Christy Shuler

As we are now approaching the month of November, a lot of us in the writing community will begin to hide ourselves away in the pursuit of drafting a 50,000 word novel. I'm talking of course about NaNoWriMo. This time of year can either be exhilarating or terrifying as you take on what is anywhere between your first and your 50th rough draft. This time of the year can be a great jump start to a new project and a wonderful way to network with your peers and gain insight into the methods of others. Well, there's no easy way to lead into this. Today I feel compelled to write about burnout. Maybe it's because, frankly, I'm a bit burnt out. Hold that NaNo thought for a second, I'll swing back around. At the beginning of this year, I decided to pick up my current project after having given it a solid rest. For years, I have been saying that I would pursue my writing as a business and this was the year I would make that dream a reality. Since then, I have elaborate

Hello, fellow writers! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. Today I wanted to talk about perfectionism. More importantly, I wanted to talk about why it's killing your writing. I don't know about you, but I've always had a positive connotation with perfectionism. To me, it meant a person that would strive for the best of their ability. It meant dotting your I's, crossing your T's, and never sending an email that you haven't reread at least three times. So if perfectionism means striving for the best your work can be, then how could it possibly be bad for your writing? Let me bring you in a bit closer, to a more intimate look at some of the more debilitating moments of my self-proclaimed perfectionism. Like four years of countless revisions of my first novel because there was always something that needed changing. Throwing out entire characters because I hit a road block in developing their personality profile. If it wasn't perfect, I threw it

I was recently listening to a meditation that posed the question, “What is your ideal day?” It asked you to picture from morning to evening, the series of events that would take place. Picture yourself waking up to do the thing you most want to do. What happens next? How do you picture yourself going to sleep at night? It made me question how often we ask ourselves this question, what would I like to do today? What would make me happy? I don’t know about you, but for me, the answer is almost never. Of course, there are a gazillion different places I could go with this, but for this blog I’ll just stick to category of writing. I’ll admit, there have been times when I straight up did not want to write. Truth be told, it isn’t always fun having to wake up that much earlier in the morning to write before my day job or isolating myself in my office at night when I could be spending time with my husband or playing with our dog. Sometimes, it just feels like work. What was interest

This is part 2 of my How to Outline video for plotters and pantsers. This video focuses on writing a flexible outline for writers who prefer a less structured decision making process before they begin writing. No matter what type of writer you are, I find outlining your novel to be so beneficial for multiple reasons. Thank you so much for watching and let me know your thoughts on outlining! Do you make all of these decisions before you begin writing? Do you prefer to write your rough draft off the cuff?

I am so excited to release part 1 of my brain child. For a little while now I have wanted to share my thoughts on outlining, as this was a subject that consumed my life for several weeks. When I began to film, it however, I realized that in outlining there is no one size that fits all. Just as there are different types of writers, there are different strategies for outlining. Albeit writers also don't fit nicely into one of two categories either. But I decided for simplicity sake I would focus on the widely accepted theory that most writers will fit into the description of a plotter or a panster. This video focuses on outlining from the perspective of a plotter. Structured and organized, the plotter wants to make as many decisions ahead of time as possible. I go through each one of the strategies that worked for me and kept me consistent in telling each of the themes that I wanted to appear throughout my plot. Watch the video to hear me detail each of the steps. In the n

Today I am so excited to share my thoughts on The Elysian Prophecy  by Vivien Reis. I have been a big fan of Vivien's for awhile now, following both her Youtube channel and her new podcast, Happy Writing. She not only has great tips for fellow authors, but she was gracious enough to share her writing and self-publishing journey with her followers as she completed her debut, The Elysian Prophecy . As I have also been pondering the idea of self-publishing for my debut, following her along her journey has been both helpful and inspiring. When I made my goal this year of supporting new authors and their debut novels, she was the first one that came to mind. Watch the video below to see a full summary of my thoughts.

#1 I love hashtags. I don't know how anybody ever gets any visibility on social media without them. I kinda like that word. Hashtag. Maybe a cute name for a dog... #2 How is it that Gender has a hard G and Genre has a soft G? How weird would it sound if we switched them? #3 Why is it that Realistic Fiction is an official subgenre but nobody ever uses it while Contemporary is unofficial and used much more often? Who is charge of updating the official genre curriculum and how do I contact them about this? #4 Further theories on genre. Can we officially change the name of the Chick Lit category? It's too limiting and connotes something without literary merit or value. What else would we call it? Books that are too awesome to fit in the other categories? Other labels will be considered with discretion. #5 Is "reading" an audio book really reading? Am I getting credit for this? #6 I want to read more poetry. I get such an instan

Today I wanted to talk about guilty pleasures, as this is a topic that every now and then gets me up on that high horse that I have to admit always leaves me a little butt sore afterwards. It seems like when people refer to a "guilty pleasure," it always seems to refer to a reality tv show. At least, that's been my experience. People ask, what's your guilty pleasure? Basically, what is the thing that is not socially accepted but that brings you happiness? Guilt. Pleasure. Two very competing words. If watching, reading, or doing something is bringing joy into your life, why is it that society demands that you simultaneously feel bad about it? This is something that simply does not make sense to me. Quite frankly, I'm sick of it. No, I am ecstatically debilitated by this. Alright, fine. I had to use the thesaurus for that joke. Competing words, get it? Sure, some subjects don't bring a lot of value to your life, but that does not automatically

Today I'm giving an update on the progress of the second draft of my debut novel!  I'm having so much fun as I'm starting to discuss my work in progress more and get more comfortable with sharing details. In the video I talk about the first novel I wrote and how my journey with that project influenced the mindset that I'm in now on my second.

Hello Everyone! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. I'm thrilled to have you. Today I wanted to share my favorite resources as they relate to writing, structure and inspiration. Everyone needs a little help now and then, no shame in it. In my opinion, the wisest person is always asking how they can improve. Whether you're just starting out writing that book you've always dreamed of, or maybe you're a seasoned writer who needs a pick-me-up for their current WIP. These resources are what have helped me tremendously over the years, through various stages of my writing both in pre-planning and actually executing the dang thing. #1:  Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell If you don't try any of the other resources I mention, at least try this one. Even if you think you know all there is to know regarding story structure and plot, this book has something to offer you. This book is immensely helpful not only in structuring your novel, but so m

In this week's video I simply could not contain my excitement to discuss one of my all-time favorite characters, Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City .  I remember watching episodes of this series on repeat in college. I would introduce friend after friend to this show, passing my passion for it on to them. In this character analysis, I'm discussing the qualities and characteristics that make Carrie Bradshaw a relatable and beloved fictional character. I'm also sharing my favorite  episodes from Sex and the City that I feel really demonstrate her character and emotional growth throughout the series.

I was so excited to be able to answer a writing tag on my very own channel. Who doesn't enjoy talking about writing, writing ideas and their current project? The Story Ideas Writing Tag was originally created by Bethany Atazadeh and Brooke Passmore.

Today I'm reviewing The Power of Positive Energy by Andrian Teodoro. This book was just what I was looking for early this spring after a long winter. You know how winters just leave you feeling kind of...stale? It's cold, the air is dry, the sun is almost non-existent and it can really just kill your mood and your productivity when all you want to do is curl up in your covers. This book has a lot of positives, including being thin (one of my favorite qualities in a self-help/reference book). Watch my video to hear more of my thoughts!

If you're a writer, then it's inevitable you've faced it. Fear of failure. Fear that your work just isn't going to be on par with someone else's. When we create, no matter what you create, we are putting ourselves out there on such a personal level that fear is only natural. It can even be healthy. But when fear stands in your way, prevents you from taking necessary action, or inhibits your writing it becomes an adversary that we must fight back. In this video I'm talking about common fears I've faced and how I was able to fight back and push my way through to writing PEACE.

If you're reading this, hello and thank you so much for stopping by my blog! This topic and video comes from a year of self-doubt and inconsistent writing caused by infrequent reading. I didn't even realize it at the time until one day I noticed how long it had been since I opened a book. I realized this was why I felt so disconnected from the community and why I was having such a hard time producing anything. Of course, I had been making the excuse that "I don't have time for reading." I have a full time job, family, friends, bla bla bla. Isn't this everyone's excuse not to read? Well, I want to share this quote with you by Stephen King in case you've never heard it. "If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that."  And it was true, because I wasn't actively reading, my writing brain just wasn't as sharp. I needed to prioritize reading just as much as my writing becaus

Hi guys, it's Christy and today I'm going to talk about Shiny New Thing Syndrome and what to do about it! Shiny New Thing Syndrome, as I'm referring to it anyway, is when you're in the middle of a project and a new idea hits you and it's so shiny and exciting and it can either distract you from your current project or you might abandon your current project altogether to start on this new idea. I've struggled with this issue myself. Of course, it's always a good thing to have new ideas that you're excited about, but the problem came when I got so distracted in my current story that I had trouble finishing it. I felt like I wasn't fully invested in the story I was writing anymore. Maybe you say,"Hey, well that's alright, it's not the story you're supposed to writing right now. Maybe this new idea is the story you should be writing." But the problem with that is when it happens again and again, it's a never-ending cycle and

Hi guys, in this video I'm reviewing the Abandon book series by author Meg Cabot. Watch my video to see what my thoughts were!

Hi, Guys! In this video I'm sharing my progress on my annual reading goal. How many books did I finish this quarter? Watch to find out!