Writers Corner

A Minor Character Turns Into Major Writing

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Writing is something I’ve loved to do for as long as I can remember, but at times it makes the brain hurt and you have to step away and relax.  It’s been two months since I last posted something on the blog and it’s due to needing a break, so that is exactly what I did.  No writing…”Well Almost” No writing!  It’s really hard for a writer not to write at all and completely disconnect.

After a fantastic summer vacation with my family, and some much needed R&R I am finally back in the swing of things and I’m getting my writing schedule back. Coming back from this two month break of writing on my book, I decided to break things down in my handy little notebook and see what notes I had been keeping and little to do’s I had tucked away. One note really stood out as it said “Not all of your characters are created equal”.  Hmmm is really the sound that I made because I couldn’t remember why I had written the note.

Lucky for me as I’m writing I make notations on my pages in the book that point back to the note I just made in my handy little notebook, just for occasions like this!  Meaning I’m forgetful and I know it, so I have to do quirky little things to help myself remember where I left off at.

The Minor Character Role

Today is really a break down of what that note meant and hopefully some good tips when writing in minor characters in a story.

First and foremost these characters make up the heart of your story so it’s also important for the readers to grab a hold of who will be important and who will not.  Major characters are the store setters and people you want to follow along with in the story right?  Well as a writer sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in writing these “Minor” characters and forget they are just placeholders at times.

So where is the dividing line between major and minor characters? There isn’t one. The different levels blend into each other, and as you master those writing techniques, you’ll be able to create and better define each minor character for the importance it holds to the story.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a background character breaking stereotype and having a little light pointed their way.  When this happens, this character is no longer part of that background group and the readers have noticed them.  They are also going to expect this character to have some growing moments in the story.

The readers may not care much about this character as he isn’t expected to play a major role in the story. He might be involved in some of the action, but he also might disappear. Still, his individuality will set a mood, add humor, make the underlying story more interesting and complete. The way to make such characters instantly memorable without leading the audience to expect them to do more is to make them eccentric, exaggerated or obsessive.

As you play around with how these minor characters stand out in the story use the ideas of making them eccentric, or exaggerate their personality or even make them some crazy obsessive compulsive jerk. Don’t be shy when writing these characters in your story!  Make sure you are also keeping track of who and where these minor characters fall in place to the storyline.  Rank them per say from least important background, through the minor characters, major characters, all the way up to the protagonist of the story!

Look at the personalities of your characters, who are they, how do they interact, are they changing as the story grows, and who will end up being a minor and major character?

Have fun, enjoy the writing, and as for myself…. I have a lot of work to do on the minor characters in my book!

Best of luck to all the writers out there!

Until next time

The Journey of Writing a Fantasy Novel

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chapter 1Have you ever asked yourself what it’s like to write a novel, or how one goes about it?  So have I, and I’ve learned that each has to find there own way of bringing the inner creative writer to paper.

I’ve been working on a book series for several years now, almost four to be exact, but I haven’t spent the entire four years just writing.  I learned a long time ago planning goes a long way in being successful when plotting a story, or any thing you write.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion and love for writing, but it wasn’t until a few years ago I even thought about trying to get any of my material published.  Honestly, I can’t even take credit for the idea of seeking a publisher, as my wife is the one who has talked me into it.

Currently I am working on book one in a series that I started years ago and as I said before….it has been a lot of planning, character plotting, long nights of staring at a blank screen with nothing other then a hot cup of coffee, or twelve that gets accomplished.  One might ask, after so long do you ever feel like giving up or even quitting?  The honest answer is YES and NO….yes it’s hard to find time to write when you work in another full time job, have three children, a wife, and other responsibilities that come before a hobby.  At times it is frustrating when you hit a wall and have absolutely no words, direction, or even a faint hint of where you need to go next in the story you so passionately want to get finished.

The biggest thing that helps keep me grounded in the perspective of writing, is my wife and three children!  My wife continually gives me feedback on my writing, both good and sometimes BAD, and these stories were originally birthed for my children as bedtime stories.  This idea kept in mind has pulled me through frustration, and the itch to quit at times and has allowed me to plot out the first five books in the series.  Having almost finished the first book I have noticed the light at the end of the tunnel syndrome…..and getting to see ones story come to life on the pages is quite overwhelming!

So, I write all this to say, if you are a writer of whatever genre then here are some writing tips I’ve learned along the way.  These have come from my own mistakes, my successes, and even mentors I’ve had over the years of how to put things in perspective and keep yourself on track!

Evaluate the Writing Style

If you have a love for writing, then you may find yourself slave to the writing itself. Remember you are the one doing the writing, and it is possible to create a schedule that doesn’t engulf your entire life around writing.  You do have a life, so go live it!  If writing is a job you wish to pursue and have as your job in life, then dedicate time to it, learn new ways of writing, evaluate how you come about writing.  Try writing in different areas away from the home.  A change in scenery can be a world changer for a writer as it helps open the creative flow.

Getting Ideas on Paper  

Do you have some good ideas or a potential story brewing in your head?  Sit down and make sure you write those ideas out on paper.  Typically you would have a character, or character in mind and a place in which these ideas would evolve over time.  They would be centered around some major events, like a war or even someones death.  Once you have the main ideas or plot of the story written out, start asking simple questions, like, “why?” “when did this happen?” “how?” and move onto more detailed questions like, “How did this affect the lands?” “Who is to take blame for this event?” etc…. Once you have these ideas sorted out, pass them onto a friend, fellow writer, etc to pick apart and ask them for a honest opinion.  In the end, this process can help you determine the the major plot lines of the story, where will the main focus of characters and development be, and even sub-plot lines.  All these things added together help you make the story become whole.

World and Places Come to Life

Where will your fantasy creations live? Is this a made up world that you’ve created, or is this some parallel universe with mystical creatures full of big tales to be told?  There are absolutely no limits on what the imagination can create.  Decide what places your story will be centered around and take into note the previous of letting another review your ideas. Go into detail when creating your world….the races, animals, plants, rivers, lakes, you name it and make sure you list it.

Keep a Notebook and Write it All Down

Never ever leave the house without your notebook.  You never know when you will have this amazing idea pop into your head for the fantasy novel to come.  Write it all down: Your main character, the major events, the kind of world it is, you name it, because all these ideas will come together and firm the story up.  Trust me it’s awful to have this fantastic idea pop into your head and find that you have absolutely nothing to write it down on.

Don’t Be Afraid to Change Things 

Always, Always, Always, take a look at the major underlying plot that everything centers around. Make sure that everything you’ve created centers around this plot because it’s easy to wonder off into a wild rabbit hole. Look at the major event or events and don’t be afraid to mold it, change it, as you have to make this event believable to the readers.  This is what your entire novel hinges on and if the plot line doesn’t make sense, or doesn’t hold the readers attention… well… I think we know what happens next.  Work on other characters who help build the plot line and your protagonist on his/her journey. Not every hero needs to be a loner and he/she could vary in anyway you want.  They may have a family, they may be cold at heart and emotionless until someone comes along they care about.  You name it! Don’t make your story revolve only around your character. Show the feelings of the people around your protagonist and how their decisions affect them. Don’t make a story of one person; make a story about the journey of one person.  Learn how to join sub plots and other events to the major plot line. These could be a birth of a child, or as in my book the birth of multiple children based around a prophecy.  These events will cause your story to have a sense of feeling, emotion, and building that brings the reader closer to the characters and story.  Make sure your characters grow over time in the stories, as the experiences should help mold and make them into who they are to become. After pulling things together, don’t be afraid to make changes (subtle or drastic) to your characters, and story. Make obstacles in your character’s life. Not everything will be easy for him/her. Make sure you’re writing a fantasy novel, not a walk in the park that becomes boring to read.

Creating Your Visual Fantasy World 

This is one of my favorite things to do in bringing a story to a visual understanding!  Grab a piece of paper and a pencil. It’s time to start drawing out what you see in your head. Do a ton of research on land, rivers, map creation etc… If you’re planning to build a world from root, start drawing simple lines. You can make seas, oceans, lakes, mountains, and other strange factors in your world. Draw the lines of kingdom’s lands and empires. Put post-its and other notes on your map to locate some events. Remember: your map doesn’t have to be well made. Be free to use any materials you like, and have fun!

Deep Rooted History 

Do you plan on having a deep history and timeline in your story? Plot out a chronology of your story as this could help aid the reader and bring them closer to the events going on. Plot out the events that appear in your book, or just stories of other events that will indirectly explain the ones in your plot. Don’t think it’s a waste of time to build a world which, for the most part, won’t appear in the book. It’s important for the reader to know that the writer knows what he’s talking about and isn’t putting random things on the pages of his/her book. Make your characters tell a legend or mention some event that you have carefully planned out. As the writer, you have to know something that the reader’s don’t….and always make sure you know what you’re talking about.

Character Development 

Make sure you know the main character or characters, don’t just make a place holder in the story with a random name laying on the pages.  Plan everything about your character. This is where you put some deep well thought out time and attention into the story. Does he/she have fears (death, darkness)? Where/when was he/she born? Under which circumstances? Do they have siblings? Do they have someone they love? Be free as this is your story!

Things About your World 

Remember that chronology planning you read about earlier?  Not it’s time to take it a step further…. Be as detailed as you possibly can with the imagination you have!  What kind of homes do people live in? Jobs? Types of clothing? Government systems? Do they have schools, or some type of training grounds soldiers are sent to? Family bloodlines that rule the kingdoms, is there magic in the land, or some dark evil threatening the lands?  Can women fight in war too, or is it only for men? Are there any fantasy creatures roaming the lands? Don’t leave anything out as this will probably be the biggest step in your story. The base will be here. Everything you’ll come up with needs to be here. Don’t worry if you’re taking too long writing everything out. A good story needs to have a solid foundation that covers every base you could think of.

Plotting and Planning

This is one of the most time consuming and sometimes frustrating step in the process. Making the chapters of your story, and tying everything into itself. Define what kind of writer you will be. What will be the length of your chapters and book or books? Will you write in third or first person or take on the challenge of both?  Will you describe your characters and surroundings to make the story more personal to the reader, will you not care and just want to make an epic legend? This is one of those steps you can’t be afraid to change and touch multiple times, and sometimes with a very critical eye!  Reverse the roles at times and look at it from a readers standpoint!  I think I have spent more time plotting my books out then writing the stories and honestly that is what makes for a deep and rich story.  I spent the first few moths plotting out a simple book chart that lists (Years, Major Plot, Minor Plot, Characters, Etc…)  It is my go to before I ever even think of writing at times. Remember don’t be afraid to create, change, and plan!

Let Others Review 

Don’t forget to reach out to others and let them read your work. Print out your finished product and hand out multiple copies to people who may enjoy reading your novel. It can be a few close friends at first, but once you start getting feedback and start building confidence, you might want to consider trying to publish.  Accept any criticisms, good and bad as they will make you a better writer in the future. Fix anything that your editor tells you. Believe that you can be published if you put your mind to it, but try not to hope too strongly for your book to be published, since you could end up very depressed if all doesn’t go to plan. If your work is rejected by one editor, edit the story or send it to a different publisher.  Remember what drives you to write, and don’t lose sight of why you love doing this.  It’s easy to see the light at the end of the tunnel and get caught up in the moment of a job, instead of a passion for writing!

A Years Journey With A Hobbit – 2014 Review

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Hail and Well Met Friends!

I just want to say thank you to everyone for a year full of community, gaming, making new friends and its been a huge pleasure connecting with you all! I wanted to share the journey and how you all helped keep things fun and exciting!  Can’t wait for what 2015 holds and the new connections awaiting to be made. Everyone have a fantastic New Years and I’ll see you in 2015.

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,100 times in 2014. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

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#2014 #ayearinreview

Bloggy Xmas Day 17: Community and The Family That Is

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Here’s a big shout out to Syl over at MMO Gypsy who had this amazing idea for the Bloggy Xmas Holiday Event and has asked the “Blog-O-Sphere” to take a minute and share their stories around “Gaming and Community” which is one of my favorite topics!  Community in gaming is huge for me and that is why I’ve been so excited and anxious to get this post written and out on the site.

For me, Gaming and Community started back in the days of the Nintendo and our favorite little hero Mario…as my friends and I would have huge weekend parties full of junk food, way to much soda, and more hours of yelling, and being boys then I can even count. Now let me set the tone here and let you know that when the “NES” or Nintendo Entertainment System first came out I was only four, and no I wasn’t playing Mario at the age of four but I wasn’t much older before I got my first gaming system….which was mine and not my brothers.  My brother was a different generation as his first gaming system was the original Atari, and yes I did play it, but my big brother was a typical big brother and I only got to play it every once in a while….or if he wasn’t around….I may have snuck into his room and played it on occasion, but don’t tell him that!

Let’s fast forward a few years and breeze by the era of my “SNES, Sega Genesis, and pretty much every other gaming system you can think of” and we’ll land around the time I got my first PC that could handle gaming.  The system my brother had built for me was operated by the an Intel 486 and probably something like half a K of memory or some nonsense like that….but the first PC game I remember playing was a flight simulator….and yes I know what your probably thinking “A FLIGHT SIMULATOR?” are you kidding me?  But this game was not only fun, it’s something my friends and I had massive competitions over to see who could get the best flight times, or even complete some side missions of landing a plane.  Though this flight simulator wasn’t anything that blew your socks off on graphics or intense game play it did create community amongst a group of friends that spawned a passion for gaming, competition, and stronger friendships.

Just as all the gaming systems have changed over the years, the way we interact as gamers has dramatically changed as well!  We have so many social features at our fingertips when playing games, and whether that’s on a console system or a PC we can choose to interact over a chat message screen, or throwing on a headset and chatting with some of your “Guildies, or Kinnies” from a favorite MMO game you play.  For me, MMORPG games are what revolutionized the communities we see today as they draw players in and allow them to customize the way they play the games.  It wasn’t until I started playing LOTRO back around 2008 that I really even understood how huge the gamer communities had become.  What has come from playing games like WoW and LOTRO for years is not only a place that I can meet friends and go team up on some orcs or even 12 man up on an instance, but connect over social media, or even those groupies around the Blog-O-Sphere realm.

Community is so important in games…. as without that core foundation games would be boring for the most part as we would have no one to cheer with, or make fun of when that one guy or gal “Accidentally” pulls that huge mob over to your RAID group and wipes you all… I promise I’ve never done that.. hehe.  More importantly community goes even further than just the games we play, it reflects our character and who we are as people, and I just want to say thank you to all my gaming friends out there that I’ve had the pleasure of sharing exciting gaming moments with, or possibly some witty banter on Twitter, this year…..but most of all to my lovely bunch of LOTRO family that have formed over the past few years.  Yes, you know who you are, and I say thank you for those wonderful Google Hangout sessions we get to have throughout the week.  See, community is more then just zero’s and ones that make up a game or a social network, it’s people and their personalities and that my friends is why I love community and gaming so much…It’s all because of you!

Everyone have a lovely Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

Sincerely,

Iogro Merrybelly

 

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#bloggyxmas

 

Bringing the Traffic In

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Are you looking for new ways to drive traffic to your blog?  This is always a challenge to make sure you keep people interested and coming back, but also getting new “traffic” brought in.

This is just a straight to the point top 10 list of tips and how to’s that I’ve learned from others, and picked up along the way in my journey through the blogging realm.  I hope these tips help you as they have helped me.

  1. Promote your blog posts on the major social media outlets – Including a link back to your posts can considerably increase traffic.  Check out an older post I did on using Social Media for some tips “Typing Tid-Bits for Social Media”
  2. Check the Headlines – Your headlines are what get peoples attention, particularly when you share your blog posts via social media; make sure they pique interest and relate to your article.  Be Creative, but Be Wise.
  3. Join a blogging community like ProBlogger or CopyBlogger  – This is a great way to network with others,  and promote each others content.
  4. Include links to other relevant posts on your blog – When you write a post, always be sure to mention other posts your readers may find helpful; – hence tip #2 with a link back to a post I’ve already done on Social Media before.
  5. Guest post on relevant blogs – Choose wisely as to who you guest blog with, as it doesn’t do much good if you are in an unrelated field of writing.  Make sure if you contribute for guest blogging, it’s with a highly reputable site.  Remember it’s your time that’s being used, so use it wisely and get the most out of it.
  6. Optimize Your Old Posts – Take a look through all of your old content and make sure they have relevant tags, URLS, and meta descriptions.
  7. How often do you Post? Find a good number of posts that you could commit to in a week, make a schedule and try to stick to it the best you can. Posting more frequently has in most cases always yielded a positive gain for traffic on ones site.
  8. Get on YouTube – YouTube drives the most traffic out of all social media sites, or so the numbers say… usually with an average of 2.99 pages per visit.
  9. Submit your blog posts to StumbleUpon – It truly does help!
  10. Respond, Respond, Respond – Always take the time to respond thoughtfully to your audience that has left comments your blog. This helps build the relationships and helps bring commenters back to the site for more.

scr.ee tags:

#optimization

Have you Thought of Guest Blogging Before?

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I have explored the option of guest blogging in past and have even done a bit of it myself, and over coffee yesterday with a fellow writer he asked if one should ever consider blogging/writing for others? – Great Question, as I’ve heard both sides of the story and some say yes, but others say no.  Personally I think it’s a great way to branch out in the blogging community if you know how to manage your time that is.  It’s fairly easy to write blog posts and most blogs have themes they are shooting for so it’s easy to come up with ideas.

Blogging is a hobby of mine and I have a family of five (myself, my wife, and six year old triplets) plus a full time job, so I have to do some heavy schedule adjusting at times to keep up with my hobby.  Guest blogging is no different as most of the times it probably cuts into an already busy schedule you have and that is a down side honestly, because your time is precious and being paid for that precious time is always a plus, but guest blogging or hobby blogging doesn’t bring much if any on the financial side.  What it does bring in my past experience is exposure, and if you are a new blogger exposure is always a good thing because you not only have the chance to learn, but possibly even write in areas you aren’t familiar with so it gives you a chance to expand.

Here are some ways in past I’ve used for guest blogging so if you are considering to take a gander down this path I hope these help you.

1. Think about signing up to receive newsletters that list blogs looking for writers.

  • Like the following – Blogger Link Up. (http://BloggerLinkUp.com/).  This site is one that i’ve used in past and has worked great for me.

2.  Setup a time to browse through the blogging newsletters you sign up for regularly.

  • You can spend just a few minutes browsing through the newsletters to see if anything catches your eye. These newsletters can be lifesavers if you are looking for places to write and want to save precious time and frustration being wasted on searching the web, just to find nothing.

3. Look for blogs that interest you and have a reader base you want to try and reach.

  • Whether you write articles for gaming, sports, photography, it doesn’t matter, you have to try and target the audience…as they will be the ones to take hold of what you write most.

4. Make sure the blog host allows link backs with your post.

  • If the readers can’t simply click on a link to find out more about you then you’ve accomplished nothing. You want to make yourself as easy to find as possible.

5. Follow up on the blogs where you have posted.

  • Make sure the site host actually posted your blog when they said they were going to. If they are dependable you can always choose to guest post once again. If they are not dependable, don’t bother with them anymore.

 

6. Thank the blog host for allowing you to write for them.

  • Maybe that blog host will one day write a review and post it for you.  Use social media when they post back to your blog to let others know about it.  Help grow that relationship and mutually work for one another in growing each others site.

 

Blogging with a Schedule

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Hey all you fellow bloggers and writers!  If you all are like me you have a crazy busy schedule and probably struggle finding time to post.  Though I’ve been blogging for six or so years now…time is the one thing I just can’t get more of.  It took me quite a long time to get a system down of when I wanted to post, what content I wanted to do, and that system isn’t perfect by any means but it sure does help.  I’m hoping my little system might help you as well.

It takes a lot of hard work to develop something creative that you love doing, even if it’s just a hobby, you wouldn’t be doing it if you didn’t love it…or I wouldn’t at least.  I have enjoyed writing since childhood and that same passion and love continues today.  Though i’m not a published author, that is a goal I’m currently working towards so for now bogging is a way for me to creatively express the crazy floating around in my head.  I don’t see that I would ever stop blogging as it’s just plain fun and a great challenge to come up with the next “Best Thing” that someone will find entertaining.

Hopefully this post will help you outline some ways to condense the long hard efforts you put into your blog and make them easier.

#1 What Content and How much.

First up is figuring out exactly how much content you want to produce in a specific amount of of time…if you have an idea of what that will be that is. Say you are a daily poster and you have multiple topics.  That is a lot of content to be creating…say the “Month” you are supposed to post.   Preset yourself a bit and plan out what you want the previous month so you give yourself a lead time to get that material together. This way you aren’t being overloaded and playing catch up everyday.  I’m a weekly poster just because that is all my schedule will allow right now, so plan accordingly for yourself and you will have a lot more fun doing this.

 

#2 Categories, Categories.

Now that you know how many posts you need to write, come up with some working categories so you have a good idea of what ideas you are going to be working with.  Pinpoint what you want to write about and keep those categories current so that multiple topics can be posted to one category.  If you only have a certain amount of posts you can publish in one month, you have to be selective with what you spend your time on. That means some ideas go to the chopping block or get put away for another time.

I try to keep a log of topics that I want to write about…which this helps me know how often I need to write and when I need to publish to meet that weekly timeline I’ve set for myself.

#3: Challenge The Organization Skills.

Now that you have your ideas formed and categories made, you may be wondering how on earth am I going to get all this organized and finished like I want.

Organization, Organization, Organization.

Instead of just handing out blog posts like they are candy, you might want to take inventory and see if you’ve got to much at one time for the timeline you can effectively meet.  Couple of things to think about when you take inventory is…

  • Research: How much time do I need for researching my topic of choice?  Will it take a considerable amount of time, or is this something I’ve already got jotted down on my paper and it’s prepped. This step can save you a ton of time and frustration if you will ask yourself.
  • Content and Format: Some posts are more difficult to write than others. This can be a huge frustration if not planned out well as you can spend hours getting things formatted, planned, and ready.  Check to see the order of topics you are writing about cause if you have some really heavy research articles all in a row, it can be challenging to meet that posting schedule.

 

#4 Don’t forget to Review and Schedule.

Once you’ve completed your day or days of writing, don’t forget to review them and schedule them out. It’s always nice to have things pre-planned and scheduled on your blog.  You put a lot of hard work into writing this content and now that your brain is taking a rest make sure the posts get a good scrubbing review, then get them scheduled for when you want, rinse, and then repeat all four steps for next time as well.

Writers Block!

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Today I’ve been free writing due to having so many ideas floating around in my head I wanted to write about.  Free writing is something I’ll mention a bit lower down in this post.  Today has been very creative and I’ve gotten a lot accomplished from a writers/bloggers point of view.  But in the same sense just last week I had a “bloggers block” like you wouldn’t believe.  Being creative and bringing new ideas to the table when a bloggers/writers block happens is like fishing for that prized deep see marlin in the local pond….you just aren’t going to catch what you want.  Below are just a few ways I like to get out of that writing funk and I hope they help you as well.

?????????????????????????????????Change your Environment

Step away from the computer is what I have to tell myself!

If I run out of ideas and inspiration which happens pretty frequently as my mind wonders so easy, I like to get out of the house for a bit.  I find that when my environment changes the ideas start spawning again.  Their is a wonderful Art Museum where I live called Crystal Bridges that my family and I love to visit which is one place I go for an environment change. It’s a great place to people watch, grab a coffee, or just go and walk around and honestly not really think about anything.  Low and behold when I do this, I usually get back on track for ideas on what I was writing or get new ideas for things in the future I want to write about.

Getting away from your computer and blog can definitely help but so can blogging from a different location.  About once a month I will write in a new location just to keep things different and not get stuck in a rut.

  • Coffee Shops  – I have multiple coffee shops in my area that I visit quite frequently.  Some have free WiFi, and some don’t.  I like going to both, but I choose to go to places that don’t have free WiFi for a reason.  It forces me to remember how to write with a pen and paper.  I try to always keep a journal and a pen handy just for this occasion.
  • Public Libraries – I went to our public library for a couple of weeks straight as it gave me a new perspective on writing.  So much information to read and it’s all at your fingertips to read.  Ideas came by the truck loads on what to write about.
  • Multiple locations in your house – I am not really a creature of habit, but a creature of randomness but my wife says I have writing habits while at the house.  If I am home and want to write I usually start in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and a laptop staring me in the face.  If nothing works there, it’s on to my office, then the living room couch, and last is usually the patio furniture.  This is a constant changing environment within a personal space….wireless is great isn’t it.

Change up your environment and see what wonders it does for the writing block and hopefully a new perspective it brings for your creative skills.

 

hard_black_collection_1Keep a Journal

I have little Moleskine notebooks laying around everywhere it seems filled with ideas.  I use it for those random thoughts that pop in that may one day turn into something I use for writing a piece on the blog.

Journals are great as they are great for popping those random things I think about all day long.  These become a creation of ‘to do’ lists for me…though some of my thoughts i’ve jotted down are just unused creative ideas that I never get around to doing anything with..

It’s often when reading through my journals that an idea hits me in the face. It’s usually days, weeks, even months after an idea is written down that it seems to come to life at times.  Perfect example is on a book i’m writing….I went back through an old idea log I was keeping on character creation and “BAM” why didn’t I see this before moment hit me!

 

 

right-brain-free-writeFree Writing

Remember in the top portion of this blog…I said I would talk about “Free Writing” which is what writers call – writing when the idea pops into your head.  This is the hardest style of writing for me as I have a hard time staying focused long enough to remember why I started writing.

I do this every once in a while just to see what pops out of my brain honestly, plus it really does help the creative come to life.  Forcing myself to write has been a great tool as it challenges my randomness and keeps my brain challenged to create a story.

It’s amazing to see what comes from this type of writing….there have been times I’ll start writing on a topic and it flows great, and others seem to go no where.  It’s a fun challenge to take and it truly will make you a better writer.