Creative Block and Writing

Creative block.  Ugh.  There's no excuse but when it hits, it hits hard.  The blank page stares back at you.  The white, glaring computer screen flashes in your face, mocking your lack of inspiration, increasing your perspiration.

Some writers advise to 'just keep on writing!'  Write anything, any piece of drivel that falls onto the page or the screen, as long as you continue to write.  My brain comprehends that, but my heart just feels too weary to continue the battle.

That's what struck me about the Agatha Christie quote you see above.  Inspiration can come at the oddest times and in the oddest places -- doing dishes, digging in the garden, waiting on line at the grocery store.  It comes in waves or it can dribble in like a slow leak.  

The thing is to be ready for it.  Some artists sketch on napkins; some writers scribble a few indiscernible notes on the back of a receipt.  But here's the thing:  I think the physical act of writing, whether it be with a pen or pencil, crayon or eyeliner pen, makes the mind retain the essence of the inspiration.  The kinetic movement of hand and instrument at the time of your flash makes the body and the mind remember more effectively.

So, yes, many of us dream of our "ideal" writing space -- perfect desk, perfect pen or laptop, perfect chair and cup of tea or java, perfect view (god, isn't this an awesome spot to write?) . . .
 

. . . but in the end it's simply capturing those flashes of inspiration on slips of paper and then plopping one's butt in the chair and writing.  When hitting those raw spots that are difficult to get through, move to long-hand writing.  Again, the physical act may prompt an even greater flow of thoughts and ideas, characterizations and plotting.  If editing and revising, that is a different process all together -- and I'll write more on that in a few days.  

What do you do to move through a creative block?

Share your tips with the rest of us!

Take a hint from Mr. Bradbury:

Don’t start out writing novels. They take too long. Begin your writing life instead by cranking out “a hell of a lot of short stories,” as many as one per week. Take a year to do it; he claims that it simply isn’t possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row. He waited until the age of 30 to write his first novel, Fahrenheit 451.

 

Stuff your head. To accumulate the intellectual building blocks of these metaphors, he suggests a course of bedtime reading: one short story, one poem and one essay. These essays should come from a diversity of fields, including archaeology, zoology, biology, philosophy, politics, and literature. “At the end of a thousand nights,” so he sums it up, “you’ll be full of stuff!”

I'm going to try some of these tips -- write swift, write short; diverse reading
to expand the old gray cells.  Works for me!
 

Ray Bradbury, recipient of the 2000 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2004 National Medal of Arts, and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, died on June 5, 2012, at the age of 91 after a long illness. He lived in Los Angeles.  A prolific author of hundreds of short stories and close to fifty books, as well as numerous poems, essays, operas, plays, teleplays, and screenplays, Bradbury was one of the most celebrated writers of our time. His groundbreaking works include Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. He wrote the screen play for John Huston's classic film adaptation of Moby Dick, and was nominated for an Academy Award.

Hero Material:

When beginning to imagine my stories I find it helpful to have some kind of visual image to work with, be it the hero and/or the heroine. But let's face it, in romance novels, the male often drives the story, the passion, the love. 

Obviously, because I am a female author, I suppose. 

 So who inspires you for a hero? Stop by my pinterest board ("Who's Your Hero?") and survey the candidates; I'm sure I'll be adding more! 

Richard Armitrage

Jonas Armstrong

Julian Sands

Alfred Molina

Al Pacino

So? Any one particularly strike you? I think all but, of course, that's too many heroes in one story!  I guess I'll just have to write more!    :-)

Where do you write?

Wouldn't it be lovely?

Where do you like to write?  Do you have a favorite place in your home or outdoors?  How important is this space to you?

As a writer and painter, I tend to be very protective of my space.  It's not an ideal spot but it is mostly my space in the lower level of the house I share with my husband and son. 

It's a very female space, too.  They can have their man caves, but my space is colorful and filled with objects I love -- yarns, paints, beads, sewing machines, journals, fabrics and, of course, my computer.  This space works well in the winter (it's the warmest spot in the house) and in the dead of summer (it's the coolest spot in the house). 
 
But it's also part of the laundry area.  Ugh.  And the windows are small and let in very little natural light.  Double Ugh.

Now this can sometimes be a good thing as no one truly wants to go down there except to throw in a load of laundry; thus, I have the space pretty much to myself, which is good for creativity.

But as I look through the images I loaded onto my new Pinterest board -- "Writing Spaces" --  I yearn for a small space with lots of windows and natural light.  A space where I can lock the door and keep everyone out, at least for a few hours. 

We're getting a new outdoor shed delivered in a few weeks and I'm hoping to take over half of the space.  There are two windows, of which one will be mine.  And I dream of putting a small writing desk under that window, along with a creaky old chair and some comfy cushions.  Perhaps a small set of shelves to hold my journals and other books.

And so this summer will be the test to see if this "accommodation" works.  At least I'll be outside with natural light, warm breezes and my garden.  I'll just ignore the lawn mower and tools sitting on the other side of the shed.

Perhaps a large Japanese folding screen?  Oh, yeah -- works for me!

“A woman must have money and a room of her own

if she is to write fiction.”

― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

Overcoming Writer's Block:

The writing process.  What does that mean?  How does it work or what if it doesn't work?  Staring at a blank white page or computer screen or a blank canvas can be daunting.  Whether one is a writer or an artist or a composer or poet, the blankness can be the greatest hurdle.

But once past the 'blankness' or 'whiteness' of the medium and words begin to appear, page after page, I think we sometimes fall into that zone where we actually believe, "Hey, this is easy!"

Let me caution you (and myself) -- that is definitely a DUH moment.  Because sooner or later, we hit that "great swampy middle", as Jim Butcher described it, and the creativity comes to a screeching halt.  We slam into boredom, frustration and befuddlement.

Over the years I have taught writing to college freshmen (talk about a challenge to creativity) and have coached several writing groups.  More often than not, the writing group kept my own level of creativity alive with their energy and eagerness.

But now I'm writing for myself, hoping to publish within the next few months, probably going the route of self-publishing an ebook or two first, then tackling the traditional route of agent / publisher.  This can be a lonely process, isolation closing in, as well as the lurking sense of 'will they like it?' or 'how many more words in the count do I need to finish the first draft?'  Nothing can stymie the creative flow than worrying about things like that.

I thought I'd share some books that have helped me over creative slumps --

This one I have not read yet, but it's on the "To Read" list:

And some favorite quotes to inspire:

 

"What we call the beginning is often the end.

And to make an end is to make a beginning.

The end is where we start."

T. S. Eliot

Do you judge a book by its cover?

I don't know about you, but I'm a bit tired of seeing thousands of book covers (not just romance) filled with women in gowns either sprawled across the cover or running off toward the distance, their heads partially cut off.

I suppose it a kind of "branding" thing that publishers know works like a charm when choosing a book by its cover (pardon the pun).  So I decided to play around a bit (yes, I know I should be writing) to see if there are any unique types for cover designs -- not necessarily for regency or romance, but mainly for romance.  Here are some variations that I think show potential --

This image I pulled from Amy Rose Bennett's site (New Zealand) and, although it's another woman in a beautiful gown running away from the viewer, I liked the atmospheric aspect of this image.  Is she in fear?  Is she playing the tease?  The brooding landscape hints at maybe a Highland setting or maybe the French countryside.  Don't know, but I like it.  If I was a reader, I'd put my hands on this book because of the suggestion of intrigue!

Now, if I was writing something more contemporary, I don't want rippling six-packs plastered across the book cover (this must be my catholic school upbringing rearing its head).  If I want romance, I'd go with something more like these, mostly taken from Pinterest boards about dance, especially the Tango --

Now this would be a totally cool book cover!

Another great book cover, seductive, suggestive.  Phew, I'd grab this one of the shelf in a heart beat. Maybe a suspense romance set between the Wars, a la 1930s Paris? 

And what about the younger generation, the New Adult market (18-30)?  Here's something a bit grungier, edgier:

"Dancing is the vertical expression
of a horizontal desire." (George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950)   

I believe Mr. Shaw got that one right!  

Enjoy!

Sources of Inspiration

I've been working on my first Regency romance novel and, although I've read most of Jane Austen and seen so many of the excellent BBC movie variations, one still needs a bit of inspiration when working through the writing.

It's usually those small details, descriptive of the landscape or the manor house, that gives a work that added level of veracity, of impact for the reader.  Why else would readers want historical romance?  I have to think that it's the time period that intrigues, a bit like a time tunnel.  Go ahead, pick your period -- there's probably a romance set in each one.

That's why I love Pinterest.  If you can control the time spent on the great "P" -- and that's a big "if" -- there's so much out there to help spark those imaginative ideas or get a writer over the hurdle of writer's block.  Here's a few that I chose to help keep me churning out those words:

Image captured from Pinterest

Wouldn't this be the best image for the heroine as she enter's his lordship's grounds? Her first glimpse of his world . . . Stay or go, stay or go? Did I remember to pack those diamonds?  

Another shot of a classic Georgian-style manor house on a lovely English summer day --

And of course no English manor house would be complete without the venerable Rose Garden (this one was designed by Capability Brown).

Another source of inspiration and information are the British magazines that are now popping up at Barnes & Nobel and other larger bookstores.  This is one of my favorites, not only for the gorgeous images but also for the information on places, names, etc.

Of course, there is a word of warning:  between Pinterest and these magazines, you could spend your entire writing time immersed in viewing/reading!  What was that word count last time I looked?