Nicole Bianchi

Writing, Copywriting, & Marketing Strategies

10 Films About Writers When You Need Some Motivation

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Old time projector camera

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Several weeks ago I wanted to relax after a long day of writing so I decided to watch a movie. And what could be better than watching a movie about a writer? Haha, we writers can’t get away from writing for long, can we?

Films about writers often give me an extra boost of inspiration and motivation. Seeing someone on the big screen struggling to craft their story reminds me that writing is a process. There will be ups and downs, but we have to keep striving forward.

I chose to watch Misery, the intense thriller based on the novel by Stephen King about a writer who gets kidnapped and tortured by his number one fan. No, it wasn’t very relaxing at all, but it was a gripping story. It got me thinking about the lessons about writing that we can learn from movies like these.

So today I’m sharing with you ten movies about writing that I’ve enjoyed and the different lessons I’ve learned from them. This list is far from exhaustive. It is not meant to represent the top ten best writing films of all time (believe me, there are many more fantastic movies about writing, and I could probably have made this list more than twice as long with all of them).

These are just ten entertaining films (in no particular order) that serve up some insightful lessons about writing and the writing process. I hope they will give you an extra boost of inspiration and motivation too! [Read more…]

6 Tips From John Steinbeck That Will Help You Complete Your First Book

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Open book in front of Hudson River and mountains

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Today marks the halfway point of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). This November, writers from all around the world have been racing to complete a 50,000-word novel in just 30 days.

If you’re participating in NaNoWriMo, maybe you’re one of those writers who’s already finished their novel or is right on track to have it completed by November 30. If so, congratulations! But maybe you’re like me: terribly behind in your word count and feeling a bit overwhelmed.

I jumped into the challenge excited to begin working on a new story. But soon my schedule became busy. I kept writing when I could, but I started to fall behind in my target daily word count. Today when I checked my stats, I realized I was over 10,000 words behind.

When you’re working on a huge writing project and start falling behind, it’s easy to feel frustrated and even consider giving up. That’s how I’ve felt at times, but I’ve kept moving forward, thanks in part to some wonderful advice from John Steinbeck.

Steinbeck was an expert at finishing long writing projects. The Grapes of Wrath is over 500 pages long while his marvelous epic East of Eden (one of my favorite novels) runs about six hundred pages. In a 1962 letter to his friend Robert Wallsten, Steinbeck shared his six strategies for successfully making it through the first draft of a book.

Whether you’re participating in NaNoWriMo, writing a nonfiction or fiction book on your own, or just tackling a huge writing project, John Steinbeck’s six tips can help you get back on track to bringing your project through to completion.

I’ve taken his tips and presented them in a helpful infographic. Check it out below.

[Read more…]

William Faulkner on How to Think Like a Successful Writer

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Photo of William Faulkner
William Faulkner | Public Domain Image via Wikimedia Commons

I’m trying to dash off this post before I get swallowed up again by my short story.

Yes, I know I’ve been absent from the blog this month, but August has found me immersed in developing characters and crafting scenes. Whenever I sat down to write a blog post, I became distracted by a scene in the story that I needed to polish or a character that I wanted to add.

The writing process has been quite fun, but now I’m nearing the end of the story, and the usual fears are beginning to surface:

Is the story really any good? Have I succeeded in making the characters compelling or are they one-dimensional? Will I be able to tie everything together in the conclusion? Will it connect with the reader? Will people criticize my work?

This past week I came across a 1956 interview with Nobel laureate William Faulkner in The Paris Review. Several of his observations have encouraged me to see my story through to the end despite my doubts.

If you need a bit of inspiration in your writing journey, read on for Faulkner’s wise words on why it is healthy for the artist to question his work and the formula for becoming a good writer. [Read more…]

Why It‘s Okay to Be Afraid: John Steinbeck on Confronting Your Writing Fears

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Photo of John Steinbeck reclining in a chair in front of a window
John Steinbeck, by Peter Stackpole, via Life

Do you struggle with fear as a writer?

Fear that your writing isn’t good enough? That people will criticize what you write? That you’ll write one good story and then never be able to write anything else?

Fears like these can feel overwhelming and make you think that maybe you should just give up on writing. It’s easy to imagine that the greatest writers confidently showed up each day at their typewriters, words flowing effortlessly from their fingers.

But that’s not true. Even the greatest writers are not immune to fear and self-doubt.

Nobel laureate John Steinbeck was one famous writer who wrestled with insecurity and severe anxiety throughout his entire writing career. But he didn’t let those fears defeat him.

Read on to discover his invaluable advice for how to confront your writing fears.

[Read more…]

5 Reasons Why You Have to Stop Editing Your Writing

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hand resting on computer keyboard

Ever hesitate when you’re about to hit publish on your latest blog post?

You’re sure you should give it one more read through.

Maybe you’ve missed a typo. Maybe you’ve misquoted someone. The wording in that third paragraph still doesn’t seem quite right.

Here’s what you need to do. Stop overthinking and just hit publish. [Read more…]