On Writer's Block: 5 Tips

I'll be honest; I started this article with the series of links at the bottom of the post. So you're not alone if you're experiencing writer's block.

Writer's block comes in many different forms. Sometimes I'm busy with life outside of writing, sometimes I get sick of spending so much time with my characters, and sometimes I just don't feel in the mood for writing.

While I am an advocate of taking days ( or weeks) to step away from writing and reacquaint yourself with the real world, there comes a time when you have to sit down, focus, and just get the story out. And what better time to initiate change than autumn? A time of transition when leaves fall, weather is capricious, and coffee shops are full of new students (not to mention pumpkin spiced lattes.)

 In case you still need a little inspiration, here's a list of my favorite tips on crushing writer's block:

1. You are a writer. Remind everyone you know.

• Let them hold you accountable for your work. Penning the next Great American Novel? Good! Tell all your friends. Better yet, give them a date when it will be finished. Having friends constantly ask where you are in your work might give you the extra push you need to get going.

2. Play dress-up. 

• Sit yourself down at a nice writing desk at home. Put on your glasses. Are you a sensitive and starving artist, a scholarly novelist, or a mysterious poet in black? Play the part! Even if it's just for yourself. If you'd like to take it a step further, go out to the library or coffee shop and let people wonder if you're already famous.

3. Force yourself to write for just 15 minutes.

• Come on, it's not that bad. Just grab a legal pad/moleskine/laptop/typewriter and hack away. It doesn't have to be good. It doesn't have to be more than a sentence. Just try for 15 minutes. You'll be surprised at what comes out of it.

4. Read for 15 minutes.

• Reading something will either inspire you or make you competitive. Win-win!

5. Still don't feel like working on that novel? Give up - for now.

• Do something else creative to get ideas flowing. Like writing a blog post. (Example A)

Got any better ideas? Let me know! And as always, good luck on your adventures!
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Links: 

HelloGiggles - How To Cure (And Prevent) Writer's Block
The Renegade Writer - 6 Proven Tips For Getting In The "Write" Mood
OWL - Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block

Why I Write

Are you still alive? Are you sure? Sit back and shut your eyes. You’re breathing, aren’t you? But are you still alive?

Some stories thread your life together. I hope you have a few. I do. Because these are the things that separate us—the dead and the living. The feelings. The stories. The memories of touch, taste, smell. A man I met only once, but remember every day.

Some memories are bound to stick. Moments seep in, tell you to change, and for once in your life you listen —really listen. You aren't waiting for your turn to speak.

Tattoo these on your body and soul. Someone will ask. Someone will listen.

Other memories seem fleeting at the time.

The first time you touched his hand. Eating croissants in your mother’s bed when you were sick. Driving your first car to a football game in the snow. The smell of grandmother’s black coffee spilled on the carpet.

Things that make you inexplicably sad and happy and beautiful all at once.

Remember these things most of all. If you remember them, you can create them again.

Why do we put ourselves through this? Remembering things that hurt—the last time you ever kissed, your favorite band’s break-up, where you stood when you answered the phone call that sent your world numb?

But I ask again, remember these most of all. If you remember them, you can create them again. And if you create them, you will feel again.

You will be alive—sad and happy and beautiful all at once.

If you are too afraid, too tired, too defeated to accept living, know this. If you remember, you can create.

If you create, you can bring others to life with you.

This is why we are artists. This is why we are alive.

My SpoCon Schedule

SpoCon 2014

It's getting close to August again, and you know what that means...

Come join me at the Spokane Comic Convention from August 15th through 17th at the DoubleTree Hotel in Spokane, WA!
As many of you know, I've been working with the SpoCon for years now, and even though I'm not in Spokane this year, I'll be coming up from Santa Barbara to be with you all at the event. It's not set in stone yet, but I'll post my schedule so far for you here.

Friday, August 15th
Building Dynamic Supporting Characters - Learn how to write strong supporting characters like Sam, Spock, and Ron at 12:30 PM in Ballroom B.
Fallon Jones Reading - Join me at 6:00 PM in the Reading Room, where I'll be reading from my newest novel The Lazarus Serum.
Up & Coming - At 8:00 PM in Ballroom D, learn tips and pointers for promoting your work and taking it to the next level.

Saturday, August 16th
Self-Publishing 101 - Learn about the pros and cons of self-publishing with me at 3:30 PM in Parkside II.

Sunday, August 17th
Writing a Dynamic Children's Character - How do you turn back time to relate to a child character? Solve the riddle with me at 9:30 AM in Ballroom A.

On Pushing Your Boundaries As A Writer

As many of you know, all of my books so far have starred feisty female protagonists who are roughly around the same age as I am. It's nice to stick with what you know somehow - especially when you write science fiction and paranormal fiction. Let's be real here. I will never know what it's like to live as a vampire or in a post-apocalyptic society - hopefully. So sometimes my characters are the only familiarity I get to keep while writing. It's safer to write about someone or something you understand - there are lots of great books out there about writers, English majors, and characters who love to read. 

On the other hand, you can learn a lot by throwing yourself outside of your comfort zone while you write! I'm working on a story right now about an alcoholic man who is descending into madness. I while it is quite possible that I may also be descending into madness, I am definitely not a man, and I don't drink. Rather than writing in the past-tense like I usually do, I'm writing this one in the present-tense. The result is a work with a lot of indirect characterization, powerful sentences, and a whole lot of action. When I reread what I've created, it seems more like a book I would pick up at Barnes & Noble and take home with me than it does a story I've written myself. 

Although it's harder to make myself sit down and work on it, I find myself feeling much more rewarded once I've pushed through a chapter or two. 

Want to try the challenge with me? Here's a list I've put together to help you push outside of your boundaries as a writer and get your words flowing! 

1. Create & listen to playlists that help set the tone for your story. If you plan on writing something dark, Taylor Swift isn't going to cut it. 

2. Read lots of books that you wouldn't usually be drawn to. (I've been reading the love letters of Heloise and Abelard this week.)

3. Go somewhere you haven't been before. This can be as simple as sitting in a new coffee shop and watching the people around you. This leads into my next tip.

4. Get a feel for someone else's life and way of speaking. 

5. Try to mimic it in writing. 

6. Take everything a step further than you think you should. You never know what could happen.