How to Explore New Creative Projects Without Losing Focus

 by Suzanne Lieurance

As a writer, you are naturally a curious person.

That curiosity is often what leads you into writing in the first place. You want to explore ideas, emotions, stories, possibilities, and experiences. So, it makes sense that eventually you may feel drawn toward trying something creatively new.

Maybe you start thinking about writing poetry after years of writing nonfiction. Maybe you become interested in scripts, songwriting, personal essays, or short stories. Maybe you begin exploring podcasts, spoken word, or other creative formats that weren’t even on your radar a few years ago.

Trying something new creatively can be exciting.

It can also become incredibly distracting if you aren’t careful.

One of the biggest mistakes writers make when they begin expanding creatively is trying to explore too many things at once. Instead of developing new creative skills, they end up scattering their focus across a dozen unfinished projects.

That’s why I believe creative expansion works best when it happens with intention.

Recently, over on my site Write by the Sea, I shared how I started taking some of my old poems and turning them into country songs. What surprised me most was how much the process expanded my creativity and challenged me to think differently about writing.

But one thing I intentionally avoided was trying to learn every type of songwriting at once.

Instead, I chose one genre — country music — and decided to stay there long enough to actually learn the craft.

That decision matters more than many writers realize.

Creative Expansion Is Not the Same as Creative Scattering

Many writers think creativity means constantly moving in new directions.

Sometimes it does.

But creative growth usually happens faster when you give yourself enough structure and consistency to develop real skill.

There’s a difference between:

• exploring intentionally and
• constantly abandoning one thing for another

When writers bounce endlessly between projects, genres, and creative goals, they often stay in a perpetual beginner stage. They experience the excitement of starting but rarely the deeper rewards that come from improvement.

Exploring something new creatively should stretch your mind, not fracture your attention.

Why Trying Something New Can Help Your Original Writing

One of the most interesting things about learning a new creative form is that it often strengthens the writing you were already doing.

For example, songwriting forced me to think much more carefully about:

• rhythm
• repetition
• emotional pacing
• hooks
• phrasing
• simplicity

Those lessons don’t stay confined to songwriting. They begin influencing every other type of writing you do.

That’s one reason creative expansion can be so valuable for writers. You start seeing storytelling differently. You notice things you previously overlooked. You challenge habits that may have become automatic over time.

Trying something new can wake your creativity back up.

The Problem with Staying Too Comfortable

Many writers eventually become extremely skilled within one creative lane. That’s valuable. But comfort can sometimes become limiting.

Once you know how to do something well, it becomes tempting to stay inside familiar patterns. You know what works. You know what readers expect. You know how to produce results.

But growth often requires temporary discomfort.

When you become a beginner again, you start paying closer attention. You become more curious. You ask more questions. You experiment more freely.

That beginner mindset can bring new energy into your creative life.

How to Explore New Creative Projects Without Losing Focus

If you feel drawn toward trying a new type of writing or creative project, here are a few things that can help you stay grounded while still expanding creatively.

Choose One New Direction at a Time

You do not need to reinvent your entire creative life overnight.

Pick one area that genuinely interests you and explore it fully before jumping to something else. That focused approach helps you build confidence and skill much faster.

Stay Connected to Your Core Writing Practice

Trying something new does not mean abandoning the work that already matters to you.

Creative expansion works best when it supports your overall growth instead of pulling you away from your long-term goals completely.

Allow Yourself to Be Inexperienced

Many experienced writers secretly struggle with being beginners again.

You may feel awkward at first. Your early attempts may not match the quality of your primary writing yet. That’s normal.

Every creative skill has its own structure and learning curve.

Focus on Learning, Not Immediate Success

When writers try something new, they sometimes expect instant results because they already have experience in another form of writing.

But each creative field teaches different skills.

Approach the process with curiosity instead of pressure.

Give the New Skill Time to Develop

One reason many writers quit too early is because they never stay with the new creative challenge long enough to improve.

Creative confidence grows through repetition and focused practice.

Expanding Creatively Can Reignite Your Writing Life

Sometimes writers think they need more discipline, more motivation, or better productivity systems.

Sometimes what they really need is a fresh creative challenge.

Trying a new type of writing can remind you why you fell in love with creativity in the first place. It can pull you out of autopilot and back into discovery.

The key is not trying everything all at once.

The key is exploring intentionally, staying focused long enough to learn, and allowing your creativity room to grow beyond the limits you may have unconsciously placed on yourself.

Because many writers do not need less creativity.

They simply need more room to expand it.

Suzanne Lieurance is the author of over 40 published books and a transformational Law of Attraction coach for writers who are ready to stop waiting to feel like the real thing. 

At Write by the Sea, she guides writers through the identity shift that changes everything — not just the writing, but the whole life built around it. 

She is the publisher of Manifesting Monthly magazine and the host of Monday Morning Manifestors. 

Check out her country music channel on YouTube.

 

More About Getting Your Book Into Libraries

 

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

Last month, I gave you some details about how to get your book into your library (here’s the link to that article). In this article, I have some different actions along with a resource to give you much more detail about success with libraries.

As an author with a book in the library, you have to earn your spot for others to check out your book. I want to give you some ideas about the action steps you need to take.

I reached out to my local collection librarian. I asked what sort of check out activity does a book need to remain in the collection.  While this standard may be different for every library, here's what I learned: “We are a demand-driven collection, so everything on our shelves earns it’s spot! Our nonfiction collection has an average turnover of five checkouts per year per book, so circulation needs to be close to that to either stay on our shelves, or if the book is damaged, then the library will need to repurchase.”

From my exchange with this librarian,  I’ve created a plan to regularly plan to market my own books which are inside my local library. In the past, I’ve done nothing to encourage local people in the library to use my books. Now I'm going to regularly encourage my local writer’s group and others to check out and use my books from the library bookshelf. Through my own marketing efforts, I want to help my books stay in the collection.  My encouragement for others to check out my books from the library doesn’t have to be sophisticated or fancy—but it does have to happen on a regular and consistent basis. I take on this additional activity which stems from my marketing philosophy of taking 100% responsibility for my own success.

A second way to earn your right to be read is to learn the craft of storytelling. It is a developed skill to tell interesting stories. Some of it you can pick up through extensive reading, but it is also a skill which can be taught as you learn how a mixture of dialogue and narration detail can make for page turning writing. As you tell interesting stories about your books in the library to your local writer friends, it encourages them to check out your books.

A third way to earn your spot is to incorporate the checking out of your book into different types of writing such as your blog, your social media posts and even your podcasts.

A fourth way to earn your spot is to try different promotion methods with your library. For example, can you work with the local librarian to create a simple bookmark which they will give out at your library (and promote your book)? Some of your ideas will be rejected or failed. The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t. The ones who succeed keep going forward even when they are rejected. Our world is full of opportunity. As a writer, you must seize the day, keep your fingers on the keys and keep moving forward. 

The fifth and final way to learn about selling your book to libraries is to get my special offer of my printed book, 10 Publishing Myths. This special offer comes with over $200 of free bonuses but one of these bonus audios is important to selling your book into libraries. I interviewed a self-published author who sold thousands of his books to public libraries. If you want to get your book into libraries, you have to follow a well-worn path of success. For the first step, find someone who knows the path and learn from them. Next, get the details such as which libraries and which librarian along with crafting your pitch. After you get the order, create an invoice, mailing the books and if necessary follow-up. After perfecting this process, you repeat it with librarian after librarian. It will take work and effort to sell your books. Each of you can sell your book into libraries—but only if you do the work.

In my office, I have a series of writing craft how-to books which contain numerous insights. If I don’t read them then take action, they do nothing for me. If you want to see your book in libraries, take the first step, get this audio recording, follow the well-worn path and do consistent work. Let me know your plans in the comments. 

Tweetable:

Authors need to take specific actions to get your bookinto libraries inside this  article from editor and author Terry Whalin. (Click-To-Tweet)   

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. Get Terry’s newsletter and a 87-page FREE ebook packed with writing insights. Just follow this link to subscribe. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including  Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Timespans and Young Children's Stories

 

 

 

 Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer

In children’s books, especially those for toddlers through early elementary age, you’ll notice a common thread: the plots often unfold over a very short period. Sometimes a story spans a single day, or even just a couple of hours. This isn't a coincidence or a mass mistake; it’s a deliberate, developmentally appropriate storytelling strategy.

So, why do young children’s stories tend to have short time spans? And why does that technique work best for the intended audience?
 

HERE ARE 6 REASONS

1. Young Children Live in the Present
Early childhood is marked by a strong focus on the here and now. Very young children don’t yet grasp abstract concepts like "next week" or "last year" in the way adults or older kids do. 

Because of this, stories with timelines that mirror a young child’s own sense of time feel familiar and understandable.

Take “The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats as an example. The entire story takes place over one day. The plot is simple: Peter explores outside after a snowfall. He wakes up, plays outside, comes back home, and realizes snow melts, but that’s okay. The simplicity and the connection to a child’s daily rhythm are what make it work.

2. Short Timespans Fit Short Attention Spans
Preschoolers and early elementary children have shorter attention spans. A story that spans weeks or months would require multiple plot threads (lines of action that contribute to the overall story), character development over time, and more transitions. That kind of story can be too much for a child to comprehend.

Instead, stories with short time spans offer a tight, manageable narrative. 

“Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak is a classic case. The entire story seems to take place in one evening. Mischievous Max is sent to his room, and he imagines sailing away to the land of the Wild Things, to return home “while supper was still hot.” 

It’s adventurous yet tightly contained. This allows young readers to follow the plot without getting lost, which is essential for comprehension and enjoyment.

3. Emotion and Growth Can Happen Quickly
Even in a short time, a child can go through big emotional arcs, and so can characters. In real life, a child can go from anger to sadness to joy in a matter of minutes. Children's books reflect this emotional truth.

In “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse” by Kevin Henkes, Lilly adores her teacher but feels betrayed when he takes away her beloved purse. All this unfolds during a single school day. Lilly goes through shame, frustration, reflection, and eventually forgiveness, all within one plot setting. This mirrors how young children process feelings, often quickly and intensely.

4. Routine Structures Create Comfort and Engagement
Many stories for young children are built around routines: getting ready for bed, going to school, visiting Grandma. These events naturally fit into short time spans and help children see themselves in the story. They recognize the sequence of events and anticipate what might come next.

“Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown is the ultimate example of a time-bound, comforting bedtime story. The entire plot takes place as a little bunny says goodnight to everything in his room. It’s about the passage of a few quiet moments, and that’s exactly what makes it so connecting and calming for children.

5. Simpler Plots Allow for Stronger Repetition
Short time spans often go hand in hand with simple plots. That simplicity makes space for repetition, which is crucial for young learners. Repetition builds language skills, memory, and anticipation.

“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” by Laura Numeroff features a consequential plot that loops back to the beginning. The story’s events all stem from a single action and unfold quickly, with cause-and-effect building rapidly. 

The entire story feels like it could take place in an hour, possibly two. This tightly packed, fast-moving chain of events keeps kids engaged and reinforces comprehension through predictability.

6. Visuals and Text Work Hand in Hand
In picture books and early readers, the illustrations often do as much storytelling as the words. A shorter time span allows for a clearer visual narrative, as the illustrations can stay consistent with setting, time of day, and characters’ outfits or expressions.

In “The Adventures of Planetman: The Case of the Stranded Bear” by Karen Cioffi, Thomas and his friends (environmental superheroes) spot a polar bear cub stranded on an ice block that’s heading out to sea. They jump into action to save the bear. 

Set in Churchill, Canada, the story takes place within an hour or two, and the bold and fun illustrations capture the setting, movement, and mood. This helps maintain the young reader’s attention span and helps in understanding what’s happening in the scenes. 

SUMMING IT UP

Short time spans in young children’s stories are a smart storytelling strategy. They match the developmental stage of the audience, emotional rhythms, and deliver relatable and meaningful stories in a form that’s just right for young minds.

By keeping plots close to home and close in time, authors open the door for children to not only understand a story but to see themselves in it. And that’s what children’s authors should want to accomplish.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, working ghostwriter, editor, and self-publishing specialist. If you’d like to learn more about writing for children or  need help with your story, visit Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi.

 

You can check out Karen’s books HERE.

Connect with Karen on SOCIAL MEDIA.