Surround Yourself With Creatives

Creativity is contagious. My writers group meets at the local library Tuesday evenings. The meetings always inspire me.

It’s easy to not write, but when I go to the meetings I HAVE to write something, even if it’s not great. The more I go, the more I write. The more I write, the better I write…it’s a cycle.

There’s something about writing in community that refreshes my writing spirit.

I almost didn’t make tonight’s meeting since I came home from work with enough time to do a short workout and decided to try HIIT. I nearly died. It’s back to Zumba tomorrow!

What I’m loving: my current WIP, Night Writers, the Dallas Stars, Mixtiles (they are as good as the Facebook ad says!), Quest snickerdoodle cookies, LCHF

What I’m writing: So Much For Happily Ever After

Writers Write: You Want to Blog #mywana

If you’re a writer, you want a blog. If you have something to say, something you want to share with the world, you want a  to blog (the verb is what’s important, not the noun). If you want something amazing and wonderful to look back on one day–something that captures life’s little and big moments–you want a blog.

I hear a lot of writers say they can’t handle a blog. That makes me think of those girls who complained about 20-page papers when we were in classes for our MA’s in English. We’re writers. Words are our thing. They’re what we do.

Blogs train you to write short. They teach you to have a central focus. They help you connect with others. They give you a voice. If you’re an indie author, they connect you to readers.

Don’t believe me? Check out my blog map. It’s stunning how people from all over the world have connected with me here. Okay, it’s also a little scary, but it’s mostly awesome. (Hi people checking out the blog!)

How cool is that? How neat is it that as writers we can reach people all over the world simply by clicking Publish?

So back to the beginning. If you’re a writer, find a way to connect with people. It’s essential.

If you think you don’t have anything to blog about, do this exercise I do with my students: Take out a piece of paper. Fold it hotdog (horizontal), then hamburger (vertical). Now, it’s a little square. Put on some music and start writing words the music makes you think of. Not sentences, words. Choose one of the words that reminds you of something you could write about maybe. (Don’t worry about doing this wrong. There are no firing squads. No one’s going to give you an F.) Flip the square over and write words or phrases connected to that word. If nothing stood out, keep going with your list of disconnected words.

If you’re a writer, by the end of the two small squares, you probably have at least 10 ideas. If not, don’t freak out. Just keep going with the list. Flip the square inside out. If you have your topic use this blank square to start writing details about the topic. Specifics. Maybe pieces of dialog. Maybe scents from the event. Maybe words that fit together and make your soul sing with their rightness. Writers, you get what I mean by that.

Flip to the next side and continue.

By now you probably have hundreds of ideas. Shoot, you might be ready to write the next bestseller. If so, you’re welcome.

Writers write. Blogs are a great place to do that writing.#

edited at 8:36 a.m. to add: as with most things, there are no absolutes. 🙂