Terescia’s thoughts and such on writing romantic fiction for publication.

So, I woke at 2 PM last night, writing a new query in my head for one of my books. That hasn’t happened in a long time.  I can’t believe how interesting it was to wake up to text in my head (when I say writing in my head, I mean literal writing, word by word, no jumble of thoughts, only the flow of sentences and paragraphs).

We finally completed the new house and moved in, and I think this means that something has finally broken free.

Here’s to happy writing days ahead.

I need to be alone to create, whether I’m alone in the sense that there’s no one here with me, or alone with myself and my thoughts in the middle of a crowd. As long as I’m able to center myself within my mind, I can enter my world and create.

However, times come when I can’t be alone or I’ll go crazy. Most humans need interaction with others and being a writer doesn’t really make me that different from everyone else.

I get lonely sometimes, when I look up from my computer and realize I’m not part of the world I’ve created. I’m not a character. I don’t live in that world.

The real world beckons.

There are writers who will tell you they never have problems separating themselves from the characters they create. Good for them. I’m not sure I always believe them, but who am I to say what goes on in another writer’s mind?

If I couldn’t become the characters I create, how can I be sure their actions and reactions are genuine? Because for me, creating a character is about more than writing down a set of actions and saying that’s what happened. The dispassionate observer will always make different choices than the one made by the person who’s actually in the moment.

This is why I believe a synopsis written before-hand will almost always lead you astray.

I become my characters and I write as if I were in the situation I’ve created, and my ideas come when I move about the room, talk to my friends and my enemies, see the things around me. I translate what I see and what I do into words and write them down.

This is the reason why I don’t think out my story before I create. This is the reason I have to be alone. When others are talking to me or interrupting me, I can’t be someone else. I have to be me.

But then the time comes for me to leave my world and re-enter the real world. Because a solitary writer doesn’t have to be a solitary person–can’t be, if authenticity of character is important.

The way people behave changes as society changes. A good writer has to stay on top of those changes so their characters are reflective of real people. Every person you write should have some basis from someone real. Only then can you write characters that real people care about.

The things real people do are great story fodder.

I don’t always want to be the characters I create, but there’s a strange joy in figuring out why someone has done something.

If you’ve hit a stumbling block with your story, think about your characters.

• Are they making genuine decisions or are you forcing some issue?
• Are you becoming that character in their moment of crisis or are you playing puppeteer?
• Is your character boring you?
• Have you reached a point where you don’t want to be the person you’ve created?

These questions can help you, if you think hard and are honest with your answers.

There are times when a writer must be solitary, but don’t assume you should always keep yourself locked up in a creative state. Sometimes you just need to listen and learn from the people around you, so that your ideas can flow freely.

(Comments on this topic are welcomed.)

I read something on the AskAnAuthorAll loop (for RWA members) today that struck a chord with me. I’ve been suffering from the horriblest (not a word, I do know that) case of writer’s block I’ve ever found myself facing. It might not be a true case of writer’s block per se, because I believe it stems from stress related to building my new home and all its related problems and issues, but it has been a genuine problem for me for the last 6 months.

However, there’s another theory, and a post I read on the AskAnAuthorAll loop brought it to mind (actually, you could even say it spelled it out for me). This theory is that of the lazy writer.

How many times have I suffered from what I called writer’s block and yet knew what the problem was and how to fix that problem, but just didn’t want to do it? Or was too tired to do it? Or just didn’t feel like doing it? Or really needed to do other things?

I will admit, lately, with the house reaching a critical point in its development (the last roof is going on Monday and the plumbing rough-in is DONE and the electrician is anxious to get started), I have spent a lot of time on the phone, treking to and from the house, out shopping, etc, but there have also been a lot of days and nights when I’ve spent at least several hours watching television.
Not sure why I’ve chosen to unwind in front of the television instead in front of my keyboard, when my writing used to be my number one coping mechanism for life!

This is certainly going to require some thinking on my part. (I do love to analyze my behavior patterns, and no, I really don’t know why.) :-)

If you have any thoughts on this, do share.

Here’s a really interesting link for anyone who suffering from a lack of inspiration. This writing prompt generator is on a site dedicated to writing for children, but I didn’t get childish ideas while I was playing around with it! Try it out.

Tell me, do writing prompts help you when you’re not feeling the love of writing?

First, what is writer’s block? Does it exist? Many authors say yes, many say no. Personally, I just think it depends on how you define writer’s block.

So let’s define writer’s block.

Writer’s block is the inability to write when there’s no good reason why you shouldn’t be writing right along.

And yes, I believe it exists.

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