Every writer has been there—staring at a blinking cursor on a page, straining to find the words. Sometimes writing feels like a breeze, as if you’re simply riding the wave of your thoughts, and words pour out onto the page almost effortlessly. But other times, it seems like no matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to find the words. Here are some ideas to help inspire and get yourself out of that writing slump. Turn off your inner perfectionist It can be tempting to try to edit yourself as you write, but any time you’re writing something new, it’s important to just get your thoughts and ideas down on paper first. You can always go back and find that perfect word later; don’t get stuck on it. It’s not going to be perfect the first time around, and that’s okay! First drafts are always messy. Give yourself grace. Don’t compare yourself to others and especially not to the writing of published authors whose work has gone through multiple rounds of editing and polishing. Rediscover your inspiration Go back and read your first chapter or synopsis. What made you excited to write your current project in the first place? Much like a hook might work for a reader, sometimes you can hook yourself back into your own idea and rediscover what inspired you to write. Read There’s nothing quite like reading to help exercise your imagination. Even if what you read has nothing to do with your current writing…
While it is true that finishing the first draft of a novel is just one small step on the staircase towards publication, it also a tremendous accomplishment. It takes dedication, and even more so when the goal is to finish a 50,000-word novel draft in just one month, as many do by participating in National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo happens every November and has participants… [Read More]
Filed Under: Appleton Public Library, Brown County Library, Chilton Public Library, Fox Cities, Gerard H. Van Hoof Memorial Library, Green Bay, Half Price Books, James J. Siebers Memorial Library, Kimberly, Little Chute, Menasha Public Library, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month
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As we go through our everyday lives, science is at work all around us, though many of us take little notice. Teacher, author, and presenter Larry Scheckel has made it his mission “to show that science is valuable, a worthy human pursuit, and just plain fun.” And that’s exactly what he does in his latest book I Wondered About That, Too: 111 Questions and Answers… [Read More]
Whether you are an aspiring author or on your sixth or seventh book, professional development comes with the territory. The business of being an author can be overwhelming for many people who don’t have the background. How can you best prepare for today’s marketplace? I’ve worked with writers on their craft for decades and these are the secrets to the success of their writing and… [Read More]
Filed Under: Asian American Journalists Association, Authors Guild, AWP, BookCon!, Military Writers Society of America, National Association of Memoir Writers, National Association of Science Writers, PEN America, Poets & Writers, publisher''s weekly, Romance Writers of America, Shelf Awareness, Society for Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, Writer's Digest
Our ideas about families have certainly undergone significant changes over the past couple decades, a shift that author, filmmaker, and anthropologist Diane Tober has been studying the past twenty years. Her new book Romancing the Sperm: Shifting Biopolitics and the Making of Modern Families chronicles the shifting landscape of modern families and Rutgers University Press will release it on November 5. “In Romancing the Sperm, Diane Tober… [Read More]
No matter what season, there is often no pastime more pleasant than curling up with a good book. However, this fall, readers will have the chance to not only read their favorite authors, but also to meet them as well. The eleventh annual Fox Cities Book Festival is happening from October 8 to 14 at venues all across the Fox Cities and continues in its mission to… [Read More]