Spring Cleaning

A new writing space

Sometimes, you have to leave your comfortable home office setup and head to a coworking space to get into the right headspace for writing. I've been having trouble getting into the mood to write in my current writing space. I've been assessing what is causing the problem - too comfortable, too quiet? Do I need to consider repurposing or purchasing a new table for my home office specifically for writing? What is preventing me from churning out quality pages?  I used to be very productive while writing in cafes and coffee shops due to the white noise of the barista crafting a coffee drink and the people talking around me. I loved visiting a local college library to take advantage of spaces created to support hours of studying. For the last few years, it was hard to find a space to write since so many spaces cut down their indoor seating.  One option for a new writing space is to consider joining a local coworking space that is open in the evening and on the weekends. There are so many in my area that I'm considering purchasing day passes for upcoming days off to explore these spaces. All I need for my writing is my laptop and headphones so can easily hang out in a nearby coworking space. I might start a tour of local coworking spaces over the next few months to find one that fits my vibe and wallet.  If you find yourself getting stuck on a writing project, consider a new location to write. Sometimes, just moving to a different room or even outside might help crack through your block. Don't forget there are many free options for writing spaces: local library, local park. Just be safe and think outside the walls of your current writing space.  Happy writing!

Easter eggs for your reader

Easter eggs. I'm not talking about the pastel plastic eggs that many children will discover next week during Easter weekend, but hidden messages that you can leave in your stories to see if your readers figure it out by the end of your book. I'm including easter eggs in my current fantasy novel writing project. I plan to leave just enough info so a reader might be able to identify the creature featured in a story. I will be including reference pages to share info on creatures featured in my stories. I thought it only fair since I am looking at less common creatures to fill the pages of my book. I have been exploring the expansive mythologies from around the world to find interesting characters to travel to my small town. How would these creatures support their families in a modern world? Why not consider laying a few easter eggs in your own writing project? Why not leave clues to a hidden message scattered throughout your pages? Have some fun teasing your readers to keep reading until the end when you reveal a hidden message. Just make it worth their anticipation! Happy Writing! For more about Easter Eggs in media, check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg_(media)

Fight Club

Okay, everyone's talking about what happened at the Academy Awards. I have to admit, usually, I expect the drama to be on the screen and not showing up from the live audience. No matter whom you support in that fight, let's talk about how this event could show up in your writing.  I am a big believer in creating a "Witness Protection Program" so that family, friends, or significant others are not afraid that every moment will end up in the pages of your writing project. Now, it is okay if these moments "inspire" you, but don't share them like you were taking notes. While you may enjoy sharing your private experiences with readers, the people in your life have the right to their privacy.  Will the fight at the Academy Awards show up in my writing projects? I really don't know... But, if I have a scenario where 2 characters are getting into a fight in public, I expect that it will be inspired by this very public moment. Like in life, there can be 2 sides to a fight, as a writer, you have the luxury to explore the right and wrong sides to a fight or argument. However, the fight or argument should be appropriate to your story or characters. Don't be a lazy writer and copy the moment: word for word, action for action. Let it inspire you to craft a more realistic fight or argument. Happy writing! #writinginspiration #writingcommunity #writing

Spring Cleaning

I managed to write this week - almost 750 words! It felt so good to actually work on my writing project instead of just talking about it or thinking about it. The words flowed as my character started a journey to visit family in the United States. A trip that involved immigration agents and ancient peace treaties between mythological creatures. I look forward to exploring this travel adventure... Like many of you, my writing projects are scattered across hard drives, cloud drives, or external drives. Maybe parts of it were written down on paper - perhaps it's time to convert those pages to a digital format. Now is the best time to start dusting off those writing projects by doing a little spring cleaning. I am creating new folders to store all the content that I am finding on my laptop or cloud drive. This content is often located in folders that hold other content that it's almost like the junk drawer we all seem to have in our homes.  My goal over the next few weeks is to find all parts of my fantasy writing project and store everything in a single clearly labeled folder. I then want to start reviewing what I have now and what I need to add to this [particular project. One key item is what is the current word count. My aim is approximately 100,000 words. I'm also pulling together the list of references that I used to identify the creatures that inhabit my little town. It is only fair to give credit to the sources that proved useful on my writing journey.  I invite you to join me in decluttering and reorganizing our writing projects. You never know what treasures are hidden in your junk drawer that might spark your creativity to revisit an old writing project or ideas for a new writing project.  Happy writing!

Friend + Enemy = Frenemy

I don't know about you, but I am constantly fighting the influence of frenemies in my life. These are "friends" who are sometimes our worst enemies in terms of supporting our dreams. They just don't or won't get why we write... Whether that annoying inner voice that highlights my fears of failing as a writer or so-called "friends" and family members who just don't understand why I'm trying to fulfill my dream of becoming a published writer. Perhaps they are afraid to fulfill their dreams or just cannot be happy for anyone else who attempts to achieve their dreams.  It is time for us to tell these voices of despair, voices that suggest we give up our dreams, to "SHUT UP!" This is our time to try to fulfill our dreams without fear of failure. Because what is the use of having a dream that you never make an honest attempt at making come true? Maybe we fail, but maybe we find some sort of success. You will never know unless you start working on that writing project. Life is short. Why not make this the year that you finally publish that writing project. I feel confident that we are not the worst writers in the world. We may not be the best, but we are probably okay. And sometimes, it is okay to finish in the middle of the pack because sitting on the sidelines is not giving our dream a chance at becoming reality. Grab a notebook or tech device and start writing... Happy writing! #frenemy #writingcommunity #writers #writinginspiration