Good Company

Guest Article from Sarah Sax!

One of my pet peeves is when people say, “I always—” followed by something like, “I always read a book before bed.” 

There was a time when you didn’t read before bed. At first, you were too little. Then you were old enough to have people read to you. And do you literally read a book every single night? I didn’t think so. It’s technically untrue.

But I’m going to drive myself crazy here, because in this case, the ‘I always’ seems totally true.

I’ve always been a writer.

I grew up telling stories, devouring books, and typing on my dad’s computer. I remember handwriting the story of the gingerbread man and stapling the pages together into a book. As I got older, the more I knew I wanted to be published someday.

But I just didn’t know how to finish a book. I am a panster at heart—a writer who plans very little or nothing of what she writes. And there were the worlds of editing and publishing to navigate, not to mention—how do you get people to read your book in the first place?

Enter The Company.

The Company is, at its most basic description, a writing school. Founded and run by Brad Pauquette, it provides resources for writers (specifically Christian writers), from online courses to video calls to helpful articles. The crown jewel is the two-year in-person apprenticeship, where Brad himself (an industry professional) guides students through starting a business, writing novels and stories, practicing editing, and eventually getting published.

When I first heard about it, it sounded too good to be true. But I applied anyway, and now I’m almost a whole year into the apprenticeship. I have a website, I have a Facebook and a Twitter, I’ve even been published three times. I could tell you so many things I’ve learned, like the difference between a developmental and a copy edit, and the pros and cons of traditional vs. small press vs. self publishing. I’d never even heard of small press publishing before I started school!

But I doubt everyone who reads this is a writer, and not every writer wants to be published. So instead of going over the technical stuff, I’ll focus on three of the biggest ways The Company has changed my writing game.

First, my writing has a purpose. I used to start story after story, chasing the perfect idea, thinking, This will be the one! And most of them ended after the first chapter, or sometimes didn’t get past the first page. I really had no goal beyond ‘write this and someday get it to a publisher maybe’. 

Now, I post to social media several times a day. I write an article for my website once a week. I’m always either writing or editing a story—usually both. I’m assigned to write short stories, usually so I can practice a technique (like an action sequence or a flashback). This doesn’t just help me write better or get used to writing on a deadline. It gives me a goal, something to shoot for, some reason that I’m doing this in the first place. 

Second, I’m recognizing that perfectionism really doesn’t help. It just makes me scared to write at all, and I can’t afford to be scared. If I have to post an article today, I have to get it written. If I have an assignment due tomorrow, who cares what the opening line sounds like? It’ll go through editing anyway. 

Forcing myself to write without overthinking is hard, but it also makes me write faster. It makes me write more, period. I’m just putting down words for now; when that’s done, I’ll have time to make it sound better. I still struggle with perfectionism, but I’m also trusting that if there’s something wrong, it’s usually something only I and a few other people will notice, and if there’s something wrong, there’s usually time to fix it.

Third, I have a structure. Like I said earlier, I never used to outline much. I would make profiles of what my characters looked like, and since I write a lot of fantasy, I would dream up details about geography and money and cultural fashion—things that are fun, but usually didn’t have much to do with the actual story.

At The Company, I plot out my books according to The Novel Matrix, which gives clear outlines for plot, characters, and conflicts, while still leaving room for ideas to come on the flow. I still don’t totally enjoy outlining, but I can’t deny that it helps me move forward every single day. I can look at my plan and know exactly what scenes need written, which character is supposed to do what. It helps me write more consistently, even on days when I don’t feel like it.

Maybe you’re a writer struggling to write. Maybe you’ve written something and don’t know what to do next. Maybe you just want to meet other people who like writing. Check out The Company! They have people who can help you with plotting, drafting, editing, publishing, and so much more, plus fun things like The Company’s Novel Challenge, where you plan and write a novel in ninety days. I’ve seen myself learn and grow as a writer with The Company’s help, and I hope you do too!

Happy writing!

Meet the Author!

Sarah Sax is an avid reader, writer, and geek. She started storytelling as soon as she could talk, and never looked back. Sarah is currently developing a professional writing platform and has been published in the Fantastical Summer Anthology and on The Pearl. She loves listening to Coldplay, training with her lightsaber, and dreaming up epic science-fantasy tragedies. Check her out at sarahelizabethsax.com, where she posts weekly articles about finding joy in life and hope in mental illness.