Writing Is Thinking

Writing is thinking, helping writers improve by stepping outside their comfort zones.

By: Grant P. Ferguson

Last Updated: March 26, 2025

Writing Is Thinking About Your Comfort Zone

My comfort zone is writing about the best of what top writers already figured out, but that might not give readers what they need.

Like me, if you want to get outside your comfort zone, you’ll take the required steps.

For example:

What’s your starting point and where do you want to go?
Which habits hold you back from achieving your goal?
Are you willing to change to reach your desired destination?

Step 3 is the kicker because it requires intellectual, emotional, and physical change, and as we all know, replacing one habit with another is never easy.

Writing Is Thinking About Forming a New Habit

Let’s consider what happens when you replace an old habit with a new one.

Your old habit is the boundary that blocks the adoption of a new one.
The new habit requires multiple repetitions to cross that boundary.
Repeated enough times, the new habit becomes automatic.

Change is never easy, but it’s doable!

Change to Help You Achieve More

My many thoughts on replacing one habit with another forced me to evaluate whether I’m fulfilling my promise to help you write a book readers will love.

I could create another post about writing tips, and that could prove useful; however, what if you really needed a combination of encouragement and a nudge to step outside your comfort zone?
To answer to that question, I evaluated several years of my posts, and I saw too many articles focused on writing tips and not enough on encouragement.
An email from a subscriber confirmed that many writers struggle with writing a full-length novel, suggesting the need for positive motivation and change.

One thought lingers longer than the others: choices today are tomorrow’s outcomes.

Writing Principle: Excellent habits produce excellent results.

Books for Writers to Help You Think and Write

Out of the hundred-plus writing books* in my Kindle library, I selected a handful of authors** that will help with your thinking and writing.

James Scott Bell

Of the 16 books by Bell, I only listed 3. His Super Structure hooked me on story structure and gave me the confidence anyone could write fiction, making me a fanatic in curating the tips of bestselling authors.

Blake Snyder

Through movies, Blake Snyder showed me how the entire story comes together, emphasizing what audiences want and how to exceed their expectations.

John Truby

Based on John Truby’s work, I learned what it means to mine for the golden nuggets (e.g., The Anatomy of Genres) you can’t find by skimming the latest book on writing.

Shawn Coyne

Shawn Coyne detailed how to dissect story to make sure each piece delivers the value intended by the author and desired by the audience.

Robert McKee

When you explore the background of Shawn Coyne, you discover he based much of his editorial wisdom on the work of Robert McKee’s Story.

Note: While reading books about writing, consider recording and organizing your notes in a writer’s database (e.g., Apple Notes, SimpleNotes, or several other apps).

Which authors helped you improve your writing?

*This page contains affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, but it won’t cost you a penny more. Learn more in my Affiliate Disclaimer.

**My research included many authors and screenwriters, including (but not limited to) Margaret Atwood, David Baldacci, Frank L. Baum, James Scott Bell, Dan Brown, Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Lee Child, Mary Higgins Clark, Shawn Coyne, Ann Cleeves, Michael Connelly, William Wallace Cook (aka John Milton Edwards), Lester Dent (aka Kenneth Robeson), Arthur Conan Doyle, Ian Fleming, Neil Gaiman, Gillian Flynn, Erle Stanley Gardner, Frank Gruber, Dashiell Hammett, Robert A. Heinlein, Stephen King, Steven Konkoly, Dean Koontz, Chris Lang, Elmore Leonard, Robert McKee, A. G. Riddle, Dorothy L. Sayers, Sidney Sheldon, Blake Snyder, Mickey Spillane, Dwight V. Swain, John Truby, Kurt Vonnegut.

11 Tips on How to Create Your Story Premise BEFORE You Write

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Should You Read John Truby’s The Anatomy of Genres?

19 responses to “Writing Is Thinking”

K.M. Allan

Great post, Grant. I’ve added a few books from here to my TBR list as I’m always looking for writing craft books to read. Thank you!

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1. Grant at Tame Your Book
  
  You’re welcome, Kate, and thanks for reminding me to link occasionally those foundational books that serve as TYB’s writing principles.
  
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Miriam Hurdle

Oh, I was talking about my granddaughter. Her performance is coming in June. Your new post sounds interesting, Grant.
Do you have a “follow” button for your blog.

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1. Grant at Tame Your Book
  
  Thanks for asking, Miriam, and I put the WordPress “Follow Tame Your Book” button right under the like section in the lower part of the post. Have a great weekend!
  
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Miriam Hurdle

I love the video and the chart, Grant. Your chart about the new habit describes exactly what happened to my 7-year-old daughter in her dance class. She dreaded about going to her class in the beginning because she was not good at some routine. The instructor asked her to sit and observe. She slowly stepped in half way through the class. She feels better six months later. I videoed when class practiced the entire sequence. She watched it on her own (I didn’t know because she took my phone but told me later).

Anyway, I like Blake Snyder and I have Save the Cat. I also have Sol Stein’s Stein on Writing. I read Stein from cover to cover with underlines, circling, and taking notes on the margins.

Thank you for this resourceful post again.

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1. Grant at Tame Your Book
  
  You’re welcome, Miriam, and thank you for sharing the lovely story about your daughter’s dance class. I got an email describing the learning process as a “project.” An apt term for first understanding and then following the steps to write a full-length novel. That email and your comment gave me an idea for another post, breaking down how anyone can use project management techniques to tame the unruly beast and write a book readers will love.
  
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Wynne Leon

This is so helpful, Grant. Love the graph and “The new habit requires multiple repetitions to cross that boundary.” Seeing that boundary helps to make getting past it achievable. Thank you!

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wordsfromanneli

You always have such great ideas!

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1. Grant at Tame Your Book
  
  You’re too kind, Anneli. The images and captions on your site are brilliant!
  
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  1. wordsfromanneli
    
    Thanks a lot, Grant.
    
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John Buckner

Maybe it depends on where you are in your writer’s journey, but two more books that I have color-coded-bookmarked-to-death, are Matt Bird’s “The Secrets of Story,” and Dwight V. Swain’s “Techniques of the Selling Writer.” I find nuggets of wisdom on every page.

Since everyone is left up to their own devices when considering book marketing, I highly recommend Roy H. Williams’s Wizard of Ads books. The thinking process of writing a novel and crafting an ad are very similar in fascinating, parallel ways. It’s all story-telling, so this isn’t solely about marketing communications. You will become a better writer with these fresh approaches to the writing craft.

In “Magical Worlds of the Wizard of Ads,” are three short essays that are my favorites: 1)”Frosting”— relates too poet Robert Frost by “transforming drab communication into razor sharp wordsmanship. . . . the goal is to surprise Broca (portion of the brain) with elegant combinations of words”; 2) “Seussing”— relates to children’s book writer Dr. Zuess by “making up your own new words . . . Do you have the audacity to moon predictability by using a word that’s not official? Seussing, like pepper sauce is powerful”; 3) “Being Monet”— “the fundamental principles are . . . *ignore the details, *exaggerate the color, *remove the black . . . it’s not about making perfect sense. It’s right-brain language, impressionistic and dazzling.”

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1. Grant at Tame Your Book
  
  Thanks for the recommendations, John, I credit Dwight V. Swain for the 8-beats scene and sequel sequence, and you’ll find more information about him in this post. https://tameyourbook.com/the-trellis-method-give-readers-what-they-want-using-scene-and-sequel-sequence/
  
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  1. John Buckner
    
    Thanks, Grant!
    
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Jacqui Murray

Lots of good information. I’m enjoying your videos.

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1. Grant at Tame Your Book
  
  I hold off making the video until after I’ve finished the post. Then I enjoy creating, like a slice of cherry pie after a meal 😉
  
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Dana at Regular Girl Devos

Fun video and great encouragement. Thanks, Grant!

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1. Grant at Tame Your Book
  
  Thanks, Dana. We all need a good (and frequent) dose of encouragement!
  
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Priscilla Bettis

I love this encouraging post! I’d say Blake Snyder and Rebecca McClanahan helped me improve my writing.

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1. Grant at Tame Your Book
  
  Excellent mentors, Priscilla, and thanks for adding to the conversation.
  
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