116I – Writing a First Novel Isn’t Easy: An Interview with Stacey Donovan

Stacey Donovan is back as today's guest – but this time as an author! Stacey wrote the first original novel published by Hallmark Publishing, Sunrise Cabin. She also writes under the name Bryn Donovan.

Last time we talked to Stacey, she told us about her job as Director of Hallmark Publishing and what kinds of stories Hallmark is looking for. Today we're talking about Stacey's life as a writer. She started as a poet and later tried her hand at novel writing. Despite all she'd learned in grad school, writing and finishing the first novel was difficult.

Stacey shares her journey, as well as tips and tricks for writers to try if they are struggling to finish a book or if they don't think the finished product turned out well. No advice is right for everyone, she says, but her first piece of advice is to finish a book! Any book, just finish one. There are things you can't learn about writing until you've written a whole book and gotten to “the end.”

Her second piece of advice is to try outlining if you haven't done so. If you're writing by the seat of your pants, and finishing books, and you love how they turned out – great! But if not, try doing an outline first. She thought she wasn't “that kind of writer,” but once she tried it her books turned out better. Give it a try!

Stacey also has a great thread over on Twitter where she gives tips for writing a synopsis and proposal – you know, because you might want to submit your book to Hallmark Publishing! 😀

Check out Stacey's blog, chock full of writing advice, writing prompts, master lists, and more! You can also follow her on Twitter at Donovanesque.