Celebrating Independent Authors
Your body and mind are the vessels your writing flows through. If you don’t take care of yourself, you risk emptying those vessels of creativity—the worst symptom of which is the dreaded writer’s block. The key to a successful and continuous writing career is to feed your muse by practicing a health writing/life balance along the way.
Here are some ways to fuel your writing self when you start to feel empty: Continue reading “Healthy Practices to Care for Yourself and Your Writing Muse”
The idea you had for your next book looked really great. After all, each book is supposed to be better than the last; your skills as a writer are growing. You set yourself a new challenge, one that would grab the attention of your fans and garner the respect of your fellow writers. You have 20,000 words already written. But now you encounter a problem and you’re stuck. What to do? Continue reading “When It Just Isn’t Working”
[This is an encore presentation of JD Mader’s post. Please tune in on Thursday for JD’s victorious return.]
I want to talk for a second about how to deal with writer’s block – don’t. Writer’s block is a myth. It is a psych-out. I have been writing for half my life and I have taught enough writing workshops to honestly believe that writer’s block does not exist…unless you let it exist.
Let me qualify that a bit. There are times when I am blocked on a certain piece, certainly. But that doesn’t mean I can’t write. Writer’s block is fear, pure and simple. And it is easy to let that fear dominate you. But it is easy to avoid, too.
I write every day. Usually around 500 words. A lot more lately. There is never a day when I ‘can’t write’, because I don’t try to force it. If I am working on a novel and I feel jammed up, I write a story. If I can’t think of a story, I look around me…I start describing something. Usually, that leads to something. Sometimes it leads to 500 words of description. So what? Continue reading “Blocking Writer’s Block – Encore”
Writer’s block impedes the best of us. Life, circumstances, lack of sleep, or an uncooperative brain create slumps in my writing productivity frequently. When the situation gets really bad, not one of my three or more projects grabs my interest. At those times, I work through my list of tactics, hoping one of them will renew the creative spark. Here are my favorites.
1) Read, read, read and read some more – The written word inspires. Well written books, contain insights into the craft. A well-turned phrase, flowing description, or poignant moment between characters demonstrates so much more than the best self-help book. Read the masters, the best sellers, and the authors excelling in the genre you wish to master. Enjoy and analyze. Why does a specific phrase stir you? What is it that catches your attention? How do they build the suspense or craft the hook? Continue reading “Working Through Writer’s Block by Rachel Rossano”