I'm thrilled to have a very special guest on my site today who is here to discuss something most writers experience at one time or another during their careers----writer's block. As a matter of fact, I feel like I'm going through a bit of a dry spell myself since most of my time lately has been focused on query letters and proposals. When my guest writer today asked what topic I was interested in, I jumped at the chance to get her feedback on writer's block.
Please welcome my dear friend Starr Bryson, author of the blog,
The Insomniac's Dream. She has some helpful advice to share with writers like me who are stuck in a writing rut!
There's another reason I wanted to feature Starr today on my blog….I'm EXCITED to announce the "coming soon launch" of her new company,
Starry Knight Word Slayers! She offers writing, editing, social media marketing, and promotional services for authors. How cool is that? If you're working on a book, this is the woman you need to contact. Starr is an exceptional writer and has a sharp eye for detail. I've been an admirer of her work for a long time. Do yourself a favor and check out her website---I know who I'll be calling on to help me with book promotions from now on!
HOW TO SLAY THE EVIL MONSTER THAT IS WRITER'S BLOCK
There is one thing that we writers fear
above all else. More terrifying than a rejection letter, more
horrifying than a bad review or critique, certainly more
heartbreaking than receiving your piece back from the editor torn to
shreds; the dreaded writer’s block.
Writer’s block creeps in like a
whispered fog through the window cracks, a ghost on the edge of your
vision to rob you of all creativity, steal your words, and muffle
your Muse. It drifts like smoke to blur your vision and rob your
voice of the story that was on the edge of creation.
Writer’s block is an ugly parasite, a
thief, our worst nightmare.
Yet, there are those who still say they
do not believe in writer’s block, as if it were a fairy tale told
to bad writers at the midnight hour to keep us on our very best
behavior. A monster invented only for a campfire tale, and not a
tangible beast. Write, they say, and you do not have writer’s
block. There is no such thing, only excuses, laziness and
distractions.
But I have been on the dark side of the
night, sitting paralyzed at my keyboard, awaiting the words to spill
out of me and instead receiving only mockery; a haunting laughter
that rings through my ears and echoes in the halls where once my Muse
and I would dance.
We’ve all felt the cold touch of
writer’s block. Dare I say, even those who claim they do not
believe in the myth. How do you shake off the shadow, resuscitate
the muse, and get the words to flow once more?
Go for a walk
When the words won’t come, don’t
sit at the computer and stress. Going for a walk is one of the best
ways to shake off those writer’s blues. Just put one foot in front
of the other, free your mind to work through whatever issues are
blocking the words. Some of my best ideas come to me when I’m out
for a walk.
Take a hot shower or a bath
This is a favorite tactic of mine, even
when I don’t have writer’s block. Next to walking, the shower is
where all of my greatest ideas happen. This is a soothing, relaxing
activity that will ease all of your sore muscles and those kinks in
your neck from hours at the computer. Don’t think – let your
mind wander and the words will come.
Do some housework
Don’t look at me cross-eyed with that
murderous gleam. This is a fantastic way to allow your mind to do the
real digging. Standing at the counter with a sink full of sudsy
water, mindlessly washing dishes while staring off out the window is
a perfect way to open that part of your mind where the Muse hides.
If you hate dishes, try vacuuming, I find this be a soothing, almost
hypnotic chore and I’ve had many breakthroughs while pushing that
sweeper back and forth across the carpet while losing myself in the
designs it makes in the threads.
Read
Nothing inspires us to create quite
like reading the stories of other writers. Lose yourself in someone
else’s story, and your story will creep back in, whispering gently
that it wants to be told. Try reading something in the same genre
that you write, and if you’re really stuck, go far out and read
something vastly different than your usual style.
Write
Force yourself to write through the
block. Keep pecking at the piece you’re currently working on, write
something new, or try stream of consciousness. Allow the words vomit
out of you, even if they’re awful and the worst thing you’ve ever
written. Eventually they’ll make something beautiful.
Don’t be too hard on yourself.
You’re not the first writer to suffer from this malady, and you
certainly won’t be the last. It is not a reflection on you was a
writer, but rather a side affect of having a creative mind.
Sometimes, it just needs to shut down for repairs or reboot.
I struggle with the beast often, and
I’ve put many a “work in progress” on the back burner when I
was stuck. They wait patiently for my return.
In the meantime, I’ve made it my
mission in life to help other authors. Taking my passion for
reading, writing, and absolute admiration for self-published authors,
I’m launching a new business that encompasses my freelancing career
and adds a new exciting twist: book promotions for indie authors.
You can read the story behind the
business on the
Starry
Knight Word Slayers Indiegogo crowd funding page. We
love donations, because they’ll help us launch, but if you can’t
spare a buck, we love shares, too. And be sure to follow us on
Facebook
and
Twitter
to keep up to date on the campaign.
BIO:
Starr works from her home in Pittsburgh
as a freelance writer. Her professional work includes editing,
Social Media marketing and management, ghost writing, content
management and SEO for websites, entertainment journalism, and book
promotion for self-published authors. In the past, she has taught
classes at writers’ conferences in Pittsburgh about freelancing as
a career and the best practices for blogging and social media.
Starr’s creative writing ranges from
humor laced snarkfests, gritty and painfully raw non-fiction all the
way to the dark world of Erotica. The author behind The Insomniac's
Dream, she claims blogging was only the beginning of an amazing
freelancing career.
In her spare time, Starr writes fiction
and is working on a paranormal novel and companion serial. In
addition, she writes short stories and manages a local writing group.
When she’s not writing, Starr is kept busy by her two hilarious
and fantastically disgusting boys.
Starr enjoys adult grape juice,
reading in her non-existent spare time, the occasional Netflix binge,
and connecting with other writers and her readers. She loves
Halloween, Zombies, and all things horror. She aspires to be a
Vampire someday.
Her claim to fame is her caustic wit,
copious swears, and an ongoing battle with insomnia. You can catch
up with Starr on her
blog,
Facebook,
and
Twitter.
You can see what Starr has published by visiting her
Amazon
Author Page.
Last month I wrote about the fifteen things no parent should have to say to their teen daughter (you can read it HERE). So what about the boys? I've raised two sons, as well as daughters, and it seems that in every stage of my boys' lives, from the moment they stood unassisted to when they took their first step, there was a battery of things I NEVER imagined I would have to say to my little male bundles of joy. When they were young, it was the simple stuff like, "I know it looks like a Tootsie Roll but you can't play with the cat's poop"…..."Stop eating dirt---it's not part of the food pyramid"…... "No, that humming wand you found hidden in the back of Mommy's drawer can NOT be used as lightsaber while playing Star Wars."
*You're going to have arthritis in your fingers by the time you're twenty-five from using your cell phone 24/7.
*No, you will not get carpal tunnel syndrome from flushing the toilet several times a day.
