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. 

 

3 Tips on Being a More Productive Writer

The above picture is the inspiration
for a teddy bear story I've wanted
to write for years, paired with Abi Wunder,
Book 3--my next project.
Wish me luck!

By Linda Wilson  bit.ly/3DtEXiV

Are you a one-project-at-a-time writer? I used to be. My published books include picture books and chapter books. For each one I worked on one project at a time. Until now. I just finished two books, A Home Run Friendship, middle grade, and a picture book, The Pur-r-rfect Costume. While working on one, the other rested. It worked well. I hope to continue working on multiple projects from now on.

Why change? In the past I was a slug. I believed I needed to devote myself completely to one project before starting another one. The trouble was that each project took an incredibly long time to complete. Yet I worked constantly, taking very few breaks. Now, I’ve finally seen the light! I know why I was so slow. I could have published many more books if I’d only realized what I was doing wrong. 

I would like to pass my experience on to you in hopes that these tips will help you become more productive. As for me, I’m excited. I now know that new projects that have been waiting in the wings for years can come to life in record time. 

Tip #1: Understand Story Structure

Begin your project with a “how-to.” How to write a picture book. How to write a chapter book. For your “how-to’s” you might have taken creative writing classes. Dig out your coursework, flag different sections. Keep it handy for reference on and off while you’re writing.

Moi took creative writing classes. Where did I keep the information while writing? On the bookshelf. Mind you, creative writing classes aren’t essential, but learning your craft is, however you go about it. For example, you can look up amazing “how-to” information on Google. Here’s a two-second search that I just did: 

Ms. Google? How can I write a chapter book for 7-to-10-year-olds?

Ms. AI replied with an overview:

Know Your Target Audience

Develop a Relatable Character

Structure the Plot

Etc.

How can you go wrong? This quick search can give you a launching point. A way to get started. But I think we all know there’s a lot more to writing a book than that. I’ll get to that in a minute.

My mistake? Getting lost in the minutiae. I was in a critique group. We went through my book chapter by chapter. I got so lost in the writing and re-writing that I forgot to refer to my “plan.” My “how-to.”   

Tip #1 Bottom Line: Dig out a plan for the book you’re writing. Hang it on your bulletin board or keep it close while you write. Refer to it often. It should save you time.

Tip #2: Once your draft is done, it's revision time. Begin making “must-have” passes through it. This is to ensure you’ve covered all the important story elements. Here is a Fiction Short List I gathered from various resources to go by during the polishing of a story.

• Take the time to comb through your entire draft one edit item at a time. 
• Does the beginning draw you in? Or could the story be started at a different point?
• Does the main character appear soon enough? Is there enough dialogue in the beginning?
• Change any "telling" sentences to "show" what your character is doing and thinking. 
• Is there a beginning, middle and end? Can you form a circle from beginning to end?
• Do the scenes flow and advance the plot?
• Does each character have an arc?
• Does your main character have a goal? Does the main character grow and change by the end?
• Does your story have conflict?
• Is your story predictable?
• Did you explain everything well?
• Would a different point of view, such as first person as opposed to third person, make the story more interesting?
• Are there any shifts in point of view?
• Does the dialogue sound natural?
• Are there any description "dumps" where pieces of information could be spread out, ever so briefly?
• Each chapter beginning establishes "place" and each chapter ending entices your reader to find out what happens next.
• Make sure no story threads get lost. As an example, in one of my books I had the kids holding flashlights in the dark. I had to make sure I didn’t drop this detail throughout the book. I had a dog and cat in the same book. In one of the first drafts, I’d dropped the dog by the middle. I had to make sure he made an appearance throughout.
• Check past drafts to add any spicy details that were inadvertently edited out, such as brief descriptive phrases and personal thoughts of your main character.
• Make sure you've covered the story elements, such as: Concept, Plot, Characterization, Voice, and Structure; beginning, middle and end; in a nutshell, the basics.
• Are there are any "dead spots" where the story doesn't move forward? Delete them.
• And finally: Does your story come to a satisfying conclusion?

Try this simple formula that I devised from suggestions gleaned from Elaine Marie Alphin's book, Creating Characters Kids will Love: 

Situation

Dialogue

Main character's thoughts and feelings

Action

Show moves or gestures and facial expressions to show feelings

Tip #2 Bottom Line: Be thorough. Keep your “must-haves” list handy to make sure you’ve covered everything.

Tip #3: Once your drafts are done, let your story breathe.

Let your draft sit for 3-5 days several times during the revision stage. You will have fresh eyes when you pick it up again. Look for holes in structure, places where the story doesn’t move forward, etc. Once you complete this process, you are ready to send your story to a professional editor. I highly recommend Chris Eboch, https://chriseboch.com. In each of my books that Chris edited I thought I covered everything. Not so. Chris has found many changes I’ve needed to make. 

Then, after you go through all this, your book will be ready for publication!

Tip #3 Bottom Line: The process of writing a book isn't easy. There are many ups and downs. Publishing is a challenge for everyone involved. But if you love to write, if you stick to it and never give up, you will reap rewards beyond your wildest dreams. Here are just a few rewards that keep me writing:

• I've met lots of people, the most wonderful people, many of whom have become my friends.
• Since retiring from teaching elementary school, I've continued to write for and be with children, as an offshoot of my teaching career.
• I entertain myself with my stories, which I find loads of fun. Like a party, if the hostess is having fun the guests will have fun, too. If I have fun writing my stories, hopefully my readers will have fun reading them.

It can be easy to feel discouraged while writing a book. Just remember why you're doing it, have fun, and above all, don't give up! Success is right around the corner!

Introductory photo by Linda Wilson

Photo below by Karinashuhphotography.com

Watch for my new
middle grade book,
A Home Run Friendship,
and picture book,
The Pur-r-rfect Costume,
coming soon.

Linda's latest release is Secret in the Mist, the second book in the Abi Wunder trilogy, illustrated by Danika Corrall, published December 2025. Two other new releases are Botas Altas, the Spanish version of Tall Boots, translated by Graciela Moreno and Adriana Botero, and Cuna en la Naturaleza, the Spanish version of Cradle in the Wild, translated by Adriana Botero. Both books have won awards. 

How Devoted Writers Handle Doubt

by Suzanne Lieurance

Every writer doubts. The ones who have been writing the longest often doubt the most, because they understand more clearly how large the gap is between the vision in their head and what appears on the page.

Doubt is not a sign that you've chosen the wrong path. It's a sign that you care about the work.

The question isn't whether you'll feel it. You will. The question is whether doubt will drive, or whether you will.

Writers who are devoted to their work have usually made a quiet decision about this. They haven't decided never to doubt. That would be impossible and also fairly uninteresting — doubt is part of honest creative work. What they've decided is that doubt doesn't get to determine whether they show up.

They've separated the question of whether the work is good from the question of whether they'll continue.

That separation is powerful. When doubt arrives — and it will, in some form, in every project — it doesn't automatically trigger a crisis. It doesn't shut down the session. It's just one voice in the room, and it doesn't have final authority.

Devoted writers have also learned to recognize doubt's favorite disguises.

Sometimes it sounds like perfectionism: This isn't good enough to be worth continuing. Sometimes it sounds like practicality: Who is this even for? Sometimes it sounds like perspective: Maybe I should step back and reconsider the whole thing. These aren't always wrong — sometimes they're real signals worth listening to. But they're also familiar escape routes, and devoted writers know the difference.

One of the most effective things you can do when doubt surfaces is write through it rather than stop to resolve it.

You don't need to feel confident to write the next sentence. You just need to write it. Confidence, when it comes, tends to arrive from the writing — not before it. The act of continuing, even tentatively, even imperfectly, generates its own kind of momentum.

You can also get curious about doubt rather than combative with it.

Instead of treating it as an enemy to defeat, ask what it's actually pointing at. Is it fear of judgment? Uncertainty about the project's direction? A need for rest? Sometimes doubt is a useful signal. Following it inward can lead to real clarity.

Other times, doubt is just noise. And the most devoted thing you can do is note it, set it aside, and write the next paragraph anyway.

And, if you need help dealing with constant self-doubt as you're writing, join our online writers' community at www.mondaymorningmanifestors.com.

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.