Freelance Writer and Social Worker

How to Keep Your Muses Healthy

Let's be honest. My muses can be total bitches, especially when I'm already feeling depressed and they heap criticism on top of me. Never is their imagination more devilishly clever that when they're telling me all the things that are wrong with me and all the reasons this planet would be so much better off without me. "You're nothing," they whisper. "A talentless nobody. A pathetic creature. You do nothing but take up space and air. Somebody would probably throw a big party if you really did swallow all those pills. You couldn't be a bigger loser if you tried. If you tried even more than you do already, that is."

So, yes, my muses torture me when depressed thoughts take over my mind. But they're also the ones who come up with the perfect word or phrase I need when I'm writing an essay or a story. My muses suggest plotlines and then patiently rework them when I'm not happy with them the first time. And it's my muses who help introduce a theme and then tie it all together neatly at the end of the tale.

I need those creatures to write just like my body needs air to breathe. But how do I keep my muses focused on my writing rather than on  my real or imagined character flaws? Through careful care and feeding. And I do mean careful. I've often thought that Hagrid should have taught the Hogwarts students to care for muses in the Harry Potter series. At least then I'd have had a little more direction. In the meantime, the following techniques seem to work well for me in managing my muses.

Book Review: Blogger's Block: How to Get Rid of It Now! by Mick Michaels

I really enjoy blogging. In fact, I've been known to spend too much time on it when I should have been working on other projects.

Last November, though, something unusual began to happen when I sat down to work on my blog. My flow of ideas slowed to a trickle. I couldn't think of a thing to say about writing, usually my favorite topic in the entire world. 

My blog started to gather dust as I missed days and then weeks of posts. My small but loyal following started to fade away. Not good.

I had almost given up on myself when I was browsing on Amazon and found a book entitled Blogger's Block: How to Get Rid of it Now! by Mick Michaels. It is available only in Kindle.

The book is short, direct, and has you answering questions about your blog and making lists of topics from the first page on.

Michaels starts by encouraging you to develop a clear, over-arching "core" idea of what your blog is about. Just as importantly, he asks you to describe what you want to accomplish with it (entertainment, instruction, breaking news, and so forth).

Once you have your core idea in mind, Michaels takes you through the process of narrowing your core idea to a series of categories. For instance, my core idea, writing, could spawn categories like freelance writing, fiction writing, writing bloopers, writer's block, reviews of books about writing, nonfiction and...well, the list could go on forever.

You can then review each category and come up with a list of specific blog topics that fall under the umbrella of the category. If you can come up with ten categories and ten blog post ideas for each category, you'll have a hundred new posts to keep you occupied.

Michaels also suggests using online aids such as the Google AdWords Keyword Tool to help you out if you get stuck.

Blogger's Block is available for just 99 cents, a more than fair price for the material offered.

Less than two weeks after I purchased it and read it, I was back on my regular blogging schedule and enjoying each and every post. I guess you could say I'm a very satisfied customer.

Where do you turn when you get stuck for ideas?  

Getting Stuck on Your Writing Projects? Try Taking a Break!

Have you come across a problem with plotting or writing one of your articles that you just can't seem to resolve? Are you determined to power through it, no matter what? That may not be such a good idea.

Instead, it's a better idea to take a break. Here's why:

1. Your brain can be overtaxed, just like a muscle. When you lift weights at the gym, what do you do when your muscles start to get tired? Do you pile on more weights and force yourself to keep going, or do you take a break, switch to a different type of exercise, and allow the tired muscles a chance to rest and rejuvenate? Your brain is a little like those tired muscles. The more you try to force it beyond its capacity, the weaker it will become and the less effective you'll be as a writer. Give your mind a little R & R when you first start to feel fatigued, and you'll soon be able to return to your project with new enthusiasm and ideas.

2. Shifting perspective is a great way to come up with answers. I love to work jigsaw puzzles. Sometimes, though, I get disgusted when I can't figure out where a particular piece fits. I've learned long ago that the harder I look, the less success I'll have. My best bet is to walk away, focus my attention on something else like reading a book or working a logic puzzle, and return to the jigsaw in about thirty minutes. Nine times out of ten, I immediately find a place for the troublesome piece. The same is true with writing. If I give myself permission to walk away and work on something else when I get stuck, I almost always come back to the troublesome project with a new batch of workable solutions.

My Favorite Freelance Writing Posts

Isn't it a shame that when you write a blog some of your best posts slip away into obscurity. (Then, of course, there are the posts that truly should slip away into obscurity, but that's a different story.)

Anyway, this week I was feeling a little nostalgic, and maybe a little lazy as well, and decided to rerun some of my favorite posts from the last year or so. If you missed the originals, I hope you'll find something amusing or something informative in these selections.

1. 25 Strategies for Smashing Through Writer's Block. No, I'm not going to take the time to argue about whether there is any such thing as writer's block. Whatever we want to call it, most of us have had times when we're simply stuck, and these tips can help.

2. Freelance Writers: 7 Tips for Caring for Your Hands, Wrists, and Arms. We may not be professional athletes, but we still rely on our bodies to make a living. If you aren't already, start treating those hands with kid gloves.

3. Dear Debra - A Letter to My Sixteen Year Old Self. My personal favorite blog posts. I just wish someone really had been around when I was 16 to give me that advice!

25 Strategies for Smashing Through Writer's Block

Even those writers who swear they never have any kind of writer's block (and don't you just hate them?) have probably had some days when writing was easier than others. They just gave those hard days another name.

Whether you want to attribute the more difficult days to writing block, a runaway muse, not feeling well, or even dealing with the agony of an assignment you hate, there are a few quick fixes for powering through this tough time and getting back on track. Here are some of my favorite methods.

1. Skip the part that's giving you trouble. If you have no idea how your characters are going to stumble across a fresh body in Chapter 1, don't worry about that and head on to Chapter 2 where they're being interviewed by the police.

2. Play Sudoku or work a jigsaw puzzle. Or if you like, you can play a computer game. The idea is to engage another part of your mind which may have some ideas to contribute to your writing.

3. Vacuum. Repetitive motion. Soothing sound. House looks good when you're finished. Yea.

4. Wash dishes. Again, a simple, ritualistic task that takes you mind off your story and actually improves your living space.

5. Take a walk. Many people think best on their feet.

6. Pay bills. Sometimes a low account balance can scare you into getting back to work.

Three Outrageous Ideas to Jump-Start Stalled Fiction

As most of you know, I've been participating in the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this November. Even though I started out from what I thought was a comprehensive outline, my characters soon took on a life of their own and simply refused to do what I wanted them to.

I began writing myself into corners and getting stuck on major plot points. Luckily, one of the first rules of NaNo is that the inner editor goes into a kennel for a month. That means you're free to change-up main characters, switch from first-person to third-person narration, or even skip a scene that isn't working and move on to something else.

It also means that you can let your imagination roam free as it tries to find ways to get your plot going again. If you're novel is way off course, and the strong characters who talked you into abandoning your outline in the first place have fallen stubbornly silent, it's time to take drastic action. The suggestions below probably won't make it into your final draft, but they will get your creative juices flowing again and force docile characters to do something besides sit and ruminate.

Do You Believe in Writer's Block?

Do you believe in writer's block? I couldn't throw a much more inflammatory question at a group of writers if I tried! Some writers are firmly convinced that they have been and are afflicted with writer's block on a regular basis. Other writers suggest that the blocked writers are nothing but a bunch of malingerers.

And where do I stand on this polarizing question?

Somewhere in the middle. I've experienced times myself when I had difficulty writing. Back then, I would have called myself "blocked." Looking back with 20/20 hindsight, however, I realize that the block was always the symptom, not the disease.

I'd Write if I Had the Time

The woman behind the counter smiled at me as I handed over a copy of Hospice Tails for donation to the library. Then, something in her look changed as if she were thinking about a dreamy, magical place far away.

I could sense what was coming next. Don't go there, I begged her telepathically, but "there" is exactly where she went.

"I'm so envious of people who have the time to write," she said with a sigh. "I'd love to be a writer."

I offered her a nod and a slightly pained smile and made my escape. But ever since that encounter, I've thought about the response I would have liked to have given.

Writing Through Depression

Some mental health professionals refer to depression as the "common cold" of mental illnesses, not because it is not serious--30% who carry the diagnosis of depression will attempt suicide and about half that number will succeed--but because if affects so many people. In any given year, some 10% of Americans, or 24 million people, suffer from depression.

I carry a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Although it is fairly well controlled with medication, I know this means that there will be times when writing seems like the easiest thing in the world. The words flow, editors are thrilled with what I produce, and I can work around the clock without feeling the pain. I also know, however, that there will be other times, times when I can't motivate myself to do anything but stare at the keyboard, times when one task feels overwhelming and two feels impossible. In other words, times when I am clinically depressed.

Unfortunately, my financial obligations do not follow my bipolar schedule. The rent comes due on the first of the month whether I'm manic, depressed, or a happy medium. The companies who supply my utilities still expect to be paid, as do my creditors. And my editors just want the copy when I promised them they would have it.

In order to stay solvent, I've had to learn several tricks for writing through my depressive episodes. I'm sharing them here in the hopes that if they work for me, they might work for other depressed writers as well.

Stick to Your Schedule

If you usually sit down every night at 8:00 PM to write, you should be at your keyboard on the nights you are depressed, too. You may feel so bad that you won't get anything written, but you certainly won't get anything written if you don't bother to show up.

Crop Your To-Do List

This is not the time for an overwhelming three-page list of everything you ever wanted to accomplish as a writer. Think about what is due tonight. Think about what is due tomorrow. Make those items your priority. The rest can wait.

Force Yourself to Write the First Word

Make yourself put your fingers on the keyboard and start typing, even if you "know" what you're typing is sheer, unadulterated crap. Crap can be edited, but there's not a whole lot you can do with a blank page.

Don't Destroy Anything You've Written

During an episode of depression, I once shredded the entire first half of a novel I was working on. I also destroyed the back-up copy. When I came out of my depression a few weeks later and realized that the novel was actually pretty good, it was too late to save it.  

Edit Triumphantly

Don't be discouraged if you have to edit a lot of what you wrote when you were in the doldrums. At least you wrote it in the first place, and I've always thought editing was a hundred times easier than facing a screen with nothing on it.

Reward Yourself After a Writing Session

One of the hallmarks of depression is a lack of interest in activities you usually enjoy, so your reward may just be collapsing into bed and watching a South Park marathon. If that's what feels good to you in the moment, it's the perfect reward. Enjoy. You've earned it.

Seek Treatment

If your symptoms last for more than two weeks, or if you are having thoughts of suicide, see a mental health professional: a social worker, a counselor, a psychologist, a psychiatrist. There are many interventions that can shorten and lessen the intensity of a depressive episode. The faster you get help, the faster you'll feel better, and the faster you can return to being the fantastic writer you know you are.   

The Mysterious Muse - And Why She's Not as Important as She Thinks She Is

Have you ever stopped to imagine what your muse looks like? I have. She's more beautiful than I could ever dream of being, a couple of inches taller than I am, slender but curvy in all the right places. She has long blonde hair that she wears unstyled so that it hangs loose and tangles around her face and shoulders.

Her eyes can be either child-like with wonder or wise with the heaviness of cynicism, and they change color depending on her moods. When she has a story to spin, her eyes become a dark, stormy blue and her usually thin voice could be heard over the roaring of the seas and the shifting of mountains. When she smiles or teases--as she does often--her eyes become a light, guileless violet.

My muse's sharp little teeth are straight and white. She's been known to nip on occasion. She usually goes barefoot in long, flowing skirts and peasant blouses.