First, thank you to Full Moon Bites for hosting the Monsters & Angels blog tour!
I’m not sure I’ve suffered from full writer’s block, at least not yet. Writing stalls, which I blame on the weather, day to day life or social media…those I have experienced. Often, I have a ridiculous amount of disjointed ideas. I jot them down, can’t make sense of them later and get frustrated because I’m sure I wasted a once-in-a-lifetime flash of genius.
I need a solid block of time (hours are good, days are better) to let my mind relax and dip into the fantasy world where my stories come alive. I’ve worked full-time night shift for over thirty years, which is a blessing and a curse. Sometimes wacky sleep patterns blast my creativity into overdrive, and other times I’m just too exhausted to look at a computer screen.
There have been a few instances when I can’t figure out “what happens next” in my plotline. Loud music in my car helps. Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell-Back Into Hell and Bat Out of Hell-The Monster Is Loose were both go-to albums for inspiration. My best ideas have come when I’m at the gym, on the elliptical or treadmill. My head is clear and plot breakthroughs just dawn on me as if I should have known all along.
I think the key to writing—actually sustaining it long-term, is keeping it fun.
1. Write an off-beat blog post.
2. Try your hand at poetry.
3. Go on a good old-fashioned rant.
Curse a little, hit save, edit later.
4. Write a scene with pen and paper.
One of the best scenes I’ve created was a fleeting idea during a New Orleans vacation. I wrote (scrawled) it in a red marble notebook. I recently found my first draft and compared it to the currently published version. That passage remained almost identical. Word for word.
5. When all else fails, drink.
Wine, beer, bourbon, café au lait…whatever sets your mind free.
Writing is a unique and precious gift. Love every minute of it!