Category: <span>Writing</span>

Guest Blog

Today I’m taking a trip – literally and digitally!  The digital trip is over at Steve McHugh’s author site, where I’m guest blogging for today 🙂  Check it out here: https://stevejmchugh.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/world-domina-ahem-building/

While you’re there, take a look around – Steve has recently released his first novel, Crimes Against Magic, and right now it’s only $3.99 on Amazon (or £2.62 on Amazon UK)!

Now, away I go for my physical trip…which sounds rather sinister when I put it like that, but really isn’t.  I would mention that I’m going to Coldstone, but in this context I’m not sure it helps things get less sinister!

August 31, 2012
Writing
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Fingers Crossed!

So, the block finally broke and I got my writing hat on for a contest I’ve been talking about lately.  You know, I don’t actually have a writing hat but now I’m thinking I should.

Anyway, back to the contest!

It was hosted by Angel Illustrations and, as I’ve mentioned before, the rules were to write a short story, poem or descriptive piece based on what will become his new “signature image”.  As yet, the image is unfinished but I can tell it will be beautiful when completed – you can check out the full information of the competition here if you have a Facebook account.  …and, if you have time, feel free to check out my Author Page.  All support is greatly appreciated – your “likes” mean so much and somewhere a Noo-nee will get his wings.  Or a cookie.

So yes, I finally got rid of the writer’s block that had been plaguing me and hopefully I’ve done Angel’s new piece of artwork justice.  My submission was a short story and I’m keeping everything crossed right now, I may even plait my hair!  Talk about cutting it close though, I emailed my submission 2 hours before the deadline.

The close-cutting of deadlines won’t be a regular occurrence in my future career.  Honest.  …ish.

February 16, 2012
Writing
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If The Idea Fits…

Writer’s block.  Ask any writer and they’ll all give you a pained expression, knowing your pain if you’re experiencing this almost debilitating frustration.

So far, I’ve only ever experienced writer’s block twice.  Once a long time ago, so long in fact that I don’t remember what I was stuck on – I just remember the frustration involved.  The second is happening right now though and it’s really starting to bug me.

I’m working on, or trying to work on, a competition entry.  The subject isn’t difficult – you are to write a poem, short story of descriptive piece based on a piece of art.  I did have a feel of what I want to write, the art is really lovely and gave me an almost instant idea.  Yet whenever I tried to write it down I got totally blocked and even have a sentence that I ended with “something something” because my brain just shut down mid way through.  The piece of art is, as yet, unfinished and I’m wondering if that’s where my problem is coming from, trying to write a finished piece of prose based on an unfinished piece of art.  But I have a feeling that the problem is me.  The initial idea I had, I’ve decided against as it doesn’t seem to want to be written.  So I started a different approach and I now have 250 words and feel as if I’m “done”, which isn’t satisfactory as the competition wants 1-2 pages.

The problem now is that I had an idea a day ago, after racking my brain for days on end, but it feels more like an idea for a YA novel waiting to be written and not actually based off the picture at all.  I think all the brain racking is now just giving me plot ideas for new novels and nothing for the competition.

So how do I get past this block?  Part of me wants to just pack it in and not enter, but the prize is one that I’d really love and that’s what’s spurring me on.  Plus I’m stubborn and don’t like giving up on things.  But now I feel like I’m just trying to force the ideas to fit with the image, when really they don’t at all.

“I’ve often said that there’s no such thing as writer’s block; the problem is idea block. When I find myself frozen–whether I’m working on a brief passage in a novel or brainstorming about an entire book–it’s usually because I’m trying to shoehorn an idea into the passage or story where it has no place.” – Jeffery Deaver

Jeffery, I totally agree.  But how to get past it, I again have no idea.

February 13, 2012
Writing
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A Case Of The Noo-Nees

A while ago a friend linked me to a funny blog where the owner tells stories that have happened to her, with added cartoon drawings.  That helped my procrastination reach new heights.  But one of them stuck with me from a writers point of view, the Alot.

I don’t think I’ve ever been guilty of talking about the Alot rather than describing a lot of something, but now whenever I see someone else say alot (or even the proper, a lot) I end up smiling, or sometimes giggling, gaining me many weird looks if I’m not alone, thinking of the fuzzy Alot and what he might be doing 🙂

But something I’ve been doing lately (maybe even a lot!), much to my own frustration, is typing noone instead of no one.  Where these Noo-nees come from I have no idea, but my head imagines a bunch of sprite or pixing looking things, crawling all over the place.  Just like the Alot, the Noone is very versatile and people seem to always care about what the Noone thinks or does…

Noone is helping me today.  “Aww, thanks Noo-nee, you’re a great help!”

Noone has made fun of me today.  🙁

Noone likes me! (Yay!)

I hope Noone saw that.  (Noones like to see fun things!)

So now, as well as being able to talk more about Alots, you can tell people “Yes, Noones are very helpful!” when Noone helps them out.

February 2, 2012
Writing
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Wallpapers and Writing

I subscribe to a few author Facebook Pages, but the one most often updated is Ilona Andrews.  Today she (or they, not sure who wrote it) mentioned her latest blog post, which talks about writing and inspiration; what to do if you feel stuck.  After reading it (you should too!), I found the wallpaper idea to be a really good one.  Although it’s a tip that I’ve never come across before, it definitely makes a lot of sense and is something I’ve no doubt I’ll try at some point in the future.

But unlike Ilona Andrews saying to hold the story in your head for a week or two, for me the key is not to wait that long – although I would if the words didn’t come.  But as a general rule for myself, as soon as my brain starts forming the first sentence I need to get it on paper, no matter how little of the story is formed in my mind.  Otherwise, I’ve found to my dismay, my brain keeps writing it in my head, word by word, and if I wait to mull it over some more then when I come to write it down it’s all gone.  My brain has done the writing, and the feeling, and is then reclining in it’s success that now no one else can see – least of all me!

So for me, I let the idea simmer and the random thoughts and plot points jumble around for a while to build up.  This could be a few days, normally no longer than a week, but the second that my brain starts thinking “It was a dark and stormy night…” (ok so my brain doesn’t ever think that!) I have to get it down on paper, or napkin, or post it note, or even the back of my hand otherwise *poof*!  It’s gone.

Of course, I still have the idea in my head and I always sit and try to write it down, editing over and over because it isn’t flowing right.  But I know the end result is always the same, a shadow of it’s former self and then I get annoyed at myself for not writing the words when they first came to me.

So, now I make sure to always have something nearby to write on – normally my phone – so when I wake up at 2:30am thinking “It was a dark and stormy night…” (ok really, I never think that!) then I can just jot it down and both my brain and I can recline with smug smiles on our faces.

…Brains totally have faces :/

January 30, 2012
Writing
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