For twelve years, I’ve attended the Tucson Festival of Books, and each time, my experience has evolved along with my literary journey. At first, I went to be surrounded by fellow book lovers and hear authors speak, eager for glimpses into their creative process. When I made the career shift to editing, I listened for nuggets of wisdom on craft. When I became a coach, I listened for common creative and mindset pitfalls. And when I wrote my first novel, I reflected on author insights through the lens of my own writing experience.

With so much turmoil in our communities and the world, it’s understandable if you’re feeling overwhelmed. The news is full of contention and fear, and many of us are struggling to maintain a level head and heart. You might find yourself using all your energy to keep things steady for others, leaving little for yourself and your creative practices.  

The publishing industry places a lot of emphasis on a novel’s first lines and chapter to hook the reader. However, over-emphasis on chapter one during drafting can stall the writing process and stifle creativity. Below are five ways to change your mindset and approach so you can get past the beginning and write your novel.

Reading your draft novel, or portions of it, aloud to yourself can reveal developmental (big-picture) issues you may otherwise miss. If you prepare for it with intention, you will gain greater insights and identify opportunities to strengthen your work and grow as a writer. The point of this exercise is not to identify spelling and grammar mistakes, but to listen to how your work in progress sounds, get a feel for its pacing, and identify any plot holes or things that are missing. But reading aloud can also help you identify what’s working well. It’s just as important to celebrate what you love about your writing!

I recently reread The Girl in Hyacinth Blue, by Susan Vreeland (Penguin Books, 2000) to explore a structure called a short story cycle, which is a novel composed of separate but interconnected stories. The Girl in Hyacinth Blue traces the provenance and origin of a painting, which may or may not have been painted by Vermeer. Vreeland masterfully executes the short story cycle. But it takes more than just following a structure template. Below, I examine the short story cycle and other elements employed by Vreeland that contribute to this beautifully written historical novel.

Finding your voice as a writer is about embracing your unique version of artistic expression. Rather than something that can be quickly identified, your voice unfolds and reveals itself to you, which takes time and cannot be forced. However, I’ve developed an exercise to help you discover your voice as a writer.

Do you long to return to your writing? Perhaps life has intervened, and a few weeks have turned into months or years. It’s natural to miss that part of yourself and feel disconnected from your creativity. You may even feel some guilt and shame that you haven’t been writing.

Recently, a writer told me about a new idea she had for her novel that sparked an interesting conversation. Verbalizing an idea to another person forces you to look at the big picture, understand its potential impacts, weigh the pros and cons, and make an informed decision about how you want to move forward. As a coach, it’s my job to ask open-ended questions to help you come to your own insights and decisions. I can also help you explore your mindset, so you can move forward and write the story that wants to be told.

Who gets to call themselves a writer? Someone who writes. If you write, you’re a writer. It can be that simple—if you allow yourself to embrace your artistic identity.