Writers Don't Wait For Inspiration

 “You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”

― Jack London

One of my favorite quotes on writing.

I don’t know how many writers still carry that image in their heads that a writer sits around contemplating until struck with a brilliant ideas at which point said writer begins to write in earnest. Hopefully not many.

I don’t know how many readers also have that same image of writers in their heads.

To both camps I say, get it out. Stomp that idea to death and do it now.

Hemingway had it closer with his famous quote, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

Combine that first quote above with the second and it’s something closer to what writing is all about.

Seriously, you can’t sit and wait for ‘inspiration’, you have to pursue it, look for it, grab it when it comes your way. If your muse is busy, read something that might spark an idea, take a brisk walk, play with your dog. Do something that relaxes and inspires you and throws that door open to new ideas.

Staring off into space can be you conjuring an idea, but if all you’re doing IS staring off into space, you need to get moving. Stir the pot!

Sometimes it’s as simple as tossing words onto paper, type something or write something, anything, then follow with more words. A full-blown idea just might kick in.

But whatever you do, don’t think sitting around, waiting, will do it for you. Some ideas strike out of the blue, others need to be tracked down and subdued.

Because an idea doesn’t come to you easily don’t think if you simply wait long enough it will.

It won’t.

Part of the trick is always remaining open to new ideas and experiences; always think of the ways of the world as grist for your mill. If you’re continually ‘tuned in’ ideas flow much more easily. There really is nothing magic about the muse hitting you over the head with a fresh, new idea. You’re generating them all the time and there’s no end to strange, interesting, funny and bizarre happenings and behaviors to feed your need.

Hey, writing standing up doesn’t hurt either!

So, get up, grab a club and go after that muse.

Writers And Readers Websites Wednesday - Wrighting Words

Heather E. Wright's Wrighting Words - resources for teens and young teen writers.  Lots of great info to get you going. Prompts, where to get published, info for writing teachers and more.  Her sight is definitely worth a visit.

Writers And Readers Websites Wednesday

Found a fun site this week. Writer's Carnival

Here's what they say about themselves:

WE'RE A SOCIAL SITE FOR WRITERS!

A place to get together, make friends, try out prompts and chat in the forums. Somewhere to learn, grow, get and give support, and find inspiration. We aren't a place to find readership or a fan base. Rather, we're a community and a place to call home.

You can create an account and you can read their monthly magazine Writer's Carnival free. Info on resources,  prompts, contests and more.

Give it a visit and see if it's for you. 

Writers & Readers WEbsites Wednesday - No Rules Just Write

Following up on my "Forget The Rules, Just Write" I stumbled on CJ Lynos' site "No Rules Just Write".  She offers a lovely assemblage of free and at a cost items. Why, after all, do we think we should get everything free?  

 

Dig around a bit, you'll find a helpful, brief video on formatting for Kindle, CJ's Writer's Toolbox, and Writer's Resources among other things. What the heck, why not?

And if you have some undiscovered gems of websites I haven't yet unearthed, be sure to comment and add them below.

Where Do You Write?

Where do you write?  I’ve had a lot of readers ask me that question and I think I can see the interest.  Plainly if one is a doctor or a lawyer, a sales clerk or a waiter, where people work and how they go about their jobs is fairly evident. An office, a store, a restaurant. 

Not so with writers.  To readers, and many others who don’t read much, writers are a mysterious lot, a strange group, a baffling enigma.

Where a writer writes I think depends on a whole lot of factors such as what kind of writing that writer does, whether its fiction, non-fiction, copywriting, article writing, grant writing, etc. Now I’m going to be bold and assume a large interest might well be placed on fiction writer. After all they create worlds and fascinating environments. Sometimes other worldly, sometimes down the street. 

Some seem capable of writing at the nearest Starbucks or at a library. For me, I need to be somewhere more isolated. No distractions. Little noise.  I do need a window. 

Currently I have a full-fledged office with large L shaped desk, computer and lots of bookshelves and filing cabinets.  Oh, and a very large cork board across nearly one whole wall. 

It wasn’t always that way though. I stared out with a fold-down desk in a corner of  my bedroom with one shelf of reference books alongside (that was pre-web days – I know that seems like a long time ago to some, but it wasn’t really).  My total desk space might have been two square feet. Published my first two books from that small space. 

About the time of the third advance I sliced off a small piece of the back patio overlooking the lagoon (we lived in Florida then), added my window and moved in. It was small and tidy but I graduated to an actual desk and added a couple more shelves. It was expensive because what had been supposed to be add a single wall to separate the space from the rest of the patio and a window in place of the screen so the space was weather tight turned into a major ‘do’ as I made the mistake of hiring a relative and basically ended up getting ripped off – but that’s another story. Writers are full of them. 

When we packed up and moved west, a major undertaking doing it ourselves and then building our own house on five beautiful acres, my office was planned into the house. It’s about twelve by sixteen feet. I wasn’t’ in the ‘wealthy writer’ category so we did a lot of the work ourselves, actually helping to build the house. And one of the last things I put in the office after unrolling the wall to wall carpet (which, yes, I also installed myself) was the wonderful cork board which ended up being about four feet tall by ten feet wide.  Don’t know what I’d do without that cork board now. It’s bedecked with my calendar, a clutch of business cards I don’t want to lose, some loved one’s photos and my work space where I can pin ideas for new projects. 

So what about that inspirational muse that lets many write anywhere? Well, I could if I had to, return to that tiny fold-down desk or perch in a library, or hang at a coffee shop. But I do a lot of research for my books, have my computer with my high-speed internet connection, telephone, and printer in my office. And don’t forget the cork board. It’s comfortable, quiet, isolated from the rest of the house on the second floor and lets me write without distraction. It’s adorned with my favorite writing mementoes, photos, two large windows and a tiny fireplace, oh, and three rescue dogs sprawled in various snoozing positions. It’s my writing zone and my muse perks right up when I go in. It took a lot of years to get here, but (deep sigh) I’m home. 

If you’re a reader tell me where you love to perch or hide or just relax to read. If you’re a writer tell me where you write now, if you just love it or if you’re aspiring to your perfect writing zone. If you're both, even better!

Writers & Readers Websites Wednesday

 

Okay, now this is a very helpful, interesting, and visual site, the Visual Dictionary Online.  An excellent resource and entertaining for readers and writers alike.

Have a great Wednesday and don't pass this one up. 

Writers And Readers Websites Wednesday

Time for a new website I stumbled across and this one's pretty good.  It's called Diploma Guide, but don't let that name confuse or stop you.  

They offer writing courses online from top universities and education websites and they're free.  On a pretty nice variety of writing topics to. 

Beginning, editing and proofing, poetry, essays and yes, more, are offered by MIT, UK's Open University, Crafty Writer, UCLA, Purdue and well, others. 

Tool around, check out the site and see if there are any offerings here that might help you take your writing up a notch.

Tell me if you find a helpful course here and if you know of any other free and helpful writing courses please note them below for others. 

Writers Websites Wednesday - Grammar Girl

Need some help with your grammar? Do you feel a bit like a lion tamer when you confront grammar, punctuation, etc.? 

Then Grammar Girl is your site - presided over by bestselling authority Mignon Fogarty, it tackles grammatical quandries, answers difficult questions about punctuation, word choice, style and more. Visit and get your puzzling questions answered. 

Next week I'll be posting one of my regular articles now that the holidays have moved on by like a crashing wave -- stay tuned!

Writers Websites Wednesday

Writing.com has been online since 2000, bringing writers of all interests and skill levels free writing tools, inspiration, free portfolios so you can store and/or display your writings and contests.  Great website services for the writer and mostly for free. You need to join before you're let in on all the details, but it's worth giving up your e-mail address to join.

Writers and Readers Websites Wednesday - Zeno's Site

Yep, it's that day again - I have a site for you all. This time it's Zeno's Forensic Site. For all you writers out there in need of resources on chemistry, arson, guns, traffic, explosives, fingerprints and much more, here you go. For you readers with great curiosity on how this stuff works, this is the place. It offers a lot of links to a lot of resources. 

Satisfy your curiosity or do the research your book or script needs. 

Writers Websites Wednesday - Fortean Times

Okay, I not only admit I'm a fan of the weird and wonderful in our world and other folks' imaginations, I state it proudly!  

You too?  

Want unusual, maybe spooky and/or totally weird?  Bring along your sense of adventure, curiosity, natural skepticism and a good sense of humor. Check out the Fortean Times site, wander it's cubbyholes and discover all sorts of story-inspiring weirdness.  Great fun - I could wander that site for a very long time.  Let me know what you think of it.

Writers Websites Wednesday - Wired For Story

The website, Wired for  Story,  based on the book of the same name, is one worth exploring.  Yes, the author does have a link to sell her book, but offers "insights into unlocking the secrets of story to hook your readers from the very first sentence."  A site worth digesting and I even have a link to her book, Wired For Story in my Writer's Emporium shop, which should tell you a bit about what I think of the book. 

But, book or not, visit the site and read some of the articles - very helpful and interesting. 

Writers Websites Wednesday - PaperRater for online proofing

 

Need online proofreading? Grammar check? Vocabulary building? Then Paper Rater is the place to do it. It's free and there are no downloads.  Young or old, new or experienced, this is a free resource, developed and maintained by linguistics professionals and graduate students. PaperRater.com is used by schools and universities in over 46 countries to help students improve their writing. Perhaps it can help you to

New Book For Writers - Out Of Thin Air Updated and Revised

It's big news - after weeks of work, revising text, adding great new web links of free stuff for writers and other sites of interest and help for writers I've launched a new version of Out Of Thin Air. Come checkout the Kindle edition!

Writers Websites Wednesday - Create A Character

Oh, this is way too cool and too fun for writers.  You can go to Monoface and create the characters you can see in your mind's eye, one you never thought of, or you can check out other faces folks before you have created.

Give yourself something you can focus on for descriptions and just have a lot of fun. Another great internet toy to help you out ~ and of course waste some time. Click on the eyes, the nose, the chin, the hair and see what you can come up with. 

Tell me what you think! I'd love to hear your comments.

Writers Websites Wednesday - Superhero Nation

 

Super Hero Nation offers writing tips, insights and advice. It's a fun site that posts short videos such as movie trailers as well. Check it out, peruse the site and let me know what you think.  I enjoyed my tour. 

Saving The Distracted Writer

A writer's life s not an easy one. It's full of distractions and trials. Frequently we have to have a job and write at the same time, not to mention family obligations. And how is one to write when there are so many other distractions out there in the world just ready to leap at you from the dark corners - or even out in broad daylight?

Hmmm.  Well, there are a lot of things a writer can do. Some of them are as basic as self-discipline. Dirty words, I know. But as a writer you're going to have to find ways to focus, move forward, put aside distractions and write.  Easier said than done, right?

Yep, been there done that - a lot - for a long time - even before all the new distractions the web, email, iPhones, etc. present.

So here are a few ideas to help you along - to keep you focused.

1. If you commute, try to utilize that time to write.  Get yourself a pair of noise cancelling headphone or just listen to some quite background music, sequester yourself away from people as best you can and write. Just write, don't edit.  Your creative self races ahead of your more pedantic editing self, so get those ideas down on paper, your laptop, whatever. You can edit and clean it up later. Seriously. 

2. Consider staying up late at night or getting up really early in the morning.  I was up at 4:30 this morning and I don't go to an outside job. Husband had to go out of town on business this morning and left really early.  I took advantage of the extra time to accomplish a lot.  I'm so proud of myself! These times; early morning or late at night, are quieter times.  Most folks aren't trying to reach you. Businesses aren't open.  It's a great time to work uninterrupted.

3. Center yourself when you are writing. Take some time ahead of your writing time to collect some tools that will keep help you keep yourself focused. If you need to take notes a simple note pad, thus avoiding the distractions of the web might be good.  If you can block that out you might like to try a program like Evernote - it's a free program, lets you take notes and keep track of them. There are others out there that are similar. There are other programs as well, designed to help you keep your focus.  Ommwriter (downloadable program) is another with a few bells and whistles thrown in, but any text writer will keep you on track. 

Oh, you might consider an actual physical, pocket edition of a dictionary and/or thesaurus to keep at your desk. If it's just a simple word you're looking up or you want a synonym web searching can prove to be a mighty distraction, luring you off onto all sorts of other things you'd like to investigate and breaking your focus. Pull back just a bit from the web - save that for when you want to actually be there, researching, playing, exploring.

4. Here's another thing and I've said this in a previous blog, it's better to write first - edit second. If you try to do both you're attempting to do two jobs at once and you're slowing yourself way down.  On top of that, consider what you're doing.  Are you really trying to clean your work up to that point or are you just stalling?  Many writers are actually almost phobic about finishing their books. Anything to throw up self-imposed road blocks.  Don't do that to yourself.  Keep moving. All that little stuff, spelling, punctuation, rewording, can be done later.  Get the ideas down and press forward.
So what are you going to do?  Define your writing time, don't try to let the web do everything (sometimes a bit old fashioned can help as in a notebook), don't answer the damn phone or allow your time to be interrupted and use your self-discipline to press forward. A good idea, not written down, can be lost forever.  Been there, done that to.

Keep writing - keep the momentum moving forward and let me know how you do.



 

Writers Websites Wednesday - Editing Help

Auto Crit Editing Wizard is this week's Writer's Websites Wednesday post. This is a great  help for all writers and especially new ones.  Yes, I want to say up front I am an affiliate, however, I've used this editing software and what a  help it is for improving your writing. It picks out often repeated words to bring to your attention, points out cliches and redundancies, makes you aware of slow pacing and dialog tags. It really does bring things to the writer's attention that need to be addressed, then it's up to you as the writer to decide on the fixes. An excellent way to get through that first edit.

And, here's the great part there are a variety of memberships available and one of them is free.  It's a great way to test drive or to just use that as your editor help.  If you chose a higher membership there is a yearly fee. 

Definitely gives the writer a boost.  Try it, you'll like it.

Writers Websites Wednesday - Dropbox

As writers we write a lot of stuff. We also have things we want to protect like photos, scanned contracts & more.  So what do we do if the computer crashes and takes everything with it?  Cry? 

Before that happens you might check out Dropbox.  This is a little tour to give you the scoop on what it's all about - online storage, but more. You can share, sync up with phones, etc. Basic is free, but if you need more space you can earn it by referring others to their site or purchasing more space.  Worth a look.

Writer's Book Signings - Out & Beyond...!

First of all when we writers talk about book signings let's think if it's worth it at all. 

That depends on what you hope to accomplish.  If you believe you'll get fabulously wealthy from all the extra books you sell at the author signing event - ummmm, think again. 

It can be fun, meet your fans, renew acquaintances, sell a few books, get your name out there for recognition and future sales from lots of other sources.  That's what it's really all about. Oh, and selling a bunch of books is good too. Or maybe being part of a charitable day that helps a worthy cause and gains you some exposure.

Be aware these days, in a general sense it's more difficult to get people to book signings - and not just because you, the writer, happened to have a signing on a bad weather day.  Whatever it is: the economy, the price of gas to get there, the pressure they feel to buy if they actually attend the author signing event or the surging E-book revolution making it simple to download that new book right at home, the simple fact is fewer folks are coming out.

So time for writers to get more creative, right?  Of course there are the usual places to hold book signings: bookstores, libraries, conventions and conferences - all relating to books, right?

Those are always great and not to take anything away from them, but expanding your thinking as a writer can help as well.  If the book you've written and published is a romance perhaps you could interest a perfume, jewelry or department store with such a large department in a book signing. You'll need to talk to the store manager and get them interested. Perhaps clothing stores as well. If you promote and they promote it can be a win-win for everyone.

If the novel you've written is historical in nature and appropriate perhaps you could have a signing at an event - a Renaissance fair or a civil war reenactment or some big anniversary celebration or even in a historic cemetery (it has been done). Make the connection, then see if you can fit in.

And try to make connections with people as well. Do you already know someone connected to a store or event who you can talk to?  If not and if you do a cold call, an approach, see if you can stir up interest.  If not, thank the person for their time and move on.  If you were to succeed into pushing someone into having a book signing when they have little interest, the turn-out will be much less.

Written a book that could somehow be linked to cooking and food?  How about kitchen stores (or departments)?  Does your book in some way incorporate or revolve around a holiday?  How about checking out card and gift stores?  Plants, gardening and dirt? Maybe a nursery or at a botanical garden.  Boats and the ocean or some aspect a central force in your novel?  You might be able to take that cruise - but before you go convince the ship to host a book signing at sea. Live near a ferry - you might be able to do a book signing there if something ties in. Moving venues are fun and exciting.

Work with the 'host' - wherever that may be.  Make sure there's food and drink of some kind available. Funny how that always seems to draw people in. Oh, and be sure to have some help. If you have a great turn-out you'll need an assist to keep the food supplied and with renewing your stacks of books.

See what kind of advertising the host might provide and then don't stint on helping with your own. Announce it on your social sites, send out postcards to your mailing list if you have one. And let your host know you're doing it in such a was as to promote the shop or location as well as your book AND the event.

Use your imagination and cast your net far. Book signings live and you can have a great time doing them.