The Writer's Block

It's time to get back to basics. We live in a fast paced world of instant everything. Even our browsers are full of shortcuts and instant access. I can't say much since I have all of these and more. This is true in my office, my truck and my home. The one place that I knew I had to take pause and start from scratch is the kitchen. No, I won't turn this into a homemaking page. Don't worry. It is still books, books and more books. I did, however, combine the two worlds in a cookbook that I compiled using the recipes I tweaked and twisted until it was perfect. In other words, back to basics. Allow me the moment of a free plug of my other blog, The Pink Executive. I share my haphazard wisdom of the home while I write, promote and learn from other authors and readers, alike. I hope you take the time to check it out along with my new recipe book, Homemade Mixes from the Hearth. I hope you enjoy using the recipes as much as I do and please leave a comment below. The Pink Ex

The title sounds big and beyond capability but it really isn't. Creating a world is second nature to some authors but it still scares the heebie jeebies out of any writer. It is easier for some to just write what (or where) they know by picking a town they have been to or a forest that they have walked through a dozen times, but to create a place that no one has been can freeze us in our tracks. Why is that? I mean, if no one has been there, there should not be anything to live up to like remembering what bus stop is at what park in the middle of Boston. A Bostonian would know. An author who had never been there? Not so much, and would have more pressure to get facts straight. That is but a small problem and I have learned that it isn't a true problem at all. It is called artistic license. The author is the creator of that world and as such can make it however he or she wants. If I want horses, instead of cars, to be the mode of transportation in modern day New York, that is ho

Is there something that you do during the day that just makes your mind burst with ideas? Is it driving in the car or folding laundry? I get mine at crazy times. I am in the process of organizing my cabinets. I am a week behind on the 52 Weeks to an Organized Home Challenge. Last week was organizing cabinets and drawers. I did drawers first day but it kinda dwindled from there. So, this week was supposed to be sorting out food storage and pantry but today I am finishing up the cabinets from last week. Enjoying it, actually. While I was emptying everything under the sun out of what was supposed to have been only a pan cabinet but held everything from a spice rack I forgot I had to two rolls of aluminum foil that I thought I was out of, my mind went to that pantry and how it isn't working for me. I suddenly got inspired to move my pantry and rebuild. Then I thought of my next book and a new way to outline that would take me to the top. I was on a roll. In the mean time, I had totally

Hello all my fellow writers and readers! It is cloudy outside and no one else is home but me. The good side of that is I am a writing monster when it's like this! No writer's block could withstand a day like today. Yesterday I was talking to someone about writer's block and she she said that her problem wasn't that she had an idea but was stuck. Her problem was that she couldn't figure out what to write at all. She asked me how I found topics to write about. It was a good question. When I am staring at that blank page and know I want to write but nothing is rattling around in my brain, it is kinda sucky. I yell at the pen for not working. I rip out the page and wad it up even though nothing is written on it. I pace. Then I ultimately head to the fridge. That is what happens about 40% of the time. The other 60%? It's as plain as that blank page, I told her. Write what you know, and if you don't know it, look it up till you do. She said that she was screwed th

You get the best idea. You want it on paper so fast you spill your coffee while getting to the desk. You fire up your writing program and FLASH! There is that white screen and your idea just went out the window... Yea, been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Of course, the t-shirt is white and blank like that damned blank screen. Writer's block. They should have a remedy for that by now. Some sort of pill or nasty tasting elixir that instantly heals it and we can write like the literary geniuses that we are! OK, Maybe that's not in our near future, but the problem is real. Crazy as it sounds, we don't always have the inspiration or the want-to to write that million dollar novel or that awe inspiring blog post. Our brains just say, Nope, not doing it today. Try back tomorrow or next week. Better luck next time. <Insert that evil laugh that you swear is coming from everywhere but you know it is coming from that white screen of evil that is currently controlling your l

 We all get these kind of letters from publishers and agents alike. This is my take on if the roles were finally reversed.   Dear Esteemed Publishing Corporation, After some deep consideration, I must regretfully inform you that I must reject your rejection letter. Although it was cleverly written and grammatically correct, I could not find myself accepting such content. I do appreciate the fact that you mentioned my novel in your letter, however, and such considerations do carry some weight with me. With that being said, I will give you another chance. I would suggest that your revise your letter and send it in again. Perhaps the second time will be the charm. Sincerely, Lottie M. Hancock