Articles On The Craft Of Writing

Record details. I tend to do this constantly. In fact, I keep a voice-activated recorder in my vehicle and take one with me when I'm walking the dogs to be certain I don't miss anything. I record everything from people's gestures, phrases, how the light (and shadows) changes from season to season, the texture of a person's skin, the sounds in a certain location at a certain hour, smells, etc; you get the idea. Why do I do this? These 'scraps' are later selected and patchworked into stories, poems, or vignettes and provide the texture needed to keep readers (and editors) reading.

I can honestly say that I have never suffered from writers' block because I am a dishonest robber of other people's work. I guess I had better explain . Whenever I sit down and find that nothing comes, I take the book I am currently reading (and writers BETTER have a book they are currently reading) count in ten pages and then count down ten lines. I write out this line (I always do my first draft by hand) read it over several times and -- voila! -- I start writing. Works every time. Poetry can be done the same way using a book of poetry rather than a novel or short story collection.

As a general habit, I tend to heat up some tea and play a few hands of solitaire on the computer before getting to work. I find this relaxes my mind, especially after an annoying day at the office, and flexes it, making it receptive to scenes and words that may have eluded me. For some reason, trying to figure out a strategy with the cards is almost like chess, and it forces the brain to calm down and figure a way to win. Even if I don't win any hands at Solitaire, it's the exercise that is more important. It makes me feel refreshed and ready to work on my stories. It's kind of like warm-up isotonics before working out.