How to Keep on Writing when you have writer’s block?

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Hello, today I want to continue with this sort of, kind of series on starting a blog. 

Back in January, I started, sort of backward, the topic on “How to start a blog?” I went over the basics of picking a topic, a name for your blog, customizing it for you and your readers, and publishing your first blog.  In the next post, titled cutely, “What the heck is Well-nigh and other ponderings”.  I covered the dirty subject of using re-write software and another website that allows you to reuse a post over and over again without getting into trouble with the “copyright police” or Google with your own post.  This title came about when I was not pleased with the “How to write a Blog” post, tried to re-write the post using a program online, and confused when the software suggested that I use the word, “Well-nigh” throughout the piece.

Side-Note:  I found out from an article, “The First Blog Posts you Should be Writing as a new Blogger, by Beautiful Dawn, which she talks about deciding on what topics you cover in your new blog.  In the article, she suggests that “cover multiple topics.  The example she uses is that you can cover travel, organization, and cooking if that is what you want to talk about.  Do not start a string of travel blog post, then switch to a bunch of organizational posts, then finally to cooking posts.  You have to create a map to tie-in each little nugget of information for the reader. Another way is to have a common theme within your traveling, organization, and cooking themes.  For example:  If you are traveling to India, you can map out a plan to write about the trip and your travels, follow it by having an “Indian-inspired” organization container in your “Indian-inspired” bedroom, and conclude the trio of blog posts by cooking a posting your version of a Indian dish you had on the trip.  The point is in 2020 it is okay to have a blog, especially a lifestyle blog with multiple subjects in it.
I have more on these and other subjects as I try to prepare my blog for “move out of Blogger’s backyard and into the world of WordPress” day.  I figured that this whole process, which I am letting you come for the journey when be completed around May.  Yes, I am taking it slow and steady.  I will let you know of the official move out/in date soon. 

Today’s Topic:  I am stuck so I cannot write today (writer's block).

This happens to the best of writers. You get to the computer, you open up your word processing program, and WHAM! Nothing comes out.  No magical moment where the brain instructs the hands to form the words to a beautifully mastered blog post. Everything you had hoped for dreamed of writing and the message you want to give to the masses is stuck at point zero.  I am not talking about the computer.  It’s fine.  What I am talking about is that moment when you have everything planned to say, and you cannot think of a thing to say.
This is typical of me. I start writing on a subject, let’s say Disney trips since I have not used that in a while.  I have been talking about subjects, such as planning a trip, buying your tickets, making your reservations, and scheduling dining times.  Everything is looking good, and I am working up a sweat.  I want to keep this Disney trip thing going, but now I have run out of ideas.  What do I write about next?  Where does my thought process point to?  Another example:  You have a blog about owning your self-worth because you see that lacking in today’s society.  You have been at it for a while, having Motivational Mondays, devotionals (it is a Christian blog), affirmations, and dedications to name a few.  One day, a subject comes to mind that you really feel like it needs to be addressed, but you are not sure how to approach it with your audience.
What to do when that happens?
I am a believer in the art of “always have something to say”. Most of the time, it is a matter of knowing what to say.  When that happens, try these techniques to get your creative juices started…

1.       Freewriting

Rebecca Talley of her self-titled blog, Rebecca Talley says to just write.  Before you write, you must plan.  By planning, you are mapping out how the story must begin and how it must end.  This technique works best for those who are writing a book or a script, but points are taken from this technique also apply to the blog post and non-fictional writing as well.  She goes on to talk about, “Think about the scene. Who is in it? What is the goal of the scene? What is the conflict? Where is it set?”  I will further that sentiment by saying, “write it down in a notebook”.  That way, if something or someone takes you away from the moment, you can return back to that notebook, and pick up where you left off.

She also says to write anything, even if it has nothing to do with the story or in this case, the concept of an idea.  Sometimes it takes me two days to write one blog post.  It is not that I am conflicted about what I want to say, but more on I might change my mind and take the concept in a different direction. She further suggests that you use a timer and write about anything that comes to mind for about 5 minutes.  You would be surprised at the ideas you come up with for 5 minutes.

2. Change of scenery

Maybe a Change of Scenery-Pixabay

One other suggestion is to change your scenery.   By that, you are getting out of your comfort zone, that place where solitude and tranquility meet as one big pool of peacefulness, but every once in a while, the two do not go together.  To return to that space, consider writing somewhere different.  For example, if you like to write cuddled with a blanket and your feet up on your lounge in your bedroom, try the kitchen or the family room (make sure family members do not disturb you), or go to the library.  I do not suggest a place like Starbucks unless you can drown out the noise. 

3. Keep a notebook of ideas

This is a different type of notebook than the one I mentioned under Freewriting.  This is also more for the blogger who needs to come up with a topic for future references.  Keep this notebook with you at all times for when those creative juices emerge.  Yes, this includes keeping it by your nightstand.  You can keep a traditional notebook or a digital notebook.

4. Quora

Quora Website-

I love Quora. In case you are not familiar with the website, Quora is a place where people can ask questions and the general public answers them.  The way I use this little nugget of a website is I answer the question provided to me.  They are often to me through my email.  I can choose to answer because I am an expert in that area, or I have experienced it at one

time or another.  I will answer enough to give a good answer.  If I think that it is blog post-worthy, I will copy the answer before submitting it to the database, then in MS Word, I will pull up a blank document and copy the answer onto it.  This blog post I am writing, and you are reading now came from a Quora question.  I will sometimes omit the answer.  The original concept of this blog post had my answer to the question on it, but sometimes the answer does not fit the blog post.

5. Writing prompts

They are in the same category as Quora, where you are given a question to answer, and you provide the answer. My one example was a post I wrote in 2012 about my summer vacation.   I forgot where I found the prompt, it has been a while since I wrote.  Please excuse the typos. 

There is an online event for writers every year in November called National Novel Writer’s Month or NaNoWriMo for short.  It is for people who write novels, and in the past, they used to have writing prompts.  Now you can easily look them up on search engines, Pinterest, and Facebook even has some groups that allow you to get you thinking about writing.

Well, that’s the end.  Not by a long shot. I want you to have a successful writing career if that is your choice.  Writer’s block happens to all of us, from novelists to bloggers, journal writers, and journalists.  It is what you choose to do with that writer’s block when it comes, and I have given you 5 ways to conquer it.  The point is to recognize it when it comes. 

Call to Action Prompt:  Comment below if you have ever had this experience of writer’s block and how you solved your situation. 

August is writing prompt month

(c) 2016 photo by P.Lynne Designs   A site at Put-In-Bay, Ohio

I hope you enjoyed my last post.  For this month, I decided to sort of take a little break from thinking too hard about a subject.  (Like I have not been taking a break)

July was very busy as you can see by my lack of writing.  No excuses this time, but that did give me time enough to think about my next move.  Nothing concrete yet, but you will know.  I talk about anything.  I am still on that break, but this month, I decided to do writing prompts.  Writers, there is nothing wrong with prompts, IF they pertain to your niche.  My niche for this blog is writing, so anything goes here (except adult stuff, I want the kiddos to read too).  So, if you are looking for that raunchy, nasty, good for your libido type stuff, I heard that Zane is putting out new material all the time. Not here, no thank you. (I even stopped reading and watching that mess, but you do you, boo).

For August, I want to just talk.  (I normally do not use the word, “just”, but it fits here). 

The way you can participate for the month is simply:  Read, Comment, and Do.  Read the writing prompt.  For example, I used BlogHer’s writing prompt of “What is your favorite (spelled the European way) Fairy Tale?”  At the end of my post, I issued a call to action which was to comment on your favorite (spelled the American way) Fairy Tale.  I placed it on my Facebook page, “My Ambiance Life”, as well.  Next, in your journals, or wherever you write, my call to action is write your own post (to yourself or others).  This is a fun way to get your brain to think.  I would love to read your answers.

I will have another one tomorrow.  It will be either another one from BlogHer, or from somewhere else.  There is no prize, just pure, clean fun.  

What is your favourite fairy tale and why?

By Madam Marie

I am back with doing BlogHer’s writing prompts… post to follow

I am a huge Disney fan.  I know, I know, he borrowed from the greats and made them his own, but think about it for a moment… Most artists and writers do borrow from the original and make it their own.  That is just the way the world works.  People borrowing from on another to either try to make it better, if not the same.  It is not illegal and it does not violate copyright law.  Copying and pasting to make it your own, and I have a couple of posts that speaks about that very problem.

Off -subject, let me focus

Anyway, like I said, I am a huge Disney fan.  I like the parks, the characters, all things Disney, so my favorite fairy tale comes from Disney.  I will have to say that my favorite fairy tale is The Princess and the Frog.  It is one of the newest movies, and yes, it is in book form, but the prompt did not say that it has to come from a book.  I have several reasons why this movie is my favorite.

            First of all, it is diversified.  It has several elements of that.  OK, dare I say it…. The female lead is African American AND she looks just like me.   OK, I do not expect anyone, but another African American dark-skinned female to understand this, but I will explain it.  When the entertainment world comes up with an African American character for some reason, they either go too dark or too light with the character in mind.  This includes drawn characters.  When I was little, there was very few I could see myself in, and Disney had none.  So, it seemed right to make her of African American decent.  Prince Naveen is not white, but either of Hispanic or Middle Eastern decent.  This was the first animated movie to do that.

            The music was upbeat.  OK, all of Disney’s movies has some climatic song, but I hate to admit it, but “Let It Go” from Frozen is a bit slow, but it fits for the scene that was drawn too, New Orleans in the Princess and the Frog is a lively place, even the swap area urged you to “Dig a Little Deeper” with Mama Ode. 

            How can you not love an alligator and a firefly?  Louie is the best.  He does not think he is an alligator, he just wants to play jazz, and he gets to towards the end of the movie.  (sorry for the spoiler alert for those who have not seen it.) It is the other people who have a problem with it. Ray, his love for Evangeline, who is actually a star, but he does not care, he just loves his Evangeline.  He gets to meet her too.

            Voodoo.  OK, I personally do not mess with that stuff.  I had some great aunts who did it, but I do not touch the mess.  My mom hated going to their house (OK, she went once, and my grandfather, being a Christian, did not like it).  Voodoo was the thing that got Prince Naveen in the mess he was in.   Dr. Facillier sings about “Friends on the Other Side”, and you do not want to mess them either.  Prince Naveen’s overseer loved it because that magic allowed him to become Prince Naveen while he was a frog.

These are some of the things that draw me to Princess and the Frog, and there is plenty more to talk about.  My only disappointment is in Disney and the Parks in regards to the characters.  When Princess and the Frog was released, there was much fanfare to them.  They even had a coronation ceremony to officially welcome Tiana into the Disney Princess fold. All the Princess up to that point was there, and it was done right there in New Orleans Square at Disneyland.  After a couple of months, with new shows featuring them on the riverboat, and a few other things, the characters sort of went away, except for events like Disney’s own version of Mardi Gras.  Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen finally were allowed to be in the newest castle show that started in May 2016, but none of the other characters can be seen anywhere else, even though Dr. Facillier can be seen with the other villains in a Halloween show. 

I invite you to seek out your own favorite fairy tale and comment in the section below.  Next, go to your writing journal, if you have one, and talk about your favorite fairy tale. 

Let the Adventure begin…. Going outside of your comfort zone to get your story

They have containers!!!
From Tuesday Morning
(c) 2015 P. Lynne Designs

Yesterday was a very eventful day.  Other than the usual waking up in my comfy bed, I had a business women’s meeting (Shout out to Awesome Women in Business).  I got there late, because unless I have my GPS on and secure, I am the most directional challenged person you could ever meet.  I drive a lot, but when I ride with someone who knows where they are going (i.e. my dad), I sit back and run my mouth.  That is what introverts do.  Another subject for a different day.

Anyway, it was on marketing your business, and I can spend a whole hour talking about how to do that with your own business, because I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, but that is not the subject for today.  Shall we move on?

After the meeting and networking with some of the ladies, who I have not seen since my accident in July, which was due to recovery, and getting my business ready for the holidays, I headed home…or did I?

I think I might add these.
From Tuesday Morning (c) 2015
P. Lynne Designs

I was hungry, but I did not want fast food.  I wanted something new or something that I have eaten in a long time.  This food had to be portable, but soft on my throat, because I am recovering from Strep Throat.  I had not been around the Bethel Road area in a while, so I went on a little adventure.  First I looked at a couple of strip malls, and if you are in the U.S, you know what I mean.  I did not want Chinese food, and one Indian diner looked questionable, so I passed those up.  I found my familiar, Micro Center, which if you do not have one, it is basically a computer store, and I needed to go in there to get some ink, but, as a rule, I do not get my printer ink from a computer store.  The prices are too high unless you find a deal, and I was not up for that.   What I was up for was Tuesday Morning, a store that is similar to Pier 1, World Market, and Big Lots in one store.  They have closeouts and clearances on items.  I looked in (Warning:  Very dangerous stuff ahead…) but walked out with nothing.  Why?  Because I took my credit cards out of my wallet, and at the moment, my bank will not like me if I had bought a candy bar with my debit cards…come on payday.

Cam Asian Market in Columbus, Ohio
(c) 2014 Google Images

Next, and this is where the true adventure began, I stepped next door to Cam, an Asian Market.  Folks, this chick has never been in an Asian market before because I am not Asian.  But this is a post about stepping outside of your comfort zone, and other than a trip to New York or San Francisco to visit Chinatown or even a trip to an Asian country, I get my Chinese food from a bistro around the corner and my Sushi from a diner across town.  Let’s just say that I was the only black chick in the market. 

I can honestly say without a doubt, if you want to fully immerse yourself in someone’s culture, go where the locals go.  Have your doubts, and things that your family and friends have told you about a culture in mind, but let it go when you walk into that culture.  I noticed that the people in the market, basically kept to themselves.  They were not on smartphones, except one, and he and his friend were millennials.  My cart almost ran into a lady, who did not say excuse me.  I said it, I guess she was surprised that I said anything.  The music was quietly playing in the background, and it was not the latest pop music in America, it was THEIR music.  The only English I heard was when I went up to the counter.   Last week, I had forgetting to get eggs in Whole Foods, but the only eggs I found were the type they ate, which were eggs like Thousand-year-old eggs, and boiled eggs in soy sauce.  I bought a piece of yeast Brown sugar bread for $1.99.  It was quite tasty, and if I put the effort in, I can make yeast bread.   They had a very small section of European goodies, but there wasn’t anything American in the store.  I now know where to get my Dim Sum, should I want to cook it, because Columbus’ Chinese restaurants do not like to serve Dim Sum at all.  Finding ingredients for Sushi has never been a problem.   I just do not have the manual dexterity it takes (nor the 10 years of schooling) to make the perfect roll, so I leave it up to the experts.

Brown Sugar Yeast bread from Cam
(c) 2015 P. Lynne Designs

So if you want an adventure, you do not have to spend $1,000 on plane tickets and $300 a night on a hotel room, just to get a blog post going.  Just do what I did yesterday.   Get out of your comfy bed, and go to a part of your city or town that you think you would never venture to, and visit some of the shops.  Become the observant, people watch.  Notice how they act, and write about it.  Be careful about taking pictures, it might not be their way. (I took pictures inside of Tuesday Morning for personal reasons and a project I am working on, but none in the market).  Be respectful of that culture, but do not trash-talk.  This is how we as a nation can begin to heal from all the hurt and pain.  You do not have to agree with everyone, even in your own little corner of the world, but who knows, that little corner may become bigger when someone not like you shares in the moment.  I enjoyed coming out of my comfort zone.

In the rush of things to come….

(c) 2015 Google images 

Did I just come up with that title for today’s prompt?   OK, this is not how I wanted to start out, but I am waiting on my client to tell me what he wants me to next in setting up his payment accounts.  I will have to talk about that in the next post.

Ah, the next post.  Posting has been a little sporadic for me in the last month or so on all of my blogs.  That does not mean that I am ready to give up blogging.  Life took a change for the better, I hope.  It has to do with that client I just mentioned, plus, I am making some changes in my scrapbooking business, which I hope will help me in the long run.  But I will get back into my regular routine when things settle down.

OK, so I was going through my writing prompts for today, and I came across this one:  “Tell us about your morning routine”   I will have to admit that I used to have a morning routine.  I am finding out in the now 6 years since I stopped commuting to a work place, that I have the morning routine of a retired person, LOL.  Please, I do not mean to offend a person who is retired, but I do.  I cannot speak for the other entrepreneurs, but my routine is quite simple:  Get out of bed, think happy thoughts (pray), bop down to the computer, and read my email, Facebook, and other social media.   I skip breakfast, which is nothing new, since I did that when I was commuting.  By that time, it should be lunch, and I eat that.

What I SHOULD be doing:  Wake up, do devotions in bed, do a good washing of the face and teeth (I do a 5-minute thing, unless I have somewhere to go), bop down stairs, eat breakfast, then do everything else.  I do a workout twice a week (I am getting use it). 

Should life be so rushed that you skip half your routine?  I do not think so, especially for a single with no kids.  Besides that, what am I going to do when I do have a kid?   

How do you remember blog posts you want to write until you're ready to sit down at the computer? Do you have a system in place, why or why not?

(c) Disney

As a line from the song, Poor Unfortunate Souls (The Little Mermaid), goes, “The boss is on a roll”, I would have to say, yes she is, and that I am. I am on my third blog post of the night, and I am smiling.  I may not be a believer of playing catch-up, but I am doing pretty well, to say that I did not blog hardly at all in July.  (Love my birthday month)   It is bittersweet when you are the owner of 5 blogs, and I get comments from amateurs to experts saying, that I only need one, to how do you keep up with them?   This leads to today’s question about remembering what posts I want to until I sit down at my computer.  

It is funny, because I am on this computer all the time.   If I am not answering a social media question, I am writing a post.  If I am not doing that, then I am watching a video, playing a game, making orders for customers, or making or listing products for customers to buy. 

As for creating posts, I have to it right now.  I create a post on MS Word, and I tweak it.  I tweak it by doing research if it calls for it, upload the research into the post document and check grammar.   Lastly, I cut and paste it into either Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, Hubpages, or BlogMutt, depending if it for myself or for others and the subject matter.  Once I am in the editing area, which is when I do photos and last minute spell and grammar check (because Google Chrome is like that)

I am now starting to keep track of blog post subjects on Outlook calendars, because I write so many, and for those who follow Google, knows how Google hates duplicate topics and posts.  Why?  Because I would be lost, and I do not want my blogs shut down by them. 

Getting back to the line from Unfortunate Souls, I find it funny that there are days when I do not want to write anything, and other days (like today), I am spitting them out like a fully automatic rifle.     Yes, the boss is on a roll, but this is my last one for the night, so, as character from “War Games” puts it….”Shall we play a game?”

So what do you think?  I would love to see your comments below.

August 20, 2014-What is the single best thing you do to keep your career goals on track….

Today, I am back to writing prompts with Blogher, because when it comes to this blog in the last couple of months, my mind draws a blank.  They say in order to get readers to tune into your blog, you have to be consistent.    Consistency is the least of my problems.   I have worst problems than that.  There are the “Nephew needs a ride to X place, because he does not have his learner’s permit, let alone a driver’s license and a car” problem.  There is the “Sister needs a ride to work and other places” problem.  She rides the bus, but barely keeps any money.   There is the sales problem, probably because I am hardly in the house to make a sale.   There are the “social media distractions, needs a new website, but not enough money to hire someone to create one for you, but how are you going to attract someone so you can build a new one, but have little knowledge of HTML” problem. (This run-on sentence was intentional for rant purposes).  Do not misquote me, for the complaint is very real and very bittersweet.  This is what happens when you are an Aunt Entrepreneur, which is the same as a Mom Entrepreneur.  The only difference is the children do not stay with you 24/7.  That is about the change come September (more bittersweet drama - cues violin) I am turning into a Mompreneur.

So where was I…Oh yes, the single best thing I do to keep my career goals on track?  As with any writing prompt, I do not know how to follow instructions. (Giggle, giggle).   Sooooo, I am going to give you two for the price of one.  You did not come here for my rants, and if you have gotten this far without going to someone else’s blog, good for you.  You get an A++ sticker (it is the first day of school in Central Ohio)

My first way to keeping track is to plan out my goals.   With Longaberger, as well as with my scrapbooking and writing, I have monthly goals, and I try to remember to write them down.  Next with those monthly goals, I check to see if they are part of my bigger goal for my career.

Next, I do an accountability check.   One day I do hope I can hit the one million dollar mark, but I am not thinking about that at all.  My ultimate goal is to see that I help someone to either become an Independent Longaberger Home consultant to start, or learn how to become a freelance scrapbook designer, card maker, or writer for either themselves or as a business.   Who knows what a person can learn.   Speaking of which, I am also constantly learning what I can do to better myself.  I want to be certified in certain subjects that has to do with organizing, crafting tools, writing, and the internet. It takes time, and if my family allows it, and I do not allow them to distract me, it can be done.  (So sorry, I gave you three, my bad, giggle)

I am 73 words over at this point, so I am going to leave you with this tip:  never stop learning something new.  You will never know if it is the pentacle of starting something great in your career. 

Thinking Tuesday writing assignment: I need to leave for a moment....Talk among yourselves.

What is your favorite place to escape?   It does not matter if it is a place in your mind, another place in your home, or a favorite vacation location.   Have fun with it.   Use it as a writing prompt or you may comment below.

"I" Prompts: Your next challenge

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Since I changed the blog title, I am invoking other changes.  Friday's will be fun prompt night.  so if you are stuck, I hope I can help you get from unstuck.  So, for today first of I hope many challenges (and I will try to post them earlier next week).   So put on your favorite pair of PJ's, go into your favorite part of your domain, close the door, unplug (but not for this prompt), pour your favorite beverage that is non-alcoholic (Note:  Alcohol clouds the senses, and you cannot think clear). Here is your challenge:

1. Write at least one of the following prompts:
1. I was...
2. I am...
3. I think...
4. I save...
5. I can't Imagine..
2. 300-500 words
3. Any style
4. First person
5. Make it fun

That's it.  So an example of an "I was" prompt would be...

I was having the worst week ever, when all of a sudden, a friend of mine decided that we should take a "whatever" weekend trip.   The idea behind the trip is we will drive wherever direction we want to go.  So, we decided to go out 300 miles and see where we will end up.  So the next morning, we both called in sick from our prospective employers, and started on our way.  We decided to drive west, and stopped several times alone the way.  We also decided on the trip to not do the usual things we normally do. 

Our first stop was at this quaint little shop about 20 miles from home.  I spotted it on my Ipad.  The lady of the shop was nice, and she said that half the purchases she made in the shop are from local artists who have hope to be discovered, the lease she could do was to sell their artwork.    The money is donated back to the local workshop where they did most of the creations.  I made a couple of purchases from here and was also thinking of having a few of my own pieces donated there.

After leaving the shop, we stopped for breakfast.  When we take trips, we usually stop at a McDonald's, Cracker Barrel, or some other “chain” restaurant.  This time we decided to stop at a “mom and pop” diner along the way.  I have heard of a diner that the chef Guy Fiery visited on his Diners, Drive-in, and Dives show, and I knew it was in the area, so we stopped in.  The place was exactly what I imagine it to be, and the food was amazing, except for the eggs.  I did not like the way my eggs were cooked, so I asked if it would be possible for the eggs to be re-cooked, and they did it.   After sitting for a minute longer, we paid for our meal, and left.  So far this “Whatever” trip of ours was a blast.  

We stopped a few more times, each place we “accidently” ran into, the shops, the eating places, and the little known facts were getting more interesting than ever.  When we reached the end of our 300 mile trek from our homes, we rested and spent all day Saturday in the place where we planted ourselves.   Sunday came, and I wanted to go to church to thank God for getting us here, and to take us back safely home.  The service was wonderful, we got to introduce ourselves, told the congregation our story, and enjoyed the rest of the service.   The minister asked us to come to the front of the church, and he laid hands on us to bless us back to our home. 

So, what was a horrible week for me, turned out to be the most amazing trip I had with my friend.  It was a beautiful weekend.  Thank you, hubby for taking me away.

This is a example, but you come up with what you want.
I am going to leave it at that.  You have a blessed evening.