Nov 18
Do you ever feel like you’ve hit the writing wall and you’re not sure what to do? Relax. Read these posts to reveal a strategy that will put you back on track.
Stuck on what to write about? Consider these big ideas
Do you have a deep desire to write but aren’t sure where to start? Find the answer by asking the right questions. Read more
I met my writing partner, Carly, at a conference. We clicked immediately and discovered that we only lived forty minutes apart. As we worked on our writing, we called each other for support and met every few months to write. When Carly moved to another state, we continued meeting via instant messages and on the phone. And we started a blog.
The benefits of having a writing partner are numerous. Writing can be a lonely business. Even if you’re married or in a relationship, nobody really understands a writer like another writer. Not only can a writing partner provide moral support and camaraderie on your journey, you can spur each other on to reach your goals. Read more
One of my favorite writer’s tools is to practice word riffs. To me, word riffing is like playing a musical instrument (of course, that’s where the term riffing comes from). I’m learning to play guitar and one of the things I like to do is randomly strum away, making up my own little songs (often sung to my cats and starring their names—they just love that).
First, some tips for word riffing:
My husband and I were strolling along our city’s boardwalk this weekend when a bald eagle swooped overhead and landed on the mudflats to fish. We stopped to admire him—so silent and still as he hunted bullheads in a nearby stream. Soon, a small black bird, maybe a young crow or raven, began dive-bombing the eagle—a constant back and forth motion that reminded me of a giant pendulum.
Neither bird gave up. The black bird continued its assault. The eagle ignored the little bird and stared fixedly into the stream. We were amazed at their determination.
As a writer, this is what I’m always looking for—that single-point focus. My world has too many distractions—e-mail, phones, social media, business, housework. I find it too easy to get off track, and far too difficult to find my way back. Read more
Some days I’m easily distracted and can’t settle down and just write. It could be a a pile of paperwork on my desk, dirty dishes that need washing, or the the phone ringing every two minutes.
So I go to my local library to see how many words I can write in 60 minutes.
Like most libraries, the ones in my community have free Internet access. To make sure people don’t monopolize the computers, each one has a time limit. Sixty minutes is the maximum time you’re allowed to use a computer each day. So I know I have to get into my writing quickly once I log on. Most of the time, the other library goers are quiet and inclined to follow good library etiquette. The low-level thrum of library energy makes for good white noise. I’m in my happy place.
We’ve all heard them, read them, sometimes written them—those cringe-worthy similes and metaphors that make us wonder what planet the authors came from. Bad metaphors make for good comedy. We get emails with laugh-out-loud examples from student essays, such as:
You get the idea. During my beginning years as a writer, I confess that I too occasionally dipped into the bad-metaphor well. Embarrassing, right? But then I got better. I worked at it. I practiced. When I made the leap from writing poetry to writing stories and books, I made another major discovery about what makes a good metaphor. Read more
Ever feel like your mind is a jungle and your manuscript is a reflection of all those tangled vines and spongy mosses? Ever feel stuck in a bog of your own making? In her book, On Writer’s Block
Before I read Nelson’s book, I spent far too much time lost in my own overgrown and disorderly jungle, paralyzed by fear. Now when I recognize the block is happening—for me it’s when I feel like I need to do anything else but write (clean out the fridge, make another “to do” list, scoop the litter box)—I stop and ask myself a few questions.
The 5-step process below gets me back on track and allows my creative energy to spark and flow again. You can adopt this process or use these steps as a springboard to make the unconscious conscious: Read more
onewildword 