myself better to learn what practices help me feel the most accomplished.

            Discover what times of the day you’re most productive and get better at forming habits and routines. Self-discipline is not easy. I’d rather be editing my work than writing. But I’m telling you, navigating through this part is going to make all the hard work worth it.

            Step 6: Do the Hard Things

            Learn to accept and enjoy every leg of the journey. Learn to be true to yourself and validate yourself by celebrating your successes. Change takes time. Self-improvement requires healing. Sometimes other things need to take priority for a while, and that’s okay. That doesn’t make my desire to create any less valuable. Everyone loves the process of baking bread, but it takes time for wheat to grow. When you make your art a priority in every sense, you will find yourself able to stop procrastinating and become more productive.

            A headshot of Mariah Porter.

            Mariah K. Porter

            Mariah K. Porter is a member of the LDSPMA and the author of Tomorrow I Will Make a List: Managing the Depressive Habit of Procrastination. In addition to her nonfiction, she has also written That Prince Guy, This Glass Heart, and These Extraordinary Thorns, which are fairy tale retellings. You can learn more about her here.

              How “Save the Cat” Can Save Your Story – Part One

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              If you’re a Plotter—a writer who habitually outlines and pre-plans your books—you’ve likely heard of something called “Save the Cat.” But if you’re a Pantser—a writer who prefers to write intuitively and without a plan—I hope you will stop and take a look at this article because I believe “Save the Cat” method, or STC, is the perfect tool for every writer, even if you’re a Plantser—a writer who does a little of both.

              Origin of the “Save the Cat” Method

              Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by screenwriter Blake Snyder came out in 2005. The term “save the cat” relates to the moment when the unlikeable main character does something heroic, like saving a cat from a tree. This signals to movie-goers that there is a good side to him, so it’s okay to root for him.

              When we refer to “Save the Cat,” though, we’re most often speaking about the 15-point “beat sheet” Snyder presents in the book. The method caught on for novelists because Snyder’s analysis of a 150-page screenplay can also be applied to writing a novel of 250 pages or more. You can compare the novel-writing process to a road trip. The method breaks the process down into manageable parts like pausing at rest stops along the way as opposed to traveling on a never-ending highway where you have no idea where the next rest stop will be.

              With more readers these days wanting a movie-like experience when they read, the proven blockbuster movie formula is hard to ignore. It’s worked for hundreds of thousands of authors in the nearly two decades since the book’s release, and it’s a staple in many writers’ toolboxes—including my own.

              Road Trips and “Save the Cat”

              The STC Beat Sheet consists of fifteen “beats,” or story points. You can think of them as guideposts on a mapped road trip. You know where you’re starting, you know your destination, and you’ve planned some specific stops along the way. That’s the Beat Sheet. You wouldn’t want to go on a road trip without some sort of plan. Otherwise, you wouldn’t know how much time to take off work or where to stop for gas.

              But what if you prefer go-with-the-flow road trips where you’re free to wander from the main highway when something catches your interest? You still know how to get back to the main road, and you still know where you need to turn back—you just get to enjoy a little adventure on your way there.

              That’s “Save the Cat” too.

              Over a series of six articles, we’ll explore the meaning and purpose of the STC Beat Sheet and discover how it’s the best tool for all writers—Plotters, Pantsers, and Plantsers alike.

              Acts and Beats in “Save the Cat”

              The STC Beat Sheet is comprised of three acts and the following beats:

              Act 1: Opening Image, Theme, Setup, Catalyst, Debate, Break into Act Two    
              Act 2: B-Story, Fun & Games, Midpoint, Bad Guys Close In, All Is Lost, Dark Night of the Soul, Break into Act Three
              Act 3: Finale, Closing Image 

              Each act has a purpose, which helps us understand the beats within it. 

              Act 1 is your “thesis” world. It’s a statement of how things are. Each beat within Act 1 is a study of your protagonist’s regular life and how they interact with it. Even the Catalyst and Debate—the “invitation”—deal more with the life that is rather than the one beyond the horizon. Knowing you’re in the thesis world helps you focus your story and avoid rushing your reader.

              Act 2 is your “antithesis” world or the upside-down world. Just as the phrase “upside-down world” implies, nothing should feel commonplace or “normal” in this act. When you’re unsure what to write, write about what’s uncomfortable because it’s only when life pushes us out of our comfort zone that we truly learn and grow.

              Act 3 is your “synthesis” world. If Act 1 was one slice of bread and Act 2 was all the yummy stuff you put on a sandwich, Act 3 is the second slice of bread. Without it, you don’t have a complete story. Act 3 brings the hero from Act 1, who is a changed person due to everything they learned in Act 2, into a new world where they can save the day, get the girl, live happily ever after, etc.

              Examples of the Method in Action

              What “Save the Cat” does, above all else, is craft a story of transformation. It’s still about the plot, or story, but it guides you to create flawed, fallible characters who are challenged by the plot until they become changed people. Take Luke in Star Wars as an example. Anxious for adventure, he leaves the only world he’s ever known without a second glance (Act 1). Despite being told he has a gift for the Force, he can’t control it. He struggles with authority, eventually choosing technology over the Force (Act 2). But in the end, tools fail him, and he must trust the Force to accomplish what must be done (Act 3).

              In Iron Man, Tony Stark is unwilling to acknowledge any responsibility for the damage done by the weapons he sells to the enemy (Act 1). But through his humbling experience at the hands of those enemies (Act 2), he begins the arc that will transform him into a hero (Act 3).

              Gracie Hart from Miss Congeniality is a tough-as-nails cop who purposefully downplays her feminine side because she believes she can’t be both a successful cop and a beautiful woman (Act 1). But as she works undercover in a beauty pageant, she discovers she’s been wrong all along (Act 2). She learns to embrace who she is and what she is—woman, cop, friend—and in doing so, she finds she’s a happier version of herself (Act 3).

              Plotters, Pantsers, Plantsers, and “Save the Cat”

              A Plotter can take Act 1’s purpose and flesh out all the scenes that will demonstrate a character’s flaw.

              A Pantser can take Act 1’s purpose and let it guide them as they write.

              And a Plantser can do whatever they please—plotting when it’s helpful, and free writing when it’s not.

              As long as you keep the purpose in mind, any of these modalities will help you write your best novel yet.

              I hope this brief overview has been helpful. Stay tuned for the next article, where we’ll dive into the beats!

              A headshot of Ali Cross.

              Ali Cross

              Ali Cross is a USA Today bestselling author, motivational speaker, and story development coach who loves to help writers level up both professionally and personally. A happiness enthusiast and believer in hope and magic, Ali’s a sucker for underdogs, redemption stories, and happily-ever-afters. She explores the concept of joy and where it can be found in her YouTube show and podcast, Write4Joy. She lives in Utah with her hacker husband where they collaborate on stories, artificial intelligence, and their plan for virtual world domination.
              Find Ali at her website or @thealicross online.

                  

                Combining Art and Writing

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                Art and writing are separate disciplines, each creative in its own way. While art can enhance the way we look at the world, writing helps us process words and ideas. Both subjects boost our creativity, help us learn to solve problems, and act as stress relievers. For me, adding art to writing is like putting a dill pickle on a burger.

                It occurred to me that writing is like painting with words. Can the reverse be true? Can creating a piece of artwork be like writing a message? I think it can. Here are some ways you can combine art with writing.

                The cover of Pysansky Promise by Cathy Witbeck.
                1. Create a picture book—Ironically, my first picture book, Pysanky Promise, was about an art form, the art of pysanky, or Ukrainian Easter egg “writing.” The word “pysanky” derives from the Ukrainian word “pysaty,” which means “to write.” Messages are written using a process that involves drawing letters and designs on the eggs with beeswax and dipping them in dye. The art of pysanky is a very literal way of writing a message with art.
                2. Make a graphic novel—This format is like a picture book that grew up or a comic book on steroids. Hats off to people with this talent.
                3. Keep a doodle or art journal—I found an opportunity to combine art and writing when I started a Book of Mormon sketch journal. I realized that I learn and retain more information when I express my thoughts with visual images. This study journal is the kind of record I’d like to leave to my family as a legacy of my spiritual insights.
                4. Write and draw in a nature sketchbook—You can jot down simple sketches that you label and date, or include complex observations and facts about the illustration. Sketching allows you to notice small details you may have missed at first or second glance.
                5. Design a greeting card—When a card is displayed in a grocery store rack, usually only the top third is visible. Make that section of the card distinctive to catch the browser’s eye, and that the artwork matches the theme of the card. Avoid pictures of people, as a card should appeal to any ethnicity.
                6. Create a website—Design your own logo and curate a portfolio page. If these suggestions add way too many dill pickles to your burger, find someone who is experienced in web and graphic design.
                7. Offer free printables on your website—These resources provide a good way to draw in traffic while giving your reader documents to enjoy. You could also offer a bonus information link related to your printable topic, i.e., “Collecting Shells.”
                8. Add your art to a PowerPoint—As a JustServe specialist, I made a PowerPoint using my art to emphasize important information in my presentation. I drew an illustration of a woman with a pile of responsibilities to contrast with an illustration of kids in a hot air balloon. My point was to demonstrate that JustServe is not a program to weigh you down, but an opportunity to lift you in service to others.
                9. Use your art to enhance a newsletter, program cover, or bulletin.
                10. Create your own hand lettering or make your own font.
                11. Make a board game—Design the board and write the rules.
                12. If you really want to go nuts, create your own world map. You could even write a study guide to share details about the images you choose to include.
                13. Design a business card—A business card is a multi-purpose tool. When properly designed, it can advertise your services, showcase your brand, invite people to act, and provide contact information.

                 Items to consider when designing a business card include:

                a) Shape—traditional rectangle vs. something creative that reflects your brand.

                b) Size—you don’t want it to be so small that it gets lost, or so large that people use it as a fan on hot days.

                c) Graphics—a popular trend is to include a wordless visual with a QR code on one side and text on the other.

                I find that writing and making art build off each other. A story I’m working on will often give me an idea for an image I want to create and vice versa. Combining writing and art means I rarely run out of ideas. I keep track of them in a file and remind myself to be selective. A notepad sits beside my bed for brilliant concepts that wake me in the night. One morning I found the words “dill pickle” scrawled down on the paper. Maybe it was a reminder to combine art and writing? It’s a dill-ema!

                A headshot of Cathy Witbeck

                Cathy Witbeck

                Cathy Witbeck is a Canadian-born author-illustrator transplanted to the USA. She remembers writing and drawing ever since she could pick up a pencil. She did an especially lovely piece of artwork on the side of the septic tank with house paint at a very young age. Perhaps that’s when it was discovered that she was gifted, or maybe it’s why she was sent to the USA.

                She has five grown kids and one grown husband. When she isn’t writing and illustrating, she is chasing after grandkids intent on making their own artwork.