Why
I Don’t Get Writer’s Block
“What do you do about writer’s block?” I hear this question
all the time. Short answer: I don’t get it! After ten years as a marketing
writer, I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent toiling to make alphabet
letter tiles or fireplace inserts sound sexy. Writing stories about two people
falling in love? Piece of cake!
The longer answer is that the techniques I developed to keep
myself on track while writing about Building Your Classroom Library or Our
Salon Services have continued to serve me well in writing fiction. Here they
are:
1.
Take
a walk. Or a run, or a bike ride, or a swim. We’re not just giant
disembodied brains. Something about moving my body makes the left brain/right
brain combination work. I don’t try to force my story to come to me, just let
my mind wander. For the first ten minutes or so, it DOES wander. Then somehow,
without any direction, it comes back to the book. Often, the scene that appears
isn’t even the one I thought I was working on. I’ve learned to trust the
process, and go home and write the scene that came to me. Maybe that other
scene will appear next time—or maybe it wasn’t right after all.
2.
Try a
different spot. I often take a notebook to the coffee shop in the morning.
The walk up there gets my mind working (see #1), and the change from my normal
writing place shakes up my mind a bit. The difficulty arises when I’m
scribbling a particularly steamy scene in longhand, hoping devoutly that nobody
can look over my shoulder and read what I’ve written—or that they’ll guess why
I’m concentrating so hard!
3.
Just
write. Don’t worry about getting it perfect at first. Your words may start
out stilted, but the act of writing will make the ideas start to flow, and you
can go back and edit later. I often don’t start at the “beginning” of a scene, as
that bogs me down. I start with the “fun” part, the part that presents itself
most insistently. Afterwards, I’ll come back and write the graceful
introduction.
4.
Give
it a day. I start each day by going back over what I wrote the day before.
I can always improve it. It also jump-starts that day’s work by getting me back
into the book.
5.
If
you’re stuck, move! This goes back to #1. If I’m blanking out, I get up and
make a cup of tea, empty the dishwasher, anything to shake myself up. The right
idea always comes once I stop trying to force it.
There you go. I hope my tips help. And happy writing!
Just Good Friends
By Rosalind
James
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Kate muttered the following
Saturday afternoon as she descended the broad steps to Takapuna Beach. There
was Koti at the foot of the stairs, his usual hoodie having failed to preserve
his anonymity, having his picture taken with two young women.
“Should I go away and come back later?” she drawled as she
approached the group, just as one of the excited women switched places with the
photographer to allow yet another picture to be taken.
“Last one, girls,” Koti told them with a smile. “Got to go.”
Kate rolled her eyes as they walked across the broad beach
toward the water’s edge. “That’s quite a fan club you’ve got there. Must be
nice.”
“You think so?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t enjoy that. You sure seem to.”
“Comes with the territory,” he shrugged. “That doesn’t mean
I always enjoy it.”
“Good spot here?” he turned to ask her as they neared the
high-tide mark. “Want to swim to the point there, and back?” At her nod, he
kicked off his flip-flops and pulled his hoodie and shirt over his head,
dropping them with his towel onto the beach.
“You’re kidding,” Kate said, staring at him.
“What? Bad spot?” he asked, confused. “I thought you said it
was all right.”
“No. I mean, you. That’s just . . . that’s just ridiculous.
Plus the tattoo, the pendant, everything. You’re like some kind of walking
advertisement for New Zealand.”
“My tattoo isn’t ridiculous,” he said, genuinely offended
now. “My moko honors my ancestors. My pendant isn’t ridiculous either. It’s not
for decoration. You’re slagging off my mana now.”
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean to be
offensive. I just meant, I’m getting it now. You always have that hoodie on,
that’s all. I never realized what you looked like. A little blinded here. I’ve
never seen anyone as ripped as that in real life.”
He sighed. “It’s how I look. I’m not going to apologize for
it. I’ve been training and playing rugby most of my life, you know. And I’m
Maori. I can’t help being big, or having some muscles. You’re just going to
have to get over it.”
“Should have worn my sunglasses,” she muttered.
“Were you planning on dropping your own gear anytime soon,
so we can get in the water?” he complained. “Freezing my arse off here.”
“No. I don’t think so,” she decided. “I’m seriously
insecure, all of a sudden. Let’s forget it and go for coffee instead.”
“Piking out first time, eh,” he mocked. “Not up to the
challenge. Reckon I’ve won already.”
Kate’s chin shot up. “You’re right. But don’t watch me take
off my clothes. Look at Rangitoto or something for a minute. Because I’m
embarrassed now.”
He turned his back with a sigh. “This is what’s ridiculous,”
he told her over his shoulder. “I’ve seen you in your togs twice now, remember?
I have a pretty good memory of what you look like, too.”
“I remember.” She adjusted her goggles and stepped out into
the water. “I’m not your type. Too small and too dark. That’s OK. One of us
being that beautiful is more than enough.”
She pushed off and started swimming before he could answer.
Just as well, Koti decided as he followed. He wasn’t sure there was any good
answer to that one. If he told her what he really thought, she’d probably
poison his coffee. Or drown him.
Author Info: Rosalind James is the author of the Kindle bestseller Just This Once and the three subsequent books in the Escape to New Zealand series. She is a former marketing executive who has lived all over the United States and in a number of other countries, traveling with her civil engineer husband. Most recently, she spent several years in Australia and New Zealand, where she fell in love with the people, the landscape, and the culture of both countries.
Visit
www.rosalindjames.com to listen to the songs from the books, follow the characters on their travels, watch funny and fascinating New Zealand and rugby videos, and learn about what's new!
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