Tara Maya's Tales

This tip is from 30 Day Novel .    Writer’s block is almost always a red flag warning you about some problem with the novel. (The only other cause for writer’s block is severe personal stress, which may be negative, like a divorce, or positive, like a move, but either way absorbs all your mental energy. However, that’s outside the scope of these Tips. If you are in such a situation, give yourself a break and take care of the issue first.) One of these red flags, and one that I’ve faced many times, is Ignorance. You sit down ready to write a scene…it’s right there in your outline… it should be no problem. You lift your fingers, like a piano prodigy, to wrest sweet story music from your keyboard, and… Nothing.  The scene is not working because there’s something that’s stumping you. For me, it’s often something like the place and time of the scene. Sometimes it’s a deeper problem though. Occasionally, it’s something god-awful like a Plot Abyss At The Heart of the Whole Da...

 With any luck, you know that wonderful pressure at the back of the head that comes when you are almost finished with a book and you HAVE TO FINISH IT NOW! I’ve experienced that. (So has my family, poor schmoes.) However, I’ve also had to reverse problem, rather more often. In fact, I’m having it right now. I’m almost done writing out my Tips, and because I’m ALMOST done, some whacked part of my mind feels as if I AM done. Imagine a marathon runner who comes within sight of the Finish Line and says, “Ok, I see the end. I’m done here.” And stops running before he crosses the line. That’s me. I see the end in sight and something deep inside says, “Right, then, let’s get on to the next project.” Then Something Shiny distracts me and I’m off. Forcing myself to finish those last three chapters, or that last 5,000 words or the final showdown between the white hat and black hat…. Holy Gamoly, Batman! We’re doomed! 7 Tricks to Beat Fear of Completion To en...

Trying to Find The Right Words by Lardacil When you hear that some writers can hit 10,000 words a day, not just once or twice, but regularly, there are two responses you could have. 1. Hate them. Throwing a pity party for yourself that you just weren't born with as much talent, luck, time or black magic as they were also goes here. Excuses, envy, disbelief. None of these responses will help you. What response will help you? 2. Learn from them. So I've gathered the best How To Write 10,000 words a day here to read and study and emulate. Top billing goes to Rachel Aaron. This woman is my hero. ( Her novels are great too .) If you haven't read her blog post How To Write 10,000 Words , you should. Here's the heart: Side 1: Knowledge, or Know What You're Writing Before You Write It ... If you want to write faster, the first step is to know what you're writing before you write it. I'm not even talking about macro plot stuff, I mean workin...

If it really existed, writer's block would be the inability to write. If we look at this idea for a moment, we begin to notice that it doesn't make much sense. Is a person with writer's block physically unable to put words on a page? If that’s really the case, it's not called "writer's block," but rather "paralysis" or "death" or "extreme drunkenness." Luc Reid's free book The Writing Engine is a great way to rev up stalled motivation to write. It's well, researched, it's short and easy to read, it's helpful and it's hilarious. The rest of his blog is choc full of useful advice too.