Yes, it is spelled wrong – good you’re paying attention.
Now, as a writer you know full well the moment when, although intentions are good, you sit in front of those keys with letters and numbers printed on them and your mind goes blank. On any other given day, you find that your fingers can’t type fast enough to keep up with all that is running through your mind and yet on this day – nothing. The stress of self-publishing, deadline pressures, and everyday life may just be the cat that has your tongue (or thoughts, so to speak). So here are some suggestions to help you karate chop your way through writer’s block:
- Write about everything that happened today.
- Write about something you saw or heard on the news.
- Write about a commercial you saw and liked, or thought was funny. (Or disliked for that matter)
- Write from the prospective of the family pet, if you have one. (A dog, a cat or even your fish named Guppy will work)
- When writing about any of the things above to chip away at your mental block, use as much detail as possible.
o Describe colors, sizes, and how many there are of… whatever.
o Describe how the characters are related to each other or to you.
o Tell how you perceived the characters to be feeling and why.
o Describe how you would re-script the day, event, commercial or story to make it more interesting.
- Re-read what you have already written, whether it is a current project or one from the past. Even if all you have are piles of notepads filled with chicken-scratch, read through them.
- Remember, the subject here is self-publishing; so if writing just isn’t going to happen today, then do some research about the book industry while you are in a dry spell. Regardless of how much you already know, there is always more to learn. Industries are changing all the time and the book industry is no different. Did you ever think there would be such a thing as an e-book? Things change, so read up on the latest industry news and then write about what you have learned.
And if all else fails, start typing the following words: (no cutting and pasting, type it yourself)
Today I have writer’s block. I can’t think of a single thing to write about. I have sat here, staring at my computer screen for hours now, and nothing brilliant is coming to mind. I know I have a lot to say. I just can remember any of it. But now that I think about it, I do have this story idea that I’ve been considering for quite some time. The plot of the story is about …
God Bless,
JMD