Greetings Unstoppable Maker,
This newsletter is here once again to cut through the noise and focus on what actually moves your writing forward this week.

I’ll ask you a question.
I’ll give you an assignment.
I’ll give you something specific to write (different from the assignment).
And other stuff.

Let’s go.

// Tim

Not “what do you want to write?”
Not “what’s the idea you’re excited about?”
Not “what have you been outlining indefinitely?”

What are you actively putting words into?

Follow-up (this one might sting more):
When was the last time you actually added words to that project?

For most writers, the answer will be sobering, because:
a) They aren’t actively putting words into a project?
b) They have not added any words to a project as recently as they thought.

Fact check me on this, but: most writers I talk to aren’t stuck because they lack ideas.

They’re stuck because they’re juggling five stories in their head at once–
and confusing story design with writing.

Both matter.

Story design helps you know what to write.

Writing is how you actually produce something.

But if you’re only imagining– and never writing– you don’t have a project.

You have a concept.

So I’ll ask again:

What are you working on right now— as in, like, this week or last?
(I’d really love to know. Reply to this and tell me.)

Now, I offer you a test. Most writers will think about it, but never do it.

The truth is that most writers avoid it (even if it’s on accident).

Here’s the test:

Pick one project.
Either one you’re working on,
or something totally new.
(If you can’t decide, flip a coin-- heads is new, tails is existing.)

Open your project (or a fresh doc).

Now.
Write 300 words about a moment in which something very important to the character is lost or destroyed. 

Not the whole chapter.
Not the whole outline.

Just that one gut wrenching moment.

Don’t write less than 300 words. If you write over, it can only be by 11 words.

If you’re still struggling check out the next section, it should help you.

_{(It’s not lost on me that I used the hand holding a pencil emoji and then stock art of a keyboard. 🤷‍♂️ )}

If you’re still looking for something to write, here’s a fully formed prompt with details to build a short piece of fiction. It has a setup, a build, and two suggested payoffs-- one positive, one negative.

THE GHOST SHIP

Setup:

A lone deckhand boards a weather-worn vessel that drifted into harbor before dawn– a ship long thought lost at sea.

Build:

Inside, the timbers creak softly, lanterns burn low, and the crew move about their duties in silence, never once meeting his eye. A bell tolls somewhere below deck, though no one is near it. The sound leads to a logbook on a nearby table that bears today’s date, and our curious deckhand’s name, scrawled in fresh, splattered ink.

Payoff (positive):

As the ship casts off without command, the deckhand feels no fear– only a resolute instinct to tell the crew’s tale. The deckhand grabs the logbook and leaps off the boat just before it fades away. The logbook–  and all of its secrets– remains.

Payoff (negative):

When the deckhand turns to flee, the crew finally fix their gaze on the intruder– their eyes hollow and expectant as they reach out with cold, spectral hands. The harbor fades behind them as the ship carries all on board into a thick fog.

Here are three possible ship names: 

   (Or come up with your own.)

(Note: This is prompt STW001 for future reference, subject lines, or to tag me. Email me yours and I’ll read it, and reply.)

_{(That was the coolest image of a ghost ship I could find on Unsplash. Don’t let it color the time period your story may or may not take place in.} ⚓₎

If you missed it, it’s important to know that no single piece of your writing defines you.

Each piece is one tile in a mosaic.

The problem is-- most writers treat their first couple of projects like they have to represent everything they are as a creator. 

That pressure kills momentum.

Instead:
Write small pieces.
Build tiles.
Let the bigger picture come together over time.
Decide what tiles you want to use and craft your mosaic.

If that hits, I break the full method down in the episode of The Fiction Writer’s Toolshed right here.

Fiction: The Blacktongue Thief
Great example of voice carrying a story hard. Worth studying how attitude shapes the narrative, and how you can sneak in a TON of worldbuilding using this method in first person viewpoint. 

Non-Fiction: The Creative Act
More about mindset than tactics– this is the third time I’m trying to read this book, because the fluff and declaratives about the universe aren’t as useful to me. But I’m going to muscle through this time either way.

I’m building a few tools to make my own writing easier. When they’re finished, I intend to share them. They are:

Basically, I’m taking the ways that I naturally work, and am making them into refined tools that I can use, and share with you as well.+

Until next week,
// Tim