Lost work and Writer’s Block

Good morning! It’s been a while since I’ve posted here. I’ve had a lot going on in the background. So, here goes:

I had a computer glitch back in February that had me checking on my backups for my writing. Guess what, my backups were not working due to a file error with an update to my computer. Soooooo, here is what happened. I lost, yes, lost three works in progress. One was almost completely finished and was supposed to be published in February. A writer’s worst nightmare.

Now, you might be saying, why didn’t she have a back up. I did, or so I thought. My writing program Scrivener backs up to my Google drive. But the update to my computers windows program was corrupt and it made the backups look like they were working, but they were not. Am I checking and rechecking now, yes! Almost to a obsessed level.

As writers, we struggle sometimes to put words on paper. And when things are going well and you have all of the right words, then lose them, well, it puts a damper on your writer brain. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, or at least that’s how I feel now. A few months ago it caused major writers block. I had to back track on all three works and remember what I’d created.

One light was that four chapters of the one almost completed had been sent to my editor via email so I do have those to get it back going. Another light was that one of the works had been giving me problems, so I’m going at it from a different angle and I actually like it better now. And another one I lost the whole thing, and will revisit it again one day, but right now I’m focusing on finishing one at a time. This is a major setback on my publishing schedule, but all things happen for a reason. I’ve been forced to sit back and readjust my writing schedule. It’s been a struggle, but I’m starting to get back in the groove.

If someone tells you writer’s block isn’t real, don’t believe them. I’ve never experienced it to such a level as the last six months, but now that I’m starting to see the words in my head again, I know it’s a very real phenomena that wreaks havoc on the writer brain. Some days I would struggle just getting a paragraph on paper. There were a couple of weeks that I didn’t write anything, not one word. My heart has been heavy with unwritten words. Writer’s know what I’m talking about. Our brains work on a different level and when the words back up, well it’s like logs wedged in a dam. The words are there, but they can’t escape. Then one day, boom! The dam breaks and they flood through the gates.

So, hope all has been well with all of you… Oh, and to top it all off, I missed an email from WordPress regarding my email needing to be confirmed, so my domain was suspended temporarily. Yep, when it rains it pours.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Writer’s Block… It happens!

Good morning! What do you do when the mental page goes blank? It’s a writer’s worst nightmare. But it will happen, whether you like it or not. I’ve struggled with it lately. Thank goodness it was just a passing thing. It could’ve been worse.

The thing to know about writer’s block is that you can push past it. If you can’t get your mind to focus on your current work in progress, then work on something in your to-be-done stack. Step away from it for a moment. That’s what helped me. I had to cleanse my mind of the whole project in order to get my focus back.

A couple of steps that help me:

Realize it’s a block before you try to push through the project and totally mess it up.
Pick up an upcoming project and outline it. Put your focus on it.
Don’t push yourself too hard. But if you have a deadline, take a day or two to get your head cleared.

I know it sounds crazy, but it works. I’ve been working on this project longer than I wanted to. It’s still there, but somehow I had pushed it in a corner. I’ve dug it out of the corner and now it’s flowing again. Thank goodness because I’m beyond ready to experience the ending that I’ve already got in my head.

So, if you’re struggling with the infamous block, try these steps and see if it helps. Everyone is different, but it helps me.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Oh, and if you get a chance, check out book 1 of the In Harm’s Way Series, SAFE…

Writer’s Block… It happens!

Good morning! Yes, I said it. If you plan on being a writer, at some time or the other you will have writer’s block. And the worst part is, it normally comes when you are on a deadline or a wordcount needs to be met. It’s never during a convenient time.

But, what can you do when it threatens to sideline your work? Well, I tend to sit back, take a breath and focus on something else. If I’m stuck at a particular place in my manuscript, then I skip ahead. Sometimes that works to get the creative juices flowing.

Other times I go back and read over what I’ve written. It can make the story come alive again. Or even I will go to the next story I’ll be working on and at least work on the outline.

To me, Writer’s block is like when your mind freezes up. So, you have to jolt it back to reality. That’s why I keep doing something with my writing. Whether it’s a step ahead, a step back or a step in a different direction, I make it count.

That’s why I love having a detailed outline to go by. When I get stuck, I have it as a reminder of where the story is headed. And if I need to go ahead to another chapter or place in the book, I can without getting lost in the details. Then once the block has passed, I can get back to where I left off.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

It’s So Simple… Just Write!

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Good morning! Many writers worry about losing their writer mind. Not in a crazy loss of sense, but the loss of the words that flow from their mind. Well, I have good news.

Just Write!!! Write a little bit everyday. Even if it’s just a few words, write! Writing is like riding a bike, get back on when you fall off and keep going. You’ve got this!

Ok, now do you get it.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

5 things every author needs to know…

Good morning! Writing… Writers block… Publishing… The life of a writer. It’s a roller coaster and not for the faint of heart. Here are the top 5 things every author needs to know about starting to write and publish…

It’s not as easy as it looks. Let me be very clear about this, writing isn’t easy. There’s more to it than simply writing words. You’ve got to make sure to plot, plan, and organize those words to where the reader can get lost in the world you’ve created. If you don’t do it with an ebb and flow, then the reader will lose interest and move on. So, don’t think it’s just putting words on paper. There’s so much more to the process.
Writer’s block is real! Every author has experienced writer’s block at one time or the other. It’s a helpless feeling and only perseverance gets you through it. You can get past it, just have confidence. Keep writing and working on other projects.
Editor’s are essential. Alright, let’s all say this and put on repeat! Editors are essential. Even the most savvy writer can’t find all of the mistakes or bad wording in a manuscript. To be honest, editors miss some too. But let’s be honest, when we’re reading our own work, it’s hard to be completely harsh. An editor can help to reword things so that the story flows better. And some changes, even though they can hurt, are necessary.
Read everyday… It may sound crazy, but reading actually helps you as a writer. But read in the genre that you write in. I’ve been reading books that the author wrote with such clear, precise wording that I was inspired. And I’ve read books that lost me from the first page. When I read things like this, it helps me to look at my work differently. Try it.
Know your audience. If you write sweet romance, then don’t go too heavy on the love scenes. Advertising a book as one genre, but the book actually leaning more in another direction can make readers not trust you. So, know who you’re pushing this book to. The same with mysteries turning into nothing more than a romance with nothing to solve. I’ve read books like this and it is disheartening. Also, make sure if the book is erotic, let the reader know.

I could keep going, but you need to get back to writing and so do I. But I hope this helped you a little.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

When writing is hard… Push through it!

Hit a wall with your current project? At a loss for words, literally? Yep, I’ve been there and other writers have too. The words stop… The creative juices reach a dam and stop… It’s like your internal hard drive crashes…

Push past that wall…

Everyone hits a wall, it’s only human. It’s how you react to that sudden wall standing in front of you that counts. So, here’s a couple of things I do when that wall jumps out and blocks my path.

1: Step back… Yes, step back. If you’re at a wall, then you need to clear your head, and redirect back to the project. When this happens to me, I’ll put that project aside and bring out an upcoming project to outline or even create some ads to inspire me.

2: Go back and read from the beginning of the project. Reintroduce yourself to the characters… Fall back in love with the story…

3: Don’t give up! Even though it seems like you’ve lost the battle, you haven’t. You’ve hit a wall that all writers hit. Push past it! Don’t let it control you. You’ve got this.

Now, get to writing and know that there will be obstacles, but you have the power to push through them. You’re a writer and that’s what you do. So write!

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

P.S.: Don’t forget that Marina’s Story is coming out on Saturday.

Love-Marinas-Story-Journal-ebook/dp/B08DFGK8JB

When the story goes away…

Good morning! We’ve made it to the halfway point of the week. So, how’s your writing going?

Let’s talk about what happens when the story goes away. All of us at one time or another, have experienced writer’s block. Maybe it’s not necessarily writer’s block, but just a lack of motivation for a particular story. Recently this happened to me.

I was working on a story and it was going well. But then, well, I hit a wall. Before the wall, I could see the whole thing, then the wall shot up and nothing. Every word I typed made no sense and it didn’t seem to go anywhere. The story was fizzling out right before my eyes.

So, you might be asking, what did you do? Well, I stopped working on that story and began plotting the next book on my list. The other story never left my mind. Then, as if the wall started to crumble, I began to see the continuation of the book that went away.

All it took was to step away. So many writers continue beating on the wall until they’ve gotten so frustrated that either they stop writing all together, or put together the rest of the book without thinking, which is a huge mistake. Always listen to your heart. When that wall goes up, back away. If it’s meant to be, the wall will crumble, I promise.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

When the words get blurry…

23173416364_e8f8ee489e_s Good morning! Smile, we’re halfway to the weekend.

As I sit here, working on my manuscripts in process, I’m glad to have the words coming back into my head. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been struggling with the words. Since I had the Norovirus, my head has been fuzzy, which made for a bad writing time. I actually went for a solid week and didn’t write not one word! Although the characters were in my head, screaming nicely, I couldn’t get my head wrapped around anything.

So, what do you do when the words get blurry? Well, for me, I stepped back. But, deep inside my heart, I was wanting to write. Several times I picked up my laptop and opened Scrivener, trying to get the words to come forward, but nothing came. My characters were just blurting out jumbled up words that made no sense. Now, I could’ve written what was coming into my head, but believe me when I tell you, it wouldn’t have made the bestseller’s list by no means.

But, as I sit here, I’m smiling because the words are back. Of course, since I’m an Accountant, this is my busy time, so my time is limited, but I’m grabbing every spare moment, trying to catch up on my word count. And you know how I am about getting my word count in.

So, with that being said, I’d better get back to writing because I only have another twenty minutes this morning before I need to get to the office and back to accounting. I do hope everyone stays healthy and safe during this flu season!

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Beginning…???…Ending

Has this ever happened to you? You sit down with a story in mind and it’s a great story. You know it like you know yourself. Your fingers hover over the keyboard. The words flow easily from your fingertips. Everything is good with the world, then snap… something happens and you stop writing. The words are gone…

This happened to me recently. I was working on a manuscript that I’ve been trying to finish for some time and it was going along good, then …………. Yep, that’s how it went, nothing. It’s like I had the beginning and the ending, but the middle was a huge, gaping black hole. I couldn’t see it for nothing. The sad thing is, I had it completely outlined, but the middle part wouldn’t come together, at all.

So, you might ask, what did I do? Well, here’s what I did and if you’ve ever experienced this black hole, I hope it helps you too. Of course, this is not a tried and true method…

1: I stepped back. I looked at the screen before me and it was blank, just as the story had gone in my head. That’s when I took a deep breath, stood up and walked away from my laptop. I had to put distance between me and the story. That’s not easy to do when the characters are screaming loudly in your head.

2: After a cup of coffee to clear my head, I picked up the outline, knowing there had to be a way to get this story flowing again. I knew I had it right there in the outline, but it refused to come out. So, I read the outline, several times, but nothing.

3: In complete frustration, I put aside the notes, outline, and anything to do with the story. Now, don’t think the characters were quiet. No, they were ticked off at this point. They were screaming so loud, that I had to do something, so I started the next manuscript that was in line on my schedule. It helped quiet them somewhat, but they were still pulling at me.

4: As I worked on the other manuscript, pieces of the other story filled my head. You as writers know all too well the problems that can cause. I pulled out my notebook for the other story and as things came filtering through, I wrote them down. But, I didn’t work on it, I just jotted down notes. Pretty soon I had a couple of pages of notes.

5: Then, one morning as I sipped my coffee, scanning through my emails, social media, and work in progress, getting ready to start my writing session, it came flowing in. At first, I was afraid to give it a chance. I was afraid that if I got started again and it quit, I’d end up chucking it altogether. But, that’s when it hit me, write the ending. So, that’s what I did. I wrote the ending that I knew so well in my head. The moment I hit the end, I knew the middle as though it had been lurking there the whole time, it just needed the guts to move forward. Once I knew where the story was headed, the middle came in so fast that my fingers could hardly keep up.

So, sometimes you have to iron out the ending to get to the guts of the story. That’s what happened with ‘Highlanders Son’. I had to know that my characters would be alright and that the story would hold up. Once I finished the first draft, I could breathe again. It was done.

I’ve written things in the wrong order before, but never because it was the only way to finish the story. Most of the time I do it because the ending comes to me louder than the beginning, but it’s always there. With Highlander’s Son, it wasn’t there anymore. I had to get it back straight in my mind. The funny thing was, once it was completed, I looked at my outline and it was just as I’d envisioned it, to begin with. With a smile, I printed it, handed it to my editor and knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that if that happened again, I’d immediately go to step five above and finish the story…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

“Highlander’s Son” is coming soon…

highlanders son front cover

Revisiting an old friend!

Lacey's Choice front cover

I had a dream last night…It was about this manuscript…I now know where it’s headed and can’t stop my fingers from typing. As bad as it sounds, this book should have been finished a couple of years ago, but something snapped inside of me and I couldn’t finish it. I lost the story in my head, but in my dream, it all came back.

If you haven’t read the first book in this series, then grab it first. By the way, it’s on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Open-Heart-Alpine-Christmas-Romance-ebook/dp/B00GW6T6AQ I’ve had so many sweet letters about the first book and so many asking for the second. I’m sorry it took me so long to get it back going, but when you lose the focus, you have to step back, or it will be a complete mistake.

So, Lacey’s Choice will be coming soon!

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…