Being Beheaded on the Writer’s Block

Welcome to Raya’s Dungeon

Chamber 04  Being Beheaded on the Writer’s Block  (Originally written in 2004 by Sandra Bell Kirchman – updated at bottom)
As many of you know, I am back hard at work on my new novel…a quota of 1,667 words per day (or 50,000 words in a month — it can be done, cuz I’ve done it).I have also received many questions and requests regarding writing…unfortunately, the quota doesn’t allow me the time to answer individually. I hope the following will be acceptable. Putting it in Raya’s Dungeon will trap the unwary…er entice the gullible…er lure the…never mind. Just so it will be readily available for anyone who wants to refer to it. It is a compilation of links and tips for writers, wannabe writers, possible writers, would like to be writers but don’t want to write, and even professional serious writers…or any variation or combination thereof.MY WRITING: I have been writing off and on for *cough cough* years now…have been a print journalist, correspondent (stringer), national newsletter editor, freelance writer, video performer and writer, radio announcer (and wrote my own on-air scripts), radio commercial writer, promotional writer, online writer, and so on. I have sold my writing to police magazines, newspapers, anthologies, in-house and trade magazines. I have sold very little of my fiction (fiction is one of the most competitive markets there are — very difficult to break into), but fiction, especially speculative fiction, is my real love.    Being beheaded at the writer’s block WRITER’S BLOCK: One of the greatest scourges known to writingkind is the dread writer’s block. This horrible affliction originates from the early school years when teachers told you that your writing sucked…or that you had to follow their narrow little guidelines…or you lost points when your literary efforts were marked down because of poor penmanship.   Thus, part of you says…IT… MUST… BE…PERFECT. And it’s not…it never will be. So you stare at the blank page for hours…or distract yourself with all kinds of fascinating time sinks, like research that becomes an end in itself, rather than a means to an end… or cutting your toe nails, planting peonies, playing endless solitaire, calling your ex-girlfriend 3 times removed cuz no one else is home to talk to, and so on. This will then let you say, in all honesty, that you just didn’t have time to write. Of course, deep down you know this is the biggest bunch of **** that ever got deposited in the Great White Gulp, but, in your mind, it is an acceptable rationalization.   OVERCOMING WRITER’S BLOCK: It goes without saying that the only way to become a writer is to write. If you wait for the perfect time to write, you will never be a writer. I know, because I spent a good part of my life waiting for “the perfect time.” You know what? It never came. There was ALWAYS something that I could use to keep me from writing. It was only when I called on all my inner resources and MADE myself write, that I actually wrote. All the planning, and organizing, and researching, and finding the best tools, the best lighting, the best plots, the best feedback, the best time of day, the best…well, you get the idea…did not work. Only making myself write on a REGULAR basis worked. Some of the best fiction stuff I have ever written, which earned personal comments, requests for more of my manuscripts, and encouragement (but no sales alas) from publishers such as Doubleday, was written when I was working two jobs. I got up at 5 am every morning…got a cup of coffee, let the dogs out, and wrote for a solid two and a half hours. Then I would shower, dress and go to work. These early morning sessions comprise some of not only my best literary work but my fondest memories. I loved writing that way…I was up at an ungodly hour when everything else was still…and since I was already up, I might as well write. I did, and my unconcscious unlocked itself to let flow almost perfect prose. I don’t have that discipline anymore. Not even for the blessed Muse will I get up at 5am…so how to achieve that flow of words onto my page (monitor)? Perhaps you don’t have that discipline either. How can you overcome this block that keeps you from being the best-selling author that you know you really are? Well, first you have to know that you not only WANT to write but are DETERMINED to write. You must need to write more than you need to…cut toenails, plant peonies…and so on. If you don’t, then you are a hobby writer. And that’s fine. You can write when the whim takes you…it will amuse you and your friends…and you might even sell a piece or two here and there. But it is unlikely that you will become a professional writer, earning your living by writing. Secondly, you have to hone the tools of your trade…you have to know and use words properly and with authority. Yes, grade school English grammar was a bore, but it gave you tools to build with. Refamiliarize yourself with the tools of your trade…the building blocks of the English language. If you see words you don’t know, look them up. That doesn’t mean you have to intersperse your writing with very erudite words (no, not the EverQuest class), but you do have to know what your words say and how they build moods and themes and drama and suspense. Thirdly, you have to…write. You may not have the 5 am discipline I was talking about earlier…but you have to have some time to write regularly… and that takes writing discipline. Last year, I discovered how to do that… given that the first and second provisos above were valid for me (and they are), then the third one should have been easy. But it isn’t…I have to work at it. Here is one thing that really helped me.NaNoWriMo: This stands for National Novel Writing Month, which happens to be November of each year. A very wise person who was aware of the problems besetting writers came up with the idea of a contest to challenge writers to…write! Chris Baty, a writer himself, knew that writers lay themselves bare…open their innermost thoughts and feelings to the public…often criticized, scorned, and, worst of all, rejected. I think it was Somerset Maugham, who said you cannot be a real writer until you have collected 1,000 rejection slips. Each rejection is a step to success. In any event, rejection is hard to take, no matter how many you get. And it even stops us from writing….so…. NaNoWriMo is open to anyone…professional, amateur, hobbyist. It is not so much a contest as a challenge…to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I decided a couple of years ago to try it. In doing so, I was forced to throw out all my previously cherished ideals…research until I knew my subject backwards and forwards, absolutely perfect writing, characterization, rewriting, recharacterization, replotting….handing out my stuff to others to read, craving the kind word or approval, so I could write some more. It had the reverse effect though. Once I got the praise I looked for, I stopped writing. In NaNoWriMo, I didn’t have time to look for praise…I had to buckle down and write…1,667 words a day to give me 50,000+ words at the end of 30 days. I succeeded because this “contest” didn’t judge my efforts on merit…or style…or perfection…or even being first. It judged me on whether I fulfilled the original criteria…a totally original novel, no part of which had been written before (although it could be based on other ideas), fiction rather than non-fiction, and 50,000 words in length…during the prescribed length of time. Period. I was free. I was also a little crazy (ask my husband). And I did it…as my blurb on the novel states: This online version is the original, unrevised version, fueled by panic, gritty determination, and 22 gallons of coffee, littered by unmade beds, uncooked meals and unspoken conversations with hubby. I have written novels before…never one in 28 days. I didn’t know I could do it. Now I do. Since I know I can do it…I’ve done it before…and it wasn’t half bad either, I can do it again (which is what I am doing now).  Here are some other helpful links, writing job leads, and encouraging sites that have helped me. "Witchcanery" by Sandra Bell kirchman March, 2006, update: Four years later, I am in the process of getting this very novel (Witchcanery) ready for publication. [First edition was published July 1, 2007; second edition was published October, 2008.] This is exciting because it will form the foundation of a new business venture for me, FantasyFic.com. If you are interested, you can keep an eye on its progress here. So, if you think you want to write and don’t know if you have what it takes…try the NaNoWriMo contest next year in November. It doesn’t cost anything and it doesn’t hurt to try. (Note: registration opens Oct. 1st of every year…go here to have a look at this year’s winners and some of the contributions.) OTHER HELPFUL LINKS: 1. Freelance Work Exchange – this place gives you one job lead a week for free. You can also sign up for a 7-day trial period for free. After that, it is $19.95 a month. I found it worth it – most of my non-fiction writing job leads came from there. 2. Writers Net – this place is VERY worthwhile. It is 100% free. In addition to a free email address (with @writers.net as the identifier), it also gives you a spot to list yourself and your writings for prospective clients to see what you have. My writer’s bio is listed here. Through this listing, I have received writing requests from book acquisitions editors and others wanting writing done. If you are serious about writing, I highly recommend you list at this site.   3. TJobs – this is a new one that I haven’t explored very much. You can be listed on this for $10 a year. Looking for the jobs is free. Very reasonable. 4. WritersWeekly – this is my favorite online writing ezine and is free. It bills itself as the largest circulation writing ezine in the world – I believe it, because it is fun, packed with tips on writing and the legalities thereof, and also has a fairly extensive market database. Additionally, it publishes lists of markets to beware of, and stresses (one of my pet peeves) how writers should not write for free. Although the ezine itself is 100% free, it has many features such as offering writing contests ($5 to enter), ebooks for sale, online writing courses, etc. I highly recommend this enjoyable and helpful online newsletter.  5. Writers Market Online – I highly recommend this resource for any writer serious about selling his/her work. This prestigious, award-winning publication is the best market source available in the world, and has all kinds of markets, from consumer mags to book publishers to literary agents to trade mags. It has tons of information about each source, including how much each one pays, address, submission guidelines, needs, etc. It also has a handy little online gadget called a Submission Tracker. This is where I list all my writings, where they have gone, any follow-up needed, etc. It keeps me and my writing organized. The service costs, I believe, around $30 for the online edition only (I bought the hardcopy which includes the online edition – for about $45). If you are serious about selling, you need this service/book.   6. One last thing for people who want to perfect their craft…I took the Institute of Children’s Literature course and graduate course a few years back. Writing for children is the most exacting part of any kind of writing, since the rules are quite strict about what and how to write for various ages of children. It was the best thing I ever did…and I had already been writing for a number of years. It gave me discipline and helped me start selling my fiction writing. If you are interested in honing your skills, I can highly recommend Institute of Children’s Literature (physically located in Redding, Connecticut, but now with an online presence as well).  7. Oh, and if you happen to spot copies of the monthly magazine Writers’ Digest, pick ’em up. They are fun, full of good tips on various kinds of writing, and have good, researched markets. They sell for about $3 each, I believe. 8. Writing blogs – There are tons of writing blogs, many with excellent advice, from many different perspectives.  I haven’t visited a lot of them, but I know of them, and the ones I have read are very good.  Just search for writing blogs and you’ll come up with more than you can handle.  One of them will appeal to you and help you out of your writing funk. For everyone who has a yen to write…do it…do it now! You may have only an anecdote in you…or you might have the great American (Canadian/ Australian/whatever) novel in you. With online writing markets being more and more available, now is a good time to write. Don’t expect to be covered in glory or money anytime soon…but start. One day you very well may be covered in both… February 2011 update:  Lots of things have happened since Witchcanery was published.  I have organized, edited and did the layout for two anthologies as well as contributing a story to each.  The first anthology, In the Shadow of the Burr Oak, did so well that it sold out two print runs.  The second anthology, Birth of a Unicorn and Other Stories, was released in October, 2010, and has been very well received so far. I will be glad to help with writer’s tips or markets or whatever else I know, if I can. Much as I’d like to read your work, I simply don’t have the time. But if you are having difficulty with a passage or need suggestions on how to deal with an unruly character, I would be glad to help…post your request here or send me an email to raya at fantasyfic dot com. If you have any ideas or tips of your own to help with writer’s block or other aspects of writing, feel free to list them here or link them to your blog.
All of the foregoing text is original and copyrighted © 2004 by Sandra Bell Kirchman. All rights reserved. Copying for personal reference only is permitted.

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