Writer's companion

Writing:the king author way This book provides concrete steps about how to keep a bank of creative ideas “It’s not easy to create a whole new world and populate it with appealing characters who lead purposeful and compelling lives. It’s harder still to bring them to life with realistic but economical dialogue; to control their destiny on a journey that makes a reader care about how it ends, but this is what every good writer must do. Whether this magic formula is created in a short story of five hundred words or over a novel of seventy thousand, the readers simple, but vital demands must be met. So how do we keep the creative genius inside us all organised?" Keeping a notebook handy whether you are a writer of the digital age and cannot be parted from your iPad or your laptop, the benefits of keeping a pen and notebook handy are not to be underestimated. A pen and notebook is instantly accessible, and studies have shown that the process of writing things down helps commit the information to memory. Jotting ideas down as they come to you will help you store and file your own memory banks! You may have various notebooks or ways to write, but try having one notebook that is a general ideas book. Think of it as a place for siphoning all your creative thoughts as they occur to you during the day. When you are stuck for ideas, consult your ideas book. Writing down everything! Dialogue you hear when you are stood in the queue at the post office, advertising slogans you see that amuse you, amusing anecdotes you are told, anything which makes you think, laugh or cry. Write it down and store these ideas for those days when you need a starting point. Make yourself a cup of coffee and settle down to read your little book of ideas because you will find something to get your brain in gear. Regarding writers's block ,it has some useful tips:.Firstly,warming up before you start writing. In the same way that we warm up our muscles if we are going to work out at the gym or exercise our vocal chords before we sing in a choir, we must recognise that our brain is a muscle and, in order to warm up our creative mind, we need to start our writing sessions with a little brain stretching. Try taking ten minutes before you start working on your project to write something, simply to get your mind in to gear. Describe the clothes you are wearing with as much detail as you can. Describe the feel of them, the tightness of your shirt under your arms; how the seam of your trousers shines from over ironing; the smell of the fabric conditioner and how it reminds you of autumn. Set a timer and write for ten minutes without editing or stopping. You will find that when you start your project your mind will be ready for business; Secondly, skipping a scene. If you are struggling with a particular scene or chapter, then try getting on with another section until you are ready to work on the original one. If you absolutely must work on a scene that is causing you issues, then try changing something to make the start easier. For instance, if your main character is experiencing a difficult divorce and you are writing a scene where she tells her husband that their marriage is over, why not write the scene from the viewpoint of their child who is listening from the stairs. You could write the scene from a past perspective as the wife recounts the conversation to her best friend, explaining how her husband reacted to the news. You may just find that a small change to the writing may be enough to get over your block. Remember that whatever you write now can be edited later so, even if the changes aren’t permanent, if they allow you to surmount your block now then they serve the greater purpose; Thirdly, taking a break. It’s like insomnia, the longer you stay in bed trying to fall asleep the more anxious or stressed you will become and the chances of sleeping soon diminish. If you suffer from insomnia, then the best piece of advice is to leave the bedroom and to come back when you are tired. If your writers block is so bad that you are really struggling to get anything down at all then you need to take a break. Go for a walk and try not to think about your work. Find something to do which relaxes you and which has nothing to do with writing. In addition it may be helpful to change your writing patterns. When you return to your writing, make sure you don’t get in to the same routine. If you have begun to associate the way you work with writers block then by sticking to the same routine will only reinforce the negative behaviours you have begun to adopt. If you can change where and when you write then do so. Perhaps now is a good time to move the office around a bit? A small change in your writing day can achieve some significant and positive changes to your output. Finally , recharging your creative battery. If you have been working on the same piece of work for a while then you may just need to spend some time replenishing your creative bank of ideas. Let yourself soak up the inspiration and go on a work related field trip to boost your creativity.