Well, folks. It was fun while it lasted.

As you can see, not much has been happening on this blog lately.

There are several reasons for this, but I will only hit on a couple:

First: It's amazing how much can change in a couple of months--both in our personal lives and on the writing front. A couple of us have signed publishing contracts, and so the need to write, edit, market, promote HAD to take preference over this blog and the services we were providing.

Second: Running this blog, critiquing submissions, providing feedback...well, that's a LOT of dang work. We weren't getting paid for this service. We had a concept and we went with it--for free--not realizing how much time it would involve with very little (nothing) in return for our effort.

Third: Probably the biggest factor that made us come to this decision, was the fact that a good portion of the submissions we received just weren't ready. They needed more revision. We were wanting to give out reviews on AMAZING, fully complete, well edited novels. 90% of what we received didn't come close.

So we've shut it down. We've moved on.

If you liked our comments and our posts, you can check us out on our individual blogs:

Angela Scott: www.whimsywritingandreading.weebly.com or @whimsywriting on twitter or http://www.facebook.com/AngelaScottWriter

D.S. Tracy:

Kacey Mark:

Monday, June 13, 2011

Writing Wrestle Mania

Posted by Ready, Aim, Hook Me at 6:27 AM

Good Morning. Rabbit in a Hat Hook’er here, talking about the wrestle for creativity in the writing process.

We’ve all been there, right? Those days when you just don’t feel like writing. You’re sick, the family has problems, work is too stressful, your muse has turned up his/her nose, or maybe the voices in your head have laryngitis. Whatever the cause, the creative writing process doesn’t always run like water. Sometimes you have to work a little harder to pin down your story.

How easily do you give up your writing process when things in your life go wrong?

Consider this, if you do finish a manuscript and decide to publish will you stop at one book, two, or will you set your sights for New York?

Do you think those big time New York publishing houses will look kindly on slipping deadlines, inadequate writing, and overall lack of follow through?

I think not, my friends.

If you want to make it big you’ve got to act now like you will act then, and hit your writer's block before it can consume you. Push beyond pain, and emotion, and frustration.
--Excuse me for a moment while I pause for dramatic eye-of-the-tiger effect.--

Where was I?... Oh, yeah. You sit in the chair and write.

I listened to the great Nora Roberts speak about her writing process.
She says, you don’t just write when you feel like it.
and it's true. You can’t wait for the muse to come to you. Sometimes you have to bang on his/her door and tell them they’ve slept through the alarm.

But even if every sense-stimulating tactic fails to rouse your creative spirit, you have to do as JR Ward suggests and simply “advance the ball” until you find it again. And you WILL find it again.

There’s a reason why they say a good writer writes every day. Now, don't throw your pen at me yet. I’m not saying it’s a must, but the dedication is important. I'm not even saying it has to be good. There's nothing wrong with writing crap. Crap can be fixed. An empty page? Not so much.

Even if it’s only a sentence a day, you have. To keep. Going. If you want to pursue your dream you have to pursue it whatever the cost.
So here’s my challenge for the day:

Light a candle, chew some gum, put on a little music, whatever it takes, but sit in that chair and write!
That's right,
just sit in that chair and write.

Is that too much pep for a monday morning? Okay, how about this...
First person who completes a thousand words after reading this blog will get a virtual hug from a Hook’er!

Ready? Your match begins now!

9 comments:

Kerrigan Byrne on June 13, 2011 at 7:53 AM said...

Such great inspiration... I've had some of the best results come out of days where I had to drag the words out of myself. Great blog!

Marc on June 13, 2011 at 7:59 AM said...

Awesome post today! For the record, my fiancee and I ordered Wrestlemania 27 in April. I've seen better PPVs, but wrestling is really an underrated source of inspiration when it comes to storytelling, ;-)

Anyway, I fully agree! When I was working on my first major self-publish a year or two ago, I found myself rising from bed when my fiancee would, around 5:30am, putting on metal CD after metal CD and banging away at my keyboard till she returned home around quarter to six. Did it take rerereading? Sure! Did it take some major backchecks for consistency? You betcha! Did it take some pretty serious questioning of just how good a story was AND how much it could potentially be? Yes and yes.

You're right, sometimes you don't feel like doing it, but if it's your dream, you will. Not every bit of my creativity comes from sitting in front of a keyboard, sometimes it comes from a song lyric, a TV event or a meeting in the real world. But one thing I find works better than anything is questioning every single aspect of what happens in a story I write and see every possible angle.

Which is the most impactful? Which path has the most punch? Which fork in the road has the most chance to circle back to the beginning and tie up the entire story in a cutesy lil pink bow?

You see the potential a story can have, you see the different places it can go, and if you can put interesting enough words in place to hook a reader to sticking with you? You'll pull the major twists to keep them grinding away until the end.

Dammit, how am I not an author yet? Just kidding, ;-) And I know you asked for 1000 words, but I'm at work, so will a lil over 300 do for that hug? :-D

Doree L Anderson on June 13, 2011 at 10:42 AM said...

I stand as high as the little guy, but mark my words, I've got the jigglin on the other dude bobbin in fear. You want words, you got 'em. My rears where it belongs, my tunes are cranked up high, the muse died yesterday, but I never said these words were gonna make sense. 1,000 comin' right up. See you tomorrow!
Great inspirational blog.

Ready, Aim, Hook Me on June 13, 2011 at 10:53 AM said...

Kerrigan, Marc, and Doree
thanks for the supporting comments.
You are very much appreciated.

L.L. Muir on June 13, 2011 at 11:19 AM said...

No writer's block for me today. I'm ready willing and able. I can't get started for a while, but when I do, I'm hitting Dr. Wicked's website. I'll let you know how much I end up with for the couple of hours I have today.

Thanks for the post. It's nice to know there are others out there who are on the same race track. Helps me do better.

Lesli

Joelene Coleman on June 13, 2011 at 11:27 AM said...

Lunch hour just started. Let's see what I can do! Challenges are the best because they force you to write something - anything. Thanks for the push.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader on June 13, 2011 at 11:52 AM said...

George R.R. Martin writes when he feels like it. So does Thomas Harris (Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, etc.)

James Patterson and James Frey don't ever write (they have other people do the writing and put their name on it).

My point is that writing advice is similar to nipples on a breastplate. For the most part...useless. The publishing game is purely subjective and is different for every single person involved.

Ready, Aim, Hook Me on June 13, 2011 at 1:14 PM said...

Thank you Lesli and Joelene for your constructive comments. Best of luck writing today!

Ready, Aim, Hook Me on June 14, 2011 at 5:53 AM said...

Congratulations to Sheereen Stefan and Lesli Muir lytle who wrote their little tail ends off and earned themselves a great big squeeeeze from Rabbit in a Hat Hook'er! Good job ladies!

Share The Love

Hey! Where Is The Comment Box?

If you can't see a comment box below post, scroll up to the top and click "comments" in the header. *shakes hook'er fist at blog template*

We seem to be having some technical difficulties with commenting. Hopefully, it is just an issue with blogger and it'll be easier in the future. Sorry for the trouble.















 

Ready, Aim, Hook Me Copyright © 2010 Designed by Ipietoon Blogger Template Sponsored by: Website Templates | Premium Themes. Distributed by: blog template