#thewritersjar

[thewritersjar]

Do you love it?

Why do you write?  Is it an escape for you?  Do you simply love it?  What is writing to you?

Personally, writing is the love of my life and I greatly hope to continue to love it enough that I die with a pen in my hand, writing, writing, always and forever writing.

[thewritersjar]

Prompt # 6

Create or use a “Bad Guy”.  Write his or her day.  Do they spend all day contemplating world domination?  Do they do laundry? What’s their day like?

[thewritersjar]

Remind Yourself

On a sticky note, or index card, or piece of paper, or anything: Write something that reminds you how much you love writing.  Even if it’s just Don’t give up on it because you love it.  Leave it where you can see it everyday.

I know I’m not alone in having days where I wonder what the point is.  Why am I spending all this time writing when I think my writing is terrible or my story is cliche or other such issue.  I have to remind myself from time to time that I love writing so much that I do it even though that story Idea is cliche or I think I suck royally at writing. 

I love it too much to give it up.  Besides, that’s what an editor is for, they’re very helpful when you think your writing sucks.

[thewritersjar]

Prompt # 5

In one sentence think of one idea, one moral, one thing that you want to tell the world in your writing.  I know it’ll be hard to pick just one.

I’ll start:

It’s okay to be different.

Share if you wish, don’t worry about it if you don’t.

[thewritersjar]

Prompt # 4

The Fanfiction Challenge

Take your all time favorite character and put him in a situation where he/she  has to choose who lives and who dies. 

[thewritersjar]

Prompt # 3

This is an exercise called:  Kill Your Darlings

My creative writing teacher was fond of this one.   Many writers will tell you how difficult it can be to kill off a character.  Many have compared them to children, after all they created and breathed life into them.

Take a character you have created and kill them.

Post if you wish, don’t worry about it if you don’t.

May words flow freely in your WIP!

[thewritersjar]

Carry a Notebook

I never know when inspiration will suddenly come crashing out of the sky to knock me on my butt and take my breath away, but I’ve experienced it enough to know to always have something close by to write with.

Many will nod and laugh (or perhaps cry) at this because it has certainly happened to them.  I’m in the middle of grocery shopping and an idea hits me that I’m sure would break my week long Writer’s Block Illness, but I have nothing to write it down with.  I left my phone at home on accident and there’s simply nothing else there and by the time I get home the idea has fluttered away and escaped like a butterfly being chased by a toddler.

This wasn’t the first time and it certainly wasn’t the last.  I’m embarrassed to admit it took quite a few lost ideas before I wised up and bought a small notebook to keep in my purse when I leave the house.

I find it exceptionally useful to carry a notebook to jot down all the ideas that smack you in the face during the day.  I even began to take the very last sentence of my work in progress and have it in the notebook.  I always end up writing three pages after that sentence when I’m out.  It just works well for me.

This is also embarrassing but I trust you lovely people reading this not to tell anyone. ;)  I have notebooks and pens stashed all over my house in case of emergency. 

They are:

On top of my fridge.

In each of my bathrooms.

In the living room.

Dining room.

Kitchen.

Right next to my bed.

Small one in my purse.

My father taught me to always be prepared.  Somehow I don’t think he meant this.

So carry a notebook.  Or use the notebook app on your phone.  Do what works for you.  Notebooks work for me because my phone is ancient and I always seem to forget it on my way out the door.

Best of luck to all you lovely Writers out there!  May the words flow freely in your WIP!

[thewritersjar]

When You’re Stuck

Many of us know the feeling of sitting at our desks (or wherever is your preferred space to write) and being.... stuck.  Unfortunately, banging my head against a wall hasn’t worked yet when the dreaded Writer’s Block comes forth to screw up my daily Word Count Goal.  Here’s a list of things I personally have tried in order to evict Writer’s Block from my life.  (Temporarily, at least.)

1.  On my desk is a cup with little bits of paper in it that have a few actions to add in to get the ball rolling.  Just a few are:

a. A secret is revealed.

b. Someone dies.

c. Someone walks in with a gun.

None of these are full proof.  However, more than once I have picked one and either ran with the idea or I pick one (”Someone dies.”) and go “NO!  NOPE!  I want to do this!” and then I just go off writing. 

2.  Another thing I’ve found helps is going and writing something else for a while.  I’m always writing poetry.  So, when I get stuck on a story I’ll put it aside and go try and be a Warrior Poet for a while instead of a Story-Teller. 

3.  If you feel you can’t do number 2, that’s totally fine.  I’ve also found that when stuck it’s helpful to pick one of your characters and create an intricate back story for them.  I’ve gotten stuck on my current work in progress(WIP) a lot and as a result I now have three different short stories illustrating what my main characters been up to before her story even began.  It keeps you in your project and helps dust away some of those cob webs decorating the inside of my (or your) brain.

4.  Walking away is also a good strategy.  As embarrassing as it is, I’ve been known to pace my kitchen floor when really tangled up in my story.  I will literally pace the floor for hours trying to play my story in my head like a movie to try to figure out where I’m going.  I do the same when I take walks or do the dishes.

5.  As hard as this has been for me personally in the past, sometimes you just need to put it away for a bit.  Go watch a television show or a movie or go read a book but put your writing away for a while.  Sometimes your just need a break.  Call it a mini vacation. 

Hope these were helpful.  These are just a few ways I personally get rid of Writer’s Block.  Have fun writing!