 For Authors: October 18, 2006 Issue [#1332] |
  For Authors
This week: Edited by: darkin
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"The secret of good writing is to say an old thing in a new way or to say a new thing in an old way." -Richard Harding Davis
My name is Darkin and I'll be your guest host for this issue of For Authors.
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Writer's Block - 10 Tips to Stay on the Page
You're sitting at your desk, staring at a blank piece of paper. You want to write, but your brain refuses to work. You have no idea what your characters do next and they refuse to tell you. They're mad, you see, because you've neglected them for months. But work/life/kids/spouse got in the way.
So how do you keep the writing momentum going? How do you keep from staring at that blank piece of paper or screen for the rest of the day? Sounds like you could use a little help charging your muse's creative energies. Maybe these suggestions will help.
1: Keep moving forward despite your moods. You have to go to work/school no matter what mood you're in, so don't let your writing suffer too. If you're angry, maybe it's time to write that fight scene. Sad? How about a break-up scene between your hero and heroine? Even if you never use the work you do on your bad days at least you're writing.
2: When things get tough, take a vacation. Take a few days off from your writing. At the end of the allotted time, you're most likely going to feel much better. Most of the time, when I try this step a story idea will pop into my head and not let go until I sit down and write.
3: The difficulty you are experiencing is normal and necessary. Sometimes writers have a hard time with the stress simply because they haven't recognized that stress is necessary. It is not simply par for the course, it is the course. Stress is what keeps us moving toward the deadline.
4: Don't doubt yourself. Lack of confidence is the great enemy for all of us. Identify the negative source that's caused your insecurity/lack of confidence. Your self-confidence will rise when you continue to write with no regard to your insecurities.
5: Face your fear, and make it your ally. If you dare to face your fears, it can become a positive force. Use your fears as a stepping off point in your story. Give your main character the same fear that you have, then let him resolve it for the better. Only you can decide when it's time to let go and just write!
6: Associate with positive people, and stop associating with negative people. Having a negative influence in your life, someone who doesn't support what you're doing can crush your dreams. Find a personal cheerleader. Join a writing support group online or in real life.
7: Take responsibility. You may not succeed on the first try, but don't give up. It can take a lot of rejection to get to where you want to go. Never give up.
8: Change the way you think about writing. Can you see your success? Do you fantasize about bestsellers and book signings? Most motivational speakers agree that if you see your success, you can experience it in our actual outer life.
9: Let go of the wrong kind of control. You can only do what you can do, and then you have to let fate take over. The things you can control include work you can do in the next hour and the calls or letters that will help you market your work. Don't micromanage your writing career.
10: Congratulate yourself and celebrate when you do write. You deserve self-respect for the courage of your commitment (even when it doesn't feel like courage to you at all). You can't control receiving respect from others; you can control receiving it from yourself.
Writer's block happens to the most famous and seasoned writer. But a true writer knows that you have to work through your block and complete your story. That's how you break through the block.
Thank you for taking the time to read. Happy Writing!
darkin
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Here are some short stories I found while traveling the highways and byways of Writing.Com!
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Thank you for taking the time to read and for allowing me to be this week's guest editor.
And a special thank you for the wonderful feedback I got last week
monty31802
Enjoyed the newsletter, six great ways to handle stress, some of which should fit into anyone's life.
Monty
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Vivian 
Ahh, excellent suggestions, Darkin. Sometimes, even if we know stress relievers, it helps to read them again, to be reminded. ~~ Viv
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dusktildawn
These are wonderful words of advice, Darkin. I, too, try to relax my mind and body in similar ways, but sometimes I am not very successful. Nothing can be more frustrating than staring at a computer screen, while formulating the next chapter or short story in my head, but for the life of me, I just can't get it written down. : )
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demor
Excellent advice on ways to deal with stress. All of us experience stress from time to time, but few of us know how to deal with it directly.
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catnap 
Darkin,
Those are all very good points about how to lessen stress. I have found that not only do music and the mini-mental vacation decrease stress, they can also be great channels for inspiration and creativity in your writing. Listening to music when I'm not feeling like writing increases my productivity, which reduces my stress as well. Thanks for touching on this topic.
Catnap
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