Hey, it's Victoria + Zeb, the dynamic duo! To those of you who haven't had the wonderful opportunity to know who Zeb is, he is my little brother--all of seven years old and to quote him: "Sometimes, I'm a jokster." Today he's here to help me share all about the writing cycle--what it means and how it works. Zeb doesn't actually have the foggiest notion what we're talking about, but he's here because I'm not feeling well and we make a good team. :) It's ok, he'll pretend he's the top-notch authority on the writing cycle...he's good at pretending. :P
First off, what is the writing cycle?
This is the system one has in place for all their WIPs (aka Work-in-progresses). Using a system like this one helps with productivity, clarity in your work process, and yet keeps things interesting so you're not dragging on only one project forever.
How does the Writing Cycle Work?
It's like this. Say you have a WIP 1. You write this, then when you take a short break from that so you can return with fresh eyes, you write WIP 2. When you finish that you edit WIP 1 while taking a break from WIP 2, then go back to editing WIP 2 once you finish WIP 1. This is a very simplified version of how this works (I'll show you what my system looks like in a minute). You can do this with two books or five books, or whatever works for you. The processes of rewriting, editing etc may mean this cycle repeats itself several times. Sometimes you may overlap things-- for instance, editing WIP 1 while writing in WIP 2 at the same time. Or maybe you're planning WIP 3 while taking a break from WIP 2 and editing on WIP 1. Really it's just whatever works best for you. The great thing about writing cycles is it is totally adaptable for you personally as a writer.
**Zeb: Sounds great!**
So here's how it looks for me:
April 2015-- I wrote Jonas and Olivia.
Summer 2015-- I wrote and edited the stories for Wind Chimes, as well as doing a rewrite of my "Melinda"** Revolutionary War book.
November 2015--published Wind Chimes while writing Two-Faced Man for National Novel Writing Month.
January 2016-- Began editing Jonas and Olivia.
May 2016-- Second edit stage of Jonas and Olivia while doing a major reworking of "Melinda"**
July 2016-- Published Jonas and Olivia while writing Kind Heart, a modern-day novel.
So let's pause right here to remember that we are now looking into the future--we've covered the part of the cycle I've already been through and now we're looking at what's coming up. :)
August 2016-- Finish Kind Heart
September 2016-- Write and edit some modern-day Christmas short stories (I just love Christmas stories, guys! lol)
**Zeb: You know how you talked about doing short books with me before? Like 8 pages?
Me: Yeah?
Zeb: I think I might like to do that.
Me: Ok. We can do that. Now back to the post? :D**
November 2016-- Publish the Christmas story collection while writing The Needlemaker for NaNoWriMo.
January 2016-- Edit Two-Faced Man from 2015's NaNo and work towards publishing that! :)
April 2017-- Do my 4th rewrite of "Melinda"**
May-- Edit Kind Heart and prepare for publication
.....
I won't go on any further, because you probably get the picture. Now, I understand that this might seem crazy to some people, but it's what works for me. Another example of what might work for someone else might be like this: (Titles picked arbitrarily and off the top of my head.)
**Zeb: Off the top of my head? Haha, that's funny.
Me: Not literally! :P**
April-- Write A Thousand Songs
June-- Write Little Amy while editing A Thousand Songs
August-- Edit Little Amy while going through 2nd edit of A Thousand Songs
November-- Write We Were Happy Then.
December -- Publish A Thousand Songs.
.....
and so on.
The main point of the Writing Cycle is that you find a system that you are comfortable with that has you going in a sort of circular motion with your various WIPs. Why is this a good idea, instead of just working on one project for months on end with no breaks?
1 It lets you look at your WIPs with a fresh outlook when you pick up again a month (or more) later.
2. It helps you avoid writer's burnout by keeping things interesting.
3. You get to finish more projects quicker, because it's easier to focus on something in shorter terms and so therefore you accomplish more.
4. It helps you make time to edit your books if, like me, you don't care for editing and would rather be writing. A cycle gives you some writing projects to work on while editing, which helps eliminate frustration on the editing side. ;)
5. It provides a better "big picture" of your WIPs and the time each will take, which in turn makes things less stressful and more fun.
6. It lets you work on ideas you are passionate about without having to wait for WIP #1 to be published. (I know this would frustrate me so much! lol)
So that is the Writing Cycle. Do you use a system like this, or do you find it works better for you to focus on only one project? If you use a Writing Cycle, what does yours look like? Let me know in the comments below! :)
Oh and before I forget-- Jonas and Olivia, the Ebook, is having a huge sale from 28th to 30th! It'll be completely FREE for three days, so if you haven't gotten it yet, this is a chance for you to do so. In return for the free book, please leave me a review on Amazon...it would totally make my day! And if you are on social media, please feel free to use the hashtag #BookbugsRead. You can tag a photo of your book, tweet a favorite line, or tell me what you're thinking as you read it. :)
Hope you all have a lovely day! I just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the support you all give me. You all are the BEST and I really love you all so much and am so thankful for you guys. You mean a lot to me, so keep on being awesome! :)
**Zeb: Hey guys! I hope you like this blog post! If you have enough money, you should go buy Victoria's books! See you next time if there is a next time. Maybe I might publish some. Maybe it will become my own job. You know, publish 8 page books. See you later. Maybe!
Me: *internal lol-ing!* **
<3
Victoria
**All quotes taken directly from the mouths of the dynamic duo, Victoria + Zeb.**
First off, what is the writing cycle?
This is the system one has in place for all their WIPs (aka Work-in-progresses). Using a system like this one helps with productivity, clarity in your work process, and yet keeps things interesting so you're not dragging on only one project forever.
How does the Writing Cycle Work?
It's like this. Say you have a WIP 1. You write this, then when you take a short break from that so you can return with fresh eyes, you write WIP 2. When you finish that you edit WIP 1 while taking a break from WIP 2, then go back to editing WIP 2 once you finish WIP 1. This is a very simplified version of how this works (I'll show you what my system looks like in a minute). You can do this with two books or five books, or whatever works for you. The processes of rewriting, editing etc may mean this cycle repeats itself several times. Sometimes you may overlap things-- for instance, editing WIP 1 while writing in WIP 2 at the same time. Or maybe you're planning WIP 3 while taking a break from WIP 2 and editing on WIP 1. Really it's just whatever works best for you. The great thing about writing cycles is it is totally adaptable for you personally as a writer.
**Zeb: Sounds great!**
So here's how it looks for me:
April 2015-- I wrote Jonas and Olivia.
Summer 2015-- I wrote and edited the stories for Wind Chimes, as well as doing a rewrite of my "Melinda"** Revolutionary War book.
November 2015--published Wind Chimes while writing Two-Faced Man for National Novel Writing Month.
January 2016-- Began editing Jonas and Olivia.
May 2016-- Second edit stage of Jonas and Olivia while doing a major reworking of "Melinda"**
July 2016-- Published Jonas and Olivia while writing Kind Heart, a modern-day novel.
So let's pause right here to remember that we are now looking into the future--we've covered the part of the cycle I've already been through and now we're looking at what's coming up. :)
August 2016-- Finish Kind Heart
September 2016-- Write and edit some modern-day Christmas short stories (I just love Christmas stories, guys! lol)
**Zeb: You know how you talked about doing short books with me before? Like 8 pages?
Me: Yeah?
Zeb: I think I might like to do that.
Me: Ok. We can do that. Now back to the post? :D**
November 2016-- Publish the Christmas story collection while writing The Needlemaker for NaNoWriMo.
January 2016-- Edit Two-Faced Man from 2015's NaNo and work towards publishing that! :)
April 2017-- Do my 4th rewrite of "Melinda"**
May-- Edit Kind Heart and prepare for publication
.....
I won't go on any further, because you probably get the picture. Now, I understand that this might seem crazy to some people, but it's what works for me. Another example of what might work for someone else might be like this: (Titles picked arbitrarily and off the top of my head.)
**Zeb: Off the top of my head? Haha, that's funny.
Me: Not literally! :P**
April-- Write A Thousand Songs
June-- Write Little Amy while editing A Thousand Songs
August-- Edit Little Amy while going through 2nd edit of A Thousand Songs
November-- Write We Were Happy Then.
December -- Publish A Thousand Songs.
.....
and so on.
The main point of the Writing Cycle is that you find a system that you are comfortable with that has you going in a sort of circular motion with your various WIPs. Why is this a good idea, instead of just working on one project for months on end with no breaks?
1 It lets you look at your WIPs with a fresh outlook when you pick up again a month (or more) later.
2. It helps you avoid writer's burnout by keeping things interesting.
3. You get to finish more projects quicker, because it's easier to focus on something in shorter terms and so therefore you accomplish more.
4. It helps you make time to edit your books if, like me, you don't care for editing and would rather be writing. A cycle gives you some writing projects to work on while editing, which helps eliminate frustration on the editing side. ;)
5. It provides a better "big picture" of your WIPs and the time each will take, which in turn makes things less stressful and more fun.
6. It lets you work on ideas you are passionate about without having to wait for WIP #1 to be published. (I know this would frustrate me so much! lol)
So that is the Writing Cycle. Do you use a system like this, or do you find it works better for you to focus on only one project? If you use a Writing Cycle, what does yours look like? Let me know in the comments below! :)
Oh and before I forget-- Jonas and Olivia, the Ebook, is having a huge sale from 28th to 30th! It'll be completely FREE for three days, so if you haven't gotten it yet, this is a chance for you to do so. In return for the free book, please leave me a review on Amazon...it would totally make my day! And if you are on social media, please feel free to use the hashtag #BookbugsRead. You can tag a photo of your book, tweet a favorite line, or tell me what you're thinking as you read it. :)
Hope you all have a lovely day! I just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the support you all give me. You all are the BEST and I really love you all so much and am so thankful for you guys. You mean a lot to me, so keep on being awesome! :)
**Zeb: Hey guys! I hope you like this blog post! If you have enough money, you should go buy Victoria's books! See you next time if there is a next time. Maybe I might publish some. Maybe it will become my own job. You know, publish 8 page books. See you later. Maybe!
Me: *internal lol-ing!* **
<3
Victoria
**All quotes taken directly from the mouths of the dynamic duo, Victoria + Zeb.**
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