Simple Cures for Writer's Block

What is writer's block, anyway? Almost every writer, big or small, has felt it before. It's like a gigantic wall has been put up in your mind, separating you from the part of your brain that stores information about your book, essay, or paper. Words come out jumbled when you write. You keep making typos. You can't think of what will happen next. Nothing's coming together.

Now, everybody's different. My brain probably works differently than yours. These are cures for writer's block that worked for me and will probably work for you --- but I'm not guaranteeing anything. Try these, but feel free to make up your own. It never hurts to attempt. :)

1 --- Take A Break.

This is probably the easiest of them all. Take a week off, or at least a few days. Don't think about the perils your character is facing or will face in the next chapter. Focus on your life, not theirs. Go outside and fiddle around with photography. Draw a picture. Play a game with your sibling, if you have one. Try, especially, to do all of this outside. At least for me, fresh air helps me think --- it clears my head. :) Who knows? Something you see might trigger some creativity and cause it to leak through that giant, uncomfortable wall.

2 --- Try Writing Something New.

Don't write anything pertaining to your story. Don't even worry about having a good plot or even firm characters. Just write, for the fun of it. Write about something completely random --- for instance, write about the clothes in your closet suddenly running off and having an adventure in Fashion Land. Write about your little brother as a prince defending the Candy Princess from the evil Vegetable Monster. Anything and everything.

Sit down and write the opening of a story plot that's been floating in the back of your mind for a while. Don't worry about making a title or even chapters. Just get all the clutter that's blocking your creativity flow out of your head. :)

3 --- Write Opposites.

Write something in a completely different genre than you normally would. Now this --- this is hard. Fantasy is my normal genre, but if I tried writing something like a history textbook, I'd be bored to death. History fiction is okay .... mysteries? Forget it! 

If you can't think of another genre to write in, try twisting your story around. Change your main character's personality drastically. Make her a brat or a pop star. If your story is set in a fantasy land, try writing it set in a busier place, like Manhattan or Los Angeles. Tell your story from the bad guy's perspective. Or tell it from a child's perspective. Just use a different perspective, and make sure you do this on a separate file and not on your actual story. That would be bad. (:

4 --- Don't Be Normal.

Do something totally different than what you normally do.

If you like fantasy (like me) try reading something different: history fiction novel. Mystery book. Even a how-to book. 

Try something you wouldn't normally try: exotic foods, maybe, or listen to different music. I like to listen to my favorite movie soundtracks --- Pirates of the Caribbean, mostly. :) It helps me focus and creates images in my head that normally help me climb over the wall.

Watch something you wouldn't normally watch. A sci-fi movie. A chick flick. A spy blockbuster. Anything out of the ordinary for you to do. :)

I hope this helps with the extremely large, difficult wall called Writer's Block. These are my methods. What are yours? :)

A Writer's Journey

Hi guys!

An awesome book for writers to read is A Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler. A lot of authors have recommended it, and I've read parts of it myself and it is absolutely wonderful. It helps you learn to organize your scenes, firm up your characters, things like that. It seems like it would be a really good book to read for the editing process --- that's why I haven't finished it yet. ;)

Here's a list of upcoming posts. I feel so accomplished :)

• Simple Cures for Writer's Block
• Editing Questions to Ask Yourself
• Tension Management: How to Keep Your Story Going

And that's all. :)

Story Segment: Chased by a Troll

 “Hurry!” Saphira called over her shoulder.

After skidding around several corners, almost bashing her head into a wall, and tripping over Ember, she and everyone else finally made it to the kitchens, where Saphira was already waiting.

“Here.” she thrust a large pouch into Dakota's hands. “Enough provisions for three days. For all of you.”

“Thanks.”

“As you American Crotori say, 'no problem.' But we need to leave now, or we will have a problem.”

Dakota heard a crash, and a panicked shout that reverberated through the halls.

“They've reached the castle borders!”

“Come on!” Saphira cried, and she took off, her body a blur. “There is a secret passage on the other side of the castle. We can make it if we hurry!”

Dakota stuffed the bulging pouch into her belt with difficulty and ran for her life.

They were almost there when there was another resounding crash, and the wall on Dakota's left caved in.

She instinctively ducked and dove forward, scraping her knees and skidding to a stop near a pedestal with a vase on it. She heard screams and shouts of pain as she lifted herself of the floor. She looked up and gasped in horror.

A troll the size of Dakota's house stood in the dusty hole in the wall. Naked except for a filthy loincloth, the troll's muscles rippled with power as he roared a loud blast that made Dakota feel like her ears would fall off. His scaly skin looked as tough as his two horns that curled from the top of his head, and the sneer he displayed on his ugly, piglike face was more menacing than the club he was swinging threateningly in the air.

What do you think? 

Just to add --- I found this awesome blog called Go Teen Writers, and one of their posts were very helpful, so I wanted to share it with you. Here it is:

http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2012/08/ask-editor-what-will-get-your.html

Enjoy(:

And, just so you know, instead of the elves' kingdom being Polarya (which was a little weird, I'll admit it ☺ ) I decided to use another name I made up -- Verra Laagila. (vehr-uh luh-gee-luh), Do you like this better?

The Elves' Riddle

Okay. So, this is where I am in my writing: Dakota and her group of people are outside the gates of Polarya, the elven kingdom. (Is the name Polarya a little too weird? It's pronounced Poh-lar-ee-yuh) To get inside, they must solve a riddle. Problem is, I can't think of a riddle! :) Here's the poem that is on the gates:

Many beings seek us out

Believing their motives are wise.

But we, as a people, have many doubts

As to whether they're wanting a prize.

If you, traveling strangers, can solve this next rhyme,

Within the next hour or two,

We'll let you come in and spend here some time,

If not, we will come there for you.

I hope it doesn't sound too cheesy. I mean, the elves are supposed to be these wise, strong creatures that are experts at practically everything relating to arts, you know, writing, music, poetry. I'm not that good at poetry, sooo....

But anyway, the next riddle has to rhyme, according to the first line of the second section. I wish it didn't have to, but I couldn't think of anything else to say for the poem. :)

I'm drawing a blank as to what to say for the riddle, so I'm open to any suggestions, comments, concerns, or your riddles! Remember it has to be wise-sounding. Sort of. Elvish. :)

Excerpt from Second Firechild Book

Yes, I'm working on the second Firechild book. ;)

Just the beginning. I'm not done with the first, but I had an idea I couldn't ignore for the second book, and I had to write it down.

Here's part of it. :)

Dakota Ryan loved plans.

She believed that for every situation, someone should have a plan for it. Whether it was winning in a board game, catching a thief, or saving the world, Dakota believed a person should have a plan. She hated to wing it, and she would only do so if all else fails. Even the thought of being unprepared was torturous.

It was this painful thought that had kept her awake all night long. She did not have a plan for what she was going to do next, and she knew it. But how could she have a plan? Her mortal enemy, Igdoscio Dechomai, had not (as of yet) done anything since Dakota's rescue of the Haven's most valuable allies, Shivahn and Ilona. It was his move, and Dakota couldn't come up with anything to counter him with if he had not done anything for her to deal with.

This notion (and her roommate Ashton White's snoring) had kept her awake for a long, long time. It was now three in the morning, and Dakota still could not think of anything except for some shaky back-up plans.

“Oh, come on,” she muttered to herself exasperatedly. “I have to save the world; I'm responsible to have a plan!”

Yet still nothing came to her.

Dakota felt her eyelids begin to droop, the heavy weight of sleep pulling them over her tired eyes.

No, no, not now – I don't have a plan!

Dakota fought for a few moments, pinching herself frequently on the cheek, but it would not do – her body would have its way. Dakota drifted into dreamland as her jumbled plans and schemes faded away into the darkness.

It seemed like a second later (though it really was several hours) when Dakota seemingly woke up.

She was greeted by a forest that looked remarkably like the Hemshire Forest in the Haven, though this forest was considerably darker and more sinister looking. White tendrils of mist curled between the tree trunks, and there wasn't a single bird or animal in sight.

Dakota involuntarily backed up a step. She looked down, and noticed that she was still wearing her pajamas – pink and purple plaid.

This must be a dream, she thought with relief, glancing up again at the spooky forest.

But then she noticed that she could feel the dirt, sticks and moss under her bare feet. She could feel the slightly damp chill emanating from the woods. Dakota bent down and picked up a handful of dirt, letting it fall through her fingers. Yes. She could definitely feel the dirt and its wetness, but yet there was something not right about it … she could touch, and see, and hear, but she did not feel like she was fully there – she felt like another part of her was away, anchored somewhere else, and she therefore did not feel complete.

She stood upright and wiped her dirty fingers on her pajama top. I could be sleepwalking in the Hemshire Forest, she thought to herself, glancing around. And my dream is changing the way it looks – that's why it's so creepy.

She was just beginning to formulate a plan for waking herself up when a light, very familiar voice came from the woods.

Also, does anybody know any synonyms for forest and woods? I feel kind of weird using those two words over and over. :P

And the second book's name is The Legend of the Starkindlers. Like? Dislike? Hate? Love? ;)

The Dreamcatchers

Haven't posted in a while. :( Life has been busy. Very busy.

And because life has been so hectic and crazy, I have not had much time to write. Over the span of at least a week I have hardly written five pages. It's so sad. :(

And I'm also experiencing a slight case of writer's block, so that doesn't help.

However, I did come up with an idea for another story. That's a thing about me -- I can come up with so many various storylines, but when I actually go to sit down at my computer to write them my inspiration and excitement peters out and I can't continue. So far, Dakota Ryan is the only one of my greater ideas that hasn't died yet. :)

So, here's my latest idea. Don't expect me to continue with it (it'll probably become like The Wanted or Masquerade -- thrown in my mental archives) but it feels good to get this idea out of my head.

...

There is a parallel world overlapping Earth called Morduca. The Morducans are humanoid beings who have the ability to enter EDs' (Earth Dwellers) minds only when the EDs are sleeping, for that is when their mind is the least active and the most vulnerable. The Morducans can create dreams from random thoughts floating around in the EDs brains. The reason the MD create dreams is because if the EDs minds are not occupied with something while they sleep the humans may accidentally drift over to Morduca, which would expose Morduca to the humans and the MDs don't want that.

In the 1800s a foolish, slightly evil man finds out about the Morducans. The MDs send one of their generals, a shifty man by the name of ___ (Writer's block is affecting me..) to go kill the human. The MDs would rather not kill the human, but they have no choice now.

Once the general has done the killing he discovers that he likes to torture humans and decides that he will torture them through nightmares, created by their own random thoughts. He formulates an army and goes around Earth, trying to torture as many humans as possible.

However he is trying to find a way to create nightmares based on another person's thoughts -- for, if a dream/nightmare is created from the victim's thoughts then the victim can, with enough strength of mind, change the dream/nightmare to "do" what the victim wants. If the nightmare/dream was based on someone or something else's thoughts, then the victim would have no control and it would seem more real to them.

315 years later, General __ still hasn't succeeded, but he is very very close.

Enter ____ (Something funky ... like Eden, Zora, or Brylee. Or something like that). She is a Morducan/human hybrid (father was MD, mother was ED), and her existence is illegal according to the Morducan government, who's main law is that no MD will have any contact with an ED except through dreams.

...

That's all I've got. Still a work in progress. I work on it when I'm bored, and I'm temporarily burned out for Dakota Ryan. But, what do you think? Like? Dislike?

Story Segment

This is from a part where Dakota is fighting this really proud, arrogant guy named Damian Continello. He got stuck in their group for the mission, and he was angry that he was not in charge. He challenged Dakota to a fight to see who "deserves" the right to lead and Dakota, in her bold impulsive style, accepted the challenge.

(Remember, morphing means changing from their human form to their creature form.)

Damian growled and slowly began to morph. With a haughty expression on his face, he sneered at Dakota as he finished changing. “I will crush you!”

Dakota took one look at his Crotorus and burst into laughter.

“A peacock?” Dakota gasped, doubling over in mid-flight, almost tumbling out of the air. “What're you going to do, wave your feathers at me?”

Jazmyn and Noah howled with laughter. Damian swelled up, his ego injured. “Peacocks are the most majestic creatures ever created!” he shouted. “We are –”

“Proud, stupid boneheads?” Noah taunted from off to the side. “Yeah, that explains a lot.”

Damian roared in fury and leapt into the air. Though he could not fly, he could soar for short distances, and the wind buffeted his tail feathers and shot him into the air, up to Dakota's level. In one lightning fast swipe, he smacked Dakota in the face with his clawed foot.

Dakota tumbled backwards and hit the ground hard. Shaking herself off, she got up and looked at him in surprise. “How can you touch me without burning?”

Damian smirked. “Crotori peacock anatomy. Our skin is fireproof.”

Dakota smirked back. “But not your feathers!” She jumped into the air and flew as high as she could, out of Damian's reach. “Jazmyn! Noah!” she yelled. “Get a water hose, or a bucket of water, or something! Damian will need it!”