The World Spins Madly - A Lesson in the Meaning of Empathy and Pain as a Writer

It's been a whirlwind of a year. I graduated from UC Santa Barbara in March, and just received my diploma in the mail yesterday!

In the last six months I have experienced some terrible personal losses that sent my life spinning. This is terribly unusual for someone who has been working since age 13 and always, always had a concrete Life Plan ahead of me. Due to many strange circumstances beyond my control, I am perhaps experiencing true Young Adult Life for the first time. It's terrifying. It's fun.

Most importantly, it's a time in my life that will shape the writer I become. It's important to remember that whether or not you believe in God, fate, or sweet serendipity, this life is going to pick you up and drag you somewhere you never expected. You might not enjoy the ride, but you might be surprised to find how resilient you can be. I have experienced great pain and love and joy and horror since December, and I can honestly say that I will become a better writer for it. The ability to deeply experience these strange and very human emotions is what makes me a good artist - or at least a very passionate one!

I think it is because of my dedication to being a writer that I am able to see purpose and meaning in the good and bad in my life right now. I will continue to experience the extremes life brings me because I believe that feeling my emotions honestly, no matter how painful, allows me to better empathize with others. And what is a writer without empathy?

I promise to you, dear reader and friend, that the pain I experience is worth it because it will bring me closer to understanding you. And I want to understand everything I can about you because sometimes you are also broken or hopeful or brave or scared and you are always, always beautiful and loved.

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

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.