In 2020, Americans were encouraged to stay home and practice social distancing. For many authors, it turned out to be a great time to write a book. Writing a novel gave people something positive to focus on. Plus, at the end of the season of social distancing, those writers had a finished book.

If you’ve never finished a book and want to do it better, Tricia Goyer can help. She is a USA Today bestselling author, a two-time Carol Award winner, and she’s published 75 fiction and nonfiction books. If that wasn’t enough, she’s also a wife and the mother of ten children.

Thomas Umstattd, Jr.: How did you go from unpublished writer to bestselling author?

Tricia Goyer: I started writing when I was 22 years old and pregnant with my third baby. I had been a teen mom and then met and married my husband, and we had two more kids right away. I saved up all my money from babysitting other people’s kids while I was watching my own, and with that money, I attended the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference and learned all about writing.

I started by writing magazine articles. My first novel got published about five years after I started attending Mount Hermon. Since then, I’ve just had one contract after another. I’ve written about four books per year, so I’ve been getting books published for over 20 years.

Thomas: So, Mount Hermon was the key to being published?

Tricia: Yes. Attending the workshops and learning from the great teachers was imperative. l met a lot of wonderful authors like Robin Jones Gunn, Lisa Tawn Berggren and they have been wonderful, inspiring mentors. In fact, they connected me with my agent. Writers conferences are great for that face-to-face contact and building relationships. Most of the editors I have published with, I’ve met either at a conference or through a private event, such as a lunch or dinner with my agent.

How do you make the most of your writing time while you’re at home?

Thomas: Just because we’re home doesn’t mean we’re making time to write. It’s easy to fill the day with other things. How can we make the most of that time at home?

Tricia: Ever since I started writing, I’ve always had kids at home, and I’ve always been working from home. There’s always laundry to wash and food to cook. I homeschool our kids, so there are plenty of things that can fill my time.

Here are some tips that will help you write more productively:

Set a Word-Count Goal

First, we have to determine what our writing goals are and set a daily word count. Then, we aim to write every day. I usually don’t write on Sundays, but every other day I’m writing because that just keeps my mind going. The key to meeting your word count, regardless of whether it’s 500 or 3,000 words per day, is to stay off social media, Netflix, and the news until you meet your word count goal. That has been the key for me.

I’ll just keep in mind how much I plan to write each day. In fact, I started a novel three days ago, and due to all my kids’ sports activities being cut due to the virus, my goal is to write 3,000 words a day. For the past two days, I’ve achieved that goal. I don’t allow myself to watch Netflix or The Voice until I’ve met my writing goal.

Your family will adapt. They understand that this is mommy’s or daddy’s writing time. Once I finish my writing, we can play a board game, watch a movie together, or do something else as a family. Since I homeschool, my kids sleep in until 9:00 or 9:30, which gives me valuable time in the morning to get my writing done.

Thomas: I think this is a great tip for those who have recently started homeschooling. Letting your kids sleep in can be very effective. Most kids will happily sleep in if given the chance. Meanwhile, you can wake up early and get your writing done. This is a brilliant strategy. It’s a win-win because kids are unlikely to wake up early just to interrupt you.

Another trick we haven’t tried yet, as our daughter is still too young, is to say, “Mommy is going to take a nap now, and when I wake up, we’ll all clean the house.” Kids won’t want to interrupt your nap because they don’t want to clean. However, letting them sleep in is an even better trick because no kid wants to wake up early unless they are very young.

Batch All Your Tasks

Tricia: Once you figure out what you’re going to write for the day, try to batch tasks as much as possible. We still cook, clean, and do other chores. To batch those chores, I often cook two dinners at once. I’ll prepare meat for spaghetti sauce and also for tacos for the next day. Batching tasks can save time.

Since we’re all stuck at home, don’t worry about keeping the house spotless. No one will be visiting to see the mess. Skip the dusting and vacuuming. My kids have regular chores, but it’s okay to let some things go.

When you sit down to write, allow yourself to write messy. We often strive for perfection and want everything to look great on the page, but it’s more important to get the words down. I might skim what I wrote the day before to get an idea of where I am, but then I keep writing without going back to fix sentences. This helps me maintain the flow because when I stop to edit, I start to lose track of the characters and the conflict. Focus on keeping your mind in the flow and just keep writing.

Thomas: You can still edit later, but you’re focusing on writing first and taking one task at a time.

Imagine you have to clean the garage and do the dishes, but instead of doing one job and then the next, you wash a dish, then run out to the garage to organize, and then go back to the kitchen to wash a dish. You spend all your time walking from the garage to the kitchen and back. And at the end of an hour, you haven’t made much progress on either chore.

Sometimes, we don’t realize how hard it is to switch gears in our heads. Writing and editing may seem similar because they happen in the same Word doc, but they require different brain functions. When you’re writing, live in that creative space and don’t edit.

It’s hard, but if you can discipline yourself to keep writing and editing separated. You will write faster.

Tackle One Task at a Time

Tricia: To go along with that, when I need to research something, I don’t stop my writing flow. For instance, I’m currently working on a World War II novel set in Prague. Even though I’ve been there many times and love the World War II era, there are still details I might not know, like what happened on a specific day or what a uniform looked like. Instead of stopping to research, I leave a note for myself.

If I were to pause and start researching, I’d likely end up down a rabbit hole, learning about different uniforms for Austria and the Czech Republic. It would take forever and break my writing flow. So, when you’re in the middle of writing, just leave a note, like “check uniform” or “fill in details of the room,” and keep going. Don’t stop to fill those details in right away, as it can disrupt the flow of your plot.

When you’re in research mode, you can go down that list you’ve created for yourself and knock them all off.

Match Your Energy to Your Task

Thomas: Research requires less energy for me. Writing is the highest energy activity. If I’m tired, perhaps after a carb-heavy lunch when I feel brain-dead, I can still manage to do research. However, I can’t write effectively in that state. I have to prioritize tasks and match high-energy tasks with high-energy times.

The temptation is to start the morning by checking your email, which is a low-energy activity. However, we often use our most valuable, high-energy time for this, which is a tragic mistake.

Tricia: That’s true. When I wake up, my mind is already active. So, I avoid looking at email or social media and immediately open my document to start writing. However, not everyone is a morning person. Some might get a burst of energy in the afternoon, while others might feel it at night after putting their kids to bed. It’s important to identify when you are most alert and focused and use that time well.

For years, my peak time was in the afternoon after homeschooling. I would dedicate two hours to writing, and my body and mind got used to that routine. Even if you’re distracted or don’t feel like writing, just start. Often, after a few paragraphs, your creativity will kick in. If you’re unsure what to write, begin with any idea that might fit into your book, and soon everything will start to connect.

Guide Your Subconscious

Thomas: Here’s another pro tip: late at night, read what you wrote last before going to bed. This can actually guide your dreams to focus on your novel. Dreams are all about solving problems, making connections, and storing your experiences in memory. Your brain is very active while you dream, and you can leverage that subconscious brain work to solve plot problems.

Instead of binge-watching Netflix before bed, try cutting out that last episode. Read part of your own novel instead. This way, you might dream about your novel and wake up with new ideas. Keep a notepad by your bed to jot down any ideas that come to you during the night.

Tricia: I just had an unnamed book that I started a couple of days ago. I woke at 4:00 AM and had the perfect title in my head.

One thing you might want to avoid is researching unsettling topics before bed. While working on my novel Night Song, which involved the Nazi occult and seances, I did some research at night. This gave me terrible nightmares, so I had to stop. It was not a good experience.

Thomas: Guide your dreams in a good direction, not on the crazy bad stuff you’re researching. That’s a great principle.

You Don’t Have to Write Scenes in Order

Tricia: We often believe we must write the novel in order. But, if you think of a scene that might be three-quarters of the way through the book, halfway through, or even at the end, go ahead and write it. If I’m homeschooling and an idea for a scene comes to mind, I’ll take a break and write it down. I’ll tell my kids, “Let’s wrap up this page,” and then I’ll spend ten minutes jotting down the idea.

We think we’ll remember these ideas later, but it’s better to write them down immediately. Keep a notebook handy when you’re making dinner or folding laundry. Your mind is already working ahead on these things, so make notes. Sometimes, I run to my computer or use OneNote on my phone to leave a note for myself. Capture these ideas throughout the day to encourage your creativity to keep flowing.

Get Your Family Involved

Tricia: If you have a family at home like I do, get them involved. Your kids can do a lot more than you might think.

I have a chore chart that has been on the wall for three years. It’s a rotating schedule, so the kids know which day they are responsible for the kitchen, the living room, or the bathroom. They also have dinner chores, like loading and unloading the dishwasher, wiping down the counters, and sweeping. Everyone knows what they need to do each day. Starting at age ten, they do their own laundry.

Often, we feel like we have to serve our kids and do everything for them, but they need to learn these life skills. Assigning chores not only teaches them responsibility but also gives me more time to write. I love cooking, and I use that time to listen to audiobooks. Once we’re done eating, I go back to the couch to jot down notes or do some research while my kids clean the kitchen, put away food, and take care of other tasks.

With more time at home now, we have a great opportunity to teach them how to do laundry, fold clothes, load the dishwasher, and even help with meal prep. My kids enjoy cutting up vegetables and using sharp knives. Training them in these tasks not only helps you in the short term but also prepares them for life.

Thomas: As a younger person who has observed the impact of the “do everything for your kids” parenting style on my peers, I can say it doesn’t do them any favors. I remember being in college and seeing guys in the dorm who had no idea how to do laundry because they had never done it before. Their mothers might have felt they were serving them, but in reality, these young men faced ridicule from their peers for not knowing basic life skills.

Don’t put your kids in that position. Teach them essential skills at home so they don’t have to learn them from others in a painful or embarrassing way. It’s not only beneficial for them but also for you, as it frees up your time for activities like writing your next book.

What are some tips for writing faster?

Lean Into Your Interests

Tricia: The more interested and compelled you are by the story, the faster you’ll write. Don’t write something just because you think it will sell if you’re not genuinely interested in it. I did that for years. I attended writers conferences and chased trends like teen fiction. At that time, publishers were looking for teen fiction, but I didn’t have teenagers, wasn’t involved in youth groups, and didn’t read teen fiction, so my novels fell flat. They were hard to write and uninteresting to me.

Then, I got interested in World War II, started interviewing veterans, and my excitement translated into my writing. These are the types of novels I love returning to.

Think about your passions. As I always say, if you had to give a TED talk or a 30-minute speech today, what topic could you speak about passionately? How can you tie that into your novel?

For example, I can talk extensively about veterans, concentration camps, and Kindertransports because I’ve interviewed people who experienced these events. These topics excite me, and incorporating them into my novels makes me enthusiastic about writing, eager to research more, and deeply invested in my characters. Identify your passions and find ways to integrate them into your writing. This will keep you motivated and engaged with your story.

Consider the Themes of Your Life

In one of the first workshops I attended at Mount Hermon, Robin Gunn talked about using the themes of your life in your novel.

She had us create an outline from birth until now, highlighting the highs and lows. For me, I was born to a single mom and became a teen mom. I didn’t know my biological dad, and my stepdad divorced my mom. In fact, I found out about the divorce on my wedding day when he told my husband that he would no longer be living with my mom, Linda, when we returned from our honeymoon.

These highs and lows have shaped my writing. I’ve written about women abandoned during pregnancy, inspired by my own experiences. I’ve adopted seven kids, and one of my main characters dealt with her relationship with her adoptive mom. My books often explore themes like abandonment by a father. Digging into these themes makes the stories emotional and helps readers connect with the characters.

My first novel, From Death and Ashes, was about the liberation of a concentration camp. A friend who helped me start a crisis pregnancy center read it and said, “That’s your story.” I was surprised because it was about a Nazi officer’s wife whose husband had been a guard. After the guards fled, she cared for and fed the prisoners. She was pregnant and abandoned, just like I had been. My friend pointed out that I was telling my own story through this character, reflecting my experiences as a teen mom who felt abandoned and sought redemption. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but I was sharing my personal journey and how I came to know God through the story of a Nazi officer’s wife.

Leverage Your Own Emotions

Tricia: Anytime you can really dig into those emotions, it enhances the story. I often find myself crying as I recall my own experiences and then let my character go through similar situations. This makes the story feel more real, deeper, and more emotional, which is exactly what we want in fiction. We crave that emotion because boring books are those where we don’t care about the characters—we don’t laugh or cry with them. So, whenever you can infuse your own emotions into the story, it makes a significant impact.

To write with genuine emotion, I sometimes write according to my mood.

If I’m having a really bad day and I have a bad attitude, I’ll write a scene where my character is having a bad day. If I’m having a really great day, I’ll write a scene where things are going well for my character. Using those emotions in your fiction really makes a difference.

Thomas: There’s a saying: “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.” You need to connect emotionally with your reader, even in nonfiction. Even if you’re writing academic nonfiction, you want readers to feel enlightened, motivated, or superior, but to generate that emotional response, you must be willing to be emotional in your writing.

That doesn’t mean being over the top or sappy. When I was writing my book, I reached a particularly painful part and found myself crying. That’s when I realized it was going to be a good book. It was the first time I felt a strong connection to the material. I didn’t cry in every chapter, nor am I an overly emotional person, but that moment was significant.

Working with writers, I’ve learned that finding that emotional core is essential. It might not always be tears. Perhaps your heart races with fear for your characters in an intense thriller. Whatever the emotional resonance is for your book, figure it out and lean into it.

Tricia: In my book Night Song, the main character is a 13-year-old boy who is a violinist and ends up in the orchestra at the concentration camps. At the time, my oldest son was 13, so as I wrote scenes of my character dealing with Nazi guards and life in the camps, I imagined my son in those situations. It was heartbreaking. Visualizing my son facing such horrors made the story incredibly emotional. While I was writing, I thought, “What if Corey were dealing with this face-to-face with a Nazi guard?” Even now, I get goosebumps thinking about it. Readers have told me they cried through the book and felt its emotions deeply.

When writing these intense scenes, try to imagine the scene is happening to your spouse or your child. Put them in that scene to evoke genuine emotions, and it will significantly enhance the emotional depth of your writing.

Determine Your Character’s Motivation

Tricia: When I start a book, I ask, “What does your character want more than anything?” Sometimes they will get it, and sometimes they won’t, but they’ll get something different, and the better result will satisfy your reader.

Once you know what they want (maybe it’s true love, to get the raise, to escape a death camp), write a list of ten things that will keep your character from getting what he or she wants, and you have your plot.

Often, we overcomplicate our writing by trying to figure out every detail. Instead, focus on making things as difficult as possible for your character without planning their escape in advance. This is a lesson I learned from Donald Maass in Writing the Breakout Novel. Don’t plan how the climax will be resolved. Just keep getting your character deeper into trouble.

There have been times when I had no idea how to get my character out of a situation, and that’s exactly where you should be. Even if you’re a plotter who likes to have everything figured out, resist the urge to plan their escape. This will create a scenario where your readers think there’s no way the character can get out of this mess. That’s exactly where you want them to be.

I guarantee that your mind will find a way to resolve the situation once you get there. Don’t plan it ahead of time; let the story unfold naturally, and your creativity will guide you to a solution.

Thomas: Some people say that the directors of Marvel movies love painting themselves into a corner because the next director has to fix the problem. Never using the same director back-to-back keeps the story creative and prevents it from being predictable.

Tricia: Predictable movies are the hardest to watch. Five minutes into the show, I can tell my kids what is going to happen, and sure enough, it happens.  

Thomas: I do the same thing with TV shows. I often predict the dialogue, especially with shows on ABC. I don’t know who the writers are, but I can sometimes predict word for word what a character is going to say before they say it. It annoys my wife, but she also finds it impressive. I explain that once you’ve studied writing structure enough, you can see where things are going.

What I find really interesting are shows where I can’t predict the dialogue. British shows, in particular, often surprise me. I’ll try to predict the lines, but they’ll say something entirely different, and my wife will laugh at me. It seems I’m not as in tune with British writers as I am with American writers.

Write Short Scenes

Tricia: There was a time when my writing ideas were falling flat and not getting anywhere. My proposals weren’t working, even though I already had an agent. I took a screenwriting class focused on writing very quick and short scenes. Once I applied this technique to my novel, it made a huge difference.

I recommend watching movies you enjoy to see how quickly the scenes move. You can even time them with a stopwatch—some scenes last only 30 seconds to a minute. Writing your novel with short scenes can make a big difference. Some authors give too much detail, but audiences today are used to the fast pace of movies and TV shows and don’t need all that filler.

In the past, novels were heavy on description and details. Now, it’s more effective to move quickly from scene to scene. As you write, ask yourself if the point is clear and how short you can make the scene while still conveying the necessary information or conflict. This approach will naturally speed up your writing process, and you’ll feel the plot quicken.

Play Mood Music

Another technique I use when my writing slows down is putting on some upbeat music. The rhythm helps my fingers move faster on the keyboard, speeding up my writing. Think about setting up your writing environment with the right music and space, and then challenge yourself to write short, impactful scenes, one after the other. Before you know it, you’ll see your book coming together quickly.

This method keeps you from getting bogged down in the middle of your story, where you’re not sure what’s happening or feel like the dialogue is dragging. Focus on making your scenes as concise and effective as possible, and you’ll maintain momentum throughout your writing process.

Thomas: Readers rarely, maybe never, complain about a book being too fast-paced.

On the other hand, if the story is really slow and it takes a long time to move from scene to scene, readers are more likely to put your book down.

Besides knowing what their main character wants, what else should an author think through?

Thomas: You mentioned the absolute necessity of knowing what your main character wants. If you don’t know, then don’t write the book about that character. Maybe the protagonist’s friend is the more interesting character. As you explore your characters, you might discover that the characters who are moving the plot forward aren’t the ones you thought they were.

What does a protagonist need besides a strong motivation?

Tricia: To find your main character, ask yourself, “Who is the story about, and who has the bigger stakes in the story?”

That side character might end up being the main character. If I’m writing a romance or any situation where there’s a male and a female protagonist, I ask:

• What does that other character want more than anything?
• What conflicts can I build between the two characters that will push them away from each other?

You’ll also have friends and foes who help and hinder your protagonist in getting what they want. The more directly opposed your characters are to one another the more interesting it will be. For example, if one character is trying to escape a concentration camp and another knows about it and is trying to keep them in, the conflict is high.

You also need to write a protagonist that has strengths as well as weaknesses.

Even your antagonist needs strengths and weaknesses. For example, maybe the antagonist is a horrible person to a certain group of people but really loves children. Building strengths and weaknesses into your characters makes them complex and interesting. Flat characters with light motivations are hard to care about.

When you add complexity to who they are, and what they want, you can add characters who will help or oppose them. Sometimes you might even have a character who you thought was going to be a friend that ends up being a foe.

I wrote a three-book series about an Amish girl. In book one, it seems she has a love interest. In book two, I introduced a completely different person as her potential love interest, knowing all along he wouldn’t be the one. Readers thought, “Oh yes, he’s wonderful.” But in book three, I totally flipped the story. I knew I was messing with the readers and planned it that way. People loved that series; it’s my best-selling one because it kept them guessing. I intentionally made it seem like, in book two, this was the guy she’d end up with, only to turn everything upside down in book three.

I remember one time I wrote, “There was a knock at the door.” I knew who was at the door, but I thought, “What if it wasn’t that character? What if another character is at the door? What would happen then?”

Any time you can keep yourself from following your natural way of thinking, “this is the way the story is going,” you can start asking questions like, “What if we made this harder? What if this person was not really who they said they were?

Complexity will help your story and will help you get excited about it again.

Sometimes we’ll be in the middle of a novel, and we know what’s going to happen. Everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to do, and we don’t really care anymore. That’s why so many people start another novel. They’ll start another novel because they want that excitement. Review all your half-finished novels, and start asking questions and tweaking things that can get you excited about the project once again.

How do you choose the antagonist?

Thomas: Another way to think outside the box is to choose a different antagonist. We often assume the hero must be the protagonist and the villain must be the antagonist, but that’s a limited perspective. In Avengers: Infinity War, the protagonist is Thanos, the villain. He’s the one driving the plot forward, and the story revolves around whether he will achieve his goal of making the world a better place by eliminating half of its population. The Avengers are the antagonists trying to stop Thanos. This role reversal made the story unexpected and compelling.

To find your antagonist, you can pull from the antagonists of the classic conflicts.

Man Against Man

Man against man is the classic good guys and bad guys fighting against each other, but try to think outside of that.

Man Against Himself

In this conflict, the character is his own worst enemy. Christian books have a unique opportunity to explore this conflicted character. You might have a character trying to work through their own hiccups and pitfalls. Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde did this in an obvious way, but there are subtle ways to get it done. Maybe your own character defects are keeping you from accomplishing that one thing you want more than anything in the world.

In romance, there is a lot of room for a man against himself conflict or a woman against herself conflict.

Man Against Nature

This is another classic conflict I rarely see in Christian books. Perhaps it’s partly because we don’t interact with nature much in our modern world except, for example, if there’s a pandemic.

We don’t live in fear of wolves anymore. There was a time when stories like Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf reflected real fears. You’d hear wolves howling outside your door as a child, and your mother would warn you not to go outside because the wolves might get you. That used to be a real threat. Now, it’s not. In Texas, for instance, coyotes are the ones running from ranchers with their guns. It’s like they’re afraid of us now.

However, there are still ways to explore the “man versus nature” conflict. If you’re stuck with your book, ask yourself how nature can get in the way of your protagonist. For example, imagine you’re on your way to a date, and it starts to rain, or you get a flat tire. That flat tire can cause you to miss the date and lead to a series of problems. These obstacles are still nature manifesting itself through the environment, even the man-made environment of a car.

Man Against God

I rarely see this classic conflict used in Christian books, but there is so much to explore here. In the Bible, the heroes of the faith are fighting with God. In fact, a friend of mine recently wrote a blog post about fighting with God. We need to fight with God because that’s one way we get closer to him. Jacob wrestled with God and became Israel.

Have your characters struggle with God. You can introduce God as a character they fight with. A God who acts like a genie, solving all problems, isn’t as interesting or true to most people’s experiences as a God who gets in the way. Often, what the protagonist wants isn’t actually what’s best for them.

Tricia: I love that you brought that up. I’m doing a biblical fiction novel for Guideposts, and they gave me a list of characters to choose from. I chose Miriam because of the three main scenes where she appears in the Bible. We see her saving Moses. We see her worshiping as the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, and we see her fighting with God, saying, “What about me, God? How come Moses is the only one that could speak to the people?”

She’s a complex character. I wanted to explore how she could go from being a hero, a worshiper, and then to being outside the camp with leprosy because she stood up to God and said, “This is not fair.”

In my books, even my romance novels, there’s often a journey not just between the female protagonist and her love interest but also a spiritual journey involving God. Whether she’s walking away from faith or dealing with spiritual struggles, this element is crucial. I don’t want the story to be just about a physical relationship with a guy. There has to be a spiritual dimension.

When I watch movies or read books, I often miss this element. In many secular books, there’s no spiritual conflict, and I think, “This story would be so much richer with that level of depth.” When discussing books, I’ll often point out how much more meaningful they could be if there was a spiritual struggle.

The spiritual struggle is often missing in stories. Exploring these questions, even without providing answers, adds a layer of relatability and depth. The Bible doesn’t always give clear answers, and neither do we have to, but incorporating the questions can resonate with readers who have similar spiritual struggles.

Thomas: A book that incorporates the spiritual struggle against God is The Horse and His Boy, from the Chronicles of Narnia. Aslan is inhibiting the characters as much as he is helping them.  At one point, Aslan attacks them, and tears open Aravis’ back, but he did it in love. It’s a powerful moment. Aslan sometimes makes the journey harder because he wants different things than the protagonists do.

If you work God into your story, you have to remember that his ways are above ours, and his goals can’t just be the protagonist’s goals with more power to make them happen. That would make God a mere extension of the protagonist, and that’s not true. He is not an extension of us. He exists above us, beyond us, outside of us, and his ways are not our ways.

We are a tiny piece on the chessboard of the universe, and we can see only one small square. The more you can capture that, the more accurate your portrayal of God will be.

Man Against His Creation

Few Christian writers have explored the conflict of man against his own creation. Classic examples of this conflict include HAL in 2001 Space Odyssey and Dr. Frankenstein’s monster in Frankenstein. These stories ask, “What have I created?” and deal with the repercussions of creating a beast.

You can see a hint of this theme in the Bible, with Miriam and Aaron questioning Moses’ leadership and creating their own form of worship. They didn’t invent a new god but tried to reduce God to a golden calf, an idol, which was not the right thing. This act of creation resulted in a form of monstrosity, as they tried to limit God’s infinite nature to a mere idol.

The theme here might be: “Don’t reduce God.” Figure out your protagonist and antagonist, and if you add additional antagonists, you can explore this conflict further. It doesn’t have to be literal monsters or wolves growling outside the car door. Think of other ways to create tension and write more effectively.

Brainstorm With a Writer Friend

Tricia: I often get on a phone call with a writing friend, and we start sharing ideas. Sometimes, they help me figure out how to make things worse for my character. I remember brainstorming a spy novel with my friend Kara Patman, and she suggested we call Colleen Coble. During our three-way call, I reached a point in the story where they said, “You need to kill that person.” I resisted at first, feeling emotionally attached to the character, but they insisted. Reluctantly, I agreed, and it made the book so much better.

Having writer friends is invaluable. You don’t necessarily have to send them your work for critique, but sharing ideas over the phone can provide new perspectives. They can see things you might miss and help you make your characters’ lives harder, which propels the story forward.

Commit to Your Goal

Tricia: As you write, set a daily word count and strive to meet it. For example, my daily goal is 3,000 words. Last night, at 9:30, I was still 800 words short. I was tired, but I sat down to scan what I had been working on, and a new scene came to mind. Shortly after that, I met my goal.

Push yourself a little. If you think you can write 500 words, try to shoot for 700.

When I was in Key West, I visited Ernest Hemingway’s house. His daily word count goal was 700 words. After he’d written 700 words, he’d go fishing, then to the bars, and then he’d get up and do it again the next day.

At 700 words per day, think of how many words you’d have written by the end of the week, month, and year. Don’t wait until Saturday. Even if your goal is small, commit to hitting it because, by the end of the year, you’ll have something to show for it.

Thomas: It’s easy for social distancing to turn into social isolation. Many of us aren’t going to church, as many churches are closed or live-streaming their services. While we still get the worship service, we’re missing the fellowship, and that’s not healthy. It may be healthier than contracting COVID-19, but it’s still not good for our well-being.

Talking to writer friends can help you get out of a writing rut, especially when you’ve painted yourself into a corner and need another perspective. It’s also good for your mental health to talk to friends who can help you hit your writing goals. Consider finding a writing friend and agree to call each other daily. Hold each other accountable for your word count goals and have longer conversations to fight that isolated feeling.

What courses do you have for writers?

Tricia:

• Let Me Help You Write a Novel: 5 Free Teaching Videos
• 7-Day Writer’s Challenge Email Course: What type of writer do you want to be, and what do you want to write?
• Free copy of Balanced: Finding Center As a Work-at-Home Mom (tons of time management tips with kids!) when you sign up for my newsletter.
• Write That Book Subscription Group ($29/month): Weekly chats with Christian writers, editors, publicists, and agents.

Connect with Tricia:

• TriciaGoyer.com
• Tricia on Facebook 
• Tricia on Instagram

Sponsor: Christian Writers Institute’s Learn From Home Bundle

The Course of the Week: Learn from Home Bundle

The Christian Writers Institute has created a special bundle for anyone affected by the COVID-19 virus. If you are stuck at home, this bundle of courses will give you everything you need to learn how to write a novel during that time. Best of all, it is 80% off! 

Use coupon code “covid” to save 80%, or click the link in the show notes to activate the coupon code automatically. 

Related Episodes

• Writing Conflict: How to Keep Your Protagonist on Their Toes
• The Key Ingredient for Timeless Christian Storytelling: Morality
• How to Find Time to Write As a Busy Mom With Asheritah Ciuciu
• New Year Goal Planning With Mary DeMuth