Writing. Difficult? Sometimes. by J Vincent

The hardest part of writing isn’t research.  Research is exciting and seductive.  I’ve been searching for the location of British HQ in Spain during the latter stages of the retreat to the Lines of Torres Vedras in 1810.  Each clue I come across fires excitement.  There is much to be said for the “hunt.”

The hardest part of writing isn’t deciding the setting--the where and when.  That’s pretty well set for me with the Napoleonic Wars.  It isn’t discovering the characters.  “Discovering?” you ask?  That’s what it is like a lot of the time.  I had a perfectly vile villain who now in book four I learned actually had a heart.  Characters are like friends--you never know them completely and they can surprise you.

So what is the hardest part of writing?  Well, it’s the writing.  It’s the day to day sitting at the keyboard and hoping the words flow and forcing them (or trying to) when they won’t.  That usually isn’t good writing but a book will never get written if you don’t make yourself put words down one after another.  Some times the words gush so fast my fingers can’t keep up with them.  It’s like watching a movie and being a court reporter, afraid to miss anything.  Other days it’s similar to pulling pin feathers for those of you lucky enough to have had to “dress” chickens.  I never thought that an odd term until long after I stopped doing it.

Most days it’s a matter of just doing it.  Sit down, put the hands on the keyboard, and type.  If you’ve prepared well--that is, you’ve gotten to know your characters and you’ve plotted out the story--the words will come.  Perhaps not in a gush but with a steady enough flow.  If you are a “by the seat of your pants” writer as I am, you plot out the broad parameters of the story.  No, I’m not saying you only need to know that boy meets girl or vis a versa, girl gets boy and they live happily ever after.  I plot the different twists and turns of the story, though often I don’t know exactly what my characters are going to do.  Like recalcitrant children they often do their “own” thing.  I know the broad chapters and some of the scenes but not all.  So every now and then there is a hiccup of sorts where the action stalls.  At these times I try to just push the story forward.  I have learned that if I don’t take the right direction (right according to my hero/heroine) the story goes no where.  If that happens I simply backtrack and try again.  At this point you are probably wondering why I don’t plot out the entire book, scene for scene, like some writers do.  I’ve tried it and it just doesn’t work for me.  It uses up a lot of time as I throw out the outline from where my character deviated and rewrite it.  Over. And over.  Perhaps I’m just plot-challenged.  But different strokes for different folks, to use a trite, over-used expression. 

Different aspects of writing prove troublesome now and then but nothing is more rewarding than writing that final scene (there is no such thing as final in writing, only the last time--ask any writer if they won’t find something to change every time they look at one of their books!) and knowing you’ve created a story.  You’ve told a tale.  There isn’t anything better no matter what proved “difficult” on the way to The End.  

 How final is your writing?

 

Sweating the Small Stuff – Keeping Track of Story Details (Penny Rader)

Had a snow day, so instead of being productive and writing, I procrastinated and worked on coming up with a way to keep track of story and series details.  

I've included snippets from several articles I found online.  I hope you’ll find something here that helps you, too.


Creating a Series Bible (Ken Hathaway)

May include:

• The overall concept
• Ongoing characters – main, supporting, villains
• Powers
• The setting
• The rules of the world you’re creating
• Gadgets and gizmos [if any] and how they work
• What CAN’T happen in future storylines
• Format
• Series tone
• Series theme
• An opening story
• Story suggestions

Creating a Story Bible: The Basics (RJ Blain)

Find a recording method that works for you.

Your story bible is like an onion.  You will build it layer by layer.

Writing down the facts

• Every time you give a character a trait (eye color, personality type, build, skills, and so on) write it down.
• Every time you describe a specific aspect of society, write it down.
• Every time you introduce a religion or important culture tidbit, write it down.
• Every time you introduce a major world event, write it down. (Include the date, what happened, and why it was that important in your ‘Legends and Lore’ type section.
• Every time you introduce something you suspect you will need to refer to again, that is not a plot line or character development element, write it down.
• Your story bible is a place for facts and important information, not for the story of your character’s life or your plot. If you want a journal for that, use a second one. You want facts and tangibles in this journal. This journal is to ensure consistency in your world and facts.

Creating a Story Bible [with a free template] (David Hewson)

His story bible breaks down into four different areas: Management, Characters, Locations and Research.

http://bit.ly/YK1WJ6

Easy Tips for Creating a Book or Series Bible (Angelique Armae)

1. Gather Supplies
2. Included ContentsCharacters
• World
• Clothing/Accessories
• Research
• Glossary

Can be a detailed as you need it to be.

Include all info on a CD and store it in your binder.


How to Keep Track of a Novel (Kay Kenyon)

Project notebook

• Discover and develop story
• Storyboard scenes
• List “beats” of scenes

Scene list

• At the end of writing day summarize what happened in scenes completed 
• Clues dropped
• Foreshadowing
• New characters introduced
• Her main method of keeping track of where she is in the story
• Allows her to pencil in the margins – next to the right scenes – notes for changes that become necessary as the story evolves

Style sheet

• Record every character name, place, piece of technology, special terms, odd spelling
• Update faithfully as you write

A great big box

• All loose-leaf things
• End of day everything goes into box – clean office

A three-ring binder

• Tabs for culture, language, history, religion, technology, flora/fauna, publications/books, politics, dress, military terms, rules of magic or science research points 

http://bit.ly/X02Swu

Keeping Track of Details (Rachelle Gardner)

Create an Editorial Stylesheet
1. A list of important style rules that will be followed throughout the manuscript.
2. The book’s setting – time frame and location on map.
3. A list of the places and street names.
4. A list of all the characters with the correct spellings of their names.
5. Names of any animals in the book.
6. A long list of words whose spellings could be easily mistaken or challenged.


Keeping Your Story on Track with Style Sheets (Marg Gilks)

• File Box
• Index Cards
• Tabbed categories with individual cards
• Notes preliminary details decided on prior to starting the novel as well as details created or discovered during writing
• Chronologies, timelines
• Thumbnail maps

The Story Is in the Details (Margaret Daley)

So how do you keep track of all those details?

You need to keep track of them before you write the book/series, during it and afterwards. There are a lot of ways you can do it. I use charts I've created on Excel as well as a pad of paper I have for the story. Some people use different kinds of software programs that are out there (example: Scrivener). Others use spreadsheets or hard copies of what they need (example: putting the details up on a pegboard or in a notebook).

What do you keep track of? Some of the elements you track are your characters (everything about them from their appearance to goals, conflict and motivation), plot (main and sub plots–all details), setting, point of view, timeline of story, weather, logistics in a scene, questions that need answered in the story, research and anything else pertaining to your story.


Track of Your Characters: How to Write a Story Bible (Kit Frazier)

She keeps two Story Bibles

• One as an extensive Master List
• A shorter one for my Work in Progress
• Keep an open Word document and save as “WIP Story Bible”
• Table of Contents – the reason to make yourself a Story Bible
• Indexes
• Major Characters Heading
• Minor Characters
• Recurring Groups and Organizations
• Settings – Large
• Settings – Small
• Systems
• For example: magical, physical properties of your world, political systems of government, courtly etiquette.
• Other Resources
• General Histories
• Timeline
• Outside Reference

What Do They Know?  Keeping Track of Character Knowledge (Janice Hardy)

Janice uses a spreadsheet to keep track of the following:

• What Do They Know?
• What Do They Think?
• What Are They Wrong About?
• Keeping Track of the Truth

~~~

What do you think?  Any of these appeal to you?  Do you already have a system you care to share with us?

P.S. I apologize for the weird spacing.  Blogger hasn't perfected reading my mind.

Is Your Motivation to Write Lagging? (Penny Rader)

I've been having a bit of a motivation problem lately.  Being me, I set out to see what sorts of pearls of wisdom I could discover on the Internet.  Here a few snippets of what I found, along with a few quotes I hope you will find motivational:


“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.”
 - William B. Sprague

5 Ways to Stay Motivated While Writing a Novel (Nathan Bransford)

• Cultivate Your Fear of Failure
• Set Deadlines with Teeth
• Daydream a Little
• Befriend Writers Who Have Finished a Novel
• Write Something You Love

“If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” – Toni Morrison

http://bit.ly/XHP6gk

7 Key Self-Motivation Strategies for Writers (Luc Reid)

• Pick Your Project Very Carefully
• Always Keep in Mind What Excites You
• If You Stop Feeling Motivated, Retrace Your Steps
• Use Support, Encouragement, and Deadlines
• Don’t Spend All Your Time Reworking
• Writer’s Block Is Just Fear of Writing Something That Isn’t Good Enough
• Don’t Get Too Attached

“Write what you know. Write what you want to know more about. Write what you’re afraid to write about.”  -  Cec Murphy

10 Tricks to Motivate Yourself to Write–Right NOW (Ollin Morales)

• Reward Yourself for Trying
• Don’t Place a Goal on When You’ll Receive Your Worth
• Be Flexible with Your Writing Schedule
• Don’t Self-Punish
• Don’t Overwork Yourself
• Follow the Inspiration
• Work through Emotions
• Avoid a “Me vs. the World” Strategy for Motivation 
• Instead Use a “Me Together With the World” Strategy for Motivation
• Write

"I asked Ring Lardner the other day how he writes his short stories, and he said he wrote a few widely separated words or phrases on a piece of paper and then went back and filled in the spaces."  - Harold Ross

http://bit.ly/WXQNXk

24 Ways to Enhance Your Creativity (Keli Gwyn)

• Take a break.
• Vary your location.
• Write longhand.
• Make use of creative moment.
• Get some exercise.
• Take a nap.
• Listen to music.
• Feed your creativity.
• Take a shower.
• Soak in a tub of hot, Calgon-scented water.
• Talk to another writer.
• Socialize.
• Reread your story.
• Work on another project.
• Change POVs.
• Daydream.
• Brainstorm.
• Gag your internal editor.
• Write fast.
• Browse in a bookstore.
• Seek solitude.
• Read.
• Watch a movie.
• Develop a conducive environment.

“Being in the mood to write, like being in the mood to make love, is a luxury that isn't necessary in a long-term relationship. Just as the first caress can lead to a change of heart, the first sentence, however tentative and awkward, can lead to a desire to go just a little further.” -  Julia Cameron, The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life

Creative Goal Setting for Writers (Kathy Steffen)

• Mean It.
• Make it Possible.
• Let Go.
• Make it Real.
• Empower Yourself.
• Be Specific.
• Prioritize and Focus
• Move It or Lose It.
• To Tell or Not To Tell
• Be Honest with Yourself
• Change Your Approach
• Celebrate Evolution
• Don’t Give Up
• Reward Yourself

"When asked, 'How do you write?'I invariably answer, 'one word at a time.'” - Stephen King

http://bit.ly/UphFjy

Emergency Writing Motivation Techniques (Luc Reid)

• Get a little exercise.
• If something’s bothering you, fix your thoughts.
• Visualize a result you like.
• Just start typing.
• Meditate.
• Why did you decide to write this piece?
• If you feel overwhelmed, focus on one thing.
• Write it out.
• Talk with someone who supports your writing.
• Find inspiration.
• Skip ahead.
• Come up with something new.
• Take a short time to organize.
• Warm up.
• Work on a different project if necessary.
• Use external motivation.
• If all else fails, do writing support work.

“I don’t wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work.” – Pearl S. Buck

Motivation and Inspiration for Struggling Writers

• Keep a journal of all the triumphs and pitfalls you've experienced. 
• Pretend your story is a movie. Who would star in it?
• Edit what you've already written. 
• Visit the setting of the novel or a place that reminds you of it. 
• Make deadlines (and actually stick to them).
• Reward yourself.
• Work out of order.
• Make a dust jacket.
• Do something for your novel besides writing.
• Talk to people.

“The worst thing you write is better than the best thing you didn’t write.” Unknown

Motivation to Write – How Writers Get and Stay Motivated (Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen)

• See beyond the rejection slips.
• Get your “bum glue” out.
• Find motivation to write in your procrastination.
• Don’t be a wannabe.
• Write what you got.
• Accept that good writing is hard work – it doesn't come easy for any writer.

http://bit.ly/ScNSbg

“You can sit there, tense and worried, freezing the creative energies, or you can start writing something. It doesn't matter what. In five or ten minutes, the imagination will heat, the tightness will fade, and a certain spirit and rhythm will take over.” – Leonard Bernstein 

~~~

What works for you when you're having a bit of trouble in the motivation department?

Need Help Refilling Your Creative Well? (Penny Rader)

Since we’re discussing our creative writing wells this month, I thought I’d poke around the Internet and see what sort of advice I could find. Below are snippets of a few articles I found.  I hope you’ll read the authors’ entire articles.

5 Ways to Boost Your Creativity --  And Generate More and Better Article Ideas (Linda Formichelli)

• Read magazines -- but not the ones you usually read.
• Get literary.
• Go away.
• Get outside.
• Find another way,

The Artist’s Date: Take Time To Refill Your Creative Well (Joanna Penn)

This idea comes from Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” which is a fantastic book. It is basically some time alone absorbing and refilling your creative well. It can be something entirely different, like a pottery class or a show, or could just be a walk or a new gallery exhibition. Anything that gives your brain some new stimulation and takes you away from your work in progress and your ‘normal’ life. It should be alone so you have time to reflect and can be an hour, a day or longer. (I am hankering after a writer’s retreat one of these days!)

How to Recover & Recharge from Creative Burnout (Alexia Petrakos)

• Dump it all out.
• Escape for a while. Leave your studio as it is, messes & all.
• Read a book. Make sure it’s something you enjoy, and not a self-help book.
• Take a walk outside.
• Sleep!

Don’t take too long recharging. Sometimes too much rest can lead to laziness.

How to Refill Your Creative Well (Cindy Barrilleaux)

For a couple of days or more, change your writing routine.  Instead of working on your manuscript, experiment with a variety of writing exercises. Do free writes, a la Natalie Goldberg, guided exercises, play around with poetry.  The main thing is to let loose, drop your inner editor, and write freely, unconcerned with results. After all, they’re only writing exercises.

Recharging the Creative Well (Linda Andrews)

• Look at art.
• Read.
• Stare at the stars.
• Cook.
• Scrapbook.
• Watch HGTV.
• Watch a movie, documentary, or TV show.
• Sew.
• Garden.
• Learn something new.

Refill & Recharge (Dani Wade)

• Artist Date
• Reward Day
• Go to the movies
• Girls Night Out
• Share a movie or game night with your family or some friends once every couple of weeks
• Minute Saviors – ideas that can take as little as 1 minute, or as much as 60.

Refilling the Well (Rox Delaney)

From WARA's own Roxann:

• Find a quiet spot to think or just "be"
• Spend time with friends, both writing and non-writing, especially ones I don't see often
• Sleep or take a nap without interruption
• Go outside and watch the clouds drift by
• Find a place away from the street lights--away from the city--to once again enjoy the beauty of the night sky
• Take a leisurely walk in the park, not for exercise or any reason other than the sheer joy of it
• Go to the park and swing
• Sit by the water and listen to the sounds it makes
• Find a new and unusual shop and explore
• Watch favorite movies for a full day

Refilling the Well (Mistina Picciano)

• Read fiction.
• Read about craft.
• Connect with other writers.
• Write anyway.

Refilling the Well (Kerry Schafer)

And so, I look for healing and refilling in the little things, in the odd moments scattered throughout the day. A picture that I love, hung where I see it every time I walk by. A hummingbird watching me hang out the laundry. A purring cat. A hug. Reading a great book. Talking to friends. Even just taking a moment to stand on my front porch barefoot, eyes closed, soaking in the energy from the world around me with every pore.

Ten Ways to Fill Your Creative Well (Catherine Castle)

• Visit nature.
• Take a long bubble bath.
• Read a book by an author you love.
• Get your favorite movie and watch it, dissecting it as you go.
• Meditate on your writing,
• Free write.
• Brainstorm with another writer about your story.
• Stuck for an idea? Read your Writer’s Market to come up with ideas.
• Read a writer’s magazine.
• Write an article for your blog, someone else’s blog or a newsletter

~~~

Do you have any favorite way to refill your creative well?  I'd love to hear them.

Well Done

You can take the title of this blog post in a couple of ways:

The term "Well Done" can be praise for doing a good job at just about anything, such as, "This paper you turned in was well done."

It can also be a description of how something is cooked, as in, "How would you like that steak cooked?"  "Well done."

In my case at this point in time, my "Well Done" would be a combination of the two.  "This paper is cooked to a well done burnt crisp."

What does being burnt to a crisp have to do with refilling your creative well?  Anything and everything.

Everyone has heard the term Burned Out.  It can happen to anyone at any time.  As writers, we have our own special set of pressures.  For instance, to stay on deadline, whether that deadline is an individual choice we make or the decision of a publisher, as writers we quite often forget that there is something out there in addition to the "finish line."  We sometimes become so focused that we're consumed to the point of mental (and sometimes physical) exhaustion.

As women, we've been taught to be the nurturers.  The only problem with that is that, in the hustle and bustle of keeping a home, raising a family, and often working outside the home, the nurturing stops before it ever gets to us.  Who nurtures us?  Usually that falls to...us.  Add in being an artist---a person who creates, whether with words or paint or acting or clay or fabric...---and it doesn't take long for that well of creativity, that well of LIFE, to dry up.

From CNN article "Experts ponder link between creativity, mood disorders":

There have been more than 20 studies that suggest an increased rate of bipolar and depressive illnesses in highly creative people, says Kay Redfield Jamison, professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University and author of the "An Unquiet Mind," a memoir of living with bipolar disorder.

I don't know about the rest of you, but that's kind of scary.  So what do we do about this?

We refill that well.  We take steps to return to sanity.  Not an easy task when it comes to hearing conversations of characters in our heads. ☺

Refilling the well is simply taking a step back and away from the pressure we and others put on ourselves and us to create.  That step back can encompass something as big as a vacation or as small as listening to a favorite song.  Refilling the well is one of the most important things...that we ignore.

Where do we find information on refilling the well?

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is an excellent guide.  When talking about well refilling, this is one of the first guides that comes up in articles and conversation.  This 12-week course "in Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self" takes time.  It can be worth it.

An excellent article to read is Filling the Well to Renew Our Creative Spirit at Womenfolk.com.  There are other articles there that are worth taking the time to read.

No time to read, but still in need of ideas?  Let's build a list of ways to Fill/Refill Our Well.  I'll start with these.  Feel free (please!) to add to it with your comments. :)

• Listen to music - Whether one or two songs, an album, or an entire playlist, music can lift our spirits, calm our nerves, send restful vibes, or create ideas.
• Dance - No, really.  Turn on the radio or any music that will get you on your feet and move.  It doesn't have to be for long.  A few minutes will get the blood circulating quicker, and produce endorphins.  
• Yoga/Meditation - Yeah, really.  It's been found that 10 minutes of meditation can refresh both the mind and body.
• Walking - Again, get the body moving.  Outside is best, if possible, because we get a dose of fresh air.  Try to make walking a habit.  It's not only good for the body, but good for the soul.
• Watch a movie - We have a collection of over 400 movies on DVD.  I'm ashamed to count how many I haven't even opened, much less watched.  That doesn't mean I don't have my favorite feel-goods that I've watched more than twice.  This is one I need on my well-filling list!
• Read a book - Not long ago, my reward for completing a big deadline was to read the latest book by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.  Reward yourself with a book by your favorite author.  It even beats Calgon. ☺
• Take a mini-vacation - Sometimes we just need to get away.  My best friend from high school lives in my old hometown and, like me, is now single.  In the past, I've spent a weekend with her once or twice a year, and it's always been a refreshing break, even when I know that when I get home I'll have to buckle down and get busy again.  An overnight in a hotel/motel can also be a refreshing change and a great getaway from family, too.
• Take an Artist Date - from the aforementioned Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way: "An artist date is a block of time, perhaps two hours weekly, especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative consciousness, your inner artist.  In its most primary form, the artist date is an excursion, a play date that you preplan and defend against all interlopers."  An artist date is done alone.  Suggestions include visiting a junk shop, a museum, a park, a concert, and more.  These "dates" don't have to cost money.    Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities.
• For writing related activities to refill that well, try a WARA meeting.  Our retreats are especially great!  Or, if possible, attend a writers' conference.

There are many more ways to fill your well.  The trick is in doing them.  We're told all our lives that habits are bad.  Wrong!  Bad habits are bad.  Good habits are wonderful!  Sometimes even life-saving.  I'd like to be able to say that this next week, my refilling was well done, as in good job.  How about you?  

What will you do this week to refill your well?

What Affects Writers and Their Writing? (Penny Rader)

http://pinterest.com/pin/235594624226690802/

I poked around the Internet to see what I could find about what affects writers and their writing.  Found some interesting pieces and posted snippets below.  I do hope you’ll click the links and read the entire article by each author and perhaps find something of benefit to you.

Book Writing Tips: How Does Where You Write Affect Your Writing? (Lisa Tener)

 … where you write can affect your creativity and productivity, as well as your tone, how well the writing flows and the quality of the writing itself.

Try writing in:

• A café 
• Your office
• By a warm fire with a cup of tea
• Outdoors (if you’re not in New England in January)
• Bed
• Curled up with your cat or dog on the couch
• On a plane, train or ferry

Compare the writing and see how the venue affects it. What works?

http://bit.ly/xeQiCH  

Breaking Out of Writer’s Block (Apryl Duncan)

Common Causes
Unrealistic Goals
Stress
Neglecting Our Writing
Perfectionism
Research-related

The Cure
Revisit
Change of Scenery
Rewrite Another’s Work
Use Real Pictures
Doodle
Object Focus
Building Blocks
Life Events
Network

http://bit.ly/xQ7OcM 

Butt OUT of Chair (L.S. Taylor)

Yes, L.S discusses something I’m in dire need of: exercise.

• Resistance Training
• Sports
• Water
• Sleep
• Stretching

Fear – And How It Affects Writers (Laura E. Bradford)

http://bit.ly/whYzUS 

Fear leads to stagnation.

Stagnation leads nowhere.

… fear also leads to writers closing Word documents and saying "Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week."

… take that fear and put it into your work. Don't let it paralyze you. View it as something positive--something to help you improve.

Healthy Eyes: Tips for Reducing Eye Strain (Robyn Chausse)

http://bit.ly/yutaOZ 

In this article, Robyn discusses:

• Office Ergonomics
• Rest and Exercise
• The Stretch
• Zen Vision
• The Painter
• Lubricate

Knowing Your Personality Type Can Make You A Better Writer--Here's How

The Keirsey Temperament Test is a well known psychological test derived from Jungian psychological theory.  Through a series of short questions, the test will assign you a basic personality type--there are 16 possible types. Finding out your personality type can provide insights into your writing style, its strengths and its weaknesses.  If you are having problems with deadlines, writer’s block, or other wiring related difficulties, this test might lead to a solution.

Note from Penny:  This is pretty cool.  There’s a link to the test, which takes 10 minutes or so.  After you take the test, click the link called Your Personality Type and Writing.  And then, if you want more info about personality types, there are several more links to check out.


After you take the Kiersey Temperament Test, you might be interested in Andrea Wenger’s posts about the 16 Writing Personalities.

Music Affects My Writing (Steven Symes)

Part of my writing methodology involves music, since I have found music to be one of my writing muses.

I actually create a soundtrack or a playlist of songs. … I listen to different parts of the soundtrack or score as I write different parts of the story, since the music has the general feel I want to create for the story.”


Plotters vs Pantsers: How to Make Sure Writers Block Doesn’t Kill Your Dream (Glen C. Strathy)

Novel writers fall into two basic camps. On the one hand, plotters are those writers who like to plan their novels from beginning to end before they start writing. Pantsers (or pantsters), on the other hand, simply sit down and start writing, trusting that they will figure everything out as they go along. (The name comes from the fact that they write by the seat of their pants.) Both approaches have their advantages at certain times, but both can fall prey to different forms of writer’s block, which can prevent them from finishing their novel.

Fortunately, whether you are a plotter or a pantser, you can avoid this problem by knowing when to adopt a little bit of the opposite approach.

http://bit.ly/zhottI 

Sensory Tips for the Distractible Writer (Therese Walsh)

I am so distractible. Dealing with that aspect of myself is one of my greatest challenges as a writer. Though my doc has assured me that I do not have an adult version of ADD, I’ve wondered a time a two.

Being distractible can be caused by a whole slew of things—like genetics, parenthood, stress, and anxiety—but that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it.

Check out Therese’s article for more tips:

• Minimize visual distractions
• Maximize visual helpers
• Minimize auditory distractions
• Maximize auditory helpers
• Maximize olfactory helpers
• Maximize gustatory helpers

That Only Happens to Other People! - When Tragedy Affects a Writer's Livelihood (Karen Carver)

"What if" you were in an accident or came home from the military missing one or both hands? "What if" you were diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Parkinson's Disease, Diabetes, or Multiple Sclerosis? And what if you were a worker who made his or her living solely from writing or data entry? What if an accident or disease were to dramatically affect or possibly cut you off from doing what you love - writing? And what about that loss of income?

http://inkwellsplatters.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/dreams23.jpg

Writers' Dreams – How Do Dreams Affect the Writing Process (Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen)

Stephen King – Part of my function as a writer is to dream awake

James Hall – The more you pay attention to your dreams, the more you seem to dream or the more you recall what you’ve dreamed

http://bit.ly/yQ3Uoa  

Writing Ergonomics: Top Tips for Proper Posture, Alignment, and Movement (John Soares)

Freelance writers and everyone who writes or works at a computer needs to pay attention to proper body posture/position, alignment, and movement — if you want to be a faster writer and be a happier writer, you must learn about ergonomics.

• Your Writing Chair
• Your Writing Posture
• Your Typing Hands
• Movement at the Computer
• Using a Laptop

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I'd love to hear your thoughts.

To Write or Not to Write? by J Vincent

Whether I write on any given day is determined by one main factor--Mindset. Perseverance and determination are a large part of that mindset. The will to do something, after all, is what drives most of us. If I decide, really make your mind up to something, I almost always succeed. Combine the will to write with waking up with a brilliant idea for your work-in-progress (WIP) and the words can hardly wait for your fingers to hit the keyboard. But how often does the brilliant idea strike? Rarely.

What else do I do to increase the chance of getting words down on the page? Setting a schedule or making goals, whichever way you want to phrase it. Like this blog. I had decided I MUST get it written earlier than the day before so I wrote it down on a schedule. I don’t feel like writing this right now but I am. Mindset.

Another thing that affects my writing in the positive column is Encouragement. This can be a good review, a compliment on my writing, someone asking a question about writing and valuing my answer, or words of understanding when it comes to writing and its inherent difficulties. Oddly enough a bad review or criticism can also nudge me to write in the “I’ll prove them wrong” mode.

Let’s say I’ve got the right mindset—determination, a schedule/goal, and encouragement. Then I awake to an allergy attack, or a bad cold, or the flu, or a sick child, significant other, or parent for whom I am responsible--these can ring a death knell on writing for the day. The best way to handle these type of situations is to just deal with them. Take my meds, drink my fluids, and provide such for the others depending on me and surrender the day to write again another. Stuff happens as they say. But if the situation is long term as in caring for another, I have had to learn to adapt. Stealing moments to write is part of “taking care of myself” in this situation. And taking care of self is of utmost importance to writing. There are times when the strongest mindset on earth won’t enable me to get some writing done. I’ve learned that beating myself up when this happens is only detrimental to moving forward and writing another day.

Also vital to my writing is saying “no” to other’s. When are you going to write if you have to bake cookies for school, take mom to the doctor, help sis with her uphostlry project and have dinner for twelve all on the same day! I used to be one of the worst at “no” saying. It did get easier with practice and with admitting I’m not superwoman. (Why did it take me sooo long to stop believing I could be her?) Believe me, even if you fit into the costume you aren’t. There’s only so many hours and so much energy. Reserve some for writing, is an important lesson I had to learn.

Plodding, slogging, trudging are some of the adjectives that come to mind when I contemplate how I decide whether to write or not. One of htese is what I usually do. Luckily, every so often comes that time when words fly onto the page—pure magic. The wonder of that convinces me to keep slogging.

It is the month of St. Pat forgive my paraphrasing— “May the plot rise up to meet you. May your computer never crash. May your characters warm your heart; may their story land on best seller lists, and until we meet again, may God give you many magic word-flying days!”