Writers Block Archives -

The window has flung open, and characters have arrived en mass. The downside to overcoming writer’s block is that all the ideas wandering around in my head leap out at once and want to play. They are so compelling. Each one offered to help with the story.

Yesterday, walking to the chicken house, I met a unicorn. I didn’t recognize it at first because its horn was missing. It went on to ‘tell’ me it had shed its horn when the trouble in the Enchanted Woods started in book two. It’s essential to hide one’s identity now and then. It offered to help rescue Angelina and Katie when they got into trouble. Notice it is when, not if. How well my characters know each other. Noting that it had kept its wings intact, it offered a few scenarios that would be good for the story. Then, the unicorn disappeared.

Sometimes this goes on all day. Various creatures pop into my head and out again. My imagination key has opened the lock, and the window has flung open for any fantasy critter to barge into my head. This can be very confusing! I’m sure you’ve experienced what a friend called the monkey in my brain. Putting that monkey back in its jungle is hard. Those little critters are so engaging and very hard to catch. But it must be done.

Now that the window has been flung open, I must take charge. This is not the time to play with every little critter and storyline that has rushed in. They all must go. There is a time and a place for all of them, but not necessarily in this story. This sounds like a call back for an audition; as I think about it, that is precisely what it is. Every one of them has auditioned for this book. I must stay focused on the story as I know it today, but it was fun to play with all those characters, even if it was just for a moment.

Things I am reading or watching to prepare for my next two books:

Jewels of Kidron by Susan Miner – https://satiamapublishing.com/product/jewels-of-kidron/ Why would I read my own book? You, dear reader, are going to expect to find continuity from one book to the next, and I must not disappoint. Even though they take place three years apart, there must be a flawless flow from one to another.

AI artwork – I was curious about how it works and what it could do in this context. I have since found out that in my grandson’s teenage group of friends, AI artwork is frowned upon since, in their opinions, it takes work away from live artists. I will be making the switch to photos, paying for most of them that I post.

Some call it writer’s block. Regardless of what it’s called, it’s a time when getting through the darkness is the challenge. We all deal with it, even if you aren’t a writer. It’s when you just can’t see a clear way out of the tangled list of to-dos and other chores, or, in my case, where is this story trying to go?

I thought I knew. I had a plan, charts, and notes. It seems my story had other goals. Everything has screeched to a halt. Characters I had sent off in one direction are starting to show up and talk about things I thought could wait. Now, I know, not so much. I missed something, which is ironic since Angelina has missed a turn in the trail and gotten herself and the group she’s supposed to be leading to safety, lost.

You see, often, I think I’m a writer – a creator. Really, what I do as a storyteller is document what the story wants readers to know. I get into trouble when I try to take too much control and force an outcome. I find giving up power over the path to be a very vulnerable place. If I focus, I can see the light at the end of the darkness, the unknown bits of the story. My challenge is to trust my gut and my characters and get through the obscurity by following that light.

I must not forget that this trust has never failed me. My first book, Jewels Of Kidron, is an award-winner with excellent reviews. Because of that success, however, I often succumb to the pressure to create another outstanding story. In truth, I need to follow the path of Angelina as she scrambles through the brambles and makes her way to her true self. That’s what this story is about, after all.

Doesn’t it make you wonder if novels aren’t more autobiographical than entirely made-up stories? Ponder that one for a minute!

Susan