Self-awareness and character building

Do you get the feeling that you know your characters a bit too well? Know her past with accuracy. Understand her feelings intuitively. Vouch for her actions 100%?

Are you sure your character is not you?

When I started working on my current WIP a few years ago a lot of my MC was me. She was timid, shy, lost, passive-aggressive and had mommy issues. My critique group gave me pointers about character development and ideas on how to build character consistency. I took notes. A very wise writer told me how it was difficult for me to see the character inconsistencies since so much of me was wrapped in my MC. Dutifully, I wrote that sentence down, too.

You see, I had no idea that a big part of me was my MC! It took me several months to realize that. And when I did, it struck me as doubly strange that someone I knew as well as myself came out so inconsistent on the page.

We all write a bit of ourselves in each of our characters. Memories, personal ticks, family occasions are all fair game. But I had done something more. I had drawn a caricature of myself and conveniently called it my main character. What I needed to do was take myself out of my MC with precision and build a character that was more truthful to my story, not necessarily one that came to me more easily.

Of course, before doing this I had to research the phenomena. What good writer wouldn’t! When I read up on it, author interviews touched on this topic. Most authors either embrace the concept that the central character is semi-autobiographical version of themselves or completely disassociate themselves from their MCs. It was a recurring theme, which made me feel less alone dealing with the issue while at the same time forced me to confront the amount of work needed to be done to build a character who was true to my story.

So, 1), I journal-ed more from my character’s point of view. I gave her scenarios to see how she would react. I’d get up in the morning and make notes about the weather from her POV; I’d spend a few minutes at the end of the day summing it up from POV.

On other days, I’d write my own journal to build my own self-awareness. To see what my reactions were like. To understand my own POV. To look at my writing style to see how it was different from my MC’s.

2) Then, I asked myself what was the problem my MC was trying to solve. What was the reason for her journey? While this was easy to answer, I had to look hard and deep inside myself to see if this was something I was struggling with as well. Whether my MC and I were looking to solve the same thing or had different issues just being aware of the similarities/differences was enough to build a more truthful character.  

A lot of my character inconsistencies came about because I needed to be more aware of myself and understand myself better. When this happened, I got better insight into my MC and what her journey was.

Self-awareness is key when writing a story and building a character. We tend to focus so much on the MC, our plot and our story that we tend to forget about the person who is actually creating the world. A bit of self-awareness goes a long way.

What do you think? How have you created your characters? How much of you is in your characters? 

NUMBERS

As writers, our entire life is about numbers. It doesn’t end, whether you’re writing that first book or publishing your twentieth novel. This is how it goes:

~While we’re writing, it’s how many words we wrote that day.

~While we’re querying, it’s how many rejections or requests we got for that manuscript.

~While we’re on submission, it’s how many houses are reading it.

~While we’re editing and revising, it’s how many times we revised.

Then, we get published, and the numbers game continues.

~How many ratings did we get?

~How many reviews did we get?

~How many people added it on Goodreads?

~How many books sold?

~How are we ranking on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository, and elsewhere?

We tend to focus on these numbers and forget the bigger picture. It isn’t easy, but we need to remember why we write—to get great stories in the hands of readers. So no matter what stage in the writing game you’re at, try to sit back, relax, and write the best story you can. The numbers will always be there, but don’t let them rule you. Let the story do that :)

5 things about writing that I wish I knew five years ago

1. It’s a first draft. It’s okay if it sucks. Get over it. Write a second draft. It will suck to. Get over it. Write a third draft… you get the picture. One day you will stop hating your draft.  That’s when you know you’re ready for someone else to see your work.

2. Get a critique group as quickly as you can. When you’re in the second/third draft stage, you’ll need a second pair of eyes to edit, re-write or simply to soothe. You’ll need a group of people that tells you that really, the writing is good and no, you aren’t yet ready to query. You need a critique group that understands your down days, your writing slumps and the sleepless night you had chasing the monsters. They will be there at your most trying times. They’ll keep you honest. They’ll motivate you. They’ll keep you grounded. They’ll let you soar.

3. 10,000 hours of craft building. There’s no substitute for writing. You write and write and write. Writing is the only way you get better at it. There are no short cuts. Malcolm Gladwell’s theory on the 10,000 hours of building a skill, whether you agree with it or not, is motivating enough to get our fingers on the keyboard. It makes me feel better that it would take me 10k hours or about 6 years (at 8 hours a day without any vacations) to become a somewhat decent writer.

4. You are a student. For life. Get used to it. Whether you’ve written a smashingly good draft and are in a query process or still struggling through your first draft, be in student mode. Attend workshops. Take courses. Read Writer’s Digest. Learn how to write that opening sentence. Learn how to build that believable character. Learn how to deal with a sagging middle and write a page turning climax. None of these come to us at first try. It takes practice. The easiest way of getting the practice is to get to a workshop. Jump at every opportunity (funds permitting) to learn.

5. Be kind to yourself. Life happens. Summer vacations happen. Work happens. It’s okay. Have faith. You’ll return to your writing. I wish, more than anything else, that I hadn’t wasted so many hours berating myself over the time I’d wasted seeing the Swiss countryside. That time would have been so much more productive writing!

New Exercises for a Sagging Middle

Every time I sit down to start a new book, the same thing happens. I start off with an intense and burning desire to tell my new story. Then, at about page 40 or 50, I promptly crash and burn. When I look back, I see that in the first chapters I've established my protagonist, antagonist, setting and plot. All of my basic elements are there, but now I have to DO SOMETHING with all of it. This is what is termed the sagging middle. Ironically, this has happened to me with every book I've written. And while past experience should teach me that with a little faith and patience, this too shall pass, I still always panic...or find interesting ways to procrastinate. This time around, as I work on my new middle grade, I've chosen to tackle my sagging middle by joining a gym and taking Pilates. Fitting, don't you think? But while one sagging middle is being attended to, it's my unsightly plot that is suffering.

Recently, my Triangle-Twin, Kimberly Ann Miller, came to speak to my creative writing class. She gushed over Karen Wiesner's book, First Draft in 30 Days. I must admit that my first inclination is to poo-poo a DIY model for novel writing. I am after all an arteeest :) and I shouldn't have to resort to such measures, right? Also, I tend to resist outlining a book before I begin. I know this works for many writers, Kim being one of them, but it hasn't worked for me. The one time I did go this route, I was very proud of my outline but had no desire to write the book. Why should I write it? I already knew what was going to happen!

But I've decided to give Karen Weisner's book a whirl. It's full of exercises that I'm hoping will stimulate my imagination. I'll let you know how it goes.

How about you? How do you deal with sagging middles? Or are you one of those people who were just born with a six-pack plot :)

http://www.amazon.com/First-Draft-Days-Karen-Wiesner/dp/1582972966/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363954053&sr=1-1&keywords=karen+weisner

The Grave Winner by Lindsey R. Loucks

Blurb:

Leigh Baxton is terrified her mom will come back from the dead -- just like the prom queen did.

While the town goes beehive over the news, Leigh bikes to the local cemetery and buries some of her mom’s things in her grave to keep her there. When the hot and mysterious caretaker warns her not to give gifts to the dead, Leigh cranks up her punk music and keeps digging.

She should have listened.

Two dead sorceresses evicted the prom queen from her grave to bury someone who offered certain gifts. Bury them alive, that is, then resurrect them to create a trio of undead powerful enough to free the darkest sorceress ever from her prison inside the earth.

With help from the caretaker and the dead prom queen, Leigh must find out what’s so special about the gifts she gave, and why the sorceresses are stalking her and her little sister. If she doesn’t, she’ll either lose another loved one or have to give the ultimate gift to the dead – herself.

Bio:

Lindsey R. Loucks works as a school librarian in rural Kansas. When she's not discussing books with anyone who will listen, she's dreaming up her own stories. Eventually her brain gives out, and she'll play hide and seek with her cat, put herself in a chocolate induced coma, or watch scary movies alone in the dark to reenergize.

She's been with her significant other for almost two decades.

Links:
Add The Grave Winner to Goodreads.
Check out Lindsey’s website.
Follow Lindsey on Facebook.
Follow Lindsey on Twitter.

Can You Believe? Resurrecting Harry.

 

A big welcome to our guest blogger Constance Phillips. Constance is the author of Resurrecting Harry. Here's what she says about creating a believable world for readers.

 

One of the key elements of writing paranormal and fantasy books is creating a world in which your reader can believe. Of course, with these brave new worlds, the possibilities are endless. Often the worlds we create look nothing like this one we live in.

None of that matters if the reader understands the universe we create and trusts that it can exist according to the rules we’ve outlined.

 The world I’ve created in Resurrecting Harry is one where Harry Houdini escapes the confines of death to return to this world and help his beloved Bess come to terms with her mourning. He is charged with saving her from a path of self-destruction.

Seems like a pretty unbelievable premise, even if you accept that a new life exists after we pass from this one. But the process – and one I hoped I’ve done well – is to create a set of circumstances that allowed my reader to believe.

That kind of unyielding faith is it the cornerstone of what made Houdini so successful. In his act, it was essential that he get his audience to believe he could transcend time and space or move unmovable objects to escape his confines, even though it was only an illusion.

Faith, love and belief in a spouse are the emotions that would keep a widow in mourning longer than normal. The desire to keep an illusion alive could keep a heart lost in grief and unable to move forward. Teaching that woman to believe in humanity, and the healing power of love, is quite a task.

And that is the heart of Resurrecting Harry, learning to believe.

 

A Blurb from Resurrecting Harry:

Can the greatest escape artist ever known break the grim reaper’s chains to save the only woman he’s ever loved?

In order to save Bess from self-destruction, Harry Houdini puts his afterlife on the line by entering a wager with purgatory’s keeper. He gives Harry a younger face and body, and a new name: Erich Welch.

Bess clings to his promise to deliver a coded message from beyond the grave, determined to provide the bridge for him to cross, even if that means befriending her husband's sworn enemy.

Erich needs to help Bess over her loss and put her on the road to healing, but will any good come from resurrecting Harry? 

Bio

Constance Phillips lives in Ohio with her husband, two ready-to-leave-the-nest children, and four canine kids. Her perfect fantasy vacation would involve hunting Dracula across Europe with her daughter, who also digs that kind of stuff. When she's not writing about fairies, shifters, vamps, and guardian angels, she's working side-by-side with her husband in their hardwood flooring business.

Constance is actively involved in her local Romance Writers of America chapter (MVRWA) and the Southeast Michigan chapter of the United States Pony Club. When not writing or enjoying the outdoors, she loves reality television or can be found at a Rick Springfield concert (just look for the pink Converse high tops).

 

 

Contest for The Last Keeper's Daughter!

 

Born into old money, Lily Ayres lives at Waverly, her family’s estate situated at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Paris, Virginia. She is a strange, small, almost mute, young woman who has no idea that her father has given her to the Vampire King Krieger. Walter Ayres is the King’s Keeper and part of a secret society of historians who unearth, preserve, and attempt to understand relics of long forgotten civilizations.

Lily has never felt comfortable in the human world, but after she suspiciously falls down a flight of stone steps, and is healed and claimed by Krieger, she realizes there is another world. In this Other Realm she feels a sense of belonging, and begins to untwine the mysterious event which left her mentally and psychologically damaged. When Walter disappears in England, Lily works with human and supernatural beings to uncover his whereabouts. With each new discovery, she is pulled deeper into the vortex of magic, intrigue, and dark desires that permeates the supernatural world. The revelations revealed unfold a story of deception and betrayal that threaten to tear the thin veil between the supernatural and human world asunder.

Enter the contest to win a copy of Rebecca Trogner's book, The Last Keeper's Daughter!

http://www.rebeccatrogner.com/Events.html

The J word

  There are many J words: feeling jealous (of friends’ success), being   jaded (of the publishing industry), constant jeering (of others). The J word that’s been on my mind has been judgment.  

 It usually begins with others’ judgments of you. Who you are, what you write, what you do. Then there are those moments of judgment – “Why do you laugh so much? It’s like you are trying to attract attention.” or “Why do you waste your evenings writing when you could be spending time with your mother? It’s not like you are published or anything.”

Judgment, when it comes from a trusted source, begins a chain reaction like no other. There’ the initial surprise: What! Really, do you mean that!? Followed by outright denial: No, I don’t do that. I don’t waste my time. And then anger: How dare she think of me like that? How dare she judge me? That leads to hurt: Does she not understand me? Is she right? Am I a horrible person who hides behind my writing? The most important effect of others’ judgment of you is how you start to see yourself. How it shapes your view of yourself. You begin to wonder who you really are and whether you’ve been deluding yourself all this time. Maybe you aren’t cut out to be a writer. Maybe the evenings you sit in front of your laptop are just an excuse to escape from the world and your real responsibilities.

But then you remember that you love those hours where it’s just you and your characters. That you’ve grown so much as a writer these past few years. That once you finish a couple more drafts you’ll be ready to query your polished manuscript.

Self-judgment is that hill we’ve got to climb over before we can accept someone else’s judgment. Judgment of who we are. What we write. What we wrote a few years ago. What we’ve not yet written. And this acceptance can take various forms. Acceptance can mean that we agree that we aren’t cut out to be writers. We accept we love to read but haven’t become better at our craft. That it will remain a hobby. Or acceptance can mean that we speak out that we’re not hiding behind our writing. That our friend was simply wrong. That writing is vital to who we are. It makes us who we are. Our acceptance can help us deal with the judgment and move on.  It can help us heal the dents to our self-esteem; move beyond self-judgment and continue to write, work on our craft and strive to become who we want to be.

When I remember (and nine out of ten times I don’t) I tell myself that judgment is an opinion. One person’s opinion. It can bring you down or you can use it propel yourself forward on that journey to become a better you and a better writer.

What Keeps Me Writing

I recently began teaching a Creative Writing class. The class is an elective and most of the twenty students are Seniors. When the opportunity to teach the class came up, I was ecstatic. I dreamed of students who, done with the core requirements of their majors, were open to the prospect of having a little fun with words. From the beginning I attempted to establish an environment where, at least on the blank page, there were no rules. And I encouraged each of them to throw out the rigid thinking that comes with formal education. I encouraged them to ask themselves the question What If?

Well, other than a few standouts who show up bright-eyed and willing to take a chance on the page, the rest of my students have proven to be...how can I say this kindly...duds. They sit with their backbones pinned to their chairs, legs thrust out, with a thick glaze of boredom pasted to their faces. Part of me wants to scream, "Why the heck did you take this class?" I'm sure some would respond that they needed the credits or the class seemed like an easy A. But I suspect that some of them actually signed up for the class wanting to write. But if the lackluster prose they are turning in is any indication of their level of committment to the craft, I sincerely wonder if they know what they want.

This has me thinking? We all know the people who say they want to write? But what is the difference between the person who says it and the person who does it? Now, I'm not standing here professing myself to be perfect. There are days and sometimes a week or two when I don't actually write anything. Usually though I am reading or journaling or pondering about my character. Yes, it has taken me years to get to this point and so writing has become a habit. A habit that a young person with so many other distractions in their life might not have had the chance to cultivate. But what about those people who have made excuses for ten, twenty or evern thirty years? The ones that continue to profess that writing is their passion, but don't actually do anything about it.

Perhaps, I'm being harsh or cranky. Life happens to people and sometimes it knocks them down like a two ton semi without ever giving them a chance to get out of the way. I can forgive that, but let me ask you something. Can you forgive yourself?

Do you know what keeps me cracking away at this? I wish I could say it's the huge royalty checks that I receive every quarter, but I have more respect for you than to lie so blatantly. No, what keeps me writing is my own mortality. Yes, that's correct. Death keeps me writing. I've hit middle age and well, the end is a lot closer than it used to be. I've had friends who died in their thirties, forties and fifties and so death doesn't feel as remote to me as it did when I was a teenager. So when I think about the end of my life, I think about the feeling I want to hold in my heart about the life I lived. And what I want most is to not be disappointed. With myself. This could be rooted in the guilt that those nuns from St. Anselms fed me all those years ago, but wherever it comes from, the idea that I didn't give my writing life its best shot feels way too overwhelming. So that's why I continue.

If you're reading this and just don't get what I'm trying to say, well all I can say is, lucky you! I actually envy the fact that you don't feel the deep down physical need that I equate with writing. But if writing really does mean something to you, I implore you. Don't kick back. Don't waste the chance. Don't allow your eyes to glaze over. No! Seize the moment. Open your eyes and be mindful and write like you're going to die tomorrow.

And as Cher says in Moonstruck...

What's Love Got To Do With It? Blog Hop

It’s a Valentine’s Day Hop! What better way to celebrate then with a little Mr. Darcy accompanied by the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis:

 

I’m honored to celebrate the day of love with some of my fellow Crescent Moon Press authors. And when there are more authors involved, that means BIG PRIZES!

In this case, ONE big prize!  $250 eGiftcard from Amazon or Barnes & Noble (Winner’s Choice).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And if you want some more steamy romance, check out THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13610688-devil-s-triangle

The Devil's Triangle Releases and Contest Winner!

                                    Congratulation to...

                               
                                   RICHA PARANDE!!!


Thanks to everyone for entering. If you want to get your own copy of The Devil's Triangle, here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Devils-Triangle-ebook/dp/B00BEGPLZI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1360890415&sr=1-1&keywords=the+devil%27s+triangle

                                        Happy reading!

The Devil's Triangle Contest! Blake's Song.

                                               
THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE will be released tomorrow (February 15)! To celebrate, each day this week, I'm introducing you to one of the characters from the book, along with a song and video that gives you a little hint at their personalities.

Plus, if you make a comment and add your email, you'll be entered into a drawing to win a free copy of my book! I'll even autograph it for you. Not bad, right?

So here's our fourth song. This one belongs to Blake.

Blake's a fake. He's pretending to be best buds with Cooper, while he's really just one of Lucifer's minions. Blake is scamming Cooper, pretending to be his best bud, but keeping his eye on Grace for the big guy. If anyone's locked out of heaven, it's Blake for all the terrible things he's done to poor Cooper and Grace. 

 

Toni's Links:

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/465309.Toni_De_Palma
Devil's Triangle Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13610688-devil-s-triangle
Website: http://tonidepalma.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToniDePalma1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/toni.depalma

The Devil's Triangle Contest! Lucy's Song

                                       
THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE will be released in three days (February 15)! To celebrate, each day this week, I'm introducing you to one of the characters from the book, along with a song and video that gives you a little hint at their personalities.

Plus, if you make a comment and add your email, you'll be entered into a drawing to win a free copy of my book! I'll even autograph it for you. Not bad, right?

So here's our  third song. This one belongs to Lucy.

Lucy, the Devil's sister, is nasty and spice and not so nice, especially when it comes to Cooper. She's made him a bet, she wants him to regret, but all he wants is Grace.

 Toni's Links:

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/465309.Toni_De_Palma
Devil's Triangle Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13610688-devil-s-triangle
Website: http://tonidepalma.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToniDePalma1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/toni.depalma

The Devil's Triangle Contest! Grace's song

                                        
THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE will be released in four days (February 15)! To celebrate, each day this week, I'm introducing you to one of the characters from the book, along with a song and video that gives you a little hint at their personalities.

Plus, if you make a comment and add your email, you'll be entered into a drawing to win a free copy of my book! I'll even autograph it for you. Not bad, right?

So here's our second song. This one belongs to Grace.

Grace has a heart so big, she'd go up against the Devil for the boy she loves.

 

Toni's Links:

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/465309.Toni_De_Palma
Devil's Triangle Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13610688-devil-s-triangle
Website: http://tonidepalma.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToniDePalma1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/toni.depalma
Twitter:

The Devil's Triangle Contest! Cooper's Song

                                          
THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE will be released in five days (February 15)! To celebrate, each day this week, I'm introducing you to one of the characters from the book, along with a song and video that gives you a little hint at their personalities. 

Plus, if you make a comment and add your email, you'll be entered into a drawing to win a free copy of my book! I'll even autograph it for you. Not bad, right?

So here's our first song...

Thanks to the Devil, Cooper's life has taken a little detour, but he's hell bent on making it back to Grace, the love of his life. Make that heaven-bent. Cooper's song is Drive by by Train.

 

Toni's Links: 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/465309.Toni_De_Palma
Devil's Triangle Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13610688-devil-s-triangle
Website: http://tonidepalma.com/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ToniDePalma1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/toni.depalma
Twitter:

Hey Readers!

Author Wendy Russo is doing something really neat over on her blog: Http://wendysrusso.com

Wendy says, "We've all interviewed authors, characters, had characters interview characters. For the first of my new series...which I'm launching on December 31, I'm going to interview readers. Post their pictures and very basic information, like ages and locations. I'm going young, old, men, women, families...the idea is to put a spotlight on what people are reading, plug their favorite books and authors."

So if you want to talk about the book you're reading right now, check it out!

The Devil's Triangle Cover Reveal!!

                                           

It's Here!!!  The cover reveal for my new book. Let me know what you think?

The Devil's Triangle

by Toni De Palma

When 17 year old Cooper dies in an attempt to burn down his school, he finds himself in the afterlife. Lucy, the Devil's sister who has crossed party lines, decides to give Cooper another shot at heaven. The deal? Cooper returns to Earth and has to find a girl named Grace. The rest is up to him.

While Cooper figures out his mission, he's thrown into the life he's always wanted. Great parents, a spot on the Varsity football team and a real future are all within reach. But what he really wants is Grace, a feisty girl with an abusive boyfriend who can pound Cooper into pulp if he doesn't watch out.

While Lucy plays demonic-puppeteer, clues to an unknown past between Cooper and Grace start to unravel. Cooper discovers that what's keeping him and Grace apart is far more sinister than anything this bad boy could have ever imagined.

ISBN for Devil's

978-1-939173-03-4 Devil’s Triangle print

978-1-939173-04-1 Devil’s triangle Ebook Find Toni and The Devil's Triangle here: Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13610688-devil-s-triangle Website:http://tonidepalma.com/published-works.html Twitter:https://twitter.com/ToniDePalma1 Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/#!/toni.depalma

Give Me 31

My friend and fellow author, Katia Raina, has a great idea. In the spirit of NaNoWrMo (National Novel Writing Month) and PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month), Katia has come up with a great idea. Give your dreams 31 minutes for 31 days and see what happens. Join up and have fun giving your dreams a chance!

http://katiaraina.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/dreaming-up-a-new-challenge/

Why do we write

Firstly, I hope everyone out there is safe and warm and recovering from the after-effects of Superstorm Sandy. My power was out for five days, the roads around me were closed thanks to fallen trees and my town was deserted. Still, when friends and family asked me how I was doing I could honestly say I was doing well. I was prepared with enough food and water, flashlight and candles and I was in touch with friends. Yet, I didn’t write a single word during the storm. I doodle-ed, took walks, and in general wool-gathered.

Why do we write, I wondered. I always thought it’s because I have something to say. For someone who doesn’t talk much in person, the pen and paper are convenient tools. But why do I have something to say? Is it because I see things others don’t see? (How aggrandizing is that!?) Or do I ponder over things longer than others? Why do I, when I look at a person, try to give her a story so that I can justify her soulful brown eyes or her hurried gait? This curiosity and pondering slow me down, my writing output declines and I tend to revise these stories (instead of my WIP) in my head while waiting at traffic lights, grocery lines, and, of course, while waiting for my power to return.
So while we write because we want to say something we also write to connect with others, to connect, yes, to humanity, as a whole, but isn’t it a relief to know that at least one other person sees things the way we do and gets what we are trying to say?
I think we also write to make sense of life. Living through Sandy, when life as we knew it was suspended, where our lives were upended and where we didn’t know what to expect the next day or the day after that, writing helps us bring some kind of order to the unexplainable chaos. Why do things happen? Must they happen? Can we avoid them? Why do we meet the people we do? Would our lives have turned out differently if we hadn’t? Life, most times, doesn’t run predictably. We live it trying to make sense of it. We have routines, structures and habits to help us. Writing could be another habit of ours.
But then again maybe we write because we just can’t help it. For some of us, writing is an act of will. Are we underplaying the role of determinism? Some things like Superstorm Sandy are determined to happen –we can prepare for them and plan our actions, yes. But we just can’t stop them. Whatever we do, we have to dream up stories, create characters and plot lines and pen them down.
What do you think? Why do you write?

What To Do When You Can't Write.

Some people talk about writer's block like it's the plague. Other writers poo-poo the whole notion saying that it doesn't really exist. While I have my opinion on the matter, I'm offering some creative ways to break through that-that-shall-not-be-named instead.

The List of Fun Things to Do When You Can't Write:

1.Take yourself on an artist date. Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way, highly recommends this. Go someplace new, hop a bus, a train, a plane (if you have any spare cash hanging around). Neurologists agree that, if you go someplace you've never been, it activates your neural pathways, helping you to see the world in a fresh way.

2. Express yourself in a new medium. Last winter, I was having a heck of a time writing so I began to sew. I took out the sewing maching someone had gifted me and bought a pattern for a child's dress. Now, I don't have a daughter or even know a young girl, but I sewed three dresses then gifted them to a friend of a friend. When I was done, I went back to writing.

3. Take a walk. Physical exercise and the resultant input of oxygen to your brain gets the circuits going.

4. Read a book and type the words from that book. The act of writing, even if it's someone else's work, is helpful.

5. Create a playlist of music for your novel in progress. Choose a song for each chapter or the chapter you are struggling with to get you in the mood and give you a sense of the mood of that chapter. While you're at it, dance around the house. You're a writer! No one will quesition your behavior :)