Smooth water,
turquoise blue,
sunny sands,
lie under you.
A far away voice,
and seagulls call,
to anyone out there,
where waves do fall.
A palm tree bows,
your cheek it tickles,
in breezes pushing,
from an ocean’s cold prickle.
A setting sun,
clouds fade to dark,
stars peek out,
the day is done.
by L. M. Montes
Sometimes the words don’t come. They are there but stuck inside your head. They press against your brain, they even knock against it. But they don’t know how to make it to the page. Ahhhhh!! What do you do? I mean, yeah, you can see in our head what you want to write (we’re talking about fiction here, story writing). You see the scene. You might think it would be easy to write it out because you see it so clearly. But no.
How does that happen? Why do writers get stuck like this? I’m not talking about writers block. Writers block is when you can’t think of anything. There is nothing running through your brain. Nothing. But, with the situation mentioned in the above paragraph, the story is there, the words are there. They are just in your head rolling around.
A free write is the best way to get passed this word stuckness. Just write everything down as it comes to you without worrying about the best way to say what you you want to say. Spill it all out there. When you’re done, walk away from it for a little while. Then go back, read through your free write. You will be amazed at how easy everything comes to you. You will know what to keep, what to change, and what to add.
Me? I like to think about it. Roll the scene around in my head and try out different ways of starting it (or continuing it if I’m in the middle of a scene). I have taken time off of writing for a few days, so I can think my story through. I am most comfortable with this option. I do the free write too sometimes. It just depends.
I was on a walk and happened to look up. This is what I saw. One of God’s beautiful rainbows.
Person vs Technology
This type of conflict is where a person(s) go up against the perilous effects of technology moving in a forward direction. Someone had a great idea that sounded great at the time, but when the idea was tried out or an experiment done, something went very wrong. A classic tale that depicts this is the book by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. Some other examples are 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Terminator, The Giver, The Matrix… The list goes on.
Person vs. Nature
This type of conflict would be any story with a plot where a person or people are going up against nature. What immediately comes to mind is a story with a husband and wife who go hiking up into the mountains and an unexpected snow storm hits. They are prepared for cold weather but not for a storm. They try to get back down the mountain to safety before it’s impossible to do so. But they continue to run up against set back after set back…..
Books with Person vs. Nature Conflict:
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
To Build a Fire by Jack London
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Deliverance by James Dickey
Movies with Person vs. Nature Conflict
Cast Away (2000)
Life of Pi (2012)
Meek’s Cutoff (2010)
The Call of the Wild (1972)
Grizzly Man (2005)
That moment when you’re writing. You stop to think about your main character and brainstorm ideas about what you can do to make him/her a more in depth person. You wonder also about what the major issue will be that he/she must struggle with and in the end will allow him/her to grow.
Everyone has a story within themselves. One that’s either dying to get out or one that wants to stay hidden. If you decide to tell your story, tell it. If you want it to remain hidden then do that. But there are two ways to let it stay hidden. You could leave it alone and do nothing at all, or you could tell it but weave it with fiction. No one will ever know. You will know, but no one else will. That is the beauty of fiction.
Pretend
Have you ever played pretend when you were a kid? If so, shuffle through your mental library of pretend scenarios and expand it into a story. This could be a short story or novel. Just an idea in case you need something to write about.
Romance
Maybe you had a romance that ended on a bad note. You would like to write about that, but you don’t want anyone to know. Well, who has to know it was your experience?
Trouble
Maybe you or someone you know got into some trouble. Ohhhh the intrigue that could come from a story such as this. Embellish and expand on it. Create a fictional detective series that centers around it.
Whatever stories lie within that computer bank living inside of your head, use them if you’re so inclined. That is, if you enjoy the art of writing. If not, leave them alone.
If you are serious about writing a novel, novella, a book of short stories or poems; create a goal for yourself for each day. They say in order to create a habit, one must do the same thing for 21 days (maybe longer depending on the individual). Write everyday and hit the goal you set for yourself. Eventually, sitting down to write will become second nature.
However, it’s tough sitting down to a blank screen because, when this happens, many times the mind goes blank as well. Help your mind out by creating some stimulation for it. Again, we’re all different, so the type of stimulation will be different for everyone. Maybe music will get your mind going, or even the television in the background. Whatever works for you. Or, just start writing what comes to mind. This gets those wheels turning as well. Before you know it your fingers will be flying across the keyboard.
“A Consuming Love,” a “Pride & Prejudice” by author Kelly Miller #Regency #Romance has won 1st Place, Romance, Royal Dragonfly Book Awards!
Well done, Kelly. Many congratulations to you. We look forward to more great reads from you in the future.
At Audible! Free on KU!
https://t.co/aGfVR9Ql8m
WRITE TIME AND AGAIN 