A Grab Bag of Miscellany

Grab bag:  1) a collection of miscellaneous things; 2) a bag from which gifts are drawn at random.

It's fun to shine a little light on the bits and pieces we love, especially if they are incomplete. We love the potential. In between the milestones we all have amassed a collection of miscellaneous things -- a grab bag of advice we strive to remember and follow, as well as ideas and projects that have been started and stopped, or perhaps regretfully discarded along the way. In the end, these discarded ideas are like handfuls of mismatched costume jewelry. They are pretty to look at and sparkle like the real thing if the light catches them just so.

This, in fact, is how I wind up with many unfinished blog posts!  The light catches the idea and then it fades before something else catches my eye.  But maybe, just maybe...you might catch a glimmer.

Grab Bag Item # 1:  A dose of positivity. 

We pretty much know that writers need a regular dose of positivity.  Who doesn't, right? But you know what I mean -- writers, in particular, need special care. Here are lots of ways to assure and reassure ourselves we can and will manage both the must-do and want-to-to items on the horizon.  These are soooo easy, you might not even realize you're doing them.  But stop doing them and there might be trouble.  So, for a dose of stating the obvious...

1.  Think small.  Whether you have a physical list or a mental list of what's coming up, break it down further. I've heard this before, and  this is item #1 in a great post at The Positivity Blog: Mark Twain’s Guide to Living an Awesome Life: 7 Essential Tips by Henrik Edberg, who suggests remembering Mark Twain's advice:

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”

The other six tips are pretty good too. 

For thinking small, I tell myself it's like folding my entire "list" like an accordion to show the first item and "hiding" the rest from my view.  The week ahead or the whole project will unfold.

2.  Sleep.  Yes, really.  It sounds obvious, but it's hard to think of one thing that will slow you down more than lack of sleep.  Try for that eight hours a night. 

3.  Let your dreams do some of the work.   This one's a little less obvious than sleep.  You'll either be on board with this idea or think it sounds kooky. But give it a try. If something is not coming easy, tell yourself to "sleep on it."  Sometimes when I am frustrated with trying to memorize or grasp concepts (or work out plots) I just give in (not the same as giving up).  After sleeping on it, I'm often amazed at how much is within my grasp the next day of what confused and/or eluded me only yesterday.

4.  Double-dip.  This is the best one.  You can't not like getting a 2 for 1 deal.  Like sleeping and dreaming.

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Grab Bag Item # 2: The Power of Page 18, Line 4 - Writing Prompts Found in Random Places

Recently, I stumbled upon a Facebook post that said, "this should be fun, pick up the nearest book, page 18, line 4."

Right. Yet another little game on social media. And yes, part of me had to roll my eyes at the cryptic nature of these instructions. I get a little annoyed, you see, with the fragmented nature of communication made up of posts and texts. I blame it on the writer in me, of course. As a writer, I always I crave more. But I tried it and yes, it was kind of fun. In fact, it prompted so much more, as I found with my first random Page 18, Line 4, taken from one of my nearest books:

"Emma was relieved by his absence, and after an hour or so of..."

Of what? Why was Emma relieved by his absence? 

Hmm. Already there are questions from this. It did strike me as a great writing prompt for a story. The book, by the way, was Liar Temptress Soldier Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War, by Karen Abbott.

So yes, there's power in Page 18, Line 4. Give it a try! And yes, you can cheat. I know I did! Because, although it seems like I got lucky more times than not, not every example I found was all that inspiring or thought provoking -- at least not to me. I'm also thinking this little exercise might work best with non-fiction books, but that's just a guess. 

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Grab Bag Item #3: Update to the blog post Pre-made Romance Covers and Where to Find Them

This is as good a place as any to announce an "update," of sorts, to a popular post. Your search for a book cover, after all, is an activity to match your great ideas behind the cover with something that catches your eye with the right sparkle. As with any post that has links, it tends to get out of date. While I did not take the time to search out new information, I did test what was there and removed the broken links. Happy browsing, if you're so inclined to do so!

To write or not to write, that is the question (not to ponder too long)

What can strike terror in the heart of a writer who wishes for a day to write?  Getting a day to write.  Your wish is granted...now GO! 

Ugh.  My Muse balks at scheduled creativity, so I fully expect that when a day to write happens, it's going to be hard to jump into the story.  I need a warm-up, but finding the right warm-up can tricky.  Brainstorming or some form of writing prompt can fit that requirement, but it can often seem counter intuitive to my ideas of time efficiency when it seems unrelated to working on a particular story.  I also worry that I'll use up my energy and time just getting organized or in the mood.  But once in while I give it a try and just hope it inspires instead of consumes.  And by consume, I don't just mean devouring my time for the day.  I could also wind up chasing an entirely new story idea. 

Today, for instance, I stalled diving into the story by checking out what happened on this day in history.   This might seem more like a writing avoidance, but I had a plan, of sorts, to keep myself from getting derailed.  Actually, more like a guideline.

I must keep in mind my goal to link something to the story in progress.

That "something" isn't as vague as it sounds.  What I look for and find inspiring from historical events is that, from the perspective of the people involved, it was a life changing day.  Something happened on this day in history that was important...to someone. And it just might be important, in an "I'll know it when I see it" kind of way to my character.

For instance, I found out that on this day in history the Mississippi River flowed backwards  in 1811-1812 following an earthquake in Missouri.  Well, the source may be in error and by other accounts the date was actually December 16th, not November 16th, but that's not really the point.  What is the point is that it's an interesting factoid that struck my fancy.  Can you imagine what it must have been like to be on a riverboat when the current suddenly changed?  By an eyewitness account, "In a moment, so great a wave come up the river that I never seen one like it at sea."

The link to my writing:  I have a series of time traveling guardian angels.  For these characters,  I have a bit of a morbid fascination for finding interesting historical natural disasters (or other disasters) to use in the plot.  It might be a minor scene or something more.  What sort of characters might be on that riverboat?  Who needs rescuing on this day?

I could stop there.  I thought I probably should stop there because, even though this does link to my writing, it's a future story that is out-competing the story in progress I intended to work on.  But I'm not ready to attend to conflicts in progress yet and so another factoid catches my eye. November 16th, it so happens, falls on the eve of the Elizabethan Age.  The next day, on November 17th, 1558,  25-year-old Elizabeth was proclaimed queen.  Again, my imagination takes flight.  What must that day before have been like?  Did she accept and welcome her fate?  Or did she wish for a different life as she stood for the final fitting of her coronation gown?  And it's not such a great leap to ponder other "day before" or even "hour before" situations.  What about before a wedding?  What if the bride didn't want to marry?  What if she feels like only a natural disaster can change her fate in the final hour?

And in a final leap, how about this.  What if, in a "truth is stranger than fiction" kind of twist, our reluctant bride is in an arranged marriage situation, or literally a shotgun wedding held on a riverboat on the day the water suddenly flowed backwards?  It might make for an interesting escape from fate! 

 Yay, I have a story idea!  Darn, I have another story idea.  (Only a writer understands the dilemma!)

 Has my brainstorming backfired once again?  Possibly, but with a little thought I realize I haven't been derailed by distraction.  Those little factoids simply paved the way to where I wanted to go.   Even if the situations don't match and the characters are different, I've arrived at the emotions I wasn't ready to jump into when I started the day.  My hero does, in fact want to escape his fate.  In hindsight, it's forgivable if a writer doesn't feel up to diving into such a task, don't you think?  Sometimes we need to find a way to warm up to the process and let it take its course. 

If you want to read more about the real life historical event of the Mississippi flowing backwards, here's a link.

From the page: Mississippi River ran backward

Just for Fun: Writing Prompts

Writing prompts are for when you need a new beginning right? Sure. But they are also for when you're knee deep in a story but need to reconnect with your characters. In fact, as I discovered with a little web surfing for writing prompts, they're much more versatile than I expected and can be customized to fit every stage of writing. Whether stuck in writer's block or just need a routine of daily warm-ups, dare I say it, there's a writing prompt for that.

Finding the right one can feel kind like being Goldilocks looking for the "just right." And when you know what you want, usually you find every thing opposite first! For instance, yesterday I wanted specific writing prompts to get me reaquainted with my current characters after an absence. Eventually I found a couple of ideas.

These are from Eliza's Writing Jug, http://www.writingjug.com/2010/03/creative-writing-prompts.html:

#39. You have a most unexpected visit. The good guy and the bad guy in your story come to visit. Neither is pleased with the role you have given them. Put yourself in their shoes and try to imagine what they would have to say. Try to convince them you made the best choice for them.

#41. Write an interview with your [favorite] character.

Are these too broad in scope or not really seem like writing prompts at all? Maybe but that's the thing about writing prompts; they are meant to fit what need, when you need it. Sometimes you don't even know what that is until you come across it.

A couple others instantly intrigue me:

#19. Ghosts in a bottle. (How could I resist that one?)

#35. Answer this question: What is life all about? (Just kidding. I can't tackle that one!)

Other interesting sites for writing prompts include these:

• This one has hundreds of VISUAL prompts in pictures and videos. Easy Street Prompts:
  
  http://www.easystreetprompts.com/search/label/writing%20prompts
• These include plot twists for the writer that has a soft spot for fairy tales:
  
  Creative Juices Books/Writing Prompts: http://www.creativejuicesbooks.com/writing-prompts.html
  
  Writing Prompt 8: Rewrite a Fairy Tale
  
  Fairy Tale Writing Prompts
  
  100 Fairy Tales - Prompts

 

• This one has single word and short phrase prompts. Too short? You might be surprised.
  
  365 Writing Prompts for Creative Writing Inspiration: http://hubpages.com/hub/writing-prompts-for-creative-writing-inspiration

Speaking of short prompts, I came across an outdated Writer's Digest Prompt contest with the three words: "lucky" "charmed" and "calamity."

Wouldn't you know it, those three words took me down a path that had nothing to do with my current stories. You know how it goes!

What kind of writing prompts do you enjoy? Does it depend on your needs? Any favorites?