Beating Writer's Block

Writer’s block can be crippling. Like a black cloud, it descends and covers the whole mind, seemingly leaving no escape. I’ve been asked a couple of times how I beat writer’s block so I thought I’d share my tips.

- Don’t let it fester. Don’t let the days drag into weeks and the weeks drag into months. Keep busy, even if it’s not with writing related projects. Don’t sit there and stare at a blank screen because it’s one of the worst feelings in the world. If you don’t break the block early, it can linger for months or even years. And the worst feeling in the world is the one where you’re not able to create.

- Do a little writing every day. It doesn’t have to be on your current project. If there’s one you’ve been itching to start, make a start on it. Scribble notes in a notebook or write a letter. Send a card or postcard to someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time (letters and cards are soooo much nicer in this day and age of electronic communications!). Send a thank you note to someone you admire. As long as you’re putting words down, you’re keeping that part of your brain active.

- Try and have a writing goal for every day. It could be 100 words or 1000 words. It may be that you want to write for an hour, but have a goal. Once you make your goal, stick to it. Turn off your phone and internet. Tell people what you’re doing and that you don’t want to be disturbed until you’re done. If you’re working in a noisy or active environment, help focus your mind by wearing headphones and listening to music or white noise tracks.

- Go for a walk, bike ride, or a run. Take an MP3 player and some headphones. Or if the fancy takes you, go to as night club, dance class, or gym. All exercise is great for kick starting the brain.

- Try something other than writing to try and get the creative juices flowing. I can’t draw but it doesn’t stop me from having a drawer full of pens, pencils, and Sharpies. When I’m having a bit of a bad writing day, I sit and doodle. Other people I know make jewellery, create clay models, or take photographs.

- Create a style book of images and ideas relating to your story. Images can include examples of clothing, buildings, and anything else that takes your fancy. Jot down ideas and scenes in between the images. When writer’s block strikes, flick through to help refresh your memory.

- Take a break, even if it’s only for a couple of days at a friend’s house or a couple of hours at a gallery. Those hours away can help immensely to help the creative juices flow.

- Laugh! Laughter’s great at helping to beat writer’s block so log onto your favourite funny websites, watch a film, or go and see one of your favourite comedians.

- Reward yourself! If you hit a daily or weekly writing goal, give yourself a reward. It might be a night out, a concert ticket, or a take away. Enjoy yourself!

Writing’s supposed to be fun and enjoyable. But, like any job, it has its down sides. The second you feel the cloud descend, step back and take a good look. And don’t be afraid to ask for help. You might find that sharing the experience with someone helps get you back on track.

Until later, happy writing!

Things I've Learned From Fan Fiction 2: Formatting

Writing is something millions take pleasure in doing. For some it's a hobby while, for others, it's their job. One question I keep seeing is "How do I get more positive reviews?". Or "How do I get more people to read my work?".

Whether writing for print, e-book, or website publication one of the answers is formatting. Pretty much every website will have a formatting style guide. This may be in FAQ's or help section. If it's not, email the help point to ask. There's no such thing as a bad question!

Another way is to take a look at work that's already been published. If it's on a writing website, take a look at popular stories to see how they're laid out. Many will follow a particular formatting style which will have been drawn up by the website. This is not them being picky. It stops the reader having to look at a wall of text. This is a point to remember if you're publishing on a website. Most of the readers will be reading on a shiny screen and massive blocks of text are harder on the eye than ones with breaks between paragraphs. If you want people to read your work online help them to help you by giving their eyes a break!

For example, this is easier to read:

External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. Foul weather didn't know where to have him. The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. They often 'came down' handsomely, and Scrooge never did.

Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, 'My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come to see me?' No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o'clock, no man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to such and such a place, of Scrooge. Even the blind men's dogs appeared to know him; and, when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would wag their tails as though they said, 'No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!'

But what did Scrooge care? It was the very thing he liked. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance, was what the knowing ones call 'nuts' to Scrooge.

Than this:

External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. Foul weather didn't know where to have him. The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. They often 'came down' handsomely, and Scrooge never did. Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, 'My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come to see me?' No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o'clock, no man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to such and such a place, of Scrooge. Even the blind men's dogs appeared to know him; and, when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would wag their tails as though they said, 'No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!' But what did Scrooge care? It was the very thing he liked. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance, was what the knowing ones call 'nuts' to Scrooge.

A good way to remember it is like this:

 

From Amanda on Writing 

It's fine to ask questions, even of people who look like they've been on the site for a million years. In fact, more often than not, they'll be more than happy to help! Clear and easy to read pieces are much more favoured over huge, seemingly unending blocks of text. And readers will love you for it! Once you've got your formatting right, you've won half of the battle!

Happy writing, and thank you for reading!

Things I've Learned From Fan Fiction

Contrary to what a lot of people think, fan fiction's a great way to get started. A lot of authors got started that way, myself included. I started out writing original fiction, fell into fan fiction, and then went back to original works. I'm still a part of a couple of sites and I love going there and seeing what's happening. Fan fiction's a great way for people to hone their craft, have some fun, and meet like minded people. It's a chance for people who wouldn't normally write to write and be creative. However, after several years in the fan fiction world, there's a few things I've learned. Here's one of them.

Change it up

Often you'll see the same thing written a million times by a million different authors. Is there safety in writing the same thing over and over? Is it a way to blend in with the crowd and not draw attention from people who may not like your writing? If you look at any particular fandom, you'll often see the same two main characters doing the same thing again and again. How do you get out of that pattern?

Change it up. Think outside the box and do something different. For example, I can't write straight up romance for shit. It has to have a twist or some crazy subplot. If I'm given a romance prompt, I can't do it. I just implode. My brain isn't wired that way. Instead, I take that prompt, hug it close, and run in completely the opposite direction.

So how do you change it up?

I'm going to get murdered for this, but let's take a current popular fandom.

Sherlock (For the record, I'm using the current TV series rather than the books).

The prompt

Sherlock and John share their first kiss.

(Put your weapons down!! I write gay fiction. What else did you expect me to do?!?!)

Change it up

It happens just as nuclear war is breaking out and they only have minutes to share their innermost thoughts and feelings.

Change it up again

It takes place in a bunker and they're watching as missiles begin to launch towards their intended targets.

Change it up yet again

One of the missiles is heading straight for the bunker and no one knows if the structure will hold.

There's questions!

Of course there is! Ask yourself questions as you go along. What are they doing there in the first place? Were they trying to halt what was happening? Did they have answers? Could they have stopped it?

You can apply this to pretty much anything if you find you're in a funk and writing to a formula (like I am right now. Burn out ain't fun!). Most of all, make it fun. Writing's supposed to be fun and not a chore. And fan fiction's supposed to be super fun!!

Take care, have fun, and keep writing!

My Tips For Authors

We've all seen the tips on writing and promoting books and other things literary. So here's a few I've picked up over the last couple of years on being an author.

Appearances Count

They say don't judge a book by its cover. But we do. So you've got the snazzy book cover, your website looks awesome, and you've got some cool as ice business cards. What else?

Get some promo materials. Not just business cards but flyers and postcards as well. People forget about emails you've sent, links you've posted to their Facebook walls, and things you've Tweeted them. They quickly get lost in the ever growing pile of electronic noise.

But you give me a postcard and I'm more likely to check out our wares. They don't have to be hard to make. A quick search of the internet turns up hundreds of discount printers who can turn around postcards, flyers and posters in a matter of hours. Artwork doesn't have to be a hassle either, just try not to use the site's standard templates. Have a look around for royalty free and creative commons images (always credit any artists you use. They'll thank you for it!) and pick one you like. Or hit up any artists you know. It might cost you a bit but you'll have something which stands out from the rest.

And Smile!

For the love of all things great, get some photos taken! If you find yourself giving an interview, or someone needing a photo of you for whatever reason, the last thing you want being used is a Facebook photo of you drunkenly gurning at the camera. You only have to take a look at some of the articles on music site Blabbermouth to see just how some atrocious photos are used (Yes, it's believed they do it deliberately!). Put on your finest clothes, brush your hair, and grab a photographer friend. Go somewhere nice, or somewhere interesting, or your back garden. Do something interesting. Get some nice photographs taken so you've got something to hand out if people need it.

The ones I use were taken by a friend in exchange for dinner. It did involve a hike up to a castle in high heels (never again!) but it paid off with some really pretty pictures.

Be Nice

Seriously. It's not hard to do and people are more likely to remember you if you've been nasty to them. Yes, we all have our bad days. We're only human after all. But try not to moan, especially about your situation as an author. Whether you're self published or traditionally published, there are people who follow you and will have a certain image of you in their minds. If you break that image, you've broken their trust in you and, in turn, probably lost yourself fans and readers. By all means moan about your day, the weather, the traffic, or whatever, but remember that, as an author, you're in a somewhat privileged position. A smile will make you a lot more friends than a frown (unless you're Grumpy Cat. But let's not go there because this post will descend into nothing but photos of our favourite frowny feline).

Saying that, play up to your quirks. I've managed to turn being grumpy into something which I think makes people smile. Thanks to everyone who sends me Grumpy Cat stuff! You're only helping to fuel that fire! ;) Be yourself and continue what you're doing but keep the moaning private.

No One Left Behind

Remember those who've helped you get where you are. You might not be selling books at the rate JK Rowling does but, somewhere around you, there'll be a team of people helping you along. This may be people at your publishers, friends, family, the local community, or work colleagues. Send them a card every now and again. Drop them a gift at Christmas. Say thank you. Again, emails, Facebook messages and Tweets are great but there's something so much more personal about sending something through the mail. Trust me, people love getting things which aren't bills and junk in the mail.

No One Left Behind Take 2

Some people do need a slap in the face with a shovel. But, for this one, we'll forget about them. Authors are generally a really great bunch of people. So let's help one another out! Promote each others books, help others who are struggling, hold competitions, and get involved with events. Together, we can do this!

Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate it!

~~~

Rae spends her days running around a care home and her nights in front of a computer. When she's not writing or making people laugh, she enjoys listening to music, keeping in touch with her friends, and fangirling over various bands. She's threatened to write a novel about some of her life experiences.

Her first two books, Mars on the Rise (Veetu Industries #1) and Selling Mars (Veetu Industries #2), are available through TorquerePress. Her next two books, The Eve of War (Veetu Industries #3) and A Second Past Midnight, will be coming out in 2014.

Writer Scheduling

Veetu Industries used Grammarly to grammar check this post. Because time is money and, rather than worrying about the little things, you could be building the world of tomorrow, today.

Writer scheduling is a lot like staff scheduling except there are more voices shouting for your attention. And those voices are normally the muses in your head, all of them wanting to play at the same time.

Keeping track of those voices and ideas can be a pain. Especially when you're working on a major piece only to find yourself interrupted by a new and amazing idea which demands your attention RIGHT THIS INSTANT. I'm known for flicking between two, three, or even more projects at any one time. Which is why, when a person asks me another book of the Veetu Industries series is coming out, I tend to reply with a shrug.

“When they're willing to play ball,” I reply.

Until then, it's business as usual and my butterfly mind wanders off to whatever is looking pretty and shiny today.

There are two ways I keep track of all the various ideas. One is the usual pile of notebooks. Normally they're divided into two with one idea running front to back and the other running back to front. Crammed into the front of these notebooks are various pieces of paper and sticky notes, all with little snippets of stories written on them.

On the wall of my office is a board known as RAECON (which takes its name from America's Terminal Radar Approach Control, also known as TRACON. Do you see what I did there? Thank you! I'm here all week!). This board lists the current projects I'm working on and the “holding pattern” that they're in. The pattern changes week by week, day by day, depending on what I'm working on. Something which has my attention this week may drop to the bottom of the list the next while a project I haven't worked on for six months may suddenly shoot to the top and find itself on “final approach”. Yet the next day, that project may drop one or two spaces while another takes over. Two days later a new project may insert itself in to the flight path. I'm a fairly visual person and, as an aviation geek it's a great and easy way for me to keep track of everything.

An early version of RAECON

Do you have a way of keeping track of them all? Notebooks, divided folders, or even an app on a computer or phone?

~~~

Talking about writing and all that jazz, Torquere Press have picked up two more of my books! One is the 3^rd in the Veetu Industries series (“The Eve of War”) while the other is something completely different and isn't, shock horror, Steampunk! “A Second Past Midnight” takes a look at the world following an electromagnetic pulse and the affects it's had on otherwise normal people. Really can't wait to show them both to you all!

Rae's Guide To Author Promo

Or "What I've Learned After 10 Years Of Working In and Around Promotions".

Please don't take this as "Law". It's bits and pieces I've picked up over the years, and I'm always learning new things. That's half the fun! Anyway, I hope this helps you.


1. Get a website! You can't imagine how crucial this is. I've lost count of the number of authors I've come across who don't have a website. You have an average of 9 seconds to catch a person's attention and if they have to go scoring the internet for the information then you've lost them. Keeping it all in one place is easy. You can set up a website using simple services like Blogger and Wordpress. Buying domain names is simple and cheap. Mine cost £3 per year and come from Fasthosts. Nearly all domain companies will allow you to direct it to another address allowing you to hide the original address of the site.

2. Get a Facebook page.

3. Get a Twitter account.

4. Link your Twitter, Facebook and websites together so that they all update one another. This is easy to within Facebook and Twitter. I linked mine using Twitterfeed. Alternatively, you can use something like Tweetdeck to update your personal and professional Facebook and Twitter feeds at the same time. Tweetdeck also allows you to schedule posts for both Facebook and Twitter, which is great if you're going to be away.

5. Get a Rebelmouse account. Rebelmouse pulls the most popular posts from your website, Facebook and Twitter to give you your own, newspaper-like feed. It's still in beta testing but looks like it's going to be a great one stop shop for people who are looking for updates from you.

6. Make stuff. Seriously, make stuff! This is good if you don't have a physical product to sell (i.e. yours is an ebook only product). Take advantage of printers offers and have postcards, bookmarks and whatever else you fancy making up. I use Vistaprint and Print24. Get friends to create artwork for you. Make sure to send them a bit of money, or promise them a link on the back of any material you make with it. Alternatively, go and look on Flickr for Creative Commons licensed photos. Just remember to send the photographer a message asking to use their photo. If they don't reply, move on to the next photo you like. Please, please, please don't just steal it. Photographers are artists too!

7. Get involved in giveaways, especially if you have ebooks (no postage = GREAT!). Bookblogs have several groups dedicated to people offering books up for review. You'll also be able to find websites there as well.

8. If you have a physical product, give one away on Goodreads.

9. Get yourself a Goodreads account and get involved! Get reviewing books and chatting on groups.

10. Offer up your book for review. Take a look on Bookblogs for people who are offering to review books. Take a look at the lists of reviewers on Twitter and Goodreads and offer the book to anyone who reads your genre. Don't just send it to everyone and anyone. Pick carefully and stick to those who like your genre, or like a similar genre. Read their review policy carefully.

11. Social media's great. But don't sign up to a bunch of groups and pages just to plug your book. There are a number of groups and pages which are just for that, but don't sign up to people's personal pages just to leave your link there. The E-Reader House and The Independent Paperback Gift Shop are a couple of great guys who help indie authors.

12. If you want to promote your book on social media and not be seen as a spammer, get chatting to people. It's the best thing you can do, and you never know, you might make a few new friends along the way. It's one of the best things I've done and I've made some wonderful new friends through it. I know they're reading this, so hi, guys!

13. If you can, go to events, even if it's just one a year. If you can, rent a trade table. It's a great way to meet the people who'll read your books and to give away goodies. I did my first one last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. I just regret I can't currently do all the ones I'm invited to. One day hopefully!

14. Blog about everything you find interesting. Offer free fiction on your website or blog. It doesn't have to be a lot. It could be scenes from your book. Or it could be complete stand alone short stories. It gives people an idea of your writing style and whether they'll enjoy it or not. Write about the funny, the silly, and the serious. You can find pretty much everything like that right here!

15. Enter your work in to competitions. You might not win anything. Or you might just sweep the top prize! I didn't think I'd get anything yet managed to win two Rainbow Awards. Never sell yourself too short!

16. Contact the local media. Bigger news sites often feed stories from local news media, especially if the story is interesting.

17. HAVE FUN!!! Promoting a book doesn't have to be a drag. You can have a whole bunch of fun and meet some awesome people along the way!

If you have any other suggestions, feel free to use the comments box and we'll put together a post of fresh, new ideas. Thank you for reading and keep smiling!