Book: Writing into the Dark: How to Write a Novel without an Outline
Dean Wesley Smith
https://books2read.com/u/mdWq0l
Ask any pantser: you don’t need an outline to write a best-selling novel. And USA TODAY best-selling author Dean Wesley Smith’s book Writing into the Dark tells authors new to the drafting strategy how to do it. At only 118 pages, Smith’s guide forgoes the fluff to share his strategy for finishing a first draft quickly, without plotting anything beforehand and with minimal editing required after. With advice intended to let your creative voice flourish and to maintain forward momentum, Smith’s suggestions can be a fun craft exercise or a strategic plotting approach for authors to explore.
Tool: Brick
Plenty of virtual platforms incentivize authors to keep writing with rewards, progress bars, or timers, but if you find yourself especially prone to distraction, it may be worth exploring a physical tool to keep you on task. Brick is an app that pairs with a 3D-printed device to lock you out of specific apps and websites on your phone. Select the distractions you’d like to limit, tap your phone against the Brick to lock it, then again once you’re ready to unlock it. Brick is currently only available for iPhone users, but developers are working on an Android-compatible version.
Podcast: Writing Excuses
Writing time is a precious commodity, but we’ll consider the Writing Excuses podcast a valid distraction. Co-created by Howard Tayler, Dan Wells, and Brandon Sanderson, its fifteen-minute educational episodes focus mostly on craft, though they’ve also explored a variety of writing-adjacent topics such as dealing with burnout, managing finances, and understanding the public domain. Each episode also includes a homework assignment for you to put the lesson into practice. Currently hosted by five authors, the podcast is in its nineteenth season; Sanderson became a host emeritus in December 2022.
