Thank you for your response. I am now subscribed to your Sunday posts as well. I am still learning and staying inspired by Harvey. I am working on a historical fiction novel and all his advice has helped me just be me in the process. There is research involved but I am mostly done with that now so writing in the dark will become easier - I don’t have to stop and look up something relevant during the Victorian Era. I have enjoyed the process and had it not been for Harvey’s daily blogs encouraging me to write for myself and not “how” I should, it helped me tremendously. I took a writing class and that messed with my confidence. Harvey was there to pick it back up for me.
I love your writing style, Anitha. It inspired me. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your kind words and support, Manisha! 🤗
I hear you. It's so tricky when there's so much conflicting advice out there on 'how' to write. I too keep coming back to Harvey's posts to shut out all the noise.
I admire you for writing historical fiction. I've always wondered how research and writing into the dark go together, and fear has kept me from giving it a shot. Sounds like you're doing the wise thing, getting your research down first and then diving into the story.
I think I heard Dean Wesley Smith say this once in one of his pop-up lectures - that research about a certain time period can be done by reading both fiction and non-fiction set in that time period, and then we set aside critical voice and start writing into the dark. Now I too am inspired to give this a try.
Please stay in touch. It's such a treasure to have writing (into the dark) friends on this journey!
Remember too that historical fiction is still only fiction. Get some important details right, yes (I do spot research for that, a few seconds at a time when I need to get something right) then go back to the story.
Dear Manisha, thank you so much for your appreciation. 😍
And yes, I did write it in the dark. I wouldn't have dared submit it to Harvey as a guest post otherwise. 🤭
Jokes apart, now that you mention it, I realize that I've always written non-fiction and poetry into the dark. It was only when it came to fiction that all the myths came screaming. I didn't actually create outlines but I was often scared that not following an outline made my story 'weak' somehow or that it could have been 'better' if I had followed some kind of plan. I'd start reading these books on plotting and outlining and my brain would just freeze.
Thanks to Harvey and his constant encouragement about writing into the dark, it's been easy to shed that fear and stick to what made writing joyful for me in the first place - writing into the dark and the thrill of discovering what happens next.
How do you write? Since you're on Harvey's blog, I assume you too are a fan/practitioner of writing into the dark?
this was an awesome post.
Thank you so much, Balázs! 😀
Harvey, thank you so much for giving me this space for my piece. Thank you for being a true mentor from afar! 🙏🏽
Very welcome. Be sure to check the other comments and respond. :-)
Wow! Just Wow!
Thank you for your response. I am now subscribed to your Sunday posts as well. I am still learning and staying inspired by Harvey. I am working on a historical fiction novel and all his advice has helped me just be me in the process. There is research involved but I am mostly done with that now so writing in the dark will become easier - I don’t have to stop and look up something relevant during the Victorian Era. I have enjoyed the process and had it not been for Harvey’s daily blogs encouraging me to write for myself and not “how” I should, it helped me tremendously. I took a writing class and that messed with my confidence. Harvey was there to pick it back up for me.
I love your writing style, Anitha. It inspired me. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your kind words and support, Manisha! 🤗
I hear you. It's so tricky when there's so much conflicting advice out there on 'how' to write. I too keep coming back to Harvey's posts to shut out all the noise.
I admire you for writing historical fiction. I've always wondered how research and writing into the dark go together, and fear has kept me from giving it a shot. Sounds like you're doing the wise thing, getting your research down first and then diving into the story.
I think I heard Dean Wesley Smith say this once in one of his pop-up lectures - that research about a certain time period can be done by reading both fiction and non-fiction set in that time period, and then we set aside critical voice and start writing into the dark. Now I too am inspired to give this a try.
Please stay in touch. It's such a treasure to have writing (into the dark) friends on this journey!
Remember too that historical fiction is still only fiction. Get some important details right, yes (I do spot research for that, a few seconds at a time when I need to get something right) then go back to the story.
Will do!
Question for Anitha - Did you write that post in the dark? because if you did - that is amazing work!!!
I'll forward your comment to Anitha.
Thank you, Harvey. I thought I'd come and check here on Substack too to be able to reply to any comments. 😊
Thanks! Guest posters don't always think to do that.
Dear Manisha, thank you so much for your appreciation. 😍
And yes, I did write it in the dark. I wouldn't have dared submit it to Harvey as a guest post otherwise. 🤭
Jokes apart, now that you mention it, I realize that I've always written non-fiction and poetry into the dark. It was only when it came to fiction that all the myths came screaming. I didn't actually create outlines but I was often scared that not following an outline made my story 'weak' somehow or that it could have been 'better' if I had followed some kind of plan. I'd start reading these books on plotting and outlining and my brain would just freeze.
Thanks to Harvey and his constant encouragement about writing into the dark, it's been easy to shed that fear and stick to what made writing joyful for me in the first place - writing into the dark and the thrill of discovering what happens next.
How do you write? Since you're on Harvey's blog, I assume you too are a fan/practitioner of writing into the dark?