✍️ Tandem Services Coaching and Editing: That book you started in January…
Empowering you to write the stories of your heart and increasing your impact with a book. Helpful information for your writing career each month In this issue:
Craft: Why Your Book Is Stalled (and What to Do About It)It’s March. Those January writing goals are two months old now, and if you’re like a lot of writers, the momentum has fizzled. You might be feeling frustrated. Discouraged. Maybe even a little embarrassed that the book isn’t further along. Ask me how I know. 😩 Here’s the thing: a stalled book doesn’t mean you’re not a real writer. It doesn’t mean your book isn’t worth finishing. It just means something is getting in the way—and that something can usually be identified and fixed. Two Kinds of StalledNot all stalls are the same, and understanding which kind you’re facing helps you find the right solution. The accountability problem: stalled because of life and habitsThe book isn’t moving because you’re not writing. Obvious, right? But it’s not that you don’t want to write—it’s that other things keep winning. You’re busy. Tired. Overwhelmed. Writing keeps getting pushed to tomorrow. Or the weekend. Or “when things slow down.” You might not even know where to pick up again because it’s been so long since you opened the manuscript. Ask me how I know… The craft problem: stalled because something’s wrong with the bookYou’ve been writing, or you have a draft, but you’re stuck. Maybe you’ve written yourself into a corner. Maybe you know something isn’t working but can’t figure out what. Maybe you’ve lost confidence in the story itself. The draft exists, but it feels broken, and you don’t know how to fix it. Sometimes it’s bothSome writers face both at once. They stopped writing because they sensed something was wrong, and now they have an accountability problem layered on top of a craft problem. If that’s you, you’re not alone. What to Do About the Accountability ProblemIf your book is stalled because life keeps getting in the way, here’s what helps. Lower the bar dramatically. Forget writing for an hour; commit to fifteen minutes. Forget word count goals; commit to opening the document. Becca Syme, author success coach, is famous for saying just this: “Open the manuscript.” That’s it. Small, consistent action beats ambitious, sporadic action every time. Even just opening the file gets your book back at the front of your mind. It engages your subconscious. And you might even get excited about it again. Create external accountability. Internal motivation is unreliable—we all know this. Find a writing partner, join a group, or work with a coach. Track your word count, the days you opened the manuscript, or even just thought about your book. Some writers find that texting someone—even a non-writer friend—that they did their daily writing “thing” (whatever that is) keeps them moving. Having someone who expects to hear about your progress changes the equation. Reconnect with why this book matters. Sometimes we stall because we’ve lost touch with the reason we started. Spend a few minutes remembering what excited you about this story or idea in the first place. Go back to the why. If you’ve tried these things and you’re still stuck, coaching might be the structure you need. Sometimes having someone in your corner—someone paying attention to your progress and helping you identify what’s blocking you—is what makes the difference. What to Do About the Craft ProblemIf your book is stalled because something isn’t working on the page, that’s a different challenge. Name what you know. Even if you can’t articulate the exact problem, you probably have a sense of where things went wrong. Ask yourself: What’s the last scene or chapter that felt right? What’s the first moment I started feeling uncertain? My book, Eat the Elephant: How to Write (and Finish!) Your Book One Bite at a Time, has checklists in each chapter designed to help you pinpoint exactly this kind of thing. Step back from the draft. Sometimes you’re too close. Try writing a summary of your story from memory—not what’s on the page, but what you meant to write. The gaps between intention and execution often reveal the problem. Get outside eyes. Craft problems are notoriously hard to diagnose from inside your own head. A writer friend or a good beta reader might help you see where things go off track. One caveat: Readers can often tell you where the story loses them, but what they suggest as a fix is often wrong. They’re diagnosing symptoms, not causes. A developmental edit or a manuscript evaluation can identify exactly where the story is losing momentum and why, giving you a clear path forward instead of a vague sense that something’s off. If you have a draft, but you know something’s not working, this is exactly what I do. I can help you figure out what’s going wrong and how to fix it. Quick Wins to Rebuild MomentumWhether your stall is about accountability or craft, sometimes you just need a spark to get moving again. Go back to what you love. What’s your favorite thing about writing? The part that feels like play instead of work? Do that. Maybe it’s journaling from a character’s point of view. Writing some crazy fun scene that you might not even use. Doing research. Reading a craft book. Whatever lights you up—do more of it. I got stalled on my latest book when I just didn’t have enough time to sink into the writing. So I pivoted to short stories instead. I’m still playing with the characters, dreaming up fun situations for them, creating without the pressure of a full book. Maybe I’ll end up with bonus material for my readers. But mostly, it gave me back the joy of writing. That’s what matters. If you want more ideas like this, I put together an ebook called Jump Start Your Writing: Short Bites to Improve Your Writing Today. It’s full of practical strategies to get unstuck and start making progress again. And it’s free for you, my Insiders. One Last ThingA stalled book isn’t a failed book; it’s just a book waiting for the right nudge. The fact that you’re still thinking about it? That means the story still matters to you. And that’s worth something. If you’re stuck right now, reply to this email and tell me what’s stalling your book. Maybe we can brainstorm some solutions together. Here’s some links: Eat the Elephant: How to Write (and Finish!) Your Book One Bite at a Time Jump Start Your Writing: Short Bites to Improve Your Writing Today Learn more about developmental editing Kudos:Two of our folks have finaled in the prestigious Selah Awards: Jacqi Kambish with Stubborn Hope: Clinging to Christ When Life Is Messy Jennifer Lynn Cary with Bernadette: A Sweet, Quirky, Romantic Twist New release (and if you’re over 50, you’ll want to pick this up): Dr. Robert Keefer: Hear Better, Live Longer: How Well-Performing Hearing Aids and Medicare Reform Can Prevent Alzheimer’s and Save Lives If you’re one of my clients who has won an award, finaled in a contest, achieved bestseller status, has a new release, or hit some sales goals, let me know. I’d love to celebrate your wins with you! Where you can find meI’m teaching at the Author Learning Center March 10 at 1:30 ET on Start Your Story Right: The Five Foundational Questions You Need to Answer Before Writing Anything. Sign up here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/816666013440730200 I’ve been on a couple of podcasts recently talking about how to turn what you know into a book. 🎙️ The Thoughtful Entrepreneur with Josh Elledge: Proven Strategies for Entrepreneurs to Write a Transformative Book 🎙️ Business Roundtable with Dave Carr: How to Turn Your Expertise into a Book 📺 Tandem Services has a YouTube page! Check it out at YouTube.com/@TandemServices Want personalized writing advice? Share a writing, editing, or publishing hurdle you have faced or a question you have and I will email you an autographed copy of Eat the Elephant: How to Write (and Finish!) Your Book One Bite at a Time and send you a personalized five-minute video. Click here to find out more. Writing quoteIf it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. — Elmore Leonard Pressing on! Jennifer PS—You should assume any link in this Update is an affiliate link. It costs you nothing more but gives me a few pennies. 🙂 |
