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A ROUTINE THAT DOESN’T FIT by Kitty Bucholtz

March 9, 2010 by in category Archives tagged as ,

Last month, we heard from over a dozen authors who shared their writing routines with us at Routines for Writers. If there is one clear take-away, it is that there is no one right way to write. Perhaps not even one right way for each person.

When I started to realize that I identified with both the structured writers and the less structured ones, I began to ask myself some hard questions. Am I really as structured in writing as I think I am? If I were, wouldn’t I get more work done? If I tried more unstructured writing methods, would I be more successful?

The advice “learn what works for you” has never seemed more apropos. Because the advice I’ve been giving myself is not really working.

I’m a logical thinker in many ways. I worked in various areas of accounting and finance for close to fifteen years. I love playing with numbers, planning trips, and working with budgets – just for fun. So when I started to get serious about writing, I applied the same techniques to writing that brought me success in accounting. While sometimes everything aligns so that I’m producing massive amounts of work for a while, it doesn’t last. I finish books, but not with a routine or regularity that I can build a writing career on. At least, not according to conventional wisdom.

Which says to me that my routine is not working. More specifically, the way I think about routines and how to choose one for writing is not working.

Last week was the first week of class in my Master of Arts in Creative Writing degree. (Yay!) A very good time to re-think routines. I’m going to go back over last month’s guest blogs and highlight the areas that made me stop and think, “Yes! I get that!” Many of those moments popped up when I was reading about the less-structured writers. A bit of a shocker really.

Maybe my creative brain is trying to tell me that the structure I’m trying to impose on my writing is simply not a good fit. Maybe if I listen carefully, I will hear my brain suggesting some new ideas. I can’t wait to see how this year turns out compared to what I expected when I made my 2010 goals.

What about you? Did you have any ah-ha moments while reading any of the Author Crush blogs? Have you found that the routine you find successful in other areas of your life is or is not successful in your writing life?

Kitty Bucholtz writes light urban fantasy novels, romance novels, magazine articles, and really, anything that comes to mind. She is the co-founder of Routines for Writers (http://www.routinesforwriters.com/ ) and a post-grad student in the Master of Arts in Creative Writing program at University of Technology, Sydney in Australia. Even though she loves talking about, writing about, and teaching about writing, she’s pretty sure she knows at least three people who aren’t writers.

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It’s Worth It

January 9, 2009 by in category Archives tagged as

SAYING NO TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS

by Kitty Bucholtz

January is an excellent time to look back and take stock. Over the last year, I have been an active volunteer at OCC RWA and made a LOT of new friends. I’ve taken more than my share of writing classes online, and I attended my first RWA National Conference. I’ve said to yes to the majority of opportunities that came my way, opportunities that made me a better writer and a better person.

But looking forward to the year ahead, I see that I’ll need to be incredibly focused to achieve my goals for the year. I want to finish and submit a single title book that’s been wrapped around my heart. I want to write a category romance for Harlequin American Romance and one for Steeple Hill Love Inspired and see if I like writing them. (I think I will!) I’ll be running in a half marathon for the first time, and in fact, I’m running in three half marathons in 2009. I’m also moving to Australia, and may be enrolling in a master degree program. That’s a lot to do in one year!

In Sociology class in college, I learned that we experience distress and stress in our lives. One is negative and one is positive. But if you don’t give thought to why you’re stressed, you may not recognize the difference. That’s why saying no can be a healthy way to avoid distress and enjoy the things that add stress to your life.

I’ve already begun practicing saying no. I don’t necessarily feel good about it, but I can feel the negative stress fading. And that feels good! I’m even going to the library today to borrow an audio version of the book Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by Henry Cloud and John Townsend.

So among other things, I am going to say no to being a monthly columnist here on the Slice of Orange. This is my last blog, at least for a while. But I wanted to leave you with this thought: where can you say no to something in your life this year that will ultimately lead to you being a better person, a better family member, a better friend, a better writer?

It will probably be difficult to do, but trust me, it’s worth it.

Kitty Bucholtz is a co-founder of Routines For Writers, a new web site to help writers write more. Even though she loves talking about, writing about, and teaching about writing, she’s pretty sure she knows at least three people who aren’t writers.

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It’s Worth It

December 9, 2008 by in category Archives tagged as

BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS

by Kitty Bucholtz

I was talking to a writing friend yesterday who said she is tired of trying to write around what she hears the market wants, the agents want, the editors want. In these economic times, everyone would have us believe our efforts will be even harder to sell than ever before. But she’s done with worrying about it.

Why? Because she believes God’s plan for her life can’t be circumvented by an economic shift, or a change in publishing house staff, or a tightening of an agent’s client list. So what does she believe in? Following her heart, and pouring all her joy and honesty and passion into whatever story most grips her imagination, and believing that God’s power to work his plan in her life – whatever that is, publishing or not – is stronger than any other power on earth.

This conversation stayed with me because I’d been thinking along the same lines. This morning I was talking to God about the fact that I’m 40, for goodness’ sake, and how long was this going to take anyway? Then I remembered that the Israelites wandered around in the desert for 40 years asking the same question – how long? – until a young man named Joshua went scouting in the Promised Land. He and his co-spy came back to tell Moses and the rest of the millions of Israelites that even with all the enemies they’d have to defeat, it would be worth the trip.

Eventually Joshua did lead them over the river (even though people taunted him and accused him of leading them all to their deaths!) and it was worth the trip. But it wasn’t easy. I re-read some of the story of Joshua this morning and realized that nowhere in the Bible that I can remember did God say, “Be strong and courageous” and “do not be terrified” as much as he did when he sent his children into the Promised Land. The Promised Land, for goodness’ sake. And all those people were so afraid.

Just like us.

If there is a God who can miraculously place himself into a little baby human being, then allow himself to die with all the punishment of all the people who ever will live on his back, then raise himself from the dead and defeat death for all people for all time… Well, if there is a God who has that kind of power, then it’s irrational for me to believe that he can’t use my life for good in this world. He must have the power to make whatever good plans he has for my life to come to fruition. Regardless of whether the circumstances seem to suggest otherwise.

I’m doing my best to write stories for the sake of bringing more goodness into the world. I believe that is God’s plan for my work life, and I believe he will make that plan work out perfectly by the time I die, regardless of how much gets published. It’s hard because I see the battles ahead and I don’t know how to fight them, let alone how to be victorious. But if God really does have a plan for me, then…

it’s worth it.


Kitty Bucholtz is a co-founder of Routines For Writers, a new web site to help writers write more. She writes light urban fantasy novels with a romantic comedy spin – and loves every minute of it! Even though she loves talking about, writing about, and teaching about writing, she’s pretty sure she knows at least three people who aren’t writers.

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It’s Worth It

November 9, 2008 by in category Archives tagged as

GRATEFUL TO GOD FOR MY FAMILY

by Kitty Bucholtz

‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. – Alfred Lord Tennyson

There will always be disagreement about the truth of that statement. The same person might even change their mind about whether they hold that belief depending on where they are in their lives. It’s much harder to believe when you’re in the midst of loss.

When I went to Australia three years ago, I knew I’d be gone at least three months because of my husband’s job. Three months turned into thirteen, and we definitely felt the loss of our friends, our church, and for me, my OCC family.

I just returned from the chapter meeting and I’m feeling euphoric and nostalgic and full of gratitude even though I know I’ll be feeling a deep sense of loss this time next year when I’m back in Australia. Shannon Donnelly’s presentation on writing a synopsis was exceptional – the most pages of notes I’ve taken since Michael Hauge was here. Sue Grimshaw gave an excellent presentation about the Borders book buying process and what authors can do to promote themselves. Not sure if it was because she’s from Michigan (Go Wolverines!) or because she’s such a nice person with a great presentation, but I felt really inspired to keep going afterward even though I’m still unpublished.

But it’s not the professional information that makes OCC my family. I spent the day teasing friends and getting teased back. Several friends encouraged me to not give up on the kind of writing I want to do regardless of whether I’ve seen anything like it in the bookstore. A lot of people shared my excitement in moving back to Australia and listened with saint-like patience as I extolled the virtues of life there. One friend told me I would be missed and filled my heart when she said she would start missing me now. Aw! (Guys, it’s a girl thing. 😉 )

So what do I think? Is it better to have made friends and poured time and energy into them and found they became another family? Networked and shook hands and passed out business cards to strangers for years? And then up and leave for who knows how many years?

Yup. No question.

It’s worth it.


Kitty Bucholtz is a co-founder of Routines For Writers, a new web site to help writers write more. She writes light urban fantasy novels with a romantic comedy spin – and loves every minute of it! Read her article ORANGE YOU GLAD YOU THOUGHT OF THAT? in September’s RWR magazine. Even though she loves talking about, writing about, and teaching about writing, she’s pretty sure she knows at least three people who aren’t writers.

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It’s Worth It

October 9, 2008 by in category Archives tagged as

READER COMMENTS – OR THE LACK THEREOF

by Kitty Bucholtz

When my Internet browser opens, I have it set so that several web pages come up at once. Several – like the Slice of Orange here – are industry blogs that I’m keeping up with. I often find myself nodding and agreeing with the writer, or I’ll think of something about the topic I want to share. But I usually don’t have time to read and comment.

That made me think about my own blogs and how few comments there often are. I realized that a lot of times people are probably thinking what I’m thinking – I either don’t have time, or I don’t want to write “I liked that” or “I agree” because the comment seems so inane.

Keep that in mind when you’re writing. I’ve had dozens of magazine articles and devotionals published and – with the exception of my recent RWR article – I’ve only received one note from a reader. (Thank you, friends, for your outpouring of electronic high-fives on that RWR article!) People will like what we write and be nodding their heads, or shaking their heads, or thinking about it for a while, and we’ll never know. While sometimes my words may not affect a single person, a lot of times they will, if only one. We need to keep writing. Don’t stop. It’s worth it.


Kitty Bucholtz writes light urban fantasy novels with a romantic comedy spin. She is a co-founder of Routines For Writers, a new web site to help writers write more. Read her article ORANGE YOU GLAD YOU THOUGHT OF THAT? in September’s RWR magazine. Even though she loves talking about, writing about, and teaching about writing, she’s pretty sure she knows at least three people who aren’t writers.

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