A Writer's Worst Enemy

Today I am going to talk about a writer's worst enemy or at least the most common one. I mean writer's block. The thing that can steal a person's creativity and cause hours of frustration and anger. As of right now I really know of no cure. It's just one of those things that goes away eventually but is hard to get through when you are experiencing it.

As you probably guessed I am experiencing it right now. Its not because I haven't planned things because I have. I have my whole novel outlined from the first page to the last. I have numerous character biographies made as well what I want to happen throughout the whole trilogy. You would think I would have my first book finished already with the amount of planning I have done. But it sadly is not the case.

While I do not have a way to demolish writer's block completely, I do have a few things I do to lessen it's affect. The first thing I do is try to write a scene that matches my mood for that day. If I am excited I will write a scene that deals with excitement or even fear because sometimes those emotions can walk hand in hand. If I am happy I might write a scene that is more joyful or at least not depressing. If I were in a great mood while writing a funeral scene I don't think I would come even close to getting the mood right.

Another thing that can help fight the enemy is being your character for a short time. Does she love to draw. Then draw the way she would. Does he skate? Then go to a skate park and if it is too far out of your comfort zone to jump on a skateboard then watch the people that do. This might tell you a lot more about the character than you ever would have discovered on your own.

I think I mentioned last week about how I interviewed my character. This a great way to not only meet and learn more about your character but to also move your story along. No matter how ridiculous you feel doing it don't let that stop you from asking serious questions. Ask them about there background? Ask them what they think about politics, religion, morality, death, anything. Let them answer in a from true to who they are. Don't make them say what you want to hear if you know that is not who they are. You might also be surprised how they answer. You might plan to write them one way but have them become their own person with their own thoughts and ideas on life. In our world they do not exist except for words on a page. However, in their world they are just as real as you and me.

The ideas above are all things that help me fight writer's block. They let me see my story from a whole new side but they also add something new to my writing. They work to motivate me and help me remember why I am writing this book. I am not writing this because I want to be famous. Instead I write because I love it. I love to make new things and make new characters. I love to tell stories. Like I have said before. This is not the first story I have tried to write but it will be the one I will finish. I experience joy when I put words to the page and I want you to experience joy when you read them.

Have a great memorial weekend everyone. Thank you to all the people that have served and protected all the people on earth and that never made it home. Thank you for your bravery and your courage.

WOW

Sorry guys I really did not mean for this much time to pass since my last blog post. School this semester was extremely difficult and I really didn't have time to do anything but study. So I for the last few months I have done nothing but memorize parts of the body and solve algebraic equations. I did take one amazing class however which was a creative writing class. It challenged me so much as a writer and I would like to acknowledge my teacher in my book if it ever actually gets published. I had not time to work on my story or my book but that doesn't mean I didn't grow as a writer or get inspired.

For the first time I shared my writing with others that were not my close friends or family members. I was able to get feedback and change my writing to make it better and more descriptive. I learned to describe what my characters see without stating it outright and also found a way to make my characters even more real. I have to ask myself what do they want and why do they want it? I have held mock interviews with my character. Now you may think this is crazy but it works. You get to see how this character would respond to certain things as well as being able to understand them better.
This class challenged to right from different point of views and to see things differently and I believe  that I am a better writer because of it.

I love to write. There is no doubt about that. But sometimes life gets in the way and I don't have as much time as I want. But I have not forgotten about this blog or my book. I plan to work on both. I can't wait until my book is published and my story is told the best way that it can be. It may take time but I hope that you can have patience with me.

Because I am not so afraid about sharing my writing with you I have included a short story that I turned in for my creative writing class. I am not including any of the book I am writing because even though I trust you guys someone could stumble upon my blog and try to steal my story and I have worked too hard on it to let that happen. The name for my short story is Blurred Lines.

She gazed up at the sky face relaxed and a small smile playing at her lips. Her chocolate hued hair covered part of her face but she made no move to wave it away. The eagles, the focus of her attention, where circling each other slowly, powerful and unafraid. She wanted to be with them. Lines of longing were etched across her face and one small shining tear slipped across her face before she had a chance to stop it. She brushed it away, furious with the momentary betrayal. Why couldn't she be free? These small moments by herself were the only piece of freedom she ever got to glimpse and they were becoming fewer and fewer until she knew they would eventually stop altogether.

She soon returned her gaze to the thick art pad that rested gently across her knees, her brow furrowed in concentration. Although she had only drawn one line it was not from lack of trying. There were just too many things around her begging for her attention. She did not know where to start so the only thing to mark her page was the single line. That was how she felt right now. I single line on one a big canvas. A sharp buzzing sound caused her head to smack against the tree that had supported her weight since she were a small child. A small red light blinked in time with the buzzing and she let out a muffled groan. She had ten minutes to get home and her older sister Katya could only cover for her for so long. Besides Katya really was a terrible liar and they could not rely on their father's absent mindedness forever. She smiled fondly at the thought of her sister. She used to be jealous of her and the way everyone always thought Katya was an angel and must have lost her way from heaven. After many years of jealousy and bitterness Karu had finally accepted herself for who she was and had stopped trying to be her sister years ago. When her brother Khan was alive he said she had a wild streak ten miles long and would only grow longer as she got older. But he wasn't here and she needed to get home. So she ran.

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