If you have not noticed but lately I have posted questionnaires I conducted with other bloggers.
I greatly appreciate the people who gave the time to participate. There is many more to be posted, however they will be published among my normal posts.
I have been out of rhythm lately with my posts and I have been focusing more on editing my draft.
My #fantasyfriday, weekly posts of short stories and poems have been neglected for too long.
‘Everything will be the way it was, I promise’
#DWTSmith
Most of my posts have been creative writing pieces. A friend asked me the other day, ‘don’t you get writer’s block?’
Writer’s block. The daunting term that can make or break writers. I have been fortunate enough to experience it a lot less than others tend to portray, nevertheless I still have.
There are alot of theories, techniques, tips and suggestions that float around the internet. But these are the ones I tend to fall back on to prevent my writers block. They are:
I love this idea. At the end of each writing session, leave a post note of what you want to accomplish next session. It starts your creative spark and it gives you a sense of direction. Always leave a sticky on your notepad, side of your laptop or in your notes app.
2.WordPress
Laugh all you want, but WordPress helps. If I am suffering from mental stimulation I read blogs. If you read enough it might re-spark the dismal creative flame. For instance, the other day I wanted to continue with my online novel (second installment Burimen Brothers – Part II ) but I felt stuck until I found an article about Dragon Riders in Fantasy novels. I loved it and it inspired me to go back to my story, and change it around. Here is the article Grady P Brown.
Hopefully this article has the same affect.
3.Read a book
The same reasons as above but if you struggle to get online inspiration, reading a book can have the same outcome.
4. Allocate time
Yes, make time to write. It sounds like an obvious one but it works. I set a timer for 30mins each writing session. Deadlines and time pressure forces writers to have the words on paper or screen. After 30mins I reset the clock and go again. At first I only did 15mins and over time I increased it. Hopefully I will able to do longer time slots. Start small, adjust your mental focus to the small time frame then increase. You will see your overall progress increase and your productivity.
These tips are subjective, they might work for me but they might hinder you even further.
What do you think?
I would love to hear what other writers do to prevent writer’s block.
DWTSmith #writersblock
What first made you study English?
A constant struggle for this position.
The idea of the mind; constructed and expressed through language.
This poet speaks of mankind, is he kind to man?
‘The Burimen Brothers’ is an on-going Fantasy story that I will be writing on my blog. It was going to be my first novel but I thought I would express it to my followers.
I hope you enjoy the first installment and follow the journey I will take you on. Each week I will release a segment. Enjoy!
I stood on the edge of the fiery lake. My village burned in the reflection, and underneath the dawn light. People screamed in agony and animals fled for higher ground. Mother urged me to leave before the chaos begun, she said the Wndith were after me.
Ashes drifted high above the fiery lake, smoke rose with it and I watched the villagers burn. On the opposite side of the lake, the morning dew moistened the short grass. It was a brisk morning but the villagers would disagree; they were underneath burning logs.
‘Hunter!’ a man yelled out, running towards me from the eastern side of the lake. I was ready to pounce. As he got closer I recognized him. It was the village Butcher, Clyd.
‘Leave now!’ He continued, ‘Go to Edenra over the mountains and find a young lady, Deanna.’
Before I had the chance to ask a question, an arrow flung through his neck. His body collapsed to the ground. I scanned the trees to find the bowman. I couldn’t see them and I didn’t want to hang around.
I fled for the cradling mountains. The mountain ridge kept our village secret for many years, hid me from the outside world but that time was up. I had been found.
DWTSmith. #amwritingfantasy
I speak but noone can hear
I flap but noone lets me out.
I want to fly,
free into the big blue thing,
sometimes it changes to dark.
that’s okay. I’d rather be
up high, away from this black prison.
Big things moving,
Help let me out I squawk
but no help.
Do I stay here till I die?
all I want to do is fly.
DWTSmith. #poetrymonth
It was quiet but not anymore,
school holidays filled the absence.
The whoosing of driving cars,
steam from the hot road.
A stretch of trees – dull colours
dragged through the raindrops.
Birds chirped across the clouded sky.
Cold. Freezing cold.
The winter sky hugged the hills,
yet the moon is hidden
and I could not relax.
DWTSmith. #poetrymonth
While I write I listen to my Pandora station, which is a collection of instrumentals, orchestras, string-orchestras and harmonic melodies.
I was deep in focus with my writing, the music is more of a background noise, then John Butler’s instrumental ‘Ocean’ brought me from my words.
I sat back and enjoyed the 12mins of the instrumental. It was worth every second, every minute but it had to come to a resolution and end. (you can watch/listen to it here)
I sat back with the goosebumps all over my body settling down. John Butler is an artist. He uses his melodies to explain his life struggles, peak moments and to where he is now.
I saw him Live a few years ago and I had the same feelings. John claimed before he begun, ‘Ocean’ is his story, a journey of his life, verses and rhythms that are added and changed over time. On YouTube you can watch all different live shows and there will be differences with each verse but it will always have the ultimate climax.
Last night John Butler’s ‘Ocean’ made me realize, it is a novel.
It has an introduction, it builds up, plateaus, builds up, drops down, spikes to it’s ultimate climax. Then gradually winds down with a few high peaks, but not as high as the climax then ends.
Exactly how a novel should carry their reader through their story.
A novel should have build ups, pleteaus and the ultimate climax. Joseph Campbell would agree and direct the argument towards his theory of ‘The Hero’s Journey’. I won’t go into complete detail of each step and the flaws but I will mention his theory caused a backlash as it neglected the Heroine’s Journey which was formed later on by Maureen Murdock.
Each climax draws the reader closer to the story, more engaged with the characters and the reader care about why the protagonist is embarking on a journey.
Even though they are different mediums, songs and novels serve the same purpose; to carry their audience on a journey.
My brother asked me, “what do I want to accomplish with writing?” The first thing that popped into my head was to leave a footprint. Not an environmental footprint but one I can call my own, show my own individuality and show my passion.
I learned from University, to create your literary footprint you must read a
diverse range of books to find your own voice. So I did. I read: teeth-clenching mysteries, predictable thrillers, philosophical fiction, dystopian science-fiction and heptalogy fantasy series (I had to google that, it’s a 7-book series); after all the page-flicking, I have found a voice I am comfortable to call my own.
I still read a wide range now. I found my genre I want to write in and now I read a diverse range of Fantasy writers.
My blog will also contain book reviews of all the books I have read, reading or hoping to read. To showcase, that I might have a bit more of an idea with writing than people tend to think.
For now I’ll let you ponder, as a writer or reader, on what kind of voice
you have in the literary world.
The Authors life’s inspire their writing, a few of them were writers without consciously choosing; a natural flow into the field. To a high degree their facts mixed with fiction, for example Tim Pear starting writing as he moved to England, his reflective journals of his presence in the new world – a realization of his new location – inspired his first novel.
The main element of my life that will influence my writing is Relationships: family relationships, sexual relationships, friendships, good/ bad and animals/ humans.
I watched a live video of Alison Tait, author of The MapMakers Chronicles (link here) and one of the comments she made was, ‘write what you know’. That for me resonates and will always be something that I fall back to and that’s what other aspiring authors can remember.
Fantasy has always been revolved around my life. I guess my goal for writing is to intertwine these real relationships with fantasy to make readers relate to it.
An appropriate photo for inspiration and influence is a
photo I took a few years ago. I decided to visit New Zealand
and draw inspiration from Hobbiton
and the picturesque landscape.
Hobbiton: Where Hobbits Live.
I sat at my desk and pondered on what my next post could be, then it hit me. An introduction of who I am and why I am posting this.
I grew up and live in Port Macquarie. I moved down to Wollongong when I was 21 to study but at the time I was unsure what I wanted to do. I dabbled in different fields and subjects but nothing interested me except, Sociology. After a summer break I got immersed into The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings. I had always been drawn to fantasy but not in a literature sense, after I fell back into reality I thought to myself, I could create a world with characters and underlying messages that can apply to real life.
Once I had that moment of clarity I rushed to my computer to see if I could major in Creative Writing. I scanned the computer screen and it was meant to be, I could.
I went to university the next day and organised another major to be added on and that is where my Creative Writing spark begun. After 4 years of learning how to apply and break the rules of writing, existential break-downs, all-nighter assessments, an excessive amount of alcohol, traveling to foreign countries alone and living with no money; I can say with all my heart, I want to be an author.
I moved back to Port Macquarie, started working at The Beach House Cafe/Pub and trying to get students for an English Tutor.
From here I want to create a space to share my progress, thoughts, short stories, what I am reading, ideas that continue to inspire me and my own story to become an author.
At the moment I am in the draft stage of my first novel, however I am not comfortable in sharing any piece of that yet. In the meantime it will just be all the other things listed above.
My main focus of writing is Fantasy. I am open to fiction, especially the classics, like J.D Salinger, Charles Dickons, Keith Waterhouse, Harper Lee, Jack Keuroc, Frans Kafka etc. but I will always fall back to fantasy on either side of finishing a book.
I hope I haven’t bored you with my story. I hope to join the writing community and build a strong relationship with people like myself.
Tell next time, here is a photo my friend Charlie Black captured (check out his page here) which inspired me to write a scene in my book.
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