Archive for the 'Writer’s block' Category

Struggling to write

I guess most people have days when they are really feeling terrible. I do. Too often it seems. If you are one of those people who don’t struggle like this then be truly thankful. You have a life that is indeed truly blessed.

Some days the words just flow almost effortlessly. Some days the ideas for writing come storming into my mind (it’s a bit like a hurricane in there at times). Some days I am filled with energy and could write non-stop forever.

Then there are days like yesterday.

Nothing.

Zilch.

And on top of that there came some bad news in the evening from my daughter which shook me to the core. She’s alright – the situation is not insurmountable. What shook me was the sudden flood of memories from twenty years ago when I experienced a similar situation.

I must admit I didn’t handle it well. I was very emotional for most of the night and slept very little. I thought I was over the incident – twenty years should heal old wounds. Wrong.

Today will be one of those days when I will attempt to push through the emotions, ignore the tiredness and focus totally on my writing. Concentrated activity is often a good cure for situations like this. What I write might not be award winning stuff but it will be far better than wallowing in a bad mood. The act of actually doing something can build its own momentum.

That’s what I will try.

Good writing.

Related Articles:

Overcoming Writer’s Block

All writers seem to suffer from the affliction known as writer’s block at some stage in their careers. I’ve even written about it myself here.

For a light hearted look at the problem, and some easy solutions try reading the hints in this article:

Writing Hint #24: Overcoming writer’s block

Do you need some help overcoming the dreaded writer’s block?

Normally this affliction does not worry me much, though sometimes I struggle with my writing due to having a B.A.D.D. (Beastly* Awful Diabetic Day). I find that doing something very different often helps, like doing some extra reading, trying to solve the cryptic crossword in the newspaper, going for a walk, weeding the garden. Sometimes I get so irrational I wash the dishes.

Ten Practical Solutions

John on his blog called All About Blogs and Blogging has written a very useful article called Overcoming Writer’s Block – 10 Practical Solutions. I’ve done some of the things he has suggested and I know they work.

Try them.

*When I’m having a really, REALLY bad day this word is replaced by another expletive commonly used by many Australians.

Sixteen Scintillating Short Story Starters

Darren Rowse over at ProBlogger has a group writing project on again this week. He has asked for submissions of lists.

Here is a short list of sixteen super, scintillating, stunning and simply sensational short story starters for writers. Try them. Let me know how they go – and if you get anything published – good luck.

And if you should be blessed enough to get a royalty cheque or two, you can send me a commision for the idea!

Sixteen Scintillating Short Story Starters:

  1. “It was a dark and stormy…” oops – that’s been used before.

Let’s start again…

  1. Harry was puzzled when the door didn’t open.
  2. The headlights were coming straight towards Peter and he couldn’t move.
  3. Only the flimsy wall of my tent separated me from the low rumbling growl.
  4. I was not expecting what was waiting for me just as I rounded the corner.
  5. Rosalie stifled her scream and cowered under the blanket.
  6. Those last few steps seemed the most difficult I had ever made in my life.
  7. As I read the contents of the letter, I was aware of the smile on my face.
  8. It happened so quickly I had no time to think, only react.
  9. Jenny finally became agitated by the monotonous ticking of the ornate clock on the mantlepiece.
  10. John stared open-mouthed as the ball soared majestically over the fence.
  11. Wendy didn’t see the danger ahead.
  12. Paul couldn’t resist shouting out his joy.
  13. The eagle swooped low over the trees.
  14. I didn’t know until that moment that Nell was so afraid of spiders.
  15. Greg closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and jumped.
  16. It was not the birthday gift I was expecting.

Just to show how generous I can be, here is a bonus idea:

  • Suddenly, nothing happened – but it happened suddenly.

Happy writing.

Check out my own short fiction here.

More writing hints can be found here.

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Check out my other blogs:

Update: for a complete list of my short story starters click here.