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Writing Prompts to Keep You Writing

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Is writing a bit like eating your vegetables? Like eating our greens, we know it’s good for our mind and creativity to write daily, but it’s alright to admit that it’s hard to find daily ideas.

Even if you’re in the midst of a novel, screenplay, or short story, it’s normal to hit the occasional roadblock. When writer’s block strikes, that’s when it’s more important than ever to keep writing. But how and what?

Have Fun with a New Subject

I’m a big proponent that one should always write for your enjoyment. Pick a subject that is of interest to you. You don’t have to be an expert, but you do have to want to learn more about your subject. Half the fun lies in the research. There’s a big world out there. You just have to discover it via the printed page. 

Writing is a bit like exercise in that the more you do it, the easier it gets. And, like exercise, you should write on a regular basis. Coming to your computer or that pad of paper regularly keeps your “writing muscle” engaged. The more frequently you write, the more you develop your writing muscle.

You Don’t Have to Write Just One Story at a Time

However, sometimes project that we are currently working on doesn’t come to fruition. That doesn’t mean it’s not a good project. It just might not be the right project for you, right now. Stephen King offers lots of advice on his writing process. One thing he states is to start multiple projects at one time. While this might be confusing for some writers, King admits that not every project resonates with him. He has stated that sometimes he just stops feeling passionately for one project. That’s when he turns his attention to another. By having multiple plot lines developing at once, he is sure to find the one that becomes his next hit.

By the way, King has published 65 novels, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, and five non-fiction books. He has written over 200 short stories. Obviously, his method works well for him. 

Stay Calm and Keep Writing

Don’t let King’s prolific writing quality get you down. There aren’t many people that have a resume like him. The point of this blog is to inspire you to always find something to write about. Do it daily. It can be a letter to your younger self. For that matter, it can be a letter to your dog or cat. Just write. 

And, when you absolutely can’t think of what to write, here’s a list of writing prompts compiled by FIU Libraries (Florida International University).

Perhaps set a writing goal to try one new prompt each week… in between your current projects. Happy writing!

Writing is a Process

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Are you a writer who starts a project, but won’t finish? If you delve into your writing, but find there isn’t enough “meat” to get to the finish line, it may be fair to stop. But if you stop work on a project because you lack stamina, perhaps you’ve forgotten that writing is a process. Like long distance runs, you must pace yourself, not sprint toward ‘the end.’

In her magically perfect ever so wonderful book (you can tell I’m a fan), “Bird by Bird,” Anne Lamott explains this thought process to her son. When faced with a seemingly impossible writing task — a report on birds — she tells him just to focus on bird by bird. In other words, take each chapter as it comes and allow yourself the freedom to relax.

A Case for an Outline

But what if you run out of ideas and steam along the way? This is why I believe there is always a need for an outline. It’s your roadmap to completion. K.M. Weiland offers an excellent workbook to help authors through the outlining process. I always outline my books, but I also give myself permission to meander a bit. If my outline sparks an idea, I may go off on a tangent when creativity within is flowing. However, I always return to my outline — the roadmap — after I’ve taken the scenic route.

Writing is a Process

Have you ever heard of any writer who publishes their work after only one draft? It doesn’t happen. And, if it does, I will be so bold as to declare, it shouldn’t happen. You’re writing is not perfect… until it is. Here’s my favorite piece of writing advice… allow yourself to be imperfect. You don’t have to craft a perfect first sentence in order to move on to the next sentence. The same goes with each chapter. You don’t have to re-read what you’ve done in order to have permission to move forward. In fact, re-reading before you’ve completed your first draft is a sure-fire way to not finish your novel. Get your ideas on paper. All of them! Then, once you have a semblance of your plot with its twists and turns, then you can add polishing touches.

When is your Novel Finished?

Asking when your novel is finished may seem like an odd question, particularly to new writers. However, experienced novelists know that the writing process can go on and on. You can ensure that the plot isn’t predictable. Good writers will vary their sentence length. Review your characters’ personalities and language to ensure they are original. Furthermore, does the language vary enough between characters or do they all sound similar? Once you get comfortable in taking your time, you’ll know that the writing process unfolds slowly and you will embrace those subtle shifts.

A Satisfying ‘The End’

When you’ve done everything you can and looked at every chapters, line, word, and character flaw, then you will probably want to enlist some friendly readers to get their opinion. I recommend asking for tough love readers  — those who will tell you the truth. Their opinions may result in the need for more re-writing, but in the end, that is a gift. They are telling you how to make your writing better before the world sees it. And with that gift, you’ll remember that writing is a process.

 

Writers, Be True to Yourself

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I like to ask people why they write. Did you always dream of being a writer? In the best case scenario, their face lights up and they reply that they couldn’t imagine not writing. This is my favorite reason, but I recognize that there are others. Some might site financial gain or the thrill of seeing their name on a book cover. I’m not dismissing those reasons; but, writers, be true to yourself. Write for the sheer enjoyment that a creative endeavor can bring.

In my book, “Full Color Life: How to Live a Creative, Balanced Life,” I encourage all people to pursue a creative endeavor, not just those who are already working in the arts. I find that even accountants, lawyers, engineers, and other similar “left brain” professionals benefit from adding creativity to their lives. In fact, the notion of left or right brain has now been dispelled with modern thought leaning to the fact that everyone has the ability within themselves to be creative.

Why Pursue Creativity?

I answer this question in this excerpt from “Full Color Life.

The creative’s life is not always easy. This is especially true if you measure your success solely on monetary earnings. But it’s important to take a step back and consider what else you value. If I were to answer this I would list: family, friends, good health, and time —  the one gift that nobody can buy and nobody can give you. There’s one thing that I feel enhances each one of my core values and that’s my creative endeavors, whether they are writing my own work, editing others’ work, or being physically creative in a dance or yoga studio, which helps me stay mentally focused and physically healthy, both of which fuel my spiritual creativity.

So, why did you decide to pursue your creative endeavor? Here are some other common reasons: creative control, independence at work, and the ability to make changes at a moment’s notice. In many ways, this last reason encompasses the ones before it. If you work for yourself, there are fewer surprises. You know if a big order is coming or if a client is unhappy. Both good news and bad gives you independence. If something isn’t working, you have time to spot it and change your course. That is creative independence and you can’t get that while working for someone else.

Stamina through the Tough Times

It’s not always easy, but as the adage goes, “Endeavors worth achieving are rarely easy.”

Remember why you toyed with the idea of a creative career in the first place. You dreamed of a creative life with independence, financial security and being able to call the shots. But it’s not always like that, is it? There will be moments of self-doubt when you launch your book or product line and wonder what the public response will be. Times when inspiration flees and you question if you’re cut out for a creative life. Periods when mounting bills make it seem like the daily grind of your current job will not only be your present but your future as well.

It’s the tough times that test a creative individual. When scenarios like those mentioned above crawl their way into your psyche that’s when you must have self-belief…a Full Color Mindset.

Full Color Mindset for Writers and Artists

This mindset…the willingness to pursue a creative endeavor even when it gets tough is indicative of all artists devoted to their craft. I see it in musicians, dancers, artisans.

There’s a beautiful Instagram account called BallerinaProject that showcases amazing ballet dancers striking their pose in the midst of nature’s beauty, city streets or even libraries. This account speaks to me for it’s the same principle that I stressed in the beginning of this post — these dancers can’t help but dance. It doesn’t matter where they are or who is around them. They dance. Because to not do their craft is unimaginable.

I encourage you to write for the joy of the craft and think of financial rewards as a secondary benefit. Drop me a line and let me know what you’re working on today.

Writers Need to be Readers

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Writers Need to be ReadersSometimes the “rules” of good writing are a mash-up of contradictions. Be original, but follow the rules of those who have come before you. Don’t plagiarize, but take lessons from classic story structures. To find the perfect balance, writers need to be readers.

I recently read a literary comparison between The Great Gatsby and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. It implied that n its witty title it stated that Holly Golightly was a different version of Jay Gatsby. National Public Radio listed both of these novels in their “100 Best Characters in Fiction” list with Jay Gatsby hitting first place and Holly Golightly coming in at number 11.

Number 11 out of 100 is nothing to sneeze at considering that this article implied that Truman Capote, who wrote Breakfast at Tiffany’s, must have followed my belief that writers need to be readers. Does that mean he plagiarized from F. Scott Fitzgerald? Not necessarily… Let’s take a closer look.

Here are the similarities between the two books: 

Physical character traits:

  • Characters who are attractive, charismatic and enigmatic.
  • Distinctive speech patterns. Jay uses phrases such as “old sport” while Holly calls everyone “darling.”

Their world:

  • Connections to organized crime.
  • Characters who love to host parties.
  • Parties that stop once the characters find romance.

Their journey:

  • Humble backgrounds.
  • Altered identities.
  • Living vicariously through more glamorous neighbors.
  • Driven by dreams.
  • Dreams ultimately lead to their death and exile.

Technical similarities:

  • First person narratives.
  • Beautiful imagery to describe the setting and supporting characters.
  • Visits to the main character by someone from their past.

Is this comparison meant to imply that Breakfast at Tiffany’s doesn’t deserve to be on the 100 Best List? Absolutely not. I love the book and could watch the movie on continual loop. What Truman Capote did with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story is to recreate and change it for his own purposes. They say there are only seven story plots. These are:

  • Overcoming the Monster
  • Rags to Riches
  • The Quest
  • Voyage and Return
  • Comedy
  • Tragedy
  • Rebirth

This means you have to take basic principles of good storytelling from previously told tales, but then, you put your own style to it, add your own unique details, envision how your character will be different. 

So keep writing your stories, but educate yourself by remembering that writers need to be readers, too.

Can Keywords Make Book Sales Soar?

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keywords can make sell your bookIf you’ve uploaded your ebook to Amazon or other sites, you’re familiar with the keyword and category fields. How important are the seven keywords and two categories that Amazon lets you choose? Can keywords make book sales soar?

Let me put it this way, your book can’t reach the bestsellers’ list if readers can’t find it. Consumers know what they want when they search for a new book. They’ll start by choosing fiction or non-fiction. Then the search becomes more narrow as they decide on a genre, such as romance. Their search gets even more specific when they choose a sub-genre, perhaps paranormal romance. The two categories you choose will help readers find what interests them.

How do I choose my book’s categories?

A simpler way to think of categories is to imagine you’re walking through a bookstore. What section will your book be found and within that section, which shelf will it be housed?

Once categories are selected, you still need to direct your reader to your book. After all, there are thousands of paranormal romances out there. This is where the seven keywords come in. It might be tempting to try and choose words to grab the largest audience, but this can end up muddying the waters and causing confusion.

Why are keywords important?

For instance, you don’t want people to think you’ve written a paranormal romance book with elements of an urban thriller, apocalyptic zombie, coming of age, whodunnit, marriage proposal, chick-lit, fantasy. Can you even imagine how this would make a reader or publisher’s head spin?

You have 2,800 subjects and subject codes called BISAC (The Book Industry Standards Advisory Committee) or BIC (the UK version) to choose from. Let’s explore a better example than the one above. Perhaps you’ve written a novel that you categorize as fiction under the sub-categories of contemporary romance and chick lit. When choosing keywords you might describe something to do with the setting of the book or its characters. Your romance book may be about a budding, but bumbling fashion designer vacationing in Italy, which opens up a new world of keywords such as: chick-lit, fashion, Italy, romance, love, marriage, comedy.

Remember, even if you’re a writer with a publisher who does the uploading process for you, it’s still important to be aware of your categories and keywords in order to work with the publisher (or pitch them, if you’re querying) to devise a clear plan of how to market your book.

Kill Your Adverbs

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girl writing strong prose and editingAsk a professional editor or publisher what makes them cringe and chances are they’ll reply, “adverbs.” Why? They seem like perfectly respectful members of a sentence. The type of word that can sit around a dinner table with the adjectives and verbs. But on closer inspection you’ll see why it might be necessary to kill your adverbs…to just throw them off the edge of a tall building.

Alright, maybe that’s a little harsh, but in truth, adverbs are the first sign of an unprofessional writer. I hear you gasp slightly as you read your well-crafted sentence, “She ran quickly.” Just keep reading. Let me show you a better and more descriptive way. Why not focus on the action of this sentence by stating, “She dashed” or “She raced.”

Those “ly” words seem innocent enough, but what they actually do is fill your writing with boring or redundant phrases and rely on weak verbs and adjectives. It’s much better to replace the adverb with a stronger word that can stand on its own. In short, a fighter who won’t end up on the edge of a tall building.

Still not convinced? Maybe you’ve decided to eliminate adverbs from your dialogue and descriptions, but not your dialogue tags. Let me tell you, they’re just as weak at the end of a sentence. For example:

“You are not welcome in this house!” she yelled angrily.

I hate to point out the obvious, but if someone shouted that sentiment at you I’m willing to bet that you already figured out they’re angry. You don’t need the repetitive adverb to show what you already demonstrated. Furthermore, if you truly believe that the dialogue tag is needed, then perhaps you should re-work the spoken line in the first place to be more descriptive.

You may think adverbs are descriptive, but if you eliminate them by altering your language, the result will be tighter and more powerful writing.