Yes, I’ve got the inside scoop on how to break that writer’s block. It doesn’t include sitting at the computer, banging one’s head against the keyboard, nor does it mean surf the web for other writer’s blog so you can sit and lament to yourself how much better they are than you. No, no, no. While it may feel right at the time, it does nothing to loosen up that Muse.

Don’t curse the Muse. Love the Muse and they might..MIGHT…love you back. There’s always hope, I suppose.

First things first. In order for the Muse to create, you have to bore them. I repeat. YOU.MUST.BORE.THEM.

You see , as a mother and a teacher, I’ve found that the children get into the most mischief when they have nothing to do. Treat your muse like a child. Bore them.

Get up from the computer. Leave it behind. Never mind that you’ve allotted these two hours to work. Don’t put yourself under too much pressure or you’ll kill that Muse. They’ll sit there, with a half-grin on their face and appraise you. However, they won’t give you anything you need.

Take a walk, do some dishes, vacuum the rug. Stare at a wall. Sort the mail. I bet somewhere in these boring task not only will you find something to give you that spark, but you will also bore your Muse so much, they’ll be spewing out creatively wonderful prose faster than your fingers can type.

Boredom loosens up the Muse.They can’t take the fact you aren’t gnashing your teeth in frustration and wringing your hands helplessly at their intractability.

And loosen up the Muse you must in order to write the prose that sings, that communicates everything you want to your reader. Here, you must remember that you are telling a story above all else. Enjoy the story you tell. Don’t beat yourself up to get it.

In honor of National Writing Day, I’d like to list ten reasons why I write.

1. I can make the ending suit me.
2. I enjoy creating characters and worlds for said characters.
3. It beats watching bad television.
4. It’s exercise for your brain.
5. Keeps me sharp and creative.
6. I love the written word.
7. Egoism.
8. I am a storyteller.
9. Writing challenges me – no matter how much I do it, it is still a process.
10. It is both a pleasure and a struggle.

Why do you write?   Leave your reason in the comments.  Happy National Writing Day!  🙂

Want to continue the chain?  List your own ten reasons and link back via the comment section.

…….when you’re NOT writing?

A good writer is also a good reader, according to Stephen King in his book “On Writing”, which I like to dust off every once in while for inspiration.  It may seem like something simple, something that won’t really do anything but to give one’s poor over-squeezed brain a rest, but it’s so very true.

I write romance.  More specifically, I write erotic romance.  I also enjoying reading good erotic romance.  When I’m on vacation from writing, I read lots of erotic romance, some good, some not so good and some….well, you’ve seen the reviews on Amazon.   I’m not bashing. I’m just saying “à chacun son goût”.   Or to twist a Madonna lyric, “What works for me….may not work for you.”

But while I’m writing these spicy little stories I don’t read romance.  I read old Stephen King.  I read Ed McBain.  I read Louis L’Amour.  I read older Michael Connelly, specifically the Harry Bosch series.  I read Madeline L’Engle. I’ll even pick up The Magician’s Nephew if I’m in the mood.

Why?  Because I like to read different stuff than what I’m writing while I’m writing.  It gives me a little vacay from the romance world that I live in when I’m writing and gives my mind a break from my heroine’s or hero’s distress of the moment.

Reading in a different genre also give me great inspiration on dialogue, how men write men speaking and how men write how men perceive women outside of the romance genre.  How C.S. Lewis turns a phrase to describe Mr. Tumnus’ fright when the White Queen’s name is mentioned.  It’s great fun to take these literary ideas and mold them to my own devices.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.  But it’s amusing to try and it clears the mind.

What do you read while you’re writing, if you find the time to read at all?

For those of you who don’t think of your characters as real, living, breathing people, you might as well stop reading now because some of what I’m going to say is going to sound really off the wall.  (And for those grammarians who will tsk tsk me and tell me that ‘it’s WRITE not SAY’, because it is the written word, well, then click that little button at the top of the post.)

I made a promise to myself to write at least 500 words a day.  Unfortunately, life interfered, as it does, and I have been off the wagon for a while.  To ease back into the daily joy of writing,  I went into a couple of scenes in my head, with first one character, then the other, to see how it would work out. Well, if it worked out, I wouldn’t be writing this blog post.

So what do you do when you characters don’t agree with you?  I tried arguing with them, but that just wastes time and breath.  They don’t listen and don’t care that you have to write 500 or even 250 words that day.  You know what they say?  “That’s not my problem.  You’ve got me doing something I would never do in a thousand years and there’s no way that I’m doing it.”  (Sometimes I get a ‘so there’ at the end from my female characters.

I have devised many ways to trick my characters into bouncing and behaving little creatures.  Hopefully, you too can use these techniques to jump start your work.

1. Re-interview them – yes, it may sound insane, but I’ve taken to interviewing my characters before I start so that I have an idea of how they might react in certain situations.  Though I have the outline of the plot there, interviewing your characters might give you that extra information you need to really make things work.
2. Give them a birthday – no, I don’t mean throw them a party (although that also might work) I mean literally, give them a birth date.  I’ve given birth dates to all my characters recently…and then that gives them a zodiac sign.  Voila!  Instant strengths, weaknesses and personality traits, and lots of ideas on what they like and dislike.  In addition, usually these books  and/or websites give you their compatible and non compatible signs – a good place to start if you want to escalate conflict between characters.
3. Re-read – If have been away from a work in progress for a while, I go back and re-read (w/out editing) .  This helps to re-immerse myself in the story and the characters and often gives me a fresh eye on the narrative and plot.

So there you have it.  Those are the three techniques I use on a rotating basis to help jumpstart my writing.  Usually they work.  Sometimes they don’t.

What techniques do you use to recharge your writing?  Let us know!

D