The BUBBLE Method for Writing
Today I’ll describe my writing method. While there’s no perfect formula, I hope it helps you gauge when work is ready for outside readers.
Before we dive into that, we have WINNERS!
Karen Condit won the “talk to a bookseller” challenge. She gets a free book of her choice from last month’s newsletter.
Congratulations to Hannah Lapehn! She won this month’s picture book critique giveaway. Huzzah!
In case you missed it, I’m giving away one picture book critique a month until the release of A HISTORY OF UNDERWEAR WITH PROFESSOR CHICKEN. To enter next month’s, fill out this form.
Back to writing—I use the BUBBLE method:
Barf out that first draft. Don’t stop to make it pretty.
Undercover the WHY of the story
Back to revisions
Buddies—it’s time for outside feedback!
Let it rest
Interpret the feedback
Execute changes
Simple, right?
Ha! Writing never feels easy to me, but I love the process anyway. Here are a few additional tips for each stage of development.
Barf it out. Turn off the internal editor and just write. Don’t let perfectionism stop you from writing something. Anything. Finish the rough draft.
Undercover the WHY. To define my WHY, I find it helpful to write a pitch. What’s a pitch? Basically, you boil your book down to one to three sentences. Look for books similar to yours and read their jacket flap. This will give you a good sense for how to write your own pitch.
Back to revisions. Now that I understand the WHY, I strengthen the essential bits. I also cut cliche and look for ways to make the story feel fresh.
Buddies! Now it’s time for outside readers. I have a two main critique groups, and I alternate sending new work to them.
Let it rest. It’s tempting to dive into revisions right away. For minor changes, that’s fine. However, for bigger—more structural—suggestions, it takes me at least a week to fully weigh the feedback.
Interpret the feedback. Am I resisting the suggestions because it would be a lot of work, or is it really not right for the story? Who is giving the feedback? Does it need fresher eyes?
Execute the changes. It can feel daunting to totally revise a story. At this stage, there’s no substitute for BIC (butt in chair). Turn off the internet. Set a timer and write. It’s called the BUBBLE method because sometimes I have to circle back to the beginning when a story needs major changes.
Hope that helps your writing! Here are a few new picture book releases I’m excited about:
Goodnight Ganesha. Two children visiting their grandparents in India, experience bedtime in a new way.
Pando. Nonfiction about the world's largest living organism...YES, PLEASE!
Poet, Pilgrim, Rebel: The Story of Anne Bradstreet. An inspiring story about a female writer breaking barriers.
Happy reading and have a wonderful autumn!
Hannah