Tag Archive | writer’s brain

5 Things to do when not writing

Mar6

So… There are lots of reasons why we don’t write. Sometimes it’s scary like a writing block (OH NO! Will I ever write again?). Oftentimes, it’s just life. You’re sick. You had to go to Aunties house for whatever reason. Sometimes, our brains just hurt. It’s easy though, while not writing to lose the habit of writing.

The following five help boost my creativity and still have an element to help with writing in them.

  1. Art Begets Art. I will die on this hill. Whether you go to a museum and view works of art or make your own– art helps us access our creative side. That goes for painting, drawing, music– all sorts. Want to exercise that writer’s brain? Write a story based on a picture. Or, write a rebuttal to a song. It worked for Miley.
  2. Read. This one seems like a no-brainer but you’d be surprised. But I’m not just talking about your own genre. Read non-fiction and learn something new. Read poetry that touches your soul. Read a mystery or a romance or a collection of humourous historical facts. What ever tickles your fancy. You never know what will spark.
  3. Go outside. This one is hard for me, personally. I’m an indoor girlie. But I feel better when I go outside. And Mother Nature? She knows how to soothe our souls. The peace that wishes over me in the forest, when I’m able to just breathe is precious.
  4. Play. Play a game. Seriously. Make it something fun, though. Enjoyable. Not a time waster. I use solitaire with a deck of cards and it allows my brain to empty.
  5. Write. Write letters. Write stupid poems or stories. If you go to the zoo, is that zebra kinda shady? How would a giraffe tie their bow tie? Write lists. Write in your journal.

What kind of things do you do to reclaim your creativity? Your writing?

Making Words Count

Feb28

Many times, people near & dear to me wonder where my fiction ideas come from. The stories that stick, the ones I finished.

Why are they different?

The easy and hard answer is that they mattered. They mattered to me. A humourous story about a young female wizard who gets things wrong? Came from a place of insecurity with my own voice. Another story was paranormal with vampires and witches and druids  and dealt with missing my friends, as well as how shitty it is to have a loved one with addictions. A dark fantasy where I dealt with having the same (non-cancerous) tumors as my mother, being a mother myself and knowing she died shortly after the surgery. (I made it.)

I’m all over the place. Both with completed and incomplete stories.  I’ve been bouncing from story to story lately, circling what I want to get out of me and into the world. Because that’s what I, personally, do. I work my demons out through writing.

Whether it’s funny or bittersweet depends on the story.

But writing stories is where I slay my demons.

I think I just forgot for a moment that my pen is my sword.

Let’s battle up!

Writing

Sep17

I have been writing again. Consistently for the past little bit, and I’m very, quietly excited about it. As well as reading an obscene amount of books. But here’s the thing about reading so much…

You learn what tickles your writing fancy. But it’s also how you learn to handle things like.. a huge info dump.  How to take a severely flawed character and make them likeable. Reading is how we learn the nuts and bolts of both the art and craft of our genres.

When I was a baby writer, I read and read, then when I went to write it came out a bit like what I’d just been reading. Blue Sword Duology, anyone? Those stories, short and otherwise, will never see the light of day and even though I might not make money from them they were valuable.

Their value was in the practice. The practice of sitting down and writing. The practice of dialog, plot, setting. Yes, I was following a formula laid down by someone else, but it worked. I learned.

And even when I couldn’t write I was still learning the art of story, just from the consumer’s perspective.

Right now I’m trying to figure out if one of my characters is a villain or a dumbass. And if he is a dumbass, can he be realistically redeemed?

If it was me? Hell no. But my other characters aren’t me. So now I’m trying to find empathy for a character who I not so proudly claim is a dumbass. I know what the confrontation is, the start of it. It’s a ways off, so I’m going back to some of my fav authors and seeing how they handled it.

Wish me luck!

Which name

Aug1

So my lovelies… Here’s a question for all of you who have joined the insanity of being a writer: Do you use you legal/real name?

I personally have only published with my legal name. Which is fine because it’s been literary and fantasy that have been published. I never in a million years thought I’d even consider using a pseudonym.

Of course, at the time I was writing and publishing only 2 types of stories (no books yet but I’m working on it!). Now, I’m at the point of writing different types of stories. Some I would not want my mother to read, even though she would pretty much love them.

But it’s also about your readers, as well. There’s a duology I have been studiously avoiding because of drug use within the story. It’s a trigger for me. The story was written by one of my favs, though, and it came down to a question of “Do I trust this author?”

Writing in multiple genres doesn’t worry me either as a writer of stories or as a reader. However, If something is a completely different tone, such as light and fluffy to dark, or no sex to sex on page– I’m starting to think maybe a pseudonym is a good thing. Even if it is a well known secret (Nora Roberts and JD Robb), I think the ability to differentiate is important for readers.

Will I ever use one? I don’t know. Part of that is because publishing is not the whole point of my writing and also, every word I write still sometimes feels like a battle.

What about you, fellow writers? Do you write with a pen name? Why?

Ari Wright: Dissecting a fav

Jul22

So a while back ago I stumbled upon Ari Wright. She was the first Omegaverse author yours truly read. I’ve read a billion others, it feels like.. but I have read hers start to finish at least 3 times.

Let’s find out why. Because as authors, we want the same thing, right? For readers to fall in love with our worlds?

Right off the bat,  both books are sports themed, RH Omegaverse Romances. The first one is Knot her Goal and the second is Knot her Shot.  For this post, we, Dear Readers, are going to deal with the second one.

One thing Wright handles devastatingly well is how alone a person can feel. Starved for touch. For affection, for people who feel like home. Remi, in Knot her Shot, is so convinced that even the boy who has loved her since they were kids wouldn’t really want her, that she is constantly masking. Making things better for others in a bid to just be wanted for once in her life. 

There is a scene when Remi found hiding in the bottom of a closet is emotionally devastating. And it makes me bawl every time? Why? Because the author has given us all the clues. We know that Remi just want a home, we know she had been using a closet as a nest in her apartment and was denied one in the new living situation by the Alpha who scares her, we know she sings when she’s sad or afraid, and that the closet she’s found in belongs to Bear. The grown version of the boy whose seat shirt she still has from all those years ago.

Smith, the head Alpha of the pack, scares the holy moly out of Remi. He’s her boss at work and is an ass to her. All. The. Time. So yes, he does do some grovelling. But unlike other books where a hero just says he’s sorry, or throws money or presents at the heroine, Smith does something that literally has my jaw hit the floor. Think of it as getting therapy so he could correct himself for her. He didn’t tell anyone until he was outed– didn’t do it for glory. He just did it to make things right.

There’s going to be a book 3. It comes out September 10 and is called Knot her Fight. I’ve seen chatter about signing up for ARCs, etc…. but I haven’t done it. Mostly because of how wrung out I get about books I crave. I have to balance my own mental health and writing against maybe, possibly hopefully getting picked. I don’t post on any of the big draws due to keeping myself sane.

But believe you me. September 10th is written in my planner!

Ta, my Lovelies! What are some books you’re rabid to read? What authors do you pick apart?

I Would Have Written It…

May1

Differently. We all have those books. We’re reading along, there might be some inconsistency in the writing but we’re still in it. Until that moment when we think “No, this that and the other thing needs to happen right here.”

And as writers, our brain sets off like a freight train.

I just had that happen recently in the middle of a book. And my brain is chugging along. I have several ideas that haven’t got the steam on their own, but maybe if I smash them together I can get somewhere.

Spoiler Alert: I’m working through this as I’m writing. I will tell you there will only be generalities about the stories because, whelp. It’s not that I believe someone will “steal” my ideas. You and I could be given the same setting, plot and characters and write completely different stories. It’s because if I write too much or discuss a story my brain is over it and I lose all interest in writing it.

So first off, the book stat I was reading (and DNF’d) was trying very hard to be a mafia romance. And for some odd reason it made me think of a story I had started and stopped quite a few times– it deals with witches & warlock vs mage ability. What’s the difference and what happens when you are one but everyone assumes you are incompetent at the other? This idea is hands down 100% fantasy so obviously no mafia. But warring factions? We can do that.

The part I put it down at was a “meet the head of the family” type of moment and it was not going well. Whelp. Last year I started watching those super short shows– you know the ones. Rich guy drops his wife who is a secret billionaire who is now gonna make his life hell. Ok, so take part of that– the part where they really have NO IDEA who the heck they are dealing withand smash it with witch/mage thing.

I really want a sentient house in there too. I love them. When the house is a character it can go either really really well or very badly for the people involved.

But then I’ve been leaning towards shifter romance, although none of the ones I’m seeing are catching my eye and/or imagination. That might A. Be one step too far or B. Just be a reading thing. I know I tend to not read what I’m writing or what I’m hearing up to write so I might just go back to some old favorites of that type and see if that scratches that.. oh that’s in poor taste.

So. There you have it. My creative brain run around and proof that even the books we don’t finish can be worth it for us.

Ta, my lovelies! I’m off to write a bit now!

Writerly Wonderings

Feb27

So I’ve started reading voraciously lately and with that comes grooving on an author’s work. KU makes it nice because you can rip through a series without the financial impact.

But today I want to talk about writing tics. That word or phrase a writer uses, or something that they do repeatedly. Some people hate it when the author does not use the word “said”. Some writers over-use ellipsis.. And that writer is me, in case you were wondering.

I was involved (according to Kindle about 30% worth) in the second book of the series when I started to wonder: What would a shoulder pop look like? It bounced me a bit out of the story as I tried different variations of the motions.

But then it kept happening. These shoulders were popping so much I started to wonder how no one dislocated a shoulder. It also bounced me out of the story, just a bit.

As writers, it’s imperative that we have readers. Beta readers are such a needed resource. Other writers can help as well if you can get over the nerves. Nerves about how another writer will treat your writing, treat you as the author. Some are worried that others will steal their words. Their ideas. Their heart and soul.

I’ve been lucky in the people I’ve met along the way. I dip in and out of Writers Village University (not an accredited school, but more of an online resource for writers to learn and make connections). I don’t go on there often, but I’ve met some great writers there.

And one of those people I met so very long ago. She has edited my work. Cheered me on. And currently we write together every day from miles away (thanks to technology. You should go check out her work– Rie Sheridan Rose.

She has called me out on my ellipsis and the lack of the word said in a story. I hope I’ve helped her as well. And when you find the right writing partner/ beta reader, sharing your story doesn’t send you into a panic attack.

Promise.

Now onto book 3 to see if all these characters are still popping their shoulders!

Ta my Lovelies!

First Rejection & Snow

Jan8

Of the year. And it’s fine, it’s part of the process. It’s fine. I read somewhere once that being rejected just means your story has not found a home yet.

What hurts is that in the midst of the s**t show of the last few years, I lost both my physical log and the computer log of where I had submitted which stories.

In the rejection letter they were absolutely both extremely professional and kind. Especially since I had apparently submitted that story to them in 2021.

Sigh.

So many emotions are swirling in me right now. A morass. Not because of the rejection of the story. It will find its home.

And it hit hard because I’m trying to find my footing in my new home. Most of that is working through the mental state that I arrived in. My home is still in disarray, and when I lay in bed and close my eyes I see my old room. My old life.

Friday night & Saturday morning we experienced our first snowfall that stuck. My son still calls California home. Sunday we went to lunch with my niece & her family, and I borrowed a shirt for a wedding next weekend. Wednesday I put my kid on a plane to our old home to visit– and I’m hoping he gets on the plane back 12 days later. I’m hoping he doesn’t get into trouble.

I’m also looking forward to time without him. Time to make a freaking mess of the house so I can put it together the way I want to.

My words are messy, but they are coming out. I’ve got 2 stories I’m working on because well, messy. I wrote a poem.

I talk to my bestie on the phone everyday. She’s still in Cali, and is my backup with the almost adult boy I’m sending out there. I miss her. I have family here but haven’t made friends yet. I also don’t really go anywhere– haven’t even been to the library yet. I do recognize the cashier at the Dollar General, but I’m sure I’m just another face in the day to her.

Well. This has gotten a lot more personal than I thought it would. Hope you don’t mind. My brain doesn’t feel as messy.

Until next time, my lovelies!

Happy New Year-ish

Jan4

So i have made lots of goals for 2021. Not resolutions, just a nod to things I want to do differently. I started most of them in December, at the very end. I just couldn’t wait.

One thing I’m trying to do is submit my work, my writing more. I enjoy writing, and I have several stories that need homes. I wrote 4 or 5 last year and while not a huge amount– it is still an accomplishment I am proud of. I’ve sent 2 stories out, hopefully to find a home.

I’ve started journalling creatively for 10 minutes before going to bed. It helps with story generation, and also working things out. A fire kitten may be making an appearance in a story soon.

One of my dear friends, my sister from another mother, challenged me to a poem a day writing challenge for the year. I don’t consider myself a poet, but it doesnt say anything about GOOD poetry LOL.

I bought an undated planner and am using it to tey and work out a story I am working on. The story has a lot going on and will probably be longer than most of my writing. I tend to do short and sweet, this needs room to breathe.

So that’s what I’m getting into for 2021. How about you? Any wild crazy plans? Or slow and steady wins the race?

You can write your own way….

Jun5

I know. It sounds crazy pants, doesn’t it?

But you can write your own way.

You might not get published. You might self publish and not sell enough to make money. I know those are the dreams, the goals, the reason many park but in chair. But it’s ok to write what you want, what you enjoy. You don’t know where those secret little scribbles that you only share with your very best friends (If them) will take you.

Sometimes those secret scribbles take you in a direction you never knew existed.

Sometimes it’s where you hone your voice, cut your teeth on the truth your soul wants to release into the world. This is art. Our art. Shouldn’t we be writing what brings us joy and makes us giggle or touches our own heart first?

And sometimes…..

You find out that those secret scribbles that you never knew where to send have a place in the world.

So. Go forth and write your own way.

Who knows where it will lead?