I had to ask myself, what’s wrong here? I don’t believe in writer’s block, so what is keeping me from at least typing the notes I’ve already hand written.

It was simple. I was sitting on the wrong side of the bed. No, really.

I write in bed, for one reason because my legs are short and they dangle, which is uncomfortable for long periods of time, so I like my legs propped and the bed is the best way to do that, I digress. Anyway, I have a very large bed, and I realized one day that I was sitting on the wrong side of the bed for creative writing. I was sitting on the television/working side instead of the music/creative writing side. I switched sides, started my music, and now I have found the distraction from the real world and a creative path into the work.

In The Writer’s Compass I talk about finding the triggers for writing so that you can get into the work faster and more easily. You also need to find the triggers that keep you from working so that you can overcome those. Who knew that one side of the bed would be more conducive to writing than the other?

What are your writing triggers?

 https://awanderingminddotme.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/the-writers-compass-a-review-part-1/

Her article can be found at http://nancyellendodd.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/writing-essentials-from-morgen-bailey/.

Morgen Bailey

morgen@morgenbailey.com

http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com

http://icanbuildyourwritingblog.wordpress.com

By the way, she has an interview with me posted at http://morgensauthorinterviews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/author-interview-no37-nancy-dodd.html.

]]> http://www.thewriterscompass.com/2012/05/writing-essentials-guest-blog/feed/ 4 http://www.thewriterscompass.com/2012/05/finding-time-to-write-4-tips/ http://www.thewriterscompass.com/2012/05/finding-time-to-write-4-tips/#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 15:35:20 +0000 Nancy Ellen Dodd http://www.thewriterscompass.com/?p=691 It doesn’t get easier. If it’s not planned for–it just doesn’t happen, unless you are in the “habit.”

How do you get in the habit?

• Find the time of day when you can most avoid interruptions.

If the baby wakes up at 6:10 am, then 6:00 am is not a good time to choose. If you are perpetually late to work because you can’t get up on time, then you probably won’t get up early to write. If Aunt Maggie always calls between 2:30 and 3:00 pm, then planning anytime just before or just after won’t work, unless you turn your phone off.

• Frame your writing space.

Where will you write? What objects of inspiration will you locate near your writing space? Do you want music? Are there writing tools you need? Create a space and make sure that everything is set and consistent, then you don’t have to think about it. If there is not one spot where you write or you have to assemble a place on the dining room table or the patio, then anticipate your writing time and prepare that spot in advance before it’s time to sit down to write. If you have a favorite space at the beach or a local coffee shop, keep what you need in one messenger bag or backpack so that it’s ready to go when you are.

• Figure your writing goals for the day in advance.

 Will you write for 30 minutes or 1 hour? Will you commit to writing 2 new pages or editing 5 pages? Figure out what your goal for the day is or how you will use your writing time so that you start with a plan.

•  Form the habit.

I once read research that says it takes 30 days to form a habit. However, it only takes a few days to break a good habit (but a lot longer to break a bad one). Commit to the time you’ve allocated for the next three months and see if you can form a habit–the discipline to write.

Several years ago I wrote over 600 pages for a single manuscript in 2 years by committing to at least 15 minutes per day before I could go to sleep. Sometimes I had the luxury of several hours to write, and some days I was typing in my sleep, but at the end I had the first draft of a major project completed.

You don’t have to have hours and hours, you need to have a habit of disciplined writing.

Be the Antagonist

Creative Writing Exercise

View yourself as the antagonist to the hero in your story.

•What do you think your hero wants?

•Why do you want to stop the hero from succeeding?

•What are three things you will do to stop the hero from getting what he or she wants?

•What do you, the antagonist, want?

•How far will you go to stop the hero and get what you want?

Write a few paragraphs describing:

1. Who you are

2. What the story is about?

3, Why you have to win?

4. Whether you succeed?

If you would like to share, post in the comments section and email me – nancy *at* nancyellendodd*dot*com – so that I can be sure your comment does not go into the spam trap.

Using a story map is a great tool for figuring out where the holes are in your story and then developing ideas for filling in those gaps.

Morgen Bailey has added a guest blog post I wrote on story mapping and the 7 stages at is http://wp.me/p18Ztn-2bs.

One of the ways to create ideas is to use Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid. Look at the pyramid and determine where is your character and what level could that character be trying to reach? How is he or she going to obtain that goal? What could prevent her or him from getting there? What could happen that would knock your character down a level or more and what obstacles would the character face to climb back up the pyramid?

A shameless plug here, but in The Writer’s Compass: From Story Map to Finished Draft in 7 Stages, starting at page 63, “Stage One – Developing Ideas,” there are pages and pages of ways to create ideas that can help you to develop your story. Also available are 10 creative writing exercises that will help you to kickstart your writing that are sold on this website as an ebook for $2.49 on the “Look Here for Freebies and eBooks to Purchase” page.

But, wait! That being said, with today’s technology and new media, it is easier than ever to create your own video and get it seen by an audience on the internet. This is what I tell my screenwriting students, “Get together with your friends and do it yourself.” However, you’ll want to start with a good screenplay.

This was an article written as a guest blog for Morgen Bailey and the rest of the article is posted at  http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/2012/02/12/guest-post-screenwriting-101-by-nancy-dodd/.

My friend hated the rewritten article. It no longer had his voice, although written in first person, and because the person the magazine assigned didn’t know my friend or talk to him for more details, the new writer had made up dialogue and events to serve the story’s theme rather than using the facts.

My friend felt he had two choices. Rewrite the article or pull it and refuse to allow the magazine to publish it. He had already analyzed what was wrong with the article as originally written: one, he had told more than shown; and two, he had told several stories with a number of themes rather than focusing on one story and one major theme. We tried several approaches to rewriting the article, including wordsmithing the original article that was submitted. However, since the publisher had assigned a rewrite, we felt we were missing what the magazine wanted by continuing to work on that original piece.

I finally came up with a solution: I told my friend to go through the article and to cut every line that wasn’t true or that he hated. Once he did that we could then go back and see what was left. We still had the skeleton with the format and style the magazine wanted, but now there was room to add the facts and my friend’s voice. The end result worked much better and my friend could see where to add more showing of his story and less telling, while being more focused on one theme, and it was more factual and closer to what was important to him.

Writers often get lost in their writing. They know what they want to say, but get tangled up in the words and themes and emotions and telling the “whole story.” It is difficult to see what’s wrong with a story when you believe you’ve said what you wanted to say.

When you find yourself confused or unsure of where to go next, or when asked for feedback, think about the following:

• What do I like about the writing? What do I dislike?
• Is this clear? How can I make it clearer?
• Is it visual? Do I show what I’m talking about in metaphors and examples and by creating images?
• Do I use specifics in describing events rather than generalizations?
• Is the voice appropriate for the subject?
• What is the most important thing I want the reader to take away?

While the answers are not the solution to every writing problem, the last question is one that every writer should ask themselves about everything they write. Focusing on what you want the reader to know helps to clarify what you write and the way you write it.