Commanding Writer’s Block

There are many things that I enjoy about writing, but staring at the empty computer screen isn’t one of them. That white page surrounded by a sea of blue is intimidating and the “page 1 of 1 with the word count at the bottom left bellows my lack of words.

Sigh. Writer’s Block.It isn’t pretty.

All that being said, I am in good company. Some of the best loved writers throughout history have been plagued by this affliction. What makes Leo Tolstoy, Ernest Hemingway and Virginia Woolf different from other writers? They didn’t let the Block paralyze them for any length of time. They figured a way around whatever it was keeping them from producing pages of writing. If they can do it, so can you. So can I.

What is this mysterious thing called Writer’s Block? I found a working definition on Wikipedia:

“Writer’s block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some “blocked” writers have been unable to work for years on end, and some have even abandoned their careers. It can manifest as the affected writer viewing their work as inferior or unsuitable, when in fact it could be the opposite. The condition was first described in 1947 by psychoanalyst Edmund Bergler.^”

Here’s a definition, but that still doesn’t help me with what to do while I’m lost. Why does this happen?

A grammar website named it the “Censor” that resides in our brain. Little voices inside our head tell us that we have absolutely nothing worthwhile to say, nothing that we’ve experienced would be interesting enough for others to read. The Censor skillfully takes these voices and tears them down only to build them back up brick by brick until we have a wall so tall and so wide that we couldn’t possible find a way around it. Maybe the Censor was created because an English teacher told you that your poem was drivel in 7^th grade, maybe an agent told you that what you were working on wasn’t politically correct or maybe you just had a traumatic potty training episode- it doesn’t matter why it’s in existence- it just is.

An American poet, William Stafford, states, “There is no such thing as writer’s block for writers whose standards are low enough.” WHAT?!? Are we supposed to create crap? Are we to be satisfied with the mediocre?

What the man is trying to tell us is that we need to lighten up. Stop taking ourselves so seriously. If you sit down with the sole intention of writing the best thriller, the most profound poem, the scariest horror novel, then you’re screwed. (Pardon my vulgarity-but it sums it up so succinctly.) Give yourself permission to write whatever flies from your fingertips. The point is to not write another great novel right off the bat, the point is to simply write. I highly doubt William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in a single take.

Joanna Penn (The Creative Penn) has a wonderful list of suggestions to push back the Censor creating Writer’s Block in your head.

1. Rid yourself of the genius curse- everything that comes from our brain does not have to be brilliant!
2. Don’t be married to results- most folks have to write pages and pages of “stuff” before something good bubbles to the top.
3. Don’t compare yourself to other writers- your talents are unique. We don’t need another Stephen King, we need you!
4. Remember rejection letters are made of paper- they can be disposed of quite easily.
5. Write ahead of yourself- we’re all walled in by our own habits- break out!
6. Cannibalize your older writing- don’t be afraid to chop your words, but keep them in a separate folder. There might be glimmers of brilliance.
7. Break old habits of voice and style- if it’s stale to you, it will be stale to your readers.
8. Break your assumptions- If you are writing a light hearted comedy and get stuck, bring in a killer and see what happens. You can always change tone in a revision.
9. Write every single day- we all know this rule.
10. Join or start a writing group- I get by with a little help from my friends.
11. Combine all of these approaches- nuff said!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please Remain Seated Until the Ride Stops

Song of the Day: The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars

Do you spend a little extra time writing the ending of your book, or do you breeze through it with ease? You would think that because it is the end, it would be a snap to wrap that puppy up and call it a day, right? Wishful thinking.

This past week, I finished book #3 in my “Romancing the Pirate” series. But it didn’t come easy. Though I knew sort of what was going to happen – yes, I am a card-carrying pantster – I really had no idea how the story would get to ‘the end’. Guess you could say I’m just along for the ride, much like a reader. All I knew for sure was there would be a lot of nail biting, breath-holding action, and a happy ending. Pirates deserve to be loved, too, you know.

Completing this manuscript was, at times, tedious. I experienced moments of shear genius, my prose burning up the keyboard with g-force speed. This would be followed by the clackety-clack-clack of agonizing drags lasting days. Now, I am so exhausted, I have jet lag.

The scenes were drafted in my head barring any details or dialogue. The good guys, aka pirates, fought the bad guys, aka corrupt government (how’s that for irony). Yet, it took me much longer to write the scene than I would have liked.  Eventually, the hero bests the villain and wins his heroine. Great, only I didn’t feel the story was done. Ohhh no. I needed to make the hero and heroine suffer more. It only seemed right. Once I decided on how to put their lives in jeopardy again with a harrowing near death escape, I blazed right through it in just a couple of hours.

And still, I couldn’t write the words ‘the end’ just yet. An epilogue was in order to tie up all loose ends. This should be no problem. Okay, okay, I admit, keeping up with the Kardashians is easier than answering all the questions left in the wake of the prior 17 chapters.

Some writers make charts to help them keep track of all subplots, characters, and objects relevant to their stories. Others wallpaper their writing spaces with post-it notes. And still others have outlines, notebooks, dry erase boards, and files. I envy them. Though I do keep notes from time to time, I don’t do these things. I can’t. As I write, the tales evolve on their own, surprising even me on occasion. I’m free to let the characters tell the story through their eyes. Otherwise, I’m convinced, with my compulsive organizational skills, the narrative would come out stiff.

I somehow remember all those loose ends. Granted, it does take some serious staring out of the window and face scrunching, but I rarely forget any points that need to be revisited. I chalk it up to the way I do my first round edits. Once I’m finished with a chapter, I print it out for editing. I can’t move forward until I have read through, made changes, and strengthened the writing. Anal retentive? You bet! It certainly isn’t an easier method than plotting with charts or color-coding with sticky notes, but it works for me simply because I retain more of the story as I go along.

And then there’s the added stress of writing the killer last line, the sentence that signifies all is right in the world, the final words which make the reader go “Whew! That was awesome!”

Stop. Go. Stop. Go. That defines how I write the endings to my novels. What about you? Do you find that when you get close to the end it’s like a downhill ride and you write faster? Or are you more like me, where the roller coaster has its ups and downs and hair pin turns, but near the end, the ride slows down until that final jerk and the seat restraint lifts?

Let me hear from you!

Kung Fu Scene Play

Song of the Day: Hip to My Heart by The Band Perry

So there you are, staring at a computer screen, and are having trouble. You’re just not feeling it. It could be with an opening or any scene in your manuscript. The words aren’t coming to life, the scene is flat, or you simply can’t move forward.

What you need is a swift kick in the pants. Okay, may not. Maybe you need to try something different. I picked up this effective exercise from a workshop I attended featuring Alicia Rasley.

Get into character. Become one with their surroundings.

No, you don’t have to hire a kung fu sensei or take acting lessons. But if you can nab Ryan Reynolds as an acting coach, I say go for it! Especially when learning love scenes.

All you really have to do to become the character and anchor yourself to a scene is jot down answers to a few questions.

First, the basics. Keep in mind this exercise is done from the point of view character. Where are you? What do you see immediately around you? What time of day or night is it?

Become aware of your senses. What sound do you hear at this very moment? What do you smell? What do you taste on your tongue? What is the temperature, by which, are you hot, cold, or clammy?

Go a little deeper. Are you standing? Sitting? What do you feel in your hands? What do you feel on your cheeks? Are you barefoot or wearing shoes, and what do you feel under your feet?

Go deeper still. Are you alone? If not, what is your immediate feeling towards the person(s) you are with? What is your mood? What do you feel in your heart? What are you afraid will/will not happen? What do you hope will/will not happen?

These answers will help place you squarely in the scene – any scene. With the emotional and physical elements of your character fresh in your mind, you should be able to bring the words to life.

You’ll make your scene vivid with your kung fu roundhouse kicks. Of course, having Ryan Reynolds whispering encouragement in your ear might help, too.

What do you think? Do you have an exercise you’d like to share that helps you make your scenes more tangible? Let me hear from you.

What is your writing process?

by Marie-Claude Bourque

A little while ago I answered the following questions on my writing process for a writer’s blog and I thought I’d share it with you, so that you could in turn share yours with us!

Please describe your current writing process from story idea to final draft in as much detail as possible.

BRAINSTORMING:

I usually start with my hero and heroine and try to find a couple that would be a good match in terms of both conflict and attraction.

I try to be as clear as I can on both characters goals, motivations and conflicts (external and internal). My style of writing focuses more on the characters internal conflicts due their background and how they come together to resolve the external conflict which comes in the form of a threat to their world, usually a villain.  My general writing theme is that unity conquers.

I try to lay out the main story in a classical 3 acts set-up.

Once I have the core of the story, I daydream scenes that fit my writing style: gritty, sensual and mystical and that arise from the conflicts between all the characters.  I use music a lot to brainstorm.I also like to fill up Donald Maass workbook to think up more intense scenes.

FIRST DRAFT:

Once I have a good list of scenes (maybe 20), I write them one at a time longhand in first person for each POV character. Meanwhile I list all the plots and plot layers to make sure I advance at least one or more plot in each scene. I come up with new scenes as I write for a total of around 75.

Typing all the scenes in the appropriate third person gives me my first draft. I don’t pause to edit during that phase but write real fast and fill the blanks later.

Yes, I'm a dying breed, I write longhand!

SECOND DRAFT:

The second stage is when I do the deep editing. I use my own version of Margie Lawson’s method to add the missing bits such as settings and emotions and research accuracy and I also look at a balance in my scenes between emotions, inner thoughts, dialog, action and setting. I add about 20% more material at this stage. Sometimes, I see that I need to add or cut scenes.

This draft goes to my writing partners (i.e. Mustrackers John, Candi and Jenn)

If I can, I leave this draft aside for a while and later do a one sitting read as a reader to see what is missing.

THIRD DRAFT:

In the third draft, I start by fixing my own comment and my writing partners comments. I may again add or cut scenes then do a style edit, scene by scene, which is a 10-15 checklist I use to look at such as word overuse, tension on every page, using 5 senses, varying length sentences, using active strong verbs, hooks, ect. I also like to read each scenes 3 times with different fonts. Then I cut into chapters where natural breaks occur.

What do you feel are the pros & cons of your current writing process?

The only problem I can see with my writing process is that it takes time to type my work. Almost the same time to type as it take to write. I wish I was faster, but I need the deep connection I feel by writing longhand. Somehow, I can’t do it straight to the computer.

 

Find out about Stephen King's writing process in ON WRITING, his excellent book for writers!

What details can you share about the process of writing your very first published work? How has it changed from then to now?

The process I described was for my first published work which was my first manuscript (ANCIENT WHISPERS) and I still use this now that I am writing my fifth. I tried before to fill characters charts and index cards but I found it was pretty useless.

What advice would you give newly aspiring authors on finding their process?

Just try to find your own process by listening to what works for you but do learn different technique. I am a very obsessive plotter but I have been trying to learn how pansters do it. Never feel like you are stuck into one way of doing thing and try to work extra hard on your weaknesses.

It’s your turn now! If you have a minute, please share your process with us. I love learning new tricks from others!

How is your middle shaping up?

by Marie-Claude Bourque

So how do you work the middle of your story?

A writer friend was asking me that just that last week and I shared with her what I do. I thought I’d share it here in case it might give someone some ideas.

Now everyone has their own way to write a book, and frankly there are no “right” ways. But here is mine. This is what I told her.

Have you tried Save the Cat to plot your book?

 A fake victory half way through your story.

At mid-point, I have a fake victory. A place in the story where the characters feel they won but it’s an illusion (a love scene there works well).

Find your way from mid-point to climax

So for the last part I need to go from fake victory to the Climax in Act 3. I start with a bad event, something coming out as a consequence of previous decision. Blade Snyder talks about the “bad guys closing in”. I bring in my “really bad guys” in this oart, maybe escalading from one bad thing to the next.

How bad can it get! Escalate the bad in the second half!

Donald Maass talks about the “how bad can it get!” In my current WIP, a contemporary romance, it starts after my heroine finally gets together with the hero, with first her car breaking down, then her ex moves in town, then she lose her job (because of a stupid decision on her part), then she breaks-up with the hero (tied to the job loss), then she gets into a huge fight with her mom.

As far as the bad stuff happening, I try to have the bad events tied to the characters worst fear as defined in the GMC! And make it a consequence of their actions (in my story, it’s her fault she gets fired, then the firing leads to a break-up, she fears being dependant on a man). You have to torture your characters the whole time!  Make them suffer!

Tension and conflict! Lots of it.

After all that bad stuff, we need “the dark night of the soul.”

This leads me to the real bottom and a “dark night of the soul”, where the heroine is all alone and is really really low. Then I come up with some epiphany where she decides to take action towards solving her problem. The decision to take action is what leads to Act 3 and the beginning of “lead into victory” and to the climax.

Tie all loose ends in the climax

And then, as I heard Jane Porter say, it’s just a matter of closing all the doors to make sure all is resolved (in this WIP, my heroine makes-up with mom, get back with the hero and takes action that leads to a new job and dealing with issues with her ex.)

Story boards: See the story in one picture!

Jim Butcher had conquered the swampy middle!

I really like the Save the Cat story boards. I made 3 so far for 3 WIP and it helped a lot. Basically, the first part is all about the “fun and game” promise of your book (say for me in a small town family romance, I have sexy kisses and some cute scenes with family, kids and engaging with the hero) and the last part is the meat and bone serious “how bad can it get” sort of thing. I like to make things deeper and deeper in emotions and/or action (for my paranormals) to escalade the pace, than finish with a bang in the climax.

Have fun with your middle. If all fails, also have a read of Jim Butcher’s The Great Swampy Middle! His writing advice his priceless.

What are your tricks?

8 Tricks to Writing Productivity

by Marie-Claude Bourque

How do you keep track of your word counts and keep yourself motivated.

A writer friend on Facebook asked me this question this week so I though it’d be best to write a blog post on the topic. I have a few trick to get me going. In fact, I used the following since Oct 5 and wrote a total of 63,000 words so far. I am a slow writer, so this is a huge word count for me. But hey, it adds up. I could make it to around 250,000 words in one year if I keep this pace!

(1) I write longhand. So I calculated that I write about 200 words for each page of my notebook. This is actually a bit of an underestimate so in fact my 63,ooo words is probably closer to 70,000 words. I tally my word count for every session I write by counting how many pages  I fill in my spiral notebook.

(2) I use a calendar. I got this trick from Liza Palmer at a writer’s conference. I have a large calendar posted on the wall (I use the awesome calendar put out by artist Tony Mauro who designs Yasmine Galenorn book covers. I write a scene a day, first thing in the morning, anywhere between 500 to 1500 words a day. I just write down the number for the day on the calendar. It sounds simple but it is a powerful tool. If I miss one day, I have to stare at an empy space for a whole month, so this really motivate me to get that day done.

(3) I got my second trick from Megan Crane at a writer’s conference. I started a page for my novel in progress where for each session I write the date, the scene number, the word count and a word count tally.

 

Like this:

• 10/19  — 1  — 900 — 900
• 10/20  — 2 – 1500 — 2400
• 10/21  — 3 — 700 — 3100
• etc…

(4) I also record my word count in a app I have for my iPhone called WriMoDemon which tally my word counts for the month. I usually make my target 20,000 words for the month so this app tells me what I need to do to stay on track. I write my total word counts for the month on my big wall calendar at the end of the month.

(5) I also record my word in another app called WriteChain from the How Not to Write website. It’s based on the idea that you need to write everyday and never “break the chain” to stay motivated. (see how Jerry Seinfeld use a similar idea) I keep my minimun goal at 500 words a day.

(6) I also have a group of romance writer friends from the Greater Seattle Romance Writers of America. We started as a motivational group last year where we report our word counts each day and the leader post a spreadsheet with everyone’s progress once a week or so.

(7) I am also part of the “Write the Damn Book Challenge” group run by author Cherry Adair for people attending the ECWC writer conference. We report our word counts every week.

(8) and I am a member of WritingGIAM  (I’m in GIAM group 3) which was created by author Amy Atwell for romance writer just for the purpose of making and keeping writing goals.

(9) I also post my word counts of the day on my Facebook and Twitter status. A little for fun and a little for keeping me accountable. So all of 9 tricks that keeps me in check. It sounds like a lot but really it takes me about 5 minutes a day and an extra 5-10 minutes on Sunday. Little steps get you there!

Happy Writing

Friday Writer’s Quote: Nora Roberts

 

Nora Roberts at work.

“And each book has to receive your best effort every single time. No slacking. “
Nora Roberts

I FOUGHT THE MUSE…AND THE MUSE WON!

 

Usually, I find time to balance all that is happening in my life with the dexterity of a circus juggler…

 

Usually is the operative word here.

 

But it’s been three weeks since I’ve had an opportunity to sit down for more than a half an hour and actually get into my novel STAY and do anything other than edit a bit here and there.

 

AND IT WAS DRIVING ME CRAZY!

 

Finally, yesterday, after six ACO calls, two soccer practices for my daughter, one visit to the dentist, dishes, laundry and a softball game, and FOUR bedtime stories, I found myself a quiet moment. By this time, it was 10:30 pm.

I grabbed a quick shower, tossed on my jammies and caught up with hubby on the days events.

Knowing I needed to sleep, I went to bed.

Guess what?

No luck. I was exhausted and still, in my head, my ever prodding muse kept whispering in my ear. She verbalized and put enough pictures in my mind that I just had to get up.

Believe it or not, I was kind of frustrated. Sleep is pretty important after all.

Yet I couldn’t go back to bed. I sat up, typing away at the keys until 3:30 am. Mind you, I had to be up at 6:00am to start another crazy day.

But an amazing thing happened. When I sat down this morning to take a look at what I’d written, it was great. Mostly mistake free, flowed well, the emotion and descriptions were spot on…

Hmmm. Guess I’m not going to buck the call next time. I’ve worked without sleep numerous times, but last night I thought I’d convinced myself to do the responsible thing. Get to bed, get some sleep, so I could function the next day.

Well, I’m functioning, even in the face of my irresponsibility and I guess it’s time for me to listen to my muse a bit more carefully. Evidently she knows when I’ve got it in me – better than I do!

Ever fought the muse?

Did you win or lose?

LIFE HAPPENS

BLISS TRACK:
I went to my high school reunion in Charlotte, N.C. this weekend. (None of us graduated in N.C. however. We were overseas for highschool, so N.C. was just a convenient meeting place, since going back to Germany wasn’t possible. LOL.) What a blast to see people I haven’t seen in eighteen plus years. So much, and yet so little, had changed. Being army brats overseas forged a huge connection for us all, and even if  a lot of time has passed in between reconnecting, we all sat down together and talked as though it were only yesterday when we last spoke. To my friends – my MAHS pals – can’t wait to see you all again!

BITCH TRACK:
Nothing ever goes as planned does it? You know that saying, “ Bad things come in threes.” ? Well, is it possible that if you have one really bad thing happen – it’ll wipe out the other two coming???? Here’s to hoping!

Life Happens…

I’ll get to it later… I have to do this first… The kids need… The spouse needs… Charity needs…
My writing group needs… The car broke down… Kids are sick… Friend in trouble…

I’m certain any one of us could continue on with this list of reasons we don’t meet our writing goals from time to time. Sometimes, there isn’t even a reason other than your muse has gone on vacation without you. These are the disruptions we all face in the daily grind, whether we’re writing, revising, trying to meet deadlines or plotting our next story. And we weather the bumps in the road, face the days and move on until we can get back into the flow of things.

But what about those major issues that come up?

How in the world are we supposed to keep writing or find the time to let our mind be creative when something in our lives is taking all our focus, all our attention? And how are we supposed to maintain our ‘special voice’ when we’re so angry/sad/shocked/tired?

It’s inevitable that something BIG will happen in a writer’s career.

The big question is how to handle it.

1. Allow yourself to go without writing – guilt free. It may feel like you are letting yourself and others down by closing the laptop or the notebook, but trying to write while your heart and mind are uneasy is as difficult as it gets. Sometimes taking that day or two NOT to focus on writing makes it easier to get back to it when you are ready.

2. Allow yourself to write – guilt free. No I don’t have some sort of contradictory disorder. I just mean that sometimes, writing can be an escape from the troubles surrounding us. If your mind wanders to a story, an idea, a place and time other than the one you’re in – take the time to write it down, even if it’s on a napkin. It will make you feel better to lose yourself even briefly and give that much needed boost you’ll need to keep trudging through the tribulations at hand.

3. Write when you can and if you can. Doesn’t have to be on your WIP. It can be as simple as a poem, a funny little thought, a tribute to someone in your life, even a story you and your child make up. It’ll keep your mind sharp and ready for when you want to sit to work.

4. Get into the minds of those around you. Looking at your situation or the problem at hand – from others perspective not only helps you understand the situation better and everyone else’s views, it’s a wonderful learning tool for future character action/reaction/motivation. And let’s face it, during any stressful situation, we can all use a distraction no matter how minute it may be.

5. Keep yourself healthy. Eat, sleep, and do something physical. But not just your body needs to be healthy. Your mind as well. Find peace inside yourself a couple times a day – no matter how brief. Sadness, anger, resentment – any negative emotion – is toxic. It’s a bit like poison and it can keep you down. Letting the stress go and focusing on something positive each day can help you cope in hard times.

6. Share. Share your burden. Let others be the strong one. Let others help. There’s nothing noble in taking the weight of the world on your shoulders when it’s just too much to hold. Let others be there for you. There’s no doubt at some point, you’ll be able to return the favor.

And remember – if you do write during a period when you are dealing with major problems – make sure you go back and check what you wrote. Our minds are funny things and the feelings we have inside of us can show up on the paper/screen. Your story can take on a darker tone or a sad tone – any tone – without you even realizing it because your mind is venting as well and you want to make sure one of chars doesn’t do something out of character – just because you were out of character at the time.

Any other suggestions? Let us know your thoughts.

Candi