Tip Tuesday: Battle Writer’s Block
Piggybacking off yesterday’s post, there’s a difference between taking a break because you need one, and taking a break because there’s nothing left in your brain. Outlining greatly reduces writer’s block, but sometimes even that doesn’t keep the beast at bay.
I’ve suffered from writer’s block countless times. No surprise, it sucks. You wonder if you’ll ever be able to finish; if you’ll ever write again. You have to find ways to get your creative brain working again.
Over the years, I’ve found some things to help me out of a writing funk. First, is nature. I like to walk and just take in all of the sights of a nature preserve. I especially love streams, babbling brooks, oh, and moss! Mossy trees, mushrooms, marshes. But what works for me, might not for you. It’s worth a shot, though. Try a beach, a local walking trail, etc.
This is definitely a first world suggestion, but travel. If you have the opportunity to get yourself out of your town, possibly even your state, do it. My family would go to the mountains of Appalachia to visit family for a couple weeks a year. I always got the most writing done down there. Being plucked out of Long Island sparked my creativity. If you can’t travel, look up images and videos of places you’ve always wanted to go. Sometimes that will inspire an idea.
Do something mindless. Take a bath, go for a long drive, and just let your mind wander. Something might fly into that brain of yours. I like to listen to music while I write, and while I’m trying to conjure up new ideas. If I feel I need inspiration, I’ll pop on some music while I shower or clean the house. Just be careful what music it is. If it’s too dancey or a real karaoke killer, you’ll find yourself lost in a performance instead of thought.
Most of all, don’t panic or dwell on it. You’re a writer. You will write again. It’s in your blood, just feed your brain inspiration and you’ll type again.
Motivation Monday: Relax
Writing is a lot of things; cathartic, exhilarating, creative, and well… work. Sometimes scenes just flow out of my fingertips, other times, not so much. When you’re in the zone, hours can pass by and pages fill up. When you’re forcing the zone, it hurts your brain. I’ve done it a bunch of times. I push through a scene I’m not feeling to get to a better scene. Sometimes it’s a necessary scene and I’m just not in the mood, but I want to get closer to the end.
You need to know yourself and your workflow. Sometimes I push a scene, only to cut it during the editing stage. Other times I push a scene, then punch it up in the editing phase. Then, there’s the third option: I relax and take a break.
It’s not even about writer’s block, but just being burnt out. It’s okay to allow yourself time for your energy bar to refill. You don’t have to always be productive. And honestly, when you’re burnt out, the more you push through, the more burnt out you’ll become. Give your creative juices a rest. You just have to be careful how long that break is. I’ve gone years without writing.
That was not a break. That was not refilling my energy bar. That was me, figuring out life as a new mom, and being completely absorbed by it. I don’t beat myself up about it. Believe it or not, there are more important things in life than becoming a best-selling author. My kids are one of those things.
So take a break if you need it. Recharge your batteries, but notice when your break starts to become too long. If it’s because of life, well, there’s not much you can do. But if your break is because you’re procrastinating, it’s time to whip out the keyboard and get back to work.
Writing Wednesday: My Life as a Writer
Man, writing was so much easier when I was in college. I was always a night owl. The house was quiet, everyone else was asleep, and I was free to write into the darkness. I’m a face maker and acter outer, so when I’m writing, I’m making the same faces as my characters, using their gestures, etc. It’s not really conducive to writing in front of people. I almost always listen to music as well, and all that just works so much better in private.
Now, I’m a mom, and up until this summer, I was also a nursery school teacher. My free time was almost non-existent. Even as I write this, I’m sitting at my dining room table, watching my son use a water hose as a penis to “pee” on his sister in the backyard. I have about 40 minutes until one of them annoys the other one and comes running inside to tattle.
I also have 4 dogs, 2 cats and 2 parrots. My house is never quiet, unlike the college days I spent holed up in my bedroom. There is constant chaos. Do I want to start outlining my next book? Absolutely. Will it happen soon? Probably not until September when my son starts second grade and my daughter enters universal pre-k, but baby #3 will be here mid-October.
When you’re a mom, or you have a day job and other responsibilities, being a writer isn’t at all like it is in the movies. You’re not sitting in a cafe people watching, garnering inspiration for your characters. You’re not at your mountain retreat, writing against a deadline. In fact, you haven’t showered in days. Your BO is off the charts, and you’re lucky if you’re not too exhausted to squeeze in some writing or agent querying when the kids are watching Blippi (because let’s face it, if Bluey is on, you’re watching it too).
So no, being a writer isn’t glamorous, and it’s certainly not paying any bills at this point. But maybe one day it will. Until then, I’ll continue running on empty.
Tip Tuesday: Learn Your Craft
Young Gina did not like the thought of this. Why should I have to know all the rules? Writing was about emotion, and story. Hellooooo, I knew how to tell a story. But did I really?
The answer is no, no I did not. Did I have a passion and a knack for it? Sure, but I didn’t write anything back then that’s worth reading now. I studied screenwriting and story structure during my years of college, and I honestly learned the most from a year long, non-credited course in screenwriting. You don’t need to go to college to learn your craft, you just need to know where to look.
For me, the most helpful book I read was The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler. This is a great place to start. Of course, there are books you can read on everything, from outlining to dialogue. Vogler’s book applies to almost every story you can imagine, even reality TV.
Yes, reality TV. I did a whole paper on this in graduate school. Mythic structure is the basis of storytelling, and once you know the narrative structure and character archetypes, you’ll find yourself applying it to everything you watch, read and write.
Plus, once you know the rules, you can bend them. Believe me, professionals will know whether you know your stuff or not, so you better have a reason for doing it, and it should be the best way to serve the story you want to tell.
Monday Motivation: Age is Just a Number
Today is my birthday. If you told twelve-year-old-me I wouldn’t be a best-selling author or have at least one screenplay made by thirty-six, I would spiral into a weeks-long wallow. In the age of YouTube, Vine and now TikTok, celebrities are made overnight. As a teenager, I was at the very beginning of this phenomenon. I always wanted my successes to move faster than they did.
I meandered throughout college until I discovered you could major in film. After feeling like an outcast most of my life, I finally found where I belonged, and I found my people. After getting a BFA in film, I went on to get an MFA in writing and producing for television. I dabbled in reality TV casting, which was a blast. But there were three consistent things in my life: writing, art, and wanting to be a mom.
I didn’t want to be in the city for 10 to 12 hours a day with the commute. I knew when I had kids, I wanted to be there. So at 36, I don’t have any books published. I do have two awesome kids who bring me endless joy (and endless frustration at times), plus a third on the way. I have some professional writing credits I’m proud of, but again, nothing like 12-year-old-me thought.
The truth is, most success isn’t overnight, and in my case, it’s not even in decades. Don’t measure your success against someone else’s. We all have kids, or sick parents, or bills looming over our head. We all have lives, and those lives take precedent over our dreams. Don’t stress about your accomplishments. If you keep trying, they will come, no matter how far down the road. Age is just a number, after all.