11 Reasons Writing Is the Worst, But Nothing Else Is Better

Some days there's nothing good about writing. Everything you type stinks...if you even get that far. Other days, everything flows right out, racing like a storm-ravaged stream onto the page. Next time you're having a day full of "writer's block," self-doubt, and extreme self-criticism, remember that you're not alone and take a moment for a laugh or two before taking a deep breath and diving back in. Because the only way to fix it is to write, right?

1. You're completely fickle about what you write...

2. ...but that's when you actually write...

3. ...and stop getting distracted by online "inspiration." Or Facebook.

4. Of course, you spend a lot of time doing legitimate research and are full of a ton of random information. It's always great to drop a "fact" bomb later when all that research becomes relevant to real life...

5. ...but then you worry that you're on a government list somewhere since you just researched things that could be considered dangerous in the hands of the wrong people, such as your characters.

6. You have to keep a notebook, or your phone, on your nightstand because the perfect character, dialogue, or plot twist always strikes in bed.

7. Of course, when it's time to write it later, your mind goes blank; you should have got up to write right instead of sleeping. 

8. That moment when everything you planned goes out the window and your characters take you in a direction you never expected.

9. When you have to make the hard decisions to stay real and keep your readers on their toes.

10. You love to start a new book, you but find yourself very critical of the character development, dialogue, and plot in everything you read. 

11. Depending on the day, it's both the hardest and the easiest thing you do!

5 Writing Tips to Beat the Hectic Holiday Season

'Tis the season! It's that time of year for decorating, shopping, attending holiday parties, and all-around preparing for those precious 24-hours at the end of December. The holidays get everyone in a tizzy! However, while it brings us together, it also tends to eat up much of our free time. As a writer, it's easy to let the holidays sidetrack you and put a quick halt to writing. Perhaps you'll use this time for a welcome break, but if you want to stay on track, try these five simple tips to avoid holiday-induced diversion.

While you're waiting on those holiday cookies or treats to bake, take a few moments to write. Make every spare moment count.

Waiting on family or friends while they shop? Bring along a journal or break out that phone! Grab a cup of coffee and write while they get things done.

Don't take on too much! Decorate, attend some parties, and do some shopping online to save time, but keep your holiday fever in check. People often don't take the time to really enjoy the holiday season because they're so busy. Apply this to writing, too! Take time for you this season.

Choose a special time daily, before bed or early in the morning, to sit down and write. Use an alarm to remind you if needed.

Set a weekly goal. Even if the holidays may distract you from writing every day, having a weekly goal will let you catch up and stay on track.

Happy Holiday Writing!

It's National Novel Writing Month! #NaNoWriMo

Since it is National Novel Writing Month, I want to take the time to reflect on my personal writing goals and process to push myself to finish my novel within the next year. Yes, I know: NaNoWriMo is all the rage during November, and I could use it to get a huge head start! Yet, I don't particularly buy into the whole 50,000 words in a month hype. Of course, I can write 50,000 words quickly if I sit and write daily, and it's a wonderful practice to keep my creativity flowing. However, would I produce quality, thoughtful work? I doubt it. Don't get me wrong: I have confidence in my writing! I just know how my muse works, and it doesn't take kindly to strict schedules. It likes to stroll down the cobblestone street, taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells until the characters reach out and yank it down a dark, mysterious alley that forever alters its course and view of the world. You won't see #NaNoWriMo on my Twitter, or here, for that reason.

I'm looking at this month in a different light because I'm finally in a solid place where I can focus time on my novel. Back in March, I quit my 9 to 5 that was everything but and started my freelance writing career. It took time for me to settle in and get my routine down pat because I am a professional procrastinator and worry wart. It's been a frightening but necessary step to finally transition to a path that focuses on my love of writing. I mean, you have to learn all about self-employment taxes and make sure you save and pay your state and federal taxes quarterly! You have to develop your own contract, build a client base, make professional connections, and find a way to get over that fear of someone stiffing you and shorting your income for the month. There's no one to keep up with your expenses, and you're in charge of budgeting for your own "vacation," "sick days," and healthcare. Freelancing is intimidating at first, so it's exciting that I'm finally at a place where I am not so anxious about it. On that note, National Novel Writing Month signals the perfect time to jump back into writing for me and not just to make a living.

To get back into the groove, my focus has been on research. Sure, it'd be great if I would knock out the next few chapters to Dead Highway, but I've found that taking a break really drove my ideas to new heights. I always wanted this book to be different. These aren't your typical zombies, it's not your usual apocalypse, and you won't easily guess where I'm going. For one, I'm going to actually have an origin story that tells how it happened based on loose science. Sometimes reality can be scarier than even the most skin-crawling fiction. When do zombie apocalypse novels give you a reason for why these horrible things happened? I'm a fan of The Walking Dead, but the problem I have with it and other similar works are that you get few answers about what happened before everything came crashing down. Is there a purpose or is it just a natural occurrence? Was it divine? Was it a man-made accident or intentional? Was it aliens or space germs? Give me something! A good origin is something I feel is missing from many undead works, and I want to get it right.

As a rule, I only loosely plan anything I write. I have pit stops. I have an overall plot. I have a few big moments in mind. One the other hand, I simply cannot write creatively through an outline. (Academically? Yeah, not that either. It's much more likely that you'd find me writing my outline after I wrote my term paper.) The fact that my characters speak to me, direct me, really adds more to anything I type on the screen than any planning ever did. Even writing something as large as this work, which I hope to expand to a trilogy, has yet to change that. One thing I do plan to do, however, is to draft a working timeline. When I recently reviewed StoryMill, I inserted my current chapters into the software's timeline feature, and it gave me a solid idea of where I should be and how the time frame will start influencing the action in the novel. There's no doubt I'm stuck in my ways, but I've realized that my writing process is evolving and that I need to embrace it to get to where I want to be one year from now.

This year, #NaNoWriMo marks the rekindling of my relationship with the working title Dead Highway. I've been wooed with the promise of grotesque decomposition and flesh-tingling danger. What lady can say no to that?

Ten Excuses I Use to Avoid Writing

The past few months have been very busy and writing has completely taken a back seat in my life. I always find an excuse to avoid writing. When I took a weekend trip to the lake, I read a book instead of working on my novel. Right now? I'm writing a blog post instead of becoming reacquainted with my characters. I am writing a blog post about avoiding writing instead of working on my novel. It makes little sense, but here's the thing: writing is hard. Writing takes time and effort and concentration. It's frustrating, infuriating, painstaking. It means taking a part of yourself and opening it to the world. Writers will find all sorts of reasons to avoid writing because it is all of the above.

At this point I could give you a single excuse for why I failed to revisit my fictional world tonight, but it wouldn't be truthful. There are always many reasons that writers such as myself avoid writing. They are often related yet separate issues that we use as justification for avoiding what we enjoy most...at least, when we finally sit down and do it.

The following are ten of the biggest excuses I use to justify to myself why I avoid writing.

 (This is a pretty good one, I think)

 __________________________________________

10. Work

I've worked all day and I just want to vegetate when I get home. This is one of my biggest excuses. Often my days are 9 to 12 hours long, with very few (if any) breaks. By the time I get home, I am fried and want to do nothing. Sure, I could write a few paragraphs or edit a previous chapter, but I've worked all day. That's a good excuse, right?

For those lucky enough to write for a living, this may not be a huge problem. For others, a regular 9 to 5 is necessary. After grinding the day away in a cubicle or on one's feet, work is the perfect, easy excuse.

9. Chores

I need to wash clothes. Make dinner. Walk the dog. Clean the house. Insert any daily or weekly chore and it can be used to avoid writing. Of course they're good reasons!  They have to be done.

The laundry must be done, no one wants a filthy house, and the family needs attention. After working all day or week, coming home to a laundry list of chores is an easy excuse to avoid writing.

8. Commitments

I promised _______ I would ________. Dinner and a movie with a spouse. After work cocktails with coworkers. Visiting family. Chauffeuring the kids. I can't turn every invitation down, can I? Sure, I don't really want to, but if I don't, I won't have a good excuse.

People in general tend to over commit without making time to take care of themselves. Writers are no different. Perhaps they're teaching a night class or freelancing for extra money. Sometimes it's time to care care of your own selfish wants and needs.

7. Distractions

Let me just finish this book, then I can clear my head and give my full attention. My favorite TV show is on tonight. Or (my own biggest) during the fall: it's college football season and my Saturdays are all about the pigskin.

It's easy to find a distraction when you finally sit down. They help us relax and entertain us. Everyone needs to relieve stress, but there's a difference between letting loose to decompress and seeking distractions to avoid the task at hand.

6. Slight of hand

I need to do some research. I'll just Google a few things. Search this database. Take a few notes. Oh, wait! I have an e-mail. Who's messaging me on Facebook? Back to the task at hand. Ugh, I'm not finding what I need. Haha. Look at that LOLCat.

Initial intentions are good, but you know well and good that you're not in the mood. You start out giving a little effort to really research what you need to make details come to life until there is some simple excuse to avoid the task all together. 

5. Uncertainty

I don't know if I like where this is going. I need to take a break and come back with a fresh mind. Do I really want to do that with this character? This isn't how I pictured it. Would readers even enjoy this? I'm not good enough. Could I handle negative comments if this stinks? Maybe I should stop. Now.

It's so easy to second guess everything you write. I don't think any writer could say that they don't desire to write a bestseller, to be successful. Yes, I write for myself because I have a story rattling around in my brain that needs to be told. It needs to be inked on paper for my sanity. On the other hand, I want everything I write to be good. To entertain. To be something I am proud of. The key is to not let that uncertainty hold you back.

4. Time

It's too late. If I start now, I'll never really get started. Or I'll be up all night writing. Or late for work. I still need to do this, this, and this, so if I write now, I'll never get it all done. The Walking Dead comes on in an hour. I don't have enough time to unwind after work. If I skip it tonight, I can go to bed early. I'll just make sure I write tomorrow.

Who ever has all the time they need or want in a day? Time always appears to fly by and leave us wondering where it all went. There is time to write if you make time to write.

3. Physical exhaustion

I'm too tired. Exhausted. I don't want to even move.

This excuse is that simple. After working all day or catching up on chores and commitments on the weekends, I am often just flat tired. I forget that a tired brain is more creative.

2. Mental exhaustion

Please be quiet. No, I don't want to chit chat about my day. I'll break my phone if it doesn't stop ringing. I need quiet. A few minutes to rest my brain. Some time to myself. Yes, a few hours all alone.

I call this an introvert's exhaustion. I am a very introverted person who is in a line of work that requires constant interaction and communication with other people. My phone's always ringing. People are in and out of my office every ten minutes. I get no quiet during those 9 to 12 hour work days unless I am just completely lucky or find a place to be a hermit...until my phone rings again. When I get home, I want nothing to do with human interaction until I've had a while to recharge. I am without a doubt that introvert who feels mental and physical exhaustion after too much social interaction. I could use this excuse every day of my life, but I know I need to channel that "me" time into my writing.

1. Writer's Block

I'm stuck. I don't know where to go from here. That was completely ridiculous [delete]. Why am I even trying? I know I've seen that cursor blink for an hour now.

I know many people may not agree with me on this, but I find I use writer's block as an excuse. When I have "writer's block" and sit staring blankly at my laptop screen, I know that it is because I just don't want to write. I'm not in the mood or in the right frame of mind.

__________________________________________

Writing is difficult. I have my own high standards to meet while hoping I am creating a work that others will appreciate and enjoy. I know that if I would just get started, it would flow just like it always does, but I don't want to start. I'm tired. I've worked all day. Aubie needs a bath. There's a game on. My brain's fried. I think I'll go to bed...I promise to write for a couple hours tomorrow.

The Importance of Place and Setting

When writing a novel or short story, it can be easy to forget that the reader does not see the setting showing clearly in the your mind. Building the setting and putting the reader in that moment and place takes careful consideration. Speaking as both a reader and writer, tossing someone into a scene that they cannot picture or place in the timeline of the novel is like dropping someone in the ocean and telling them to swim to the nearest island. But where are they? How do they find a sense of direction?

Readers need guidance and one of the ways to drive their fear, desire, anger, or heartbreak is through setting. Here is an imperfect example from the novel I am currently writing:

Ben's grieved howl responded in horror. As his brother dropped to his hands and knees and emptied his starved stomach onto the hardwood floor, Mike bit down on his tongue and held his white fists in the air before punching through the drywall to his right. A large photo of the smiling family watched over the motionless bodies. Their father lay face down on the couch, a gaping wound to his side emptying every pint of blood onto the now slick floor. Betty Sue was motionless beneath him, a large oozing bite to her left arm while her blue eyes stared toward the ceiling. Her arms hugged John's back, their only comfort found in one another those final moments.

Mike leaned his forehead against the wall as sobs overtook his body. Between wails, his chest heaved for breaths, and his cries sounded foreign to his own ears. He squeezed his eyes closed tightly, unable to view the room that held so many memories. The quilt their mother sewed years ago hung on the couch, now stained a deep red. The coffee table their father built for their fortieth anniversary. Family chronicles captured in photographs beamed from surfaces and hanging frames. Pain struck like bolts of lightning from his chest as he tried to block out the image of their death seared to his lids.

Yes, your characters drive your story. Yes, their joys, disappointments, successes, and pains pull your reader in. Just don't forget: the setting is just as important. A young woman passes by a coffee shop, remembering that first day she met her lost love. An elderly man leaves the home he shared for fifty years with his wife. A mother stands in her son's room the day after he leaves the state for college. All of these places hold significance.

Use the setting! Put your reader in that place, in that moment, and let them see, let them feel. Increase the tension. Kick the drama up a notch. Provide context. Appeal to the senses. Your reader will thank you.

Completion and Continuation

I'm done! Late nights spent with busy fingers and a sleep deprived brain produced a July 1st conferral and, more importantly, eight chapters and a complete outline of the novel growing in my mind. Next challenge? Finish it! When I set to outline the rest of Dead Highway (working title), I quickly found that it would have to be a Stephen King novel type length or split into a series. Chapter by chapter, each brief summary moved my characters forward, but in the end I was left with an undeniable truth: my characters were far from finished.

The biggest challenge I will face is not what I will write but that I will keep writing. I've spent the last two weeks enjoying my freedom and making up for lost time by reading book after book after book. The more I read, the more I feel it: an urge to let loose my characters and see where they take me next. I set goals at the end of my thesis and I will to stick to them.

1. I will write when the urge strikes.
2. I will write when I think I can't.
3. I will write when it's the last thing I want to do.
4. I will take risks.
5. I will "kill the neighbor's dog" and I will own it.
6. I will never settle for easy.
7. I will always let my characters lead and surprise even me.
8. I will set goals, by chapter or by word, and I will meet them.
9. I will finish my novel in the next year.
10. I will finish the series.

Some of these seem very simple. Yet, it can be very easy to fall into the trap where you write what you think will be successful rather than what will be challenging and more rewarding. Do we always measure reward by books sold? I'd like to think that as writers our reward comes from staying true to ourselves, true to our work, and true to the muse that motivates us. Everyone wants to be loved. Successful. A gigantic hit! But how do you measure success if you lose part of yourself to obtain it?


Me? My characters lead. They surprise me. If I can read my own work and be gripped through action or emotion despite knowing what's to come, I know I'm heading in the right direction.

7 Ways to Boost Creativity

Ever get stuck in a writing rut? I know there are times when I just cannot get the creative juices flowing. Sometimes it helps to step out and try something different. Next time you need a creativity boost, try some of these on for size.

1. People watch. Go out somewhere in public and just observe those around you. A park, the mall, a coffee shop. It doesn't matter. Find a place you are drawn to and park it. You see so many things when you take a minute to stop and pay attention. Inspiration can be found all around you.
2. Pick up a book. I love to read, and sometimes it helps me to just let go and read someone's work. Choose poetry, short fiction, or even non-fiction and take a break to let your mind stretch and recharge.
3. Listen to music. Put on your favorite tunes and just jam! Research indicates that listening to music makes us happier, which helps improve cognitive performance. I can definitely say that I seem to be much more inspired while I'm listening to music, and I write much more than normal. Give it a shot!
4. Daydream. Studies say it works! Let your mind drift and see where it takes you.
5. Get tired. As I wrote in a previous post, you are much more creative when you're tired. Stay up late, let your mind get fuzzy, then put that pen to paper.
6. Move your eyes bilaterally. According to one study, subjects who moved their eyes bilaterally from left to right were much more creative than those who stared straight ahead. The movement is said to increase communication between the right and left hemispheres of the brain, thereby increasing creativity. 
7. Write while emotional.  A study in 2007 revealed that creativity receives a significant boost when emotions are running high. Next time you are very happy, angry, sad, etc, try to write and those emotions just might pay off.

What are some ways you boost your creativity?  Feel free to share in the comments!

First Lines Challenge: Day 30.... The End!

The pressure of teeth on my neck sent tingles rippling through every inch of my flesh, my hand instinctively pushing his head closer until the familiar sting sank toward my veins.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 29

The end is coming.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 28

His body felt in slow motion, each step and turn of the head swayed his body uncontrollably until the resounding whack sobered his scrambled brain.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 27

Only six more hours.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 26

I could feel it creeping through my veins.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 25

The air swirled around, wrapping her in an icy cocoon.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 24

When the gas light came on, I knew I was screwed.



Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 23

The drip drop of his sweat beat like a terrifying drum against my heart.

Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 22

He yanked the hilt up with all his might, slicing vein and muscle.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 21

It slithered toward the couch as I waited in anticipation with my cane.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 20

 Sirens sounded all around our small cubby, their lights flashing through crack after crack.

First Lines Challenge: Day 19

My eyes grew heavier with each rocky bump, the lump in my throat dissolving.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.

First Lines Challenge: Day 18

She ran harder as the landscape blurred, undeterred by the sticks and stones tearing at her feet.


Practice the power of opening lines. Take the 30 Day First Lines Challenge.