Wandering Thoughts of a Writer: #creativity

Showing posts with label #creativity. Show all posts

I know what it’s like to have writer’s block. I've experienced it many times.

Some people claim that writer’s block is bullshit.

Whatever.

If they've never experienced it, good for them. However, I have and so have all the authors I know, and I’m friends with quite a few.

So how do you overcome it?

I’m going to tell you how.

We’ve all been there—at least us mortals have—where you’re cruising along in your story and BAM! It’s as if your brain suddenly clogged up.

WTH?

You sit there, staring at the computer screen for a while.

Whom am I kidding?

For an hour or HOURS and nothing comes to you.

Now what?

Here are six tips you can try the next time you experience the dreaded *stage whispers* writer’s blog.

1.) Walk away!

That’s right. Save what you've already written and walk away. It does you no good to sit there and stare at the screen. So do something else. Clear your head. Relax. Then go back to it later.

2.) Read.

Read a book in the same genre you’re writing in. You’ll be surprised at how well that works and the inspiration it’ll spark within you.

3.) Watch a movie or TV show.

Watch a movie or TV show similar to the type of story you’re writing. It works the same way as reading a book.

4.) Read what you've already written.

You don’t have to read everything, just the chapter you're working on or the one before it. Sometimes reevaluating scenes will make you realize there are things you need to change to make your tale much better.

5.) Be honest with yourself.

Maybe you hit a brick wall because you’re not into the story. Your passion has fizzled. Maybe you need to strip the whole tale and start over or make some major changes.

6.) Get a good night’s sleep.

Maybe you’re tired and need a break, which is fine. There’s nothing wrong with that. Set your manuscript aside, eat a good meal, have a relaxing evening, and get a good night’s sleep.

How do I combat writer’s block?

I read a book in the same genre as the one I’m writing in.

It works for me.

So try it or any of the other suggestions I've mentioned. You’ll be surprised and pleased with the results. J

#author, #authorlife, #books, #create, #creativity, #writers, #writersblock, #writing, 0 Comments

Kevin came up with an idea that I’m not sure about. I’ll show you in a minute what it is.

-But I’ll begin here . . .

(This page contains an affiliate link which means I may earn a commission if you use it, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I love.)

Yesterday we were able to paint some more of the inside of the RV. I thought it would only take us an hour to finish painting.

Not.

However, all we have left—as far as I know—is behind the couch, the wall next to the driver’s side, and touching up parts we already painted.

I’m guilty of slapping the paint on too thin.

My bad.

. . . So, there are a few places I have to put a second coat on.

My grandpa is probably rolling in his grave because he was a professional painter when he was alive and clearly, I didn’t inherit that gene.

Hey, at least I’m trying, right?

That’s how we learn.

Kevin came up with a creative idea to do to our bedroom walls.

His idea is to make the wall look like it has wallpaper showing through the paint, and then decorating it with cool album covers, flyers, whatever—sort of like a scrap book wall.

Before I show you pictures of what we did, check out this cool ass book we discovered.

Here’s the link if you want to check it out: https://amzn.to/2CA2rWL

We’ve used a lot of pages from this book to help decorate inside of our RV.

Kevin did a decoupage between the cabinets that used to be blue velvet.

He created a patchwork collage on the living room wall, using pages from this gem of a book.

. . . And incorporated his idea for our bedroom wall, using once again, pages from this awesome book.

He stuck pieces he torn up to different parts of the wall. Then I painted around them.

As of this moment, here’s what his wall and mine looks like in our bedroom.

I don’t know how I feel about it.

Maybe after we do the touch ups, I’ll dig it then.

-Anyway, our RV renovation is coming along. I suspect when we put the flooring in, it’s going to be a pain in the ass.

I could be wrong.

I hope I’m wrong.

. . . But I have a feeling cutting up pieces of the flooring to fit awkward places is going to be a bitch and time consuming.

Of course, I’ll keep you up-to-date.

Renovating an RV is both trying and rewarding at the same time.

It's a lot of work and tends to be frustrating.

However, we’re creating a home-on-wheels.

. . . And in the end, it’ll be all good.

#book, #cool, #creativity, #decorating, #home, #homeonwheels, #idea, #painting, #RV #renovation #installation, 0 Comments

It's been weeks since we were able to work on our RV. Lately, it’s been too damn hot and humid outside to continue renovating it.

Finally, we have a nice cool day.

The only problem we’re running into is it’s too humid for the tape to stick to the wall.

WTF?

Have you ever heard of such a thing?

But we'll adapt, improvise, and overcome it.

-So, moving on, we unscrewed the cupboard handles and took them off.

The process I thought went by fast. I mostly did that while Kevin started painting the cupboards.

His idea was to spray paint them, like he done when he distressed our cabinet below the kitchen sink.

Hey, work smarter not harder.

When we roll paint the walls, we’ll touch up the cabinets with that paint.

Honestly, you guys . . . Kevin is the artist here. I can write stories, articles, and blog posts, but when it comes down to painting, drawing, decoupaging, and distressing furniture to give it that boho vintage look, I’m not good at those things. Therefore, I trust Kevin’s ideas and allow him to create.

He amazes me with his creativity and mind.

. . . Anyway, our flooring comes in on Tuesday. I’m guessing once we’re done painting, we’ll be installing the new floor. I’m hoping I can help Kevin with that.

Oh, a couple weeks ago, we solved our refrigerator problem and bought a new fridge that's solar powered. I’ll write a separate post on it soon.

Right now, as I write this, Kevin is working on the RV. We took a break to eat lunch, and then he went back outside to work on it.

-Well, after I was done eating, I went to join him, and he was grumpy.

His vibe wasn’t good.

The humidity is back up this afternoon, and he didn’t want to quit. So, I left him be.

I’m sure you can relate when your significant other is in a pissy mood and needs to be left alone.

Hell, when I’m in a shitty mood, I want to be left alone. Don’t you?

-Anyway, a lot is going on in my life, and I strive to at least post here once a week to keep you guys up-to-date on what’s going on—even if it’s a short post or a meme. Something.

Kevin just came into the house, and he’s in a better mood.

YAY!

I’m going to see what he’s up to and finish the goals I want to accomplish today and make new ones for this coming week.

UPDATE: I went outside and into the RV to see what Kevin was up to. Check out what he was working on . . .

I love it!

I wanted to share that with you.

Have a good one.

#artist, #creativity, #paint, #peace, #progress, #RV, #RV #renovation #installation, #vibes #weather, 0 Comments

I can’t speak for all writers, but this is what my internal world is like as an author.

I have a loud mind.

Stephen King once said quiet people have loud minds. I don’t know. I mean, I’m quiet when I have nothing to say, and I don’t ever have the need to hijack someone’s conversation . . . so yeah, now that I think about it, I do have a loud mind.

My thoughts constantly scatter.

I can have a conversation with my husband and think of other things at the same time. Where I get into trouble is when he’s telling me something I’m not in the least bit interested in. I’ll focus on my thoughts instead and not hear a word he’s saying.

My mind always turns an unexplained noise or situation into a story.

This is so true, and nine times out of ten I’ll tell the person with me about it. And yes, that person looks at me like I grew another head—unless it’s another author I’m telling it to.

I'll compare real life situations to fictional ones.

I’ll compare a situation someone is in or was in or something that happened that’s relevant to one of my characters, and I’ll talk about it.

Self-induced stress.

Sometimes I become anxious and irritable when I have so many things to do like edits, rewrites, posting, marketing, etc. and not enough time to do them. Basically, I get overwhelmed, and my thoughts won’t stop whirling.

I have stories racing through my mind.

I have so many stories I want to write but not enough time to do so.

I’m never bored.

It's very rare that I'm bored. I have too many things to do to get bored.

Crankiness.

If I’m not working on a story, I get grumpy and depressed.

Anxious.

I get nervous and scared when other people reads my story.

I'm a serf to my imaginary friends.

My character’s talk to me, and they can get demanding to where I have to appease them. I am their slave.

Happiness.

I get excited and giddy when I’m creating a story.

My characters crack me up and make me weep.

I laugh when one of my characters does something funny. I also cry when something bad happens to them.

So do I like being an author?

No.

I frickin’ love it.

Why?

Because despite the anguish as an author I go through to churn out a novel and market it, I created something out of nothing. I have the ability to transfer what’s inside of me, onto paper, and into other people’s minds. I can share with them worlds and characters they never knew about. I can teach them lessons or at least get them to think on topics they never thought about before. I can make them laugh, cry, smile, and get frustrated. I can entertain them. I’m giving something to this world that more than likely will last well after I’m gone, which rocks.

Yes, I’m overwhelmed.

But . . .

Being an author makes me happy and want to do a silly dance.

Enough said.

#amwriting, #author, #authorlife, #characters, #creating, #creativity, #life, #stephenking, #stories, #writer, 0 Comments

I’ve been writing the second book to Legends of Deceit since the end of last summer.

Do I have a title name yet?

Nope.

There will be a title after I tackle the first revision.

When will it be out?

I’m hoping this year.

*fingers and piggies crossed*

I’m almost done with the first draft. I would have been done sooner, but I have other things going on in my life that require my attention as well.

#futureplansinthemaking

Writing a book is a long ass process. I know there are authors who write a book a month or every other month.

I don’t know how they do it.

But I’ve come to the realization every writer is different.

If I were to compare myself to others, I’d be doing myself a disservice.

The only author/writer I should be comparing myself to is myself.

Am I advancing in my craft/art?

Do I love to write?

Am I having fun writing?

So I no longer fret or get all balled up in a knot over how long it takes for me to churn out a novel. The important part is if those three questions are answered with a yes, and that I put out good quality stories for you guys—the readers.

Legends of Deceit is a two book series.