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Lindsay Elizabeth

Fantasy/Romance Fiction & Creative Living

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HI, I’M LINDSAY

I write adult fantasy fiction and help creatives navigate the challenges of chasing their dreams. On my blog, you’ll find advice on writing, overcoming creative blocks, and building a life around what you love.

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Guest Post: How to Give and Receive Feedback on Writing
How to Set Up a Writing Planner to Stay Inspired & Organized
11 Self-Development Workbooks and Guided Journals for Empowerment and Inner Peace

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I’m Lindsay, an author and creative living blogger. I'm sharing advice on writing, tackling creative blocks, and building a life around what you love.

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When @rainydayinmay invited me to read an advanced

When @rainydayinmay invited me to read an advanced copy of her memoir, 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴, 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴, I was so excited for the privilege. Mae is a wonderful, supportive presence in the writing community, especially when it comes to uplifting fellow female artists. It's an honor to have the opportunity to support a project she's clearly poured her heart into.⁣
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𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴, 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴 is a raw, honest account of the profound effect motherhood has had on her life in its many forms. At times, it was hard to read (I wanted to hug her so many times throughout the book), but the courage in her vulnerability and openness to share her story is truly inspiring.⁣
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It's a story of perseverance, forgiveness, and self-love. One of the things that struck me most, over and over again, was the importance of kindness and compassion toward others — and toward ourselves. Mae is a beautiful example of the remarkable strength of the human spirit.⁣
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This book will undoubtedly make someone feel seen, understood, and less alone in the world. It's the kind you sit with long after you’ve finished the last page and will carry with you for years to come.⁣
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Thank you for opening your heart and sharing a piece of it with us, Mae, and reminding us that though life is a messy, painful, imperfect, and mysterious journey, we all share something in common: our inherent worthiness to be loved.⁣
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Be sure to follow @raindydayinmay and check out her book (available everywhere).⁣
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𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒊𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒐𝒃𝒊𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒗𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅?

Well, I was successfully Influenced and invested i

Well, I was successfully Influenced and invested in a sit/stand desk and a treadmill. 😅 ⁠⁣
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I was reluctant for a while because I thought it would be too hard to type while walking, and I was worried about getting motion sickness. But I'm actually loving it!⁠⁣
⁠⁣
Since I spend most of my day on my computer (for work and writing), it meant I spend most of my time sitting. Even getting in a workout or a walk once a day hasn't felt like enough. My body has been craving more activity, so I decided to give this set-up a try after hearing so many people sing its praises.⁠⁣
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Honestly, I was amazed by how much more focused and energized I felt the first time I used it. It helped me shake off the restlessness I often feel during the day. I've been doing things like answering emails/messages, content planning, and tasks of that nature while I'm walking⁣.
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I've had it less than a week and haven't tried writing my book while on the treadmill yet so we'll see how that goes. I'm feeling out what tasks pair well with the movement.⁠⁣
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𝑫𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔?

That feeling when you find the *perfect* name for

That feeling when you find the *perfect* name for a character 🤌🏻

Here are some resources for good character name inspo (save this for when you’re feeling stuck!):

𝟻 𝚁𝙴𝚂𝙾𝚄𝚁𝙲𝙴𝚂 𝙵𝙾𝚁 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙽𝙰𝙼𝙴 𝙸𝙳𝙴𝙰𝚂
⇢ MAGAZINES. In most magazines, there's a section toward the front with a list of all the contributors for that issue, including writers, editors, and photographers. You can also check out articles on online magazines and media outlets for more ideas. This is especially helpful for surname ideas.

⇢ HISTORY. Looking through names of historical figures, royalty, and celebrities from bygone eras can provide some rich inspiration to pull from and names that are a little more off the beaten path, especially if you are looking for a unique name for a particular character.

⇢ NAME GENERATORS. There are tons of handy name generators for writers (just Google 'name generator'), including genre-specific ones, that provide hundreds of ideas. Even if you don't use one of the generated names, they can be a great jumping off point to get the creative juices flowing.

⇢ ROOT MEANING. If you want a name rich with symbolism and meaning, start by listing out words, themes, and metaphors that suit the character and what you want to convey. You can then look for names that directly translate to that deeper meaning or names from history that reflect it.

⇢ BABY NAME FORUMS. Sometimes, people go to message boards and ask for name ideas with a specific vibe. For example, they may ask for 'sweet Southern baby name ideas' and receive hundreds of responses. Try Googling what you're looking for or going directly to baby name boards and searching.

𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒖𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔?

As a bonafide plantser (planner/pantser hybrid, th

As a bonafide plantser (planner/pantser hybrid, though I tend to lean more to the ‘planner’ side), outlining was a game-changer for me once I started doing it. Now, it’s a must for all of my projects.

Here’s my current process for outlining a novel:

𝙷𝙾𝚆 𝙸 𝙾𝚄𝚃𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙴 𝙰 𝙽𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙻
⇢ DETERMINE CHARACTER ARCS. What transformations will each of my main characters experience through the course of the story? How will they change from beginning to end?

⇢ OUTLINE THE STORY BEATS. This gives me a great, solid structure to work from and prompts to follow to keep me on track. I love to use Blake Snyder's story beats but there are others you can try, including ones for different genres.

⇢ TURN BEATS INTO A DETAILED OUTLINE. Once the story beats are outlined, I break them down into a more detailed outline to flesh out every individual scene in the novel.

⇢ BONUS TIPS. When outlining, I start by writing down any scenes I already know will exist in the story and then fill in around them. I often refer back to my character arcs, themes, hook, and love lists for ideas, too.

✨ You can grab my printable Story Planner bundle to help you plan out our your novel via the link in my bio ✨

𝑫𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕?

These are four questions I ask about every charact

These are four questions I ask about every character I write to help get to the core of who they are:

𝟺 𝙺𝙴𝚈 𝚀’𝚂 𝙵𝙾𝚁 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙳𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙻𝙾𝙿𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃
⇢ WHAT DO THEY WANT + NEED? What is motivating them on conscious and subconscious levels? What is it they desire and what is it they actually need (whether they realize it yet or not)?

⇢ WHAT DO THEY LOVE + VALUE MOST? Who and what do they love most in the world? What do they value most (i.e. freedom, justice, family, etc)?

⇢ WHAT ARE THEIR BELIEF SYSTEMS? What do they believe about the world, life, people, spirituality? How does this affect their actions and perspective?

⇢ WHO/WHAT STANDS IN THEIR WAY? What are the worst possible barriers that could stand in the way of them getting what they want and need most?

✨ You can grab my printable Character Planner bundle to help you plan our your novel via the link in my bio ✨

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔?

Authors spin ⁠reality.⁠⁣ Create something ou

Authors spin ⁠reality.⁠⁣
Create something out of nothing⁠.⁠⁣
If that's not magic, I don't know what is.⁠⁣
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An important ingredient for bringing anything to life is commitment — to your craft, to the art form, to the project, to the process.⁠⁣ To doing it right.
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It's challenging to bring a vision into reality. It's a mental game that challenges your ego, skills, passion, and endurance.⁠⁣
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The magic is in the commitment.⁠⁣
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Project Coastline (my urban fantasy series WIP) has taught me this. I've been working on it for years. It's gone through multiple iterations (it even started in a different genre). I'm chipping away at draft two of this particular incarnation of it. I've split it into two phases: Draft 2A and Draft 2B.⁠⁣
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𝙳𝚁𝙰𝙵𝚃 𝟸𝙰: Revamping the outline (again) and drafting several new scenes and completely rewriting several others. I completed that last week.⁠⁣
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𝙳𝚁𝙰𝙵𝚃 𝟸𝙱: Polishing everything (it's a fucking mess right now; imagine a new house with concrete floors and dust everywhere). Fixing up the prose (because all of the new stuff is completely bare bones just to get the foundation right) and adding the flourishes.⁠⁣
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I'm taking a break for about a month or so before starting on Draft 2B. In the meantime, I'm working on the outline for the second book in the trilogy.⁠⁣
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Sometimes, I literally feel like I'm going crazy because I've been working on this project for so long. But then I remind myself:⁠⁣
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The magic is in the commitment.⁠

Learning about other writers’ creative processes

Learning about other writers’ creative processes has always been super fascinating and inspiring to me. I love to try new things. So, I thought I’d share my own writing process (as it currently is — it evolves all the time, lol) as a series. Let me know if you’d like to see more or if you have any specific questions!

𝙷𝙾𝚆 𝙸 𝙳𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙻𝙾𝙿 𝙰 𝙽𝙴𝚆 𝚂𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚈 𝙸𝙳𝙴𝙰
⇢ MOOD BOARD + PLAYLIST. One of the first things I do is start compiling a mood board and playlist to help me capture the feel of the story and inspire me whenever I'm working on it.

⇢ GENRE + TROPES. I determine what the genre and sub-genres are, list out any tropes I know I'd like to incorporate, and look at lists of popular tropes for the genre(s) for potential inspiration.

⇢ THEME. I try to get a general idea of the theme and heart of the story I want to tell. This usually evolves as I go, but it's good to have a starting point.

⇢ THE HOOK. What's cool and unique about the story? What drew me to it to begin with and/or keeps drawing me back to it? What would I tell someone if I could only say one thing about it?

⇢ LOVE LIST. I expand on the hook and make a list of everything I'm most excited about with this project - moments, tropes, themes, characters - that I can refer back to whenever I'm feeling lost or uninspired.

✨ You can grab my printable Story Planner bundle to help you plan our your novel via the link in my bio ✨

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚?

Who are your favorite villains or morally grey cha

Who are your favorite villains or morally grey characters this meme applies to, either from fiction you love or one of your own projects?⁠
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This definitely applies to Eric from my urban fantasy WIP, Project Coastline. 😅

As I’m whittling away at the second draft of my

As I’m whittling away at the second draft of my WIP, Project Coastline, I thought I’d share its aesthetic because, why not? Any excuse for a mood board is a worthy one in my book.

𝙵𝙰𝙲𝚃𝚂 𝙰𝙱𝙾𝚄𝚃 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙹𝙴𝙲𝚃 𝙲𝙾𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙴
⇢ Adult urban fantasy series with multiple POV’s + a heavy dose of romance
⇢ Dynasty × Game of Thrones × The Vampire Diaries (the glamour + drama of classic soap operas, the political layers of GoT, the magic + romance of TVD)
⇢ Takes place on a fictional island off the coast of Florida within the Bermuda Triangle
⇢ Morally grey characters galore
⇢ Forbidden/star-crossed lovers
⇢ Family rivalries, mysteries + twists

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒖𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔, 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝒐𝒓 𝑻𝑽 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒔?

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