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Writer’s block – hit it with something hard

I think writer’s block, for me at least, is not that we have run out of creative juice (You know that heart-pumping fuel that drives us forward in a story.) I believe it’s the mind’s ability to trick us; to convince us that we have nothing left in the tank. For good or bad, our mind blocks our view of the creative horizon; protecting us from more hard work, more writing, more editing; shielding us from disappointment. What if everyone hates it, or laughs at my efforts? All those self-doubts.

The best way to beat the block is to hit it with something hard.

Hit it with persistence! Write with guts. Sit down and write. Write anything. Get past the mud-sodden bog by moving forward until you hit dry land. Cast aside your critical self and let the artist work. 

An author’s prediction about eBooks back in the year 2000

Back in the year 2000, thriller author Jeffery Deaver was asked by Writer’s Digest Magazine writer Katie Struckel this question: ‘What are your opinions on electronic publishing?

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Here is Jeffrey’s answer from the November 2000 issue of Writer’s Digest:

‘It’s a medium like anything else, and I think if we writers neglect the trend we will, to some extent, be left behind. … I’ve taken a look at some of these electronic books, and technologically, they aren’t the same as flipping through even a cheap paperback on the beach. … But I think anybody who says, ‘Oh, it’s just a wave that’s going to pass or it’s newfangled and it’s too difficult, let’s forget about it’ – I think that’s shortsighted. I think it’s another wonderful way to get the words we, writers, create into the hands and the hearts and minds of the readers, and you neglect it at your peril.’

Seems you don’t need a crystal ball to see the future, just some vision.

B.F.

 

WAIT! Your character is about to have an inner thought.

How do you make the jump from your story’s outer world narrative to the inner thoughts of your character?

Are you scratching your head? Well done. That’s the secret.

Example:

The little girl held her breath in protest. Harry scratched his head and drew a hand across his receding hairline. She’s turning blue, he thought. What the heck is she doing?

Draw attention to the inner self by using the outer physical self. Outer gesture – inner thought. Try it.

B.F.

Writers and Artists – I present Mr Pressfield!

One of my favourite authors and champions for writers and artists is Steven Pressfield.

Over the last steve-pressfield-3twenty years or so I have read more Writer’s help books than I care to admit. I stopped reading them at one point because they were all selling the same regurgitated bile. I figured I had learnt all there was, outside of practical experience, because I could find nothing original.

Then I stumbled on The War of Art.

It was like a slap in the face by a super model – it hurt, but it hurt good.

The reality was this: no quick fixes; no soothing, ego-stroking mantras and no dooms day anti-traditional publishing boo hoo’s. I had to think differently, act and work like a professional and recognise the existence of a force Steven calls ‘Resistance’ and that this Resistance was real, was unsympathetic, and was the shadow of all our creative endeavours. More importantly, he also taught me how to beat it.

His url: http://www.stevenpressfield.com/

At the moment I am reading ‘Do the work’ but I highly recommend you read or listen to ‘The War of Art’ first.

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I gain nothing from this post other than the knowledge that I have passed on a valuable resource to creative brothers and sisters who struggle every day with labour pains of their art.

Regards,

B.F.

Search Engine Optimisation – what is it?

S.E.O (Search Engine Optimisation) is more than just jamming in Key Words throughout your site

 

SEO

Google’s too cleaver for that now – it’s about good quality content. If users spend time on your site, share articles and back-links, that’s when the traffic/meta data cops at Google take notice and boost up your ranking. In short, good writing will provide good content. Here’s a quick list:

 

  • Offer something to your reader. Advice, information, inspiration.
  • Share it. On social media, on relevant blogs other than your own. If other bloggers find it’s worth sharing to their readers, be thankful and politely ask for recondition and a link back to your site.
  • Know your target reader/audience/market. What are they looking for. Make it easy to find.