|
Posted on Monday, April 29, 2013 9:31 AM
Well, it's Monday again. Some of us have returned to our day jobs, counting down the hours until we can clock out, get home and get back to writing. Some of us are at home already, looking around for that inspiration to get the writing going again this week. Some of us may even be watching a movie, wondering if our awesome books will ever be turned into a screenplay and rake in those millions we know they're worth!
Whether you've already sold your first hundred thousand copies or you're still waiting to finish your first draft, it's easy to drag a little on Mondays. But if you find yourself asking that question, that mopey Monday "Should I really write today?" question, the answer is...YES! Of course you should write!
Carve out a few minutes somewhere, anywhere, and write something. Even if you just jot down a few stray feelings about how the coffee pot always seems to need a refill just when you need that third cup, write something so you can turn it into something even better when you find a bigger chunk of time to write later.
If you need a little inspiration, here's another little exercise I use. Look around you and write down five things that you see. They don't have to be related or have anything in common, or they can, it's up to you. Now write a paragraph using each of those five things. The goal is to get things flowing, so just go with it but don't spend more than five or six minutes or you'll be over-thinking it. Here's an example:
Moving Truck Bar Stool Flower Pot Sweater Fingernail Polish
She flung the gray sweater over the back of the bar stool. There wasn't much time left before the moving truck would be here. She couldn't wait. Her anticipation buzzed through her veins as she threw the last minute things into a box. Fingernail polish, a hair brush, tube of toothpaste, and a stray bobby pin or two rattled around the bottom of the box as she tossed it onto the pile. Looking around for anything she might have missed, she spotted the flower pot on the deck. Her mom had given her that as a house-warming present back in 1992. A couple of tiles from the mosaic had fallen off, but it still had room for new roots. She picked it up and wrapped it in the last of the newspaper. "This one's riding with me." She carried it out the door, but stopped, gasping at the sight before her...
See, easy-peasy! Now get to writing, all you wonderful people! There's a world of inspiration out there, right under your nose.
Happy Writing! |
|
|
Posted on Saturday, April 27, 2013 9:38 AM
Spring is a busy time for everyone, getting into shape for the summer, finding summer activities for the kids, cleaning out the closets. Hopefully the spring months are presenting plenty of inspiration and opportunities for writing.
If you're like me, time for writing sometimes takes a back seat to all the everyday responsibilities. It's important to carve out that writing time, though. One way to muster up the mojo is to enter a writing contest! Contests are a great way to get the juices flowing for the next chapter in your book or a start to a new book. Apple Acres Valley hosts a contest every month and the winner is showcased on the Winner's Gallery all year. If you're looking for publicity (and who isn't) this is one way to get it for free and what's better than that?!
And speaking of publicity, in addition to the contests, check out our new service to indie authors, the Indie Authors Spotlight page. It's yet another free place for your readers to find you, your books, and links to your info! Get in on the action now because this page is going to explode with traffic during May! Let the Valley help you worry about one less thing and sign up today!
Happy Writing! |
|
|
Posted on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 9:19 AM
Hello my friends! After a very trying week or so of asthma, allergies, and an attack from the cat that left me unable to type (BAD kitty!) I'm just about recovered enough to get back to the blog! I'd like to tell you I've been vigorously working away on my next few books, but watery eyes, a relentless cough, and that "scratch" that almost sent the cat packing left little room for anything but drug-induced day-dreaming and reading that was anything short of "research." But, asthma inhaler in hand, I'm ready to get back to work on what I'm hoping will be a fabulous first sci-fy and whatever else pops into my head! Thanks for sticking with me and I'm looking forward to getting caught up with things over the next few days so check back often.
Happy Writing!
|
|
|
Posted on Wednesday, April 03, 2013 8:30 AM
Announcing our latest event, the Indie Author Spotlight! This page will be one more opportunity for Indie Authors and their readers to connect. Exclusively for Indie Authors, the page will include bios, book links, and all kinds of useful info to spotlight the awesome talent out there in the Indie Community. Authors can DM me @indie_writer_la or email me at ladonna@appleacresvalley.com to reserve a spot. For more info, visit the Events page or drop me a line! See you in the spotlight soon!
Happy Writing! |
|
|
Posted on Tuesday, April 02, 2013 10:02 AM
Used to be a white sheet of paper stared back at you with albino eyes, waiting impatiently for ink to hit the lines. Now it's a screen, technology taunting you, wanting to be touched and played with, like only words can do. So what to do when writer's block knocks you out and the frustration skyrockets?
You could take a cue from Christophe Gowans, an artist in London who finds inspiration for his art in music. He imagines novel covers from albums and creates artwork to match. Music has always hit a chord of inspiration for me, too. You can read about an album cover strategy I use here. For the auditory writer, there's nothing like a catchy beat to beat the block! There's even more about how music has inspired my writing career in Interview with Myself.
If you're into tech and sci-fi (and who isn't with the Big Bang Theory out there to inspire us!) you can browse through the articles on Wired like this one on how to 3-D print skeletons of living things. If nothing else you can show your true nerd colors (like I'm doing now, lol) and get the mojo going by a lively debate on whether or not Star Trek was a conspiracy to start a tech revolution or if Gene Roddenberry was psychic!
Another trail to explore is the nature path. I had a brilliant teacher in high school who took the time to guide my writing skills during a time when I could have just as easily dropped them altogether. He told me to look to nature whenever I needed an analogy. If scientists can build robots based on jellyfish I'm sure there's a fish in the ocean for your school of thought! You can give NatGeo a try for all sorts of nature pics and stories!
I hope these ideas have gotten your fingers flying over the keyboard and well on your way to filling the screen! For more inspiration visit the bookstore page and the Annex page to find more great books!
Happy Writing!
|
|
