Guest Post: Four Ways to Stay True to Your Writing Vision Despite External Resistance

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About The Author:

Stephanie BwaBwa is a Jesus-centered Fantasy Fabricator. She’s a young adult and fantasy author writing in the universe of Elledelle about black angels in magical worlds with impressive power that mirror the human condition. You can usually catch her going for a walk through a park, or simply binging Disney+ with too many snacks.

Get in contact with Stephanie directly at: stephaniebwabwa.com.

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In a world where there’s so much noise and everyone sounds the same, your unique story is needed more than ever. 

Now, I don’t mean the idea that’s been watered down because you’ve been too busy comparing yourself to every other writer on the planet, convincing yourself that what you’ve got isn’t good enough. I certainly don’t mean meshing those wondrous threads of imagination with what you assume to be dominating the bestsellers lists. 

I don’t mean naan o’ that. And yes, I said naan. All my U.S. Southerners, you feel me?

Anywho, what I’m talking about is the idea that punched you in the gut. The one that refused to go away. The story idea you’ve been searching for everywhere and haven’t been able to find on a single shelf between the east and west coasts of your country. I mean the unicorn that crawled into your dreams, found a home in your thoughts, and has plagued you every day with the fire to bring it to life no matter what it takes. 

Hey friend, I have a question. Have you actually taken a moment to realize how special you are and how needed you are? I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard the words, “I want to write a book.” Yet the number of people who actually sit down, strap in, lean into the process, and get it done is pretty slim to none.

Why is that?

Because only a few writers in this world have raised their hands and said it’s not just a hobby, nor some whimsical thing they’ll attempt for money. Rather, writing a book is a way for them to leave an imprint on the world, to cause a radical shift for a coming generation, to build and leave a legacy through an art form that will outlive them.

And if there’s one thing I know, it’s this: If you’re reading this article right now, then you’re a part of that number. 

In your hands lies a God-given unicorn that can change the lives of every set of eyes that’ll consume your book. In your hands lies the power to radically shift someone’s mindset on the world and themselves. In your hands lies the power to do greater than what you even intended.

But it can only happen if you learn to stay true to your vision no. matter. what.

The idea was given to you. The idea was placed in your hands, in your mind, in your heart. No one else. It wasn’t a conference call. Now you may be thinking, “Okay… I have the vision, but how do I stay true to it? How do I refuse to quit even when I have to do some journeying alone?”

Glad you asked, writer. Let’s dive in to four clear and simple tips that can root you in the gift that was given to you so the world isn’t robbed of your vision.

Tip #1: Begin with the book you need to read

The best published books — all around the world — have come from a deeply personal place of need. I’ll use myself for example. For many, many, many years, I sought novels filled with angels, faith-based principles and complex, yet relatable, characters that looked like myself. And, phew! The search for such a thing was endless. You know why?

It didn’t exist. I was looking for a book that wasn’t yet on shelves. 

I’m sure you’re probably thinking the same exact thing. Right now, in your mind, there is a very specific story you’re on the hunt for. Something that appeals to an experience you’ve gone through. Something that appeals to a personal perspective you have on the world. Something for which you’d like to raise awareness.

You know what I mean. It’s right there, percolating at the forefront of your mind. And if you were to hop in your car, head to Barnes and Noble, and search for it, the book wouldn’t exist. This is where you have to take a moment and challenge yourself. 

Will you let these thoughts go and move on? Or will you buckle down and write the book you need. Because (spoiler alert!) if you need that story, then there’s a million other readers out of the 7.5+ billion people on planet earth who also need the same story. 

You are your first why. Please don’t read past those words. Let them sink in. I’ll say it again.

You are your first why.

You are your first reader and fan. Feel around in your gut, dig into your thoughts and bring out the story you’re hungry to read. Don’t be afraid to “do you.” This will be your utmost authentic story, and frankly, it’ll become your baby. Begin with what you need first, then go from there.

Tip #2: Reflect on how you’re personally trying to change

Self-development is one of the main things we can overlook as writers and authors. Doesn’t it tickle you funny that in our narratives, our goal is to bring the characters on a journey that will change them within… but we don’t have the same expectations for ourselves during the writing process?

Listen here. Nothing will happen to your readers if it doesn’t first happen to you. What do I mean by that? If the story doesn’t bring tears to your eyes, then it won’t do so for your readers. If it doesn’t fill you with a sense of empowerment, then it won’t do the same for your readers. This is back to the principle of “you first.” The journey must first be experienced by you. 

It’s incredibly important that you reflect on how you will develop in the process. Knowing the deep meaning of the story for your own personal life will make it difficult for you to deviate from the truth of it. No matter who comes around trying to change the story, you will remain anchored in the tale’s compass.

Don’t be afraid to navigate the varying sides of writing either. Tap into the change your characters will undergo while also recognizing the change you foresee in yourself. With every story we read, something within us evolves. Something is made new. Why shouldn’t you experience the same benefits with the story birthed out of your very soul?

Make room for change, and expect it to find a home inside you. Keep that space close as an anchor for the heart of your narrative.

Tip #3: Clearly define and utilize the journey you’ve experienced

Were you aware that some of the most well-known songs of our age were born out of harsh, cold, and dark places?

Take “Amazing Grace,” originally written in 1779 by the Anglican clergyman John Newton, for example. One could hear the old hymn and assume it was born from heartfelt devotion to God, then inserted into the Church en masse. This is true, but there’s far more to the lyrics known and sung by millions today.

Newton wrote the song as a depiction of his life. A boy who lost his mother and left to a cruel sea-faring father. A young man who enlisted in the British Navy before being taken into captivity as a slave. A man who gained his freedom and turned around to have his own slaves. A man who was saved from what should have been a fatal shipwreck that caused him to convert to Christianity. A man who later exited the slave trade and publicly denounced it, triggering a response in Parliament that would go on to abolish slavery.

John Newton was broken and miraculously saved before he poured out the journey of his life into a hymn. That hymn would later become a cornerstone in the lives of Africans and African Americans, enslaved and free, even unto the present day. A hymn that would also be sung in churches, homes, and musicals around the world for centuries.

All of this happened because one man wrote a song from his experience. Can you see how much can happen when you write a novel from your own, a novel that isn’t censored, watered down, or solely fashioned in the image of what’s popular? A novel that carries the rise and fall of every wave you’ve ridden through the years of your life?

This is the power that lies in staying true to the vision of the tale within you. There is great power in leaning into your experiences (whether good or bad), fusing them into your story, and letting your tale do what only books can do at time: heal, change, shift, restore, uncover, make new.

Tip #4: Commit to focus on your focus

Want to know the secret to why you fight with imposter syndrome more than you do the co-worker who keeps stealing your lunch at work? Distractions.

Too often, writers look at what others are writing, what established authors have published, and the books that seem to be selling well — all so they can go back and mimic what they think will work for their own books. Phew, chile! If you’re doing this, then here’s your sign to stop it.

You’re imaginative enough. You’re creative enough. Your story is unique enough. Stop selling your story short by defaulting to being a copycat.

If you’re serious about committing to your vision and staying true to what you’ve set out to write, then I need you to do the following: focus on your focus!

This is a West African proverb. It means “keep your eyes on your business.” I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “stay in your lane” by now. Or perhaps once or twice you’ve told yourself, “Let me put my blinders on.” This is what it takes. Focus — on your vision, on your process, on your work ethic, on you. 

Focus may require you to unfollow some people on social media, or leave some Facebook groups, or delete all your apps altogether. Focus may mean you have to stop letting that one older sister get in your business, telling you how she feels about your writing. It may mean sharing little to nothing about your WIP with your spouse or making the decision to stop obsessing over what’s on the bestsellers lists.

The way a mother doesn’t let just anyone touch her newborn to keep them safe is the same way you need to protect your book “baby” from all kinds of “infections” and “hazards.” 

Fear is a virus. Jealousy is a virus. Comparisonitis is a virus. Covetousness is a virus. Distractions are a virus. “Writer's block” is a virus! But I’ll leave that alone. Point is: Keep them away from your vision. From the heart of the story that will change the world one reader at a time.

At the end of the day, writer, it’s up to you to stop betraying your story. Yes, I said it.

Every time you take pieces from some other source and add it to your book — knowing full well the idea doesn’t belong — you’re betraying your story. Every time you let someone else — I don’t care how close they are to you — speak negativity, fear, and judgment into your work to the point that you start making changes, you’re betraying your story.

The books that influence a generation are the ones that are birthed from the secret places within a person. The places that are filled with experiences, ideas, and unique perspectives that can help so many others, regardless of whether the lens is romance, sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, thriller, or contemporary fiction.

People may not understand you. That’s fine. Your idea may not be something seen in the market yet. That’s fine. The idea you have may go against the status quo. That is fine. 

You weren’t placed on this planet to write carbon copies of someone else’s story. Writer, you were given words by God — and therefore a voice — to write your divine story in the way it was given to you to change the lives of so many readers.

Lean into that vision, own it, and commit to stay true to it. No matter what.

The Crescent and the Ash Queen

A deadly assassin seeking freedom. A manipulative queen seeking power. A depraved court hanging in the balance.

Zavala Nightingale is a deadly assassin with a slick mouth and devastating magic. Even though she’s the most feared Crescent in the Bones Court, she still wants out. Zavala has one more job to finish, then she’ll collect her coin and leave… But the Ash Queen has other plans for her.

When the Ash Queen declares Zavala as her heir, and the next Crescent Queen, Zavala will be faced with one of two choices: Accept and be a Crescent for life, or deny the Ash Queen, drawing the wrath of every assassin alive.