Posted 08/30/07 HOW TO SUSTAIN WRITING
I don’t have any easy answers, but discipline is the key. You must write consistently and have a plan. A boatload of tenacity
doesn't hurt either.
I don’t write every day, but most days. I always have a plethora of projects on the table, so I can change gears, if needed. I
never allow myself the luxury of writer's block. When I can’t write fantasy, I write historical fiction, then picture books,
followed by poetry. If that doesn't work, I pull out my really lousy romance novel. After that, it’s on to non-fiction articles,
rants, letters, and lists. In the incredible down times, when I hate writing, I write about that.
If nothing is working, I read a book and call it research. I keep a reading log and write about why I loved or hated the book.
My critique group keeps me on my toes and looking ahead. Having a manuscript due tonight helps the whole process.
I take writing classes to inspire and challenge. I go to writing conferences to meet like-minded souls. It always surprises me to
find a bit of myself in such different people. I find it very comforting.
Honestly, I've thought about quitting hundreds of times and have actually quit at least five times, but then the zest of my life
pours out like a popped balloon. Writing is like breathing to me -- a necessary function to live. When I don’t write, I feel less
of myself -- like an empty shell going through the motions of life. It's not a bad place because as my words hit the paper,
word after word, a calmness enters my soul. I know my purpose. My calling. I am sure that my writing is a gift. I find this
assurance when my words fly against the paper.
Posted 11/1/2004 ALTERED SENSES, first appeared in the Nov 2002 SCBWI Chinook.
We use the five senses for more powerful writing: smell, sight, touch, taste, hearing. However, there are many forces that can
alter our senses that we sometimes don’t think about.
Emotions can change our senses. On a melancholy day, the sound of a dripping faucet is unbearable, but a screeching rock
band isn’t loud enough when we’re in high spirits. Some people are so angry they think they can see red.
Think about the emotional state of the characters in one of your stories, and see if you’ve added consistent sensory details
Thoughts can modify our senses. Stare out the window at lunch time, and you might lose your present physical senses to a
daydream. The memory of your grandmother could make you love the smell of lavender. With a sudden movement in our
peripheral vision, we run screaming from a ghost in the woodshed.
Exercise: Write a scene in which the five senses are altered by a thought.
Health can rework our senses. If we suffer from vertigo, the sight of a patterned carpet becomes terrifying. Pain from a
broken toe makes food taste awful. A headache can make light unbearable. Bland chicken soup becomes tasty and
comforting when you have a cold.
Exercise: Write a paragraph about a personal experience when your senses were altered by your health.
The physical world can transform our senses. Astronauts say in the absence of gravity, it’s extremely difficult to sleep because
you always think you’re falling. Time also affects people in different ways. Morning people hear the chirping birds, see the
rising sun, and jump out of bed to smell the coffee. Night owls ignore the screeching birds, shudder at that bright light, and hit
the snooze alarm—forget the coffee, nothing compares to sleeping in.
Exercise: Write a list of physical changes that might transform a child’s senses.
Strengthen your writing. Take time for an exploration of perception.
Posted 8/12/2003 GETTING STARTED
How does someone become a writer?
Write! I started writing poems because they are short. Write letters, write poems, write journals. Try writing lists. It’s easiest
to start small. Make a specific writing goal — try a journal entry every day for three weeks. A specific goal will help you
have a writing habit.
Read! Most of you have read books as students and some of you read books for fun. Writers read books for these reasons,
but they also read to understand why they like the book and study how it was written.
Copy! Copying stories others have written is another good way to learn how to think as a writer. For fun, try writing new
stories based on stories you already know. This gives you a chance to focus on characterization without the encumbrance of
devising a plot too.
Very few writers can do well on their own. I started my first writer’s group in the seventh grade. We met at lunch and wrote
scripts for of our favorite TV shows. I sure wish I had copies of those Star Trek scripts. I have two critique groups now.
Writing is lonely business. It's good to be among friends.
These four steps will put you on the writing road. Enjoy the journey.
Copyright 2003 Molly Blaisdell