WRITER'S BLOCK

So you think you might have writer's block. You can't start that story, or are stuck in the middle of one, or struggling to finish.

We've all heard the term writer's block, but what does that actually mean? For me, it's just a nice way of saying, "I've got no frickin' idea what I'm trying to say or where my story is going."

If you're having trouble starting a book and can't write, it usually means you having spent enough time getting to know your story, and/or your characters. You may need to do some more Preproduction. If you're stuck in the middle, then you've possibly come up against a situation where you don't know how your characters would react. Stuck at the end, obviously means you don't know how your story should end, which again comes back to not knowing how your characters will react.

The best way to get the creative juices flowing is to brainstorm. What I do when I'm stuck is open up a new word doc (you could use a notebook if you prefer to hand-write) title it Problems, and then ask myself lots of questions.

What is the consequence if my character does this....?
My characters need to be here, how can I get them there logically?
Why would my character save the world, when she wants to go to the pub?
What motivates my characters?
What are my characters' worst fears? How can I use that in the story?
Where do I want my characters to be emotionally/physically at the end of the book?

Tailor your questions to the problems your facing in your story. In fantasy, problems can also arise with magic and world building.

What are the rules that magic must adhere to?
Are these rules made by civilisation or physics/nature?
Is having magic a good thing, or a bad thing?
Does having magic make you powerful, or are you shunned?
What is the social structure of the world?
Where do my characters sit in this social structure?
Is the world modern, medieval, ancient, or futuristic?

I find it also helps to look into your characters' pasts. Write up a summary of their life's story.

How did/do they relate to their parents?

Do they have sibling?

Was their childhood a happy or horrible experience?

Most of this information won't end up in your novel, but it can help to understand how your characters will react in different situations. It also helps to know if your characters are proactive or reactive. A proactive character goes out and finds trouble, while a reactive character waits for trouble to come to them. See my blog on Is the World Inherently Lazy for ways to get reactive characters out of their chairs and up saving the world.

So, next time you get stuck go into brainstorming mode and you'll soon find yourself untangling the problem-knots that have been keeping you from progressing in your story.

STAYING MOTIVATED

I don't mean to rub it in when I say that keeping myself motivated to write is not usually a struggle. For me, writing is a bit like breathing; I need to do it to survive. That's not to say I don't have my moments when the words aren't flowing and everything I write is crap. For new writers, it can be difficult to know where to start. For those already writing, sometimes being unable to write is an indication that you need to take a break. However, if you're break has been long enough that it's almost a break-up, here are some tips I've picked up over the years that might be useful to get you writing again.  

Writing groups – find a group, or start one yourself with like minded people, where you can critique each other's work, talk about story ideas, grammar, characters, plot, and other general writing topics. Regular meetings and emails are a great way to keep you inspired, and sometimes it's easier to be accountable to someone else than just yourself.

Writing/critiquing partner – this is like a group, but on a smaller scale. You can spend more time discussing your individual story ideas in one on one situation than you can in a group. It can be invaluable to have at least one person who knows your work as well as you, to help you unravel knots in your story. And vice versa.

Social writing – try getting together with other writing friends and have timed writing sessions in between socialising. You can set writing tasks, or work on your own stories, and then afterwards spend time reading or discussing what you wrote. This is great a way to make yourself write, because everyone else is writing too.

Soak up the creativity of others – by this I mean read a book, watch a movie, listen to music, visit an art gallery. Do something to help get the creativity flowing. Be careful not to use this as a distraction to keep from writing. My suggestion is to tailor your activity around your story. For example, you're writing about dragons find books and images about dragons, go to the museum and study dinosaur bones (I've heard they were related), find music that makes you soar, and so on...

Change your environment – is your house or writing space uninspiring? Charge up your laptop and take it to a park, or the library, or a coffee shop, or anywhere that makes you feel creative (the pub!). If you don't have a laptop (or prefer working on a desktop), surround yourself with inspiring images, changing them regularly if you need to.

Change your style – if you're struggling to write a piece, maybe you're writing in the wrong style or genre. Or maybe you need a break from the style in which you've been writing. If you write in third person, change to first. If you write fantasy try horror or historical romance. Write only novels? Try short stories or poetry.  

Pen and paper – sometimes putting the computer away and going back to basics can help change your thought process.  For many of you reading this post, handwriting has been your friend longer than typing. You have to use different muscles in your hand, and I've read that it's good for your brain. Almost all of the books I've written have an accompanying exercise-book in which I brainstorm and draw maps (badly) and come up with character names. 

 

Write – my last tip may sound counter-intuitive. You're trying to find ways to help you write, right? I've found that starting can be like pushing a boulder up a hill. Momentum is very important when it comes to being creative. When you stop, you lose momentum and the boulder slips down the hill. The longer you leave it the harder it gets to stand back up and push that boulder. But the only way to get the boulder up that hill is to start pushing. It's going to be painful at first and you may think every word you write is crap, but the longer you write the more you increase your momentum and the easier it gets.  

Good luck, and please feel free to share any tips you may have for keeping yourself motivated.

The Next Big Thing

A good writer friend of mine, Chris McMahon, has tagged me for the Next Big Thing blog chain. It has been my experience that the writing community is very supportive and friendly. The Next Big Thing blog is a fantastic way of spreading the word of other fabulous writes, as well as getting some insight into their latest project, by answering 10 questions. At the end, you'll see the links to other brilliant writers also participating. Please check them out.

Here are my answers to the Next Big Thing question:

1) What is the working title of your next book?

The title of my current book is The Scroll – Book one of The Gifts of Haythia.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea came from a dream. In the dream I was on the front lawn of a suburban house (green grass), when suddenly there was an explosion. I realised that an assassin had tried to kill someone inside the house. Furthermore, the assassin had a list of names of people who were to be killed – an assassin's list. When I woke up I thought about how I could put that idea into a fantasy setting.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Epic, adult fantasy.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

That's a hard question to answer. I don't tend to spend much time thinking about that. I did think at one time that Sam Worthington would be a good fit for my lead male, Katch. But I'd be just as happy with an unknown actor, as long as they were passionate about what they were doing.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Closer to death is he who bears the scroll of Haythia.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I'm not considering self publishing at this time.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

It took me about 7-8 months to do the first draft, which weighed in at around 140,000 words. Edits have since cut back many of those words.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I can't think of a specific book, but it's definitely a traditional fantasy in that there is magic, epic journeys and mighty battles.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

There was nothing specific that inspired me to write this book, other than my dream and my love of writing. I rarely go a day without doing some kind of writing activity, be it actual writing, editing, plotting or research. I just love it.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

I have a capacity to go a little dark and gruesome. The Scroll is no exception. If you're into beastly human like creatures (otherwise known as demons) trying to destroy humanity than this book is for you.

For more great authors,  please check out Nicky Strickland, Kathleen Noud, Damon Cavalchini and Sharon Phillips.

ADULT CONTENT – Writing a Sex Scene Part 3

So we've decided whose having sex, we've set the mood and chosen a location. All that's left is the nitty gritty, blow by blow details of what goes on under the sheets. I should give a language warning: everything from this point on will be written in English. In other words, let no word be taboo. As writers, we have a responsibility to be honest, cheeky, bold, daring, challenging, and so much more. So when it comes to writing about sex, don't be afraid to go places we know exist.

Description: How Far Do You Go?

How in depth should your sexual description be? Do you give a blow by blow encounter? Do you use words such as breasts, penis, vagina, cocks, hard on, nipples, tongues? Are orgasms allowed? Should they be metaphoric?

To answer these questions, you have to first ask yourself: what audience am I writing for? Traditional fantasy tends to be less graphic, with short sex scenes. That's not to say you can't be creative, just keep it simple and clean. In adult fantasy, don't be afraid to use words such as penis and orgasm and breasts, but maybe use them sparingly. If you're looking to push some boundaries and lean towards the erotic, you descriptions can be more graphic.

The approach I take depends on the characters' investment with one another. The more connected they are (or become throughout the story) the more sensual the sex scene. For encounters that are less emotion, you may want to be rough, or jarring. Think about your characters. Think about how comfortable they are with sex and use their emotions to dictate how graphic your descriptions are. If they're uncomfortable using sexual language, then don't use it. And vice-versa. There are no set rules, so have fun with it.

Masturbation and other sexual taboos.

The last point I want to make relates to all the other sexual taboos we tend to avoid, for whatever reason. There are some that are touchy subjects; paedophilia, bestiality, necrophilia to name a few. If you feel there's a need for a taboo in your story, then I say use it. DO NOT use a taboo for the purpose of sensationalising your book. Like anything in writing, if you can't justify having it in the story, take it out.

In conclusion, by acknowledging unfettered sexual needs and desires within your character you make them far more realistic. People think about sex, there's no pretending otherwise. Where you take those sexual desires is up to you.

ADULT CONTENT - Writing a Sex Scene Part 2

In my last blog I wrote about the importance of deciding who of your characters are going to have sex and with whom. Once you've decided, you need to think about the state of mind of your characters are in and the mood surrounding their sexual encounter.

Set The Mood

Ideally, you want to show the emotional state of your characters and the connections they're sharing with their sexual partner. I ask myself questions like: has there been so much pent up sexual tension that the lovers rip each other's clothes off and they do it in front of the neighbours? Is the romance forbidden, so that they must hide away? Is the interlude brief, undone buttons, lifted skirts? Do they have to be quiet? Do they scare the pigeons from the rafters with their expression of love? Is there seduction? Is there force?

The characters' nature will have a direct impact on the mood. Are they a gentle soul? Cheeky? Do they hold a grudge against someone/something? The better you know your characters, the more realistic the sex scene. Remember to keep your characters true to their nature. Don't force them to be tender if they struggle with intimacy. If they're naturally shy, don't have them be a Casanova in bed and so on. You can, however, allow hidden characteristics to shine through. The tough warrior who just wants to be loved, might show his gentle side. The princess who uses sex to get what she wants can be vulnerable in the arms of the man she loves. Use your characters' personality to help set the mood.

Location

I'm going to tack location onto the end of this post because it is in part a player when it comes to mood. Locations can be great to play around with. Not all of your sex scenes have to take place in the bedroom. Think about it, you're in the barn ripping off your lover's clothes... do you really care if you make it back to the bedroom? Well maybe you do and maybe you don't. 

Do pigeons flutter from the rafters? Is it so dark you can't see your lover's face? Are you working up a sweaty froth in the humid weather? Is the snow hardening parts of your body you'd rather not talk about?

When writing period/medieval based fantasy, you have to remember that there probably wasn't a lot of privacy back in the ye old days. So be aware that storerooms, bathrooms, kitchen tables, tree branches, etc... all make wonderful places for a sexual interlude. Use your imagination. Make it as awkward, or uncomfortable, or unusual as possible. And don't forget to have fun.

Part 3: How far can you go descriptively?