Playlists, pictures and writing

Whoa! It's been a while. As usual, life has taken over my summer. I finished a manuscript and needed a mental health break. A story can take you over and suck the life out of you. I'm trying to start something new and rework a fantasy I started over a year ago. Writing is funny like that. Inspiration can take hold of you and a squeeze you dry. It's a strange feeling when creativity takes a back seat. The whole rollercoaster ride on the tracks of writing. I'm a visual writer. I see a lot of the story in my head so I need to find things to ignite an idea.

I have one idea that's been in my head for a year. The problem is the character isn't really talking, only showing me snippets. It can be frustrating, but I write down what this shy lady is showing me. What has been a wonderful help is music. It amazes me how a certain song will spark the mood, voice, and scenes of a story. For me this is key. It gets me excited about an idea. I will play an inspiration song over and over till I get something. It's funny how it can just click. I will go into a distant stare and let the vision take over. Don't do this while driving though.

Anyway, this idea is starting to take shape, which is a good thing. I currently make playlists on Spotify. I can label which book they are for and add songs to each. I have made playlists for every book I've written. It's crucial for my process.

Another thing that's good to do is make a visual chart. Pictures can help you visualize your characters, scenery, even clothing. Pinterest is my go to for this. I have a board for each book and put inspiration photos under those headings. You can also use Scrivner for this.

Getting outside is another help. Even visiting a new place helps. It opens your eyes to the world and people. I tend to observe more than I interact. It helps when writing your characters.

Well, there you have some tips on reigniting your muse. I'm sure I've written about this before, but it always helps to be reminded.

Any tips you have to make an idea pop?

Have a great day!

The respark

Whoa. It's been a while again. I apologize, but I've been writing a novel that's kicking my butt and it's finally flowing again. I go through these dry spells, which I should be used to by now. It's as if the well of creativity dries up and there's no rain in sight. A drought so to speak. It could be a burn out of forcing it to happen. I don't know. But I love it when it rekindles. It's like taking a breath of air after holding your breath for ages. Anything can do it. For me, sometimes a song, a movie, but my most recent spark is a book.

My good friend, Joanne Fritz, gave me a book called RUSH by Eve Silver. I've been sort of down with my writing. I don't write the norm nor do I write anything that's "sellable" but I like what I write, it makes my frowny face turn upside down. So when I can find something that allows me to see that what I'm doing is okay, my insides flutter and my brain restarts. It makes me happy so why get down. Taking breaks are fine, the brain needs to reboot.

Anyway, this book has everything I love--first person present tense, scifi, teenage romance with a "bad boy", short choppy sentences--it's the stew that makes my heart beat fast and my brain wanting more. There are some things that bother me about this book, but the pros outweigh the cons. I'm a sucker for these books and I took the bait--hook, line and sinker. I like to read many different things but when I'm in a slump, reading what you love to write can ignite a fire that makes you feel giddy. It's makes what you love to write okay. And I love it when it happens. It's that mountain moment making you crawl out of the deep crevice you fell into. It sort of a validation. Basically, write what you want to read and stick to it.

So have you had the moment of clarity?

Have a great week!

The creative ones.

People who are not naturally creative don't understand those that are. What do I mean? We who are in the creative fields need to be . . . creative. If we're not, it's like we're dying. Okay, that's extreme, but it's like we are walking around looking for something to fill this piece of us.

Creativity is a part of you that can never leave like breathing. It's funny cause some people don't get how we have to do something creative to function even if we doodle a funny little guy in the corner of our journal. Creativity is embedded deep in our being and if we don't fulfill it, we can feel sad, or just empty.

Getting someone to understand this is not easy, and yes, they may think that you're crazy, but turn to those who understand and they will encourage and support you to no end.

I've been thinking about this whole creative business a lot lately. From people in my own family to friends and then to those who don't get it. I'm lucky to be surrounded by so many creative people who do understand. It keeps my juices flowing and helps me understand that it's not just something I can turn off, it's something I need to use.

Thoughts?

BTW--This is what I'm listening to while writing today. Awesome!! Silversun Pickups--Skin Graph Have a great day!

Outside the box

As a designer, I have to constantly come up with things for clients--space plans, color schemes, accessory designs. I have to keep trying different things to please the customer. Thinking outside the box can be hard. It's leaving the comfort of our warm bubble and stepping into foreign territory. Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zone and think of things that we would never dream of. Even if it's when you get stuck. Like right now, I'm writing this post and I'm trying to figure out how to say what I want to say. As writers, we are constantly pushing ourselves to come up with something that's different or totally new. 

I've been told I'm a good brainstormer. Really, I like to make things up. My mind is constantly on. It doesn't stop. Yes, sometimes, it's hard to go to sleep and I have more ideas than I have time. I'm finally at a point where it's not overwhelming and I'm actually able to focus on one at a time. It's a continuous cycle of thinking outside the box.

How do I do this? It's simple really and some of you may already do it. Ask yourself questions. Yeah, you heard me. Questions. The main one I ask is What if? What if this story took place in another dimension? What if my character was boy instead of a girl? What if the box the girl got for her birthday was magical and transported her to another time? What if she had blue eyes instead of brown?

See what I'm getting at. If you start asking questions, things may become clear or help add an element of a story you may have never thought of. You can do this at any point of your progress--brainstorming, first draft, revisions--whenever. Of course, you have to know when to stop otherwise you will ask yourself questions till the world ends, and nothing will get accomplished.This is sometimes the hard part, but I think if you follow your gut you will know what works and what doesn't.

So take a part of your story where you are stuck and ask it questions. You might be surprised by the answers.

Do you think outside the box?

**Go check out the cover of K.M. Walton's EMPTY to be released January 2013. There's a contest too. It ends May 4th.

Have a great weekend!

Trying to thaw a deep freeze

Lately I've been having one of those deep freezes take hold of my brain. You know the ones where you can feel what you're writing. It's like something or someone removed a chunk of my brain. I know I've had them before and they scare the flippin' daylights out of me, and I'm starting to figure out why they happen to me.

Every time I learn something new or work on a 'technical' aspect of writing, it seems to freeze all creativity. It grabs hold of comfort and joy of writing and stuffs it into a bag that's black. I have so many new ideas (I can see vividly) and so much I need to do on the manuscript I want to query, but I freeze and that part of me trembles and curls into a corner. I want to feel it again. That love. That freeness. I know it will come back. It has to--to fill the void it's leaving. And I finally figured out why it's happening this time.

Remember my grammar post? Yeah, my weakness of grammar is holding that euphoric feeling captive. My fingers start then I stop in fear that it will be horrible. When I'm being technical, things don't flow. It's so scary because I miss that feeling when everything just pours out without thinking. I know I'm growing and my writing is getting stronger, but it just feels uncomfortable. Even in my posts--I'm afraid I missed something important and it's making me look stupid. It makes my writing rigid.

I've tried other things--taking a break, reading, free writing--all of it still leaves me frustrated and scared. This is one of those dips in the roller coaster ride. You know, where you're screaming your head off trying to make sense of which direction the coaster will go next. Where your stomach is in your throat and you can't let go because you might fly out of your seat. Yep, that feeling. It leaves a shiver.

The question is--How do you thaw out the frozen part of your brain? You're trying to learn, grow and strengthen, yet all the rules make you analyze and over think, stopping anything creative to flow. How can you recapture that feeling of being free?

Have a great day!

Sticking to my gut

Well, with the holidays approaching 'sticking to my gut' could mean a number of things. I'm sure a lot will be sticking to my gut, along with my hips, from now until the new year, but I'm talking about another meaning. Lately, I've been sort of lost and scared. My creativity has gone through spurts. It will flow one minute, and be totally dry the next. This is uncommon for me, but I guess it can happen. I think that with all that goes on in our daily lives, our mind gets distracted, and in my case, creativity takes a back seat. 

I did get to do some revising yesterday, and I thought I was going to cut a whole bunch of stuff, when I realized, I wanted it that way. It's hard especially being a newcomer to really, truly stick to your vision. You want to learn, grow, be accepted, and ultimately win the hearts of agents and publishers, along with readers. This can distract you from your original vision. Things may need to change sentence structure, those gosh darn adjectives, dreaded -ing words, wacky 'was' and so on, but the story-- how do we stay true? 

I have to admit my original vision did need tweaking/tightening, but no matter how much I change it, certain things stay the same. They have to, otherwise it's not my work. In a world full of opportunities for advice and suggestion, it's hard not to get caught up in a tizzy. I know when I started, I craved to know how my story was-- Does it have a chance, how could it improve, and so on.  I got great advice, but also got overwhelmed and confused. I never went through one full revision because I kept changing things to the advice I was given. Now don't get me wrong, advice is priceless, and for me it's my classroom, but too much can make you feel like you're drowning. Never moving forward. You watch others complete manuscripts in record time, land agents, and get published while you're still deciding where to go. How to change it to make it shine while your two year old keeps repeating the word mustang till you say mustang, can bring you down-- make you feel that you'll never be able to be 'in the game', wondering why you started this in the first place. 

I have felt this way, but I have moved on. Everyone's path is different, and things will come to us at different times when we least expect it. Keeping our eye on our prize can fuel the fire, making it hard not to give up. It's hard to 'stick to our gut', but just remember it's yours, it's a part of you that the world may get to see. If you give yourself a chance, you may be surprised. I have a long way to go, but as my one year blogoversary approaches, I realize how far I've come. I know what I want, and how I want my story to be. The awesome advice I get now, I use with a twist of my vision. I take it, and apply it to help my story, not change it. I try not to get caught up in the frenzy, and keep my own pace. It's been a struggle, but I'm getting there.

How do you handle advice?

How do you 'stick to your gut'?

Has your creativity ever taken a back seat?

 Have a great day!