Encouragement Time!

    Okay, so I realized that all of my posts so far have been mostly chastisement and correction. I don't want everything to be about what we writers do WRONG. After all, my welcome phrase includes "support," right?

    Well, here is some encouragement for you! You're not alone! Everyone has those days when you sit down to write, and you hate everything you come up with. 

    Maybe you have that dreaded condition - writer's block. We all despise writer's block! Even those who aren't authors despise it for us! It is internationally cursed and contemned.

    There are a FEW techniques that work for me when I encounter writer's block. Some of them are silly so please don't judge! Here goes my list:

1) If it is description or choreography placement you are having trouble with, draw the scene in stick figures. I know - ludicrous. Well, it works for me. Sometimes I need to get the picture off my mind's eye and in front of my physical eye.

2) When you just don't know what should come next, grab a high protein snack and your favorite novel. Take 15 minutes to let your brain engage in something else while your body absorbs the energy from that snack.

3) If #2 doesn't work, talk to your characters. Ask them about their dreams, wishes, aspirations, and goals. This is the silliest one I've got so bear with me here! If you haven't done a character sketch on each individual, this would be a good point to do so. If you know each character inside and out, it's easier to relieve writer's block.

4) I guess this would be write a character sketch. Sometimes you'll get into a story that you've had running in your mind, but you never really developed the characters. Well, do so. Your characters need depth in order for them to be relatable. Otherwise, a character may do something that originally the reader thought was outside their morals or personality.

  4a) When approaching a character sketch, remember to write in traits such as personality qualities and quirks, and answer questions about the individual. Does this person have a generous heart? Are they involved in the arts? Would they enjoy watching a movie at home or at a theater? Now these specific questions may not pertain to your particular story, but they're general ideas. Know your characters.

  4b) Also include what relationships your characters have to one another. Is there a back story that could be formed? Did your protagonist (main character) date the antagonist's (opposing force to protagonist) daughter at one time so there is some tension because of the breakup? Have the two lawyers heading up the firm always been lawyers, or were they professional dog sledding champions two years ago? I understand these examples are extreme, but if you have a back story for each character, it helps shape their essence and, in turn, your story.

    Now that I'm done with that, I hope something there was helpful. 

Writer's block is awful. Writer's block is cruel. 

Writer's block is something I would ne'er consider "cool." 

    Yes, I really just did that. I apologize. It made me chuckle so I shared. Anyway, if you have any creative ways you overcome writer's block, please share in the comments section! I would love to know what you do. Don't worry if it's silly...I doubt you can get sillier than talking to your own character. ;)

    As always, if you're looking to publish your book and become bestselling click HERE! And if you're wanting a quick grammar help, that would be located right HERE!

Happy Writing!

Critical Errors

GRAMMAR!
    Ok, grammar isn't a terribly big issue MOST of the time. Sometimes you can have creative liberties when it comes to how you wish to write. However, there are instances where grammar is a major part of explaining yourself.
    Think about this: the difference between "your" and "you're." Most people have no idea what the difference is! Do you? One is a pronoun while the other is a contraction of "you are." I see this mistake all too often on websites, in magazine articles, and (shock and horrors!) even in novels!
    You would think that an editor would catch such a mistake, but believe it or not, they don't always. Some editors work late into the night and don't think totally straight the whole time they're working. So, the best advice would be to make sure you're doing the best grammatical writing YOU can do BEFORE submitting your draft or manuscript for editing.
    I see this error most often when a writer is creating dialogue and one character says, "Thank you," to which comes the reply, "Your welcome." My thought is always MY WELCOME WHAT?? So please, catch this error in your writing. Especially if you're writing is for business letter or email. You can quickly learn Confident Grammar by clicking here!
    The next major error is just simply one of phrase misplacement. Think of a sentence that reads as follows: the cat had a mouse which was in my neighbor's yard. Now, are we saying that the mouse was in my neighbor's yard, or are we saying the cat was in my neighbor's yard? This is what I mean when I say "phrase misplacement." If we are talking about the cat being in the yard, the sentence should read "The cat which was in my neighbor's yard had a mouse." We could leave the sentence the other way if we were talking about the mouse; however, there is an entirely better way to arrange that sentence if we were discussing the mouse. We'll get to that in another post, though.
    So there are two of the most often made grammar mistakes that I have seen. Let me know in the comment of others that you have noticed! Remember, you can quickly learn Confident Grammar by clicking here!

Happy Writing!

Description OVERLOAD

    Have you ever been in the middle of reading a description full of vivid depictions and unique verbiage? Has it ever bored you to your core? Here is a little hint to use in your own writing: don't over-stimulate the reader's brain!
    Let's roleplay. You are an author working on a mystery novel. The specific section you are writing requires you to set the scene - a murder has taken place on a foggy night in an alley behind a rundown used car dealership. Now, did your brain already conjure a picture of the alley from what you've read? Let's continue. This murder scene has blood splatters against a rusty dumpster, and a fire escape ladder dangles above the dumpster.
    So, that's about all the description this alley would need. The brain fills in gaps. Obviously, you would write this in your own words and use your own adjectives. But remember when painting a mental image, let the reader be creative.
    No one wants to read a book that reads like a movie script. Reading is an escape and an imaginative experience. Don't take that pleasantry from the reader.

Happy Writing!

If you're looking to publish your book, click here! Become a bestseller in 1 day!

Know Thyself

    It's normal for any author to start off a story with a great concept but get stumped on how the plot should actually pan out. One great step to getting the whole plot written is to know where your story is going to end up before you write the first sentence. It will give a focal point to the whole writing process.
    Of course, there are those blessed individuals who can sit down and write without any effort, and the creative juices flow freely. For some, however, we need a destination and focal point while writing. Otherwise, we could just be writing for months without the story actually taking a shape. A blobby story isn't an interesting story. The story needs definition and direction.
    Once the story is ready to publish, go here to work on becoming a best seller!

Happy Writing!