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How to unstick your stuck words

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Overcoming writers block
According to wikipedia, writer’s block is a condition in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some “blocked” writers have been unable to work for years on end, and some have even abandoned their careers.

If you write, you’ve been there. You’ve stared at the computer screen, closed your eyes and pleaded for something — anything — to reignite your creativity and get your fingers flying across the keys.

Call is fear. Call if doubt. Call it distraction. Whatever it is, get used to it. It’s all part of being a writer.

So what can you do to get “unstuck”?

  • Write every day. Establish a routine. Park yourself in the chair and show up.
  • Stop thinking so much. Don’t worry about whether it’s good or not. Just write.
  • Think about writing as a “regular” job. You’re on the clock, so work.
  • Give yourself breaks.
  • Take a writing workshop or attend a writer’s retreat.
  • Set deadlines and goals. Reward yourself when you meet them.
  • Write about a “true” experience. Just write it down. It’s a good way to exercise your writing muscles.

Looking for more tips on getting “unstuck”? Check out this great post I found this morning on Write it Sideways.

If you’ve found a way to break through your writer’s block, share it here!

image: Drew Coffman

Some of My Favorite Writers

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I posted this article on my writing blog (the blog that I’m supposed to be writing in every day to share my daily writing progress…but am not…doing either, that is…long story…), and I then I thought maybe it might be worthwhile talking about this topic: Where do you find your inspiration for writing? Or maybe, it’s “Who inspires you to be a “better” writer?”

looking for inspiration

Maybe it’s a famous writer, like J.K. Rowling or Stephen King ? Or maybe it’s your Aunt Martha or your 6th grade English teacher. We are always going to be inspired by someone, more than one someone, and today, I’m sharing just a couple of my sources of inspiration.

First: the obvious ones. I’ll get those out of the way first:

  • My husband, who is one of the most supportive, go-with-the-flow guys I know. I’m inspired by his ability to live a life of complete balance. And I wouldn’t even be a writer if I didn’t have you in my life. Truly.
  • My kids, who have provided me with plenty of fodder for characters and such. Thanks for being clever, and funny, and just plain weird sometimes. It’s all good.

And, now, because I’m a giver…here are some new friends. You inspire me in different, and totally surprising ways.

I hope you enjoy reading their work as much as I do.

Colleen Friesen
In her words, Canadian-writer, Colleen Friesen is “..a cappuccino and travel junkie. Like the collages I love to hammer, glue and sew together in my Sechelt studio,my writing is often a collection of ephemera, transitory images, random thoughts and events that happen wherever I find myself  in the world.”

Colleen’s blog is a treat for me every day. I blame her, in truth, for distracting me from my own writing. Where I used to wake inspired to “write the damn book,” I now pour myself a cup of coffee and click over to Colleen’s blog to get my daily dose of inspiration. She’s an amazing wordsmith, and you’d be a fool not to take my advice and click over there — do it now I say — and subscribe to her daily posts. She’s that good.

Follow her blog here.

Dina Santorelli
I “met” Dina recently. When I found her blog, “Making Baby Grand-The Novel” this “timeline” jumped out at me: “The Making ‘Baby Grand’ blog is born as a way to chronicle the writing process and share my trials and tribulations as a first-time novelist as I finish the writing of this book. Or maybe as a creative way to procrastinate. Not sure.”

A kindred spirit, to be sure. And as I’ve followed her progress, I’m inspired by her enthusiasm, and her progress. She’s actually done it. I aspire to get to where she is now. Check out her blog to find out more and follow Dina’s next steps as she continues the journey to publishing her novel.

Linda Sands
Not only is Linda an incredible, award-winning writer – her short stories have been published in dozens of literary publications over the years — she’s an accomplished novelist and is always looking for ways to help other writers realize their dreams. You go girl!

She’s the founder and editor of scratch — “the writing contest that itching to discover new talent,” and partner in Write by the Water retreats for women If you haven’t read Linda’s ebook, Simple Intent , be sure to put it on her list, and follow the blog. Her smart and witty style will make you smile (and maybe blush a little). :)

There are so many great writers forging their way in this new world of blogging. And how great is it that we can share our work–ebooks, travel articles, random blog posts — with countless readers every day. Amazing.

Do you follow a writing blog that you’d like to share? Someone you connect with or who just makes you smile through their blog articles? I’d love to add them to my list. Let me know!

photo: Tom J Byrne

Santa Rosa Beach Writers Retreat: Day Five

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Day five of our five-day retreat finds the writers still writing.

We have had the most amazing group of writers on this retreat. Each one of them have brought something so valuable to our first retreat. Among our group of women writers, there are fiction writers, memoir writers, travel writers, and a writer who is searching for her own unique voice – the right fit for her. Jack Riggs has done an incredible job guiding our group during their short stay with us at Sunset Beach. He’s given them truth. He’s given them direction. And maybe, just maybe, he’s given some of them the strength to believe in themselves.

Writing can be a lonely pastime. Linda and I built this retreat so that writers could connect with each other in an environment that supports the belief of dreams. And after these five days, I feel like we’ve accomplished that. The group have not only learned from Jack Riggs, they have dug deep, in those quiet hours alone in their corner of the house, and they’ve learned about themselves–and what they can accomplish.

We spent more time together today than we have throughout the week. Nicole bellied up to the breakfast bar and clicked away on her laptop the entire morning, stopping only to chime in on a conversation or ask a question. She was in the writing zone. It felt like she had come full circle since the day she walked into our retreat, unsure of what to expect (and who to expect), weighed down with enough clothes for a week, even though she signed up for just the weekend. At the end of her weekend stay, she wasn’t ready to leave, and we were happy to have her stay with the group!

Be Nice or Leave Colleen likened us to a “writerly version of Friends,” which was one of the greatest compliments she could share. We connected, during these few days together. This group of writers we brought together — different in every way possible — but similar in more ways than I can count. Bouncing ideas off each other. Reading scenes and clips from novel drafts…how could you not connect?

As the day progressed, one by one, the writers made their exit. There were lots of hugs, and it was tough to see each of them leave. With a promise to reconnect, either by Internet or otherwise, we bid farewell to our first group of attendees. What an amazing experience it’s been for all of us.

Write by the Water Retreats -Writers Linda Sands and Gwen MorrisonWe can’t wait to welcome our next group of writers in North Carolina this February!

Santa Rosa Beach Writers Retreat: Day Four

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The highlight of the day, according to our group of writers, was the Skype call with Josh Getzler, literary agent at Russell and Volkening. Having an opportunity to talk face-to-face (okay, face to computer?) with a New York agent is one of the big perks of the retreat. Anyone who’s ever been to a conference or workshop knows that the age-old question on the tongues of every writer in the room is this: “How do you find an agent?”

Josh was awesome. He shared the process for querying an agent and gave our writers some insight into the business side of writing. Valuable information that I know all the writers will tuck away until they are ready to release their finished work into the world.

Writer's writing at the beach

Writer's writing

[/caption]The afternoon was spent writing. Writers walked on the beach. Writers hung out on the back porch and lounged next to the pool with laptops propped up, fingers flying across the keys.

This last full day of the retreat went by far too quickly. Dinner at The Red Bar – with good food, music, and more Canadians — and the day came to a close. It will be hard to say good-bye to our writers — our new friends. Facebook friend requests have been sent, and photos have been tagged. Business cards have been exchanged and websites have been linked…surely we will find a way to stay connected.

You know what they say…”You always remember your first.”

Santa Rosa Beach Writers Retreat: Day Three

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Day three of the Write by the Water writers retreat started with a morning talk with Jack, and then the group went their separate ways to work on writing projects. Some printed their pages and took them to the beach where the sound of the waves caressing the shoreline provided the perfect background, while others stretched out on the living room couch with their laptop.

Jack Riggs at Sundog bookWe gathered back at the house early afternoon and headed over to SunDog Books at Seaside for the scheduled book signing and reading.

Jack read from The Fireman’s Wife; Martha Payne read from her book Put Him In Coach; Linda Spear read from her novel I Know You By Heart and Colleen Friesen read from her work-in-progress.

Seaside is the town that was the backdrop for “The Truman Show,” a movie about a man who lived his life on the set of a TV show.

After a quick lunch at Pickles Beachside Grill, it was back to the house for some quiet writing time.

Brett the lifesaver
Jack and Nicole ventured off to the beach for their one-on-one writer’s chat, and hours later they showed up at the door with Brett, the random stranger-turned-hero who brought the pair home after they ventured too far from “home” and couldn’t find their way back. Grateful to have our friend re-join us at the beach house, safe and sound, we loaded Brett-the-lifesaver (according to Jack…who could be exaggerating slightly — he’s a writer, after all and lies for a living) down with books before sending him on his way.

Dinner with Write by the Water retreatersColleen made dinner for the group: Spagetti, garlic bread, and an incredible salad (see the “weirdest thing of the day” below). Our bellies full, we spent the rest of the evening chatting, listening to Jack play the guitar and sing old country songs (okay, old to some of us…), and even managed to squeeze in a round of Win, Lose or Draw before finally calling it a day.

A lively end to a perfectly perfect writing day.

Weirdest thing of the day (WTOD)
Today’s WTOD is not so much a “thing” but the “weirdest thing overheard at the Write by the Water writers retreat.

“Damn it, I just can’t eat blurry food!”