24 Apr 2013

Writing Challenge Of The Month

available now at smashwords.com

APRIL

Writing is an elusive craft. When you force yourself to write something, real creativity and inspiration will not come. If you manage to write anything at all, it will not be compelling stuff. 

Similarly, when you are not focusing on your writing, you will find you suddenly overflow with ideas. Keep a notebook handy.

April has been one of those months where the inspiration to write has waned, and just as I was about to publish a new Amazon Kindle book I had to muster up all this strength and creative energy which just wasn't coming. What could I do to turn this around? The answer will surprise you.

Where I would previously have been determined to write something every day of the week, I now know that this approach is fraught with failure. The impetus to write comes from dreams, imagination, creative and artistic license to create. 

If I tried to force the conditions which I am in when I write, the result would be poor, low quality, incomprehensible. I needed a different approach if I was to succeed. What did I do?

I took a few days off writing and shifted my focus to clearing out clutter in my small apartment, catching up on some paperwork, and kept my writing muse in her gilded cage. 

I took time off completely, did not make any notes, or jot down any ideas and enjoyed just letting my mind roam freely without the concentration of producing articles, and suchlike.

The piece de resistance was how my mojo suddenly resurfaced, resulting in a 3am writing fest, almost causing carpal tunnel syndrome in my hand. It was almost as if I was downloading the entire new book I was going to write. In all, I spent almost 19 hours writing, with meal breaks and time for stretching my legs, and the book was self published over a weekend, and on sale on Monday morning.

Now that's how the magic happens.

What do you do when inspiration won't come, or you hit "writer's block"? 

Please leave a reply in the comments box.

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PREVIEW my latest book now exclusively published at smashwords.com prior to being published for amazon.com Kindle on May 27th.