my "Spot"

I have a "Spot."

Do you have a spot? Or an item? Or a hat? I don't know... something?

I have a "Spot," and when I'm in that "Spot" it means that I'm in writing mode. Sitting there in front of that ancient mac computer at that chunky desk in an ratty desk chair turns my brain into writer mode.

Or... I used to have a spot.

A few years ago, the computer quit and my parents sold the desk and the chair. Naturally, it was about the time I went away for college. But along with the sale of the items that belonged to my spot, went my inspiration to write. I suffered from the worst writer's block for the next year. I had to force myself to write and I couldn't remember EVER having to force myself before.

So, I've decided to find a new spot... or maybe I'm going to buy a candle, or a jacket to wear, or a scarf... something to get a routine and rhythm into my writing. A regularity of some kind to turn the creative side of my head on.

So how about you? Do you have a spot?

That Vague Little Thing Called Writer's Block

What happens when you just can't write... Ick. Such an awful realization. For us Seat-of-the-pantsers, it's like a death sentence. Plotters usually have an easier time getting back into the swing of things.

So what do you do? We live for writing. It's the very air we breathe sometimes. When that air is gone, life seems pretty empty. But somewhere out there, a solution has to be waiting.

Well, here's my ideas... the things that I do. Considering that I'm a Seat-of-the-pants writer, I can't promise that these things will help a Plotter.

1. Often, we are inspired by seeing things around us and since Writer's Block stems from lack of inspiration or motivation, one of the counters to Writer's Block, is getting excited about a new story or an old one. Try watching a movie that has a similar or completely different plot. Sometimes different can give you new ideas. Or read a book. Same idea. And if the story is historical or themed... Go to a location that relates to the setting. Seeing my setting always gets me excited to start telling a story. Museums help too. They get the wheels in my head turning
2. Other times, Writer's Block means you have no motivation to write whatsoever. That's a dreadful place to be. The best thing I can say, is sit down at your computer and type until you get yourself into a rhythm. Do some editing on old work. Just force yourself to focus. Eventually writing will become habit and the words will come a little easier. 
3. Something else that helps... Move away from your current project and work on something else. I always have 2 stories that I work on simultaneously. One that is my primary project, and another that I use when I get Writer's Block. Working on something fresh takes my mind of wherever I got stuck on and gets it going. Eventually, the old project becomes appealing again. 

Well... that's what I do. If you have any other tips for Writer's Block, comment with your solution below. Let's ban together to defeat that vague little thing called Writer's Block!

Emily

Test Time!

What makes books good or bad? Oftentimes, even we (writers) can’t really tell exactly what makes a book a winner. Sure, we know if there is an exciting plot, excellent imagery, or beautiful, poetic writing. But sometimes we can’t tell exactly what made this book appealing to us—and why it appealed to the people who published it. And if we can’t tell that for ourselves, how will we know how to make our own books or stories winners? I’m the type of girl who has a hard time putting down a book—even if it’s really mundane. I just can’t stand the thought of not finishing something. That has been to my determent, because I haven’t come to realize what it is in the book that makes me not want to keep reading. I just read on, no matter what. So I’ve started an exercise. When I go to the library, I head to my favorite section (definitely the Christian Historical Fiction) and I pick out three books. Two of them are books that I definitely want to read (usually ones that friends recommend or that I have a steadfast trust in the author). Then, for the third one, I pick a random book that I’ve never heard of. I read this book until 45 pages (I found out that this is usually the farthest point a bored reader will read to until they finally put it down). After that, I stop, and I write a paragraph in a designated notebook about why or why not I want to continue with this book. Is it a successful plot? Has the story engaged me from the beginning? Have the characters’ voices engaged me from the beginning? After I write my paragraph, I can use the pros I found in my own stories, and I can make sure not to use any of the cons I found, too. It’s a great exercise—and I’ve even found a few new favorite authors!

Mirror, Mirror!

Have you ever seen a movie in which the acting is terrible? The lines seem forced and unreal, the actor’s tones and facial expressions are either too cheesy and cliché or not dramatic at all, and you go away from the movie theater wishing you didn’t waste ten bucks on the ticket. Believe it or not, books can be the same way. We’ve all read books in which we read something (a phrase, an action beat, even the whole plot) that was unrealistic or poorly written. It leaves us thinking, “No way would a person in real life say/do that.” And when a character in a book is unreal, readers don’t get a chance to bond with him or her. And that’s what the main objective in a book is, isn’t it? I don’t know about you, but if the character is unreal, says ridiculous things, and “giggles” out her words every four sentences (really, how many times do you “giggle” while you talk?!), chances are, I’ll put the book down, because I can’t connect with her. So, what is one of the things you can do to keep from making this error in your own book or story? Mirror, mirror! I got this idea from Christine Tangvald, a wonderful and enthusiastic writer and writing teacher from Mt. Hermon. I had her edit some of my children’s book, and she suggested that I take my work into the bathroom and act out a scene in a mirror. Before long, I was giggling myself because of the ludicrous and highly cliché things that I had put in my manuscript. By doing this, I was able to fix a lot of things and make them truer to every day life. And yes, there were times where I realized I had to spice things up a bit. It also gives some great ideas for those action beats (character’s actions that go before a quote) in which you can’t figure out what to say. Instead of saying, “She/He scratched his/her head” several times, you will be able to come up with things that have to do with the plot. Things come naturally in the mirror. So, print out your work, head to the place in your house with the largest mirror, and act away. First, though, I would highly recommend you do it when family is not around (that’s another story).

Composing a Story

How do we even begin a craft a good story? Now I know well that some of you are "plotters" and some of you are "seat-of-the-pants" writers, and there are benefits to both styles, but this is something everyone should and CAN do. Even us "seat-of-the-pants" people can manage this.

Make your own version of this and tack it up on your computer so you never forget as you begin your opening scene:

CHARACTER'S NAME: _______________________________

What is their exterior GOAL:


What is their interior GOAL:


What is their exterior MOTIVATION:


What is their interior MOTIVATION:


What will get in their way:




If you can fill out this simple chart, you will be on your way to writing an awesome story.

Critiquing Services

Hey writers... well all know that sometimes your own eyes don't catch all the problems. If you could use some help editing, this is something super simple we are happy to do for you...

Email us at CHRISTIANTEENWRITERS@MAIL.COM

Include your first name
"Title of Your Story/poem/script/non-fiction"
and email address

Provide a short summary of your work, Include the basic outline of what you have written from start to end. If it is a story, we'd like to know what the character wants, how they go about getting it, the black moment and the resolution. This helps with editing purposes so that we can help you weed out extraneous scenes.

then attach a word document or PDF to the email. Format the document in MLA style. This is easiest to work with. 12 pt. Times New Roman, double spaced. We will accept up to 20 pages.

you will receive an email in return with our notes. This follow up should come within a week.

Character Chart

In a previous note, I mentioned creating a character chart for your MC (main character) You might consider creating one for your antagonist as well plus some of your primary secondary characters. Here is an example of one. Just print this out or copy and paste it into your word processor.

NAME: (first)  (middle)  (last)
BIRTHDAY: (month) (day) (year)
AGE:
HOMETOWN:
CURRENTLY LIVES IN:
HAIR COLOR:
EYE COLOR:
HEIGHT:
WEIGHT/BUILD:
GOAL:
MOTIVATION:
CONFLICT:
MOTHER:
FATHER:
SIBLINGS (ages & genders included)
LOVE INTEREST: (name) (age) (lives in)
FRIENDS (ages & genders included)
ANTAGONIST (conflict -person, thing, self)
REASON FOR ANTAGONISM:


So, that should get you started. You can add any other details you think you need to remember about your character, but these are some good basics for a character chart.