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mary rosenblum
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Hello all.
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mary rosenblum
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I hope you had a great
weekend!
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mary rosenblum
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I can't believe we're almost
halfway through September. Yikes.
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mary rosenblum
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The summer sneaked by while I
wasn't looking. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about overcoming blocks to writing. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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I wanted to talk about all the
things that get in the way of writing...
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mary rosenblum
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because that's an issue for
just about everybody.
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mary rosenblum
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And how you handle those
issues makes a big difference in how you'll succeed with your writing.
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mary rosenblum
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Some of the problems are
external...family, friends, the day job, volunteer obligations and the
like.
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mary rosenblum
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Others are
internal...everything seems awful, you don't like what you write, you can't
come up with a new idea.
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mary rosenblum
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Realize that you're not
suffering from something rare, unusual, or now. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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People who are now pros have
dealt with exactly the same issues and still deal with them.
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mary rosenblum
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One of the realities of
writing is making it a priority.
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mary rosenblum
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It is very hard, when you are
not yet published, not earning any money for your writing...
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mary rosenblum
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to tell people that you have
to take time away from them in order to do this writing thing that doesn't
pay yet.
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mary rosenblum
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And it's darn easy to be
persuaded to make it a 'non priority'.
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mary rosenblum
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Generally, we fill our waking
hours with stuff that becomes habit.
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mary rosenblum
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There's the day job, of
course, and if you are a parent raising kids, that's a BIG slice of time
right there.
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mary rosenblum
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You have friends, volunteer
positions, those favorite TV series you watch every night...
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mary rosenblum
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If writing is important to
you, you are going to need to look objectively at your list of daily
activities and ask yourself...
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mary rosenblum
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what one thing can I cut out
that will give me writing time?
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mary rosenblum
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Maybe it's the TV . Yeah,
you'll miss it for a few weeks, but now you have that hour or maybe more
every evening
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mary rosenblum
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Or maybe it's a volunteer job
or two. Sorry, I can't be rummage sale coordinator for the church this
year. I need time to work on my writing.
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mary rosenblum
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The problem is that someone is
going to be annoyed that you're taking that time, whether it's the person
who counted on you to chair the rummage sale, or your spouse you likes your
company on the sofa during TV hours.
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mary rosenblum
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And it's very easy to feel
guilty about taking time away from these people.
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mary rosenblum
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Not to mention that you're in
effect saying 'I believe what I write is worth taking this time'. Ouch.
That can be hard to say out loud...
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mary rosenblum
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when you've never been
published.
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dim writer
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That's my problem Mary.Hubby
feels neglected.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, you and hubby need to
talk about it, dim.
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mary rosenblum
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You don't have to ignore him
all the time, but surely you can use an hour of evening time? Return to the
TV room for the evening news, or one particular show you both enjoy?
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mary rosenblum
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Try writing in the same room
where he watches TV.
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, it'll be hard at first,
but you can get used to the distraction and it's a nice ability...to be
able to write anywhere.
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mary rosenblum
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That way, if he wants to make
a comment, you're right there to respond.
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mary rosenblum
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You won't be as efficient at
writing, but it might keep the marital balance. :-)
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dim writer
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I guess I could.Thanxs
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mary rosenblum
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Try it.
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mary rosenblum
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I fouind that using headphones
and music let me work in the middle of my kids' activities. I wasn't
completely closed off..
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mary rosenblum
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but the music provided a sort
of filter, so while I could hear one of them speak to me, I could ignore
the TV and their chatter if I needed to.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about overcoming blocks to writing. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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dwkav
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One think I did was to start
referring to writing as my job. When I need to write I say "I'm going
to work now."
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mary rosenblum
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I did that, too, dwk. It does
help. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Not completely. Even today,
when I make my living this way, you'd be amazed at how many people think
that because you work at home...
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mary rosenblum
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somehow you can take all the
time you want to do other things.
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mary rosenblum
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They don't seem to get it that
work is work whether it's at home or in a cubicle! :-) But it helps your
own mental attitude, that's for sure.
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dim writer
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Or do things for them.lol
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dwkav
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Definitely. I think it's helped
my attitude more than anything else.
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mary rosenblum
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That's the real benefit, dwk.
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mary rosenblum
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And dim, you have to really
get hard about saying 'no'.
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mary rosenblum
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It IS hard.
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mary rosenblum
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You feel guilty, it's easy to
say...'but it's only writing'.
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mary rosenblum
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But it's going to be 'only
writing' unless you make it more than that...and that means doing a LOT of
it!
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mary rosenblum
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One thing that can help is
realizing that this is like getting into an apprenticeship program...
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mary rosenblum
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you're learning a craft.
You're not going to learn it if you don't do it, and you're not going to
succeed if you don't learn.
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mary rosenblum
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So remind yourself that this
is a necessary part of the professional business, and say 'no'.
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mary rosenblum
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Do, please, use your private
message feature to chat during the forums. It gets hard to read for those
people with slow servers, if there is a lot of chat.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about overcoming blocks to writing. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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walte
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(Duh! Thanks!) My brain freezes
when life issues come about that I have to deal with. Does this ever get
easier?
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sadie
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Amen Walte. This happens to me
all the time!
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mary rosenblum
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No. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Your brain still
freezes...especially when you have a deadline for a story and it's not
started yet.
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mary rosenblum
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Amazingly empty mind, then.
:-)
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mary rosenblum
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You just learn that you CAN
get past that.a
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mary rosenblum
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The key is write.
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mary rosenblum
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Write a really fun, exciting,
interesting, sexy, wild scene that has nothing to do with anything.
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mary rosenblum
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If nothing else, you'll
improve your craft, so you're not wasting your time.
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mary rosenblum
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You may start thinking about
why this happens, who this person is, what will happen later and end up
with a story.
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mary rosenblum
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The other way is to simply
make yourself tell a story.
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mary rosenblum
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Spend a half hour writing on
slips of paper.
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mary rosenblum
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Write down brief character
descriptions: teen boy with a bad leg who wants to be a skiier.
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mary rosenblum
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Middle aged woman whose sister
died as a child.
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mary rosenblum
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Professional race horse
trainer.
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mary rosenblum
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Now another pile of conflicts.
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mary rosenblum
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Need to clear the MC's name of
a false charge.
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mary rosenblum
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Need to solve a murder.
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mary rosenblum
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Need to prove oneself.
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mary rosenblum
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Put them in different
containers and when you're really stuck, draw one from each.
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mary rosenblum
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Now write a story about that
character with that conflict.
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mary rosenblum
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Just do it.
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mary rosenblum
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Tell yourself you don't have
to send it off, you just have to do THIS story.
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mary rosenblum
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You will slowly begin to
realize that you can indeed make story out of almost anything if you need
to...
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mary rosenblum
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you don't have to wait for the
muse to inspire you. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Although inspiration is
lovely.
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mary rosenblum
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Much of what we have to learn
to do is to give ourselves permission not to write the Pulitzer winner.
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mary rosenblum
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We put SO much pressure on
ourselves.
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mary rosenblum
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It's okay to write a bad story
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mary rosenblum
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You don't HAVE to send it off.
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mary rosenblum
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Put it away and look at it
next year. YOu may very well realize why it didn't work and be able to fix
it then.
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dim writer
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Oh good Idea
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mary rosenblum
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It is good, dim. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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So much of that 'this is
awful' 'I can't think of an idea' is really 'This isn't perfect' 'I can't
think of a Pultizer Winning story'.
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mary rosenblum
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Remember...you are benefitting
yourself as a writer if you write something even if you never even submit
it.
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mary rosenblum
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Although I do suggest you
submit anything that you think is solid, if you write a story and you know
something is wrong with it...
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mary rosenblum
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and your readers agree, well,
you've still improved your craft as you've worked through those scenes.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about overcoming blocks to writing. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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dim writer
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Sometimes when I am away from
pen and paper I get idea
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mary rosenblum
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Try scattering notebooks and
pens through your life, dim.
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mary rosenblum
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They're by my bed, in the
kitchen, in the car, in my dog training bag. I take them hiking or to the
beach.
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mary rosenblum
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I've written ideas on
newspaper margins, phone book page corners, napkins!
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mary rosenblum
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stick a pen in your pocket or
bag and you can usually find something to write on...even a candy wrapper.
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info
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Coming here can help with ideas/discussing
what you can do if the story seems slow, but what else can you do if it
still seems dull or the ideas doesn't still doesn't seem right?
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mary rosenblum
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You probably need reader
feedback at this point, info.
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mary rosenblum
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When you are working on a
novel, especially, you are eye deep in the story and peering minutely at
tiny details.
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mary rosenblum
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The whole thing begins to feel
incredibly slow and PONDEROUS.
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mary rosenblum
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But it's usually not. It is
that YOU are working at a very slow pace. The story may read just fine, but
because you're SO focused in on those tiny details...
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mary rosenblum
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it seems dull, slowly, doesn't
work.
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mary rosenblum
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Worry about that after you
finish the first and maybe even the second draft.
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mary rosenblum
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Give it a rest, work on
something else to clear your head, and THEN read it.
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bluesilk1962
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Nothing I write seems good
enough for me..what can i do?
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mary rosenblum
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We're our own worst critics,
blue.
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mary rosenblum
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Everything I wrote seemed SO
awful when I was starting.
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mary rosenblum
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It was reader feedback that
convinced me it was better than I thought. :-) I'm a bit more objective
now...
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mary rosenblum
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but we're still our own worst
critics. Most of us.
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heal
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How do you go about finding a
writing group
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heal
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and someone toread your stuff
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mary rosenblum
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Ask around, heal.
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mary rosenblum
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Here, you have
storycrafters...an online writers group that accepts new members.
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mary rosenblum
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Private message speckledorf
for the URL and try that...
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mary rosenblum
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or chat with folk here and
you'll find readers.
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mary rosenblum
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If you want 'flesh' groups,
try checking the library bulletin boards in your branch libraries...
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mary rosenblum
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many groups meet in library
meeting space and post notices about them.
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mary rosenblum
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Ask at independent bookstores,
too.
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info
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Regarding reader feedback, is it
generally a good thing to get someone else other than spouse or other
family members to be the reader? My hubby reads my stuff and thinks the
flow is right and I send it to the instructor whoe finds this or that
doesn't work well.
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mary rosenblum
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Genereally, family readers are
not that great. NOt only does 'family dynamic' issues cloud the matter, but
often, spouse is not a writer...
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mary rosenblum
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so feedback is pretty
nonspecific. This is great. I like this, but it didn't feel right.
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mary rosenblum
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Where someone who is also
writing will be more specific...lots of passive voice, the characterization
seemed uneven, I didn't understand why he did that on page four.
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pook
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I don't usually have readers for
my assignments. I want to see what Kris says first.
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mary rosenblum
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I don't know that it's
important to get readers for a LR assignment, pook. We ARE readers and
quite knowlegible, too. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Remember...you are not trying
to turn in a perfect story as a LR assignment and earn an A...that is not
what the course is about.
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mary rosenblum
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You are turning in something
that is imperfect so that you can learn from your instructor's comments.
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mary rosenblum
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Don't sweat it.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about overcoming blocks to writing. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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grayalien
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At what point did you start to
believe that it was worth it? That you could be successful as a writer? Was
it when you published your first short story, or novel? When?
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mary rosenblum
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gray, I doggedly believed it
was worth it from the moment I started. I didn't know if I had the talent
to do this, but I was by golly going to give it my best and hardest shot
until the universe proved to me that I was wasting my time.
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mary rosenblum
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It hasn't managed to do so
yet.
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mary rosenblum
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And believe me, when I started
and was collecting the rejections just as you all are, it was pretty
dogged!
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about overcoming blocks to writing. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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tory
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Tip-I teach my hubby (who is
retired and an avid reader, so he enjoys it) everything I learn from LR and
my cirtique group. He's much better at feedback now than he was. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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That's great, tory.
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mary rosenblum
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But be aware of subtle partner
politics, too.
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mary rosenblum
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Not in your case, obviously.
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mary rosenblum
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Not all partners are really
supportive.
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dim writer
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Do you have to join a guild?
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mary rosenblum
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You just have to write, dim.
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mary rosenblum
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That's the only requirement.
:-) You don't have to join anything if you choose not to.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about overcoming blocks to writing. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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info
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Don't you kind of have to have
the attitude of 'I believe that I can write, may not get published but I am
a writer'?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes. You have to believe that
what you write is important. It may not get published yet, but it by golly
MATTERS.
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mary rosenblum
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That's what I call 'writer
ego'.
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mary rosenblum
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We all have it, that believe
that we have something to say that others really do want to read.
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mary rosenblum
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A good story. A clear,
readable article. A moving personal narrative.
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mary rosenblum
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We can share what is in our
heads and people will be glad we did. :-)
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sewsteph
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I also struggle with everyone's
expectations of me. My husband is so supportive and tells everyone that I
am a writer, but the usual response is that I would write great kids books.
Then I begin to doubt my ability to write adult fiction.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, it's probably a matter
of craft, sew.
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mary rosenblum
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The things that make a 'good
adult book' are craft issues you're weak at right now.
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mary rosenblum
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You all, you are not BORN with
a finite and particular ability to write.
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mary rosenblum
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Most of writing is
craft...like playing the piano.
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mary rosenblum
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Whether you find you are best
with jazz, classical, or pop is what you discover as you practice.
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mary rosenblum
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But a lot of it is learning
technique.
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mary rosenblum
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If you're not very good now,
that doesn't mean you still won't be good after the next 60,000 words or
the next 160,000 words.
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sewsteph
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I think that they believe that
writing children's is easier.
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mary rosenblum
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That's very common and totally
untrue. :-) They just don't realize how difficult a good children's book
is. Igore that 'pat on the head' put down and work on what matters to you.
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dim writer
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What about keeping a journal?
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mary rosenblum
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Keeping a journal is fine,
dim.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a great resource for
personal narratives.
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mary rosenblum
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Practice your description in
it.
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mary rosenblum
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I still sit down and write up
the description whenever I see something particularly powerful.
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mary rosenblum
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Often, those descriptions show
up in a story or book later.
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mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about overcoming blocks to writing. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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try using /ask first merrilar.
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mary rosenblum
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otherwise your quesiton won't
show up here.
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tolkienlvr
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Mary - this is a bit off topic,
but I've just started reading your novel Chimera and I'm impressed at the
"ahead of your time" research you must have done to be able to
write it -- you're using technology concepts in that book from 1993 that
are just coming out in mags like Popular Science this year. Kudos to you on
however you did that! (Research? or Psychic? LOL)
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mary rosenblum
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Oooh, what a nice comment,
tolkien! :-) Of course that's the problem with writing near future Sf...it
DOES show up in your lifetime, LOL.
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mary rosenblum
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I extrapolate, tolkien. I read
science stuff all the time. --- the journals -- and just guess where the
technology will be fifty years from now or more.
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janecj333
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Speaking of piano, there's
learning to play by music, and then there's learning to play by ear... :)
And they're often exclusive, one not leading to the other.
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mary rosenblum
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I don't think that analogy
fits writing, though.
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mary rosenblum
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Reading music is not creating
music. But you can't
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mary rosenblum
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play by ear unless your
fingers can find the right notes.
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mary rosenblum
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Which still takes practice.
:-)
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ctlaird
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Do you find it hard writing both
nonfiction and fiction?
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ctlaird
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I find them so different
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mary rosenblum
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I don't. I don't enjoy
nonfiction the way I do fiction...it feels like a day job when I do it. :-)
That's not true of some of my NF friends...
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mary rosenblum
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who really love it. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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But I wrote NF first and found
the transition to fiction difficult. I was good with NF, but
characterization and story and nuance...
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mary rosenblum
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were new issues to learn!
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mary rosenblum
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Going from fiction to NF
should be much easier.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, I think we lost merrilar
without getting his/her comment up here...so I'll paraphrase it because
it's a good comment.
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mary rosenblum
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Merrilar posted a comment to
the effect that the more he/she writes, the more he/she learns about
himself/herself.
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mary rosenblum
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Pardon the PC pronouns.
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mary rosenblum
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(We need a neuter gender
pronoun besides it!)
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mary rosenblum
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That's really true...if you do
characterization well, you are going to do a bit of deep delving into
yourself.
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mary rosenblum
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Because what other real
charcter do you know so well?
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mary rosenblum
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Now that does NOT mean that
every character in your fiction should be you. Not by a long shot!
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mary rosenblum
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But you'll find that the more
you make characters behave with realism, the more you understand why you do
what you do. :-)
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geezer
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I am good at report writing and
tech writing, getting better at fiction, but I'm bad at NF. I am just wierd
or do others have this pattern?
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mary rosenblum
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You're probably just missing a
key component to NR geeze...and tech writing and report writing is very
different than...
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mary rosenblum
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NF meant for the magazine
market.
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mary rosenblum
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Could be you're making those
magazine articles too much like a report.
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gwanny
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LOL, if all my characters were
based on me they will be boring indeed!
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mary rosenblum
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Ah, not true, gwanny.
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mary rosenblum
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Everyone has seeds of the same
range of human behavior...it's just exagerrated in this person, understated
in that...
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mary rosenblum
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but you can draw out small
aspects of your own real self, exxagerate them, and create a person who is
not at all you and certainly not boring.
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mary rosenblum
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You're not the model, you just
provide seeds.
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info
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About that gender neutral,
geezer and dw came up with himer and hesh. Will they work?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, I LIKE himer!
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mary rosenblum
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That's the best one I've heard
yet.
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mary rosenblum
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Several women writers tried to
get yeye to catch on in the seventies. Didn't work.
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mary rosenblum
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Hmmm....maybe I can use it in
the next novel.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about overcoming blocks to writing. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
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janecj333
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I think music is a perfect
analogy in that some think that they must take certain classes or workshops
in writing before they begin, when really good writing can be all about
listening to the sounds words make on the page and then practicing that on
your own.
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mary rosenblum
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Sure. Classes are hardly
required!
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mary rosenblum
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BUt practice and getting
BETTER is.
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mary rosenblum
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Just as you can't sit down at
the keyboard for the first time and play along with a Beethoven sonata you
aren't goign to write a powerful, moving story...
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mary rosenblum
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the first time you ever try.
The essence might be there...the knowlege of what you want that music to
sound like...
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mary rosenblum
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or what effect you want those
words to have on the reader...
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mary rosenblum
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but you're going to practice
practice practice.
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dwkav
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Don't know. HIMer sounds a bit
too masculine. :o)
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dwkav
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Hmm, so does HEsh now that I
think of it. lol.
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mary rosenblum
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I like the sound of himer
better. :-) him/her
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mary rosenblum
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What workshops, writers
groups, and writing classes do for you is to shortcut the process.
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mary rosenblum
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You can get there on your own,
but it will almost certainly take you longer than it will if you get
feedback...
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mary rosenblum
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and insights into how to do
things that will otherwise take you a lot of trial and error to figure out.
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grayalien
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I find that I have a great deal
more motivation to write when I have a group of people with similar
interests to share my writing with
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, that can be a factor,
too. :-) Believe me, writing is a life of delayed gratification!
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mary rosenblum
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You sweat over that baby, send
it out, wait a year or two to see it in print...
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mary rosenblum
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and you may or may not get fan
letters. YOu may or may not get reviewed.
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mary rosenblum
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Otherwise...did people like
it? Not?
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dwkav
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That's why I'm taking this
course. I wanted real, honest feedback from someone who's been there, done
that, and gotten published anyway.
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mary rosenblum
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It will help you reach your
potential faster, dwk.
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mary rosenblum
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It steepens your learning
curve. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Or can, if you apply yourself.
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dim writer
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I want to write about sis's
murder but it hits to close to
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dim writer
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home.How can I distance myself?
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mary rosenblum
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It may simply be too close to
home for a long time, dim.
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mary rosenblum
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It is very difficult to write
well about something that engages your emotions as strongly as this must
do.
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mary rosenblum
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I have a writer friend whose
mother was murdered...it must be over twenty years ago now.
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mary rosenblum
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She is just beginning to feel
that she could write about it.
|
|
mary rosenblum
|
This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about overcoming blocks to writing. If you're new here, remember
that you need to click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next
to the red question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a
question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach
me! You can also type /ask in front of your question in your regular send
bar to reach me.
|
|
dim writer
|
Mary do you have alot of
rewriting to do on novels?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, every novel I do goes
through several revisions, if that's what you mean.
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mary rosenblum
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I do a first draft, making
'fix it' notes all the way through as my story morphs during the telling...
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mary rosenblum
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Then I do a second draft,
fixing those things, and working on characterization...
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mary rosenblum
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then I send it off to my
readers.
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mary rosenblum
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Then I process their comments
and do a third draft to incorporate whatever changes I'm going to make...
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mary rosenblum
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then I do a fourth, polishing
revision to gloss up the language and tweak things a bit...
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mary rosenblum
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then I send it out.
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mary rosenblum
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I will end up doing one more
revision for the editor and possibly a bunch of scene tweaking depending on
who my editor is. (If it's David Hartwell again, a bunch of scene tweaking.
The man has an eagle eye for logic errors).
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mary rosenblum
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So that's five revisions.
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janecj333
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I wonder why we don't use 'it'
for the unknown article. Maybe in English, the non-gender-specific ' they'
and 'we' are too much already, and 'it' too impersonal.
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mary rosenblum
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Good question...I think it has
such an impersonal connotation we avoid it. Dunno.
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mary rosenblum
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We NEED one. Most people use
'their' for it..incorrectly.
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dim writer
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That must take along time!
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mary rosenblum
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Not that long. My agent always
gets me nine months for a novel on contract. :-) If I"m not under
deadline it takes between nine months and a year...
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mary rosenblum
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depending on when I star.
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heal
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How do you organize your work?
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mary rosenblum
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I save a novel in chapters,
heal, and I have various files like 'character' 'setting' 'timeline',
'universe' etc...
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mary rosenblum
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to keep track of details.
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geezer
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How long do your novels run?
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mary rosenblum
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Usually around 100,000 words,
geeze. My mysteries were a bit shorter -- around 80,000
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grayalien
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Do you ever get writer's block
during the revision process? If so, how do you overcome it?
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mary rosenblum
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Of course. Everybody gets
writers block. :-) If someone says 'no' they're just defining it
differently.
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mary rosenblum
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I just work on something else.
I always have two to three projects going at once. If I get stuck on one, I
switch to another.
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mary rosenblum
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By the time I grind to a halt
on that one, I'm rarin' to go on the one that originally seemed so 'stuck'.
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mary rosenblum
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I usually write several short
stories while I'm working on a novel. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I call them avoidance behavior
stories.
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mary rosenblum
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If you hit writers block go
write something.
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mary rosenblum
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I don't care if it hurts, just
write it.
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mary rosenblum
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Tell yourself it's going to be
awful, that's fine.
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mary rosenblum
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But you can bore yourself by
typing in the phone book, or you can write something.
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mary rosenblum
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So write something.
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mary rosenblum
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A hot sex scene. A chase
scene. A scene where you deck your slimy boss and pound him into the floor,
a romantic scene that would ...
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mary rosenblum
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embarass you to death if any
living soul read it.
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mary rosenblum
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Write something.
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mary rosenblum
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entertainYOURSELF for a
change.
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mary rosenblum
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Or do a long personal
monologue about whatever is depressing you right now.
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mary rosenblum
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Or do a 'dream journey'. By
that I mean start writing about going somewhere in a dream world...
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mary rosenblum
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down a long flight of dark
stairs, for example...
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mary rosenblum
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and see where you take
yourself.
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mary rosenblum
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It is very hard to write that
first sentence when you are really feeling that you can't do it. VERY hard.
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mary rosenblum
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But do it. The next one is
easier. The one after that is even a bit easier.
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mary rosenblum
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It doesn't have to count.
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mary rosenblum
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Nobody has to see it.
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mary rosenblum
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ooooh you should have seen
some of the 'please myself' scenes I've written! Whew! Talk about
delightful, luscious, adolscent wish fulfillment that probably gives away
WAY too much of who I am inside. Ha!
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janecj333
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Isn't writing all about
entertaining ourselves? It is for me, every single story, or what would be
the point?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes and no, Jane.
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mary rosenblum
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That's a delicate balance.
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mary rosenblum
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If it is just for you, why do
you need to be published? Just write stories for yourself. You can even
publish them with iUniverse so that they look nice.
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mary rosenblum
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But for me, they don't really
mean anything unless others share them. That's the seduction for me.
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mary rosenblum
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I have been making up stories
for myself since I was born, I think.
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mary rosenblum
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But when other people think of
my characters and their lives as real, they give them a special kind of
immortality.
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mary rosenblum
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And that is what I want...I want
my stories to matter to other readers the way stories have mattered to me
in my life.
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mary rosenblum
|
And to do that, they stories
...WHAT I want to say, have to be accessible to people who are not me.
That's where the 'how' of writing matters.
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mary rosenblum
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You are learning
telepathy...but using ink marks to achieve it. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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