Overcoming Writer's Block

I don't know what to write about today. I looked back through my previous posts hoping for inspiration but I found none lurking there. I remembered advice I was given about including video clips or pictures so I scanned all of the images I have saved on my computer. Here once again I found nothing waiting in the shadows to guide me. I simply floundered about waiting endlessly to be struck.

Then it occurred to me, all writers at one time or another get stuck just as I am today. We look at our blank screens, our empty pages and we wonder what to write. We reach out with our imaginations dedicated to finding our characters. We try to rouse them from their slumber in order to tell us their stories but some days they simply hide away from us or refuse to speak once located.

So the question becomes of course what do we do? There are limitless answers to this question of course and every writer will do what works best for them but it got me thinking about some of the things I have done in order to open the communication channels myself. Perhaps by sharing what has worked for me, and if inspired to join the conversation others share what tactics they use, we can all find new ways to help push past those slow frustrating times.

One of the biggest ways I continue on is, and it seems silly to say, to honestly just continue on. Like I did today with this post I simply admitted I had no idea what to write but I started putting words on paper and the idea developed from the non-sensical beginning. I will do that with stories as well. If I am unable to get a character to talk to me then I will just take them on a car ride or make them doing something boring like homework and they will in turn become annoyed with me and open up. It doesn't always work but it has been one of my more successful styles of coping with writer's bock.

On the occasions that this attempt does not work my next way to try and rectify the situation is to move to a different project. When a certain group of characters are having attitude problems and refusing to be cooperative it can help to open a story in a completely different style or genre. If I am just not feeling the lovey dove romance novel one day then perhaps I can make progress on my suspense novel instead. If I am just too laid back for the thriller then maybe I should work on compiling the stories and poems submitted for my charity series.

If I have tried all of my books and still nothing has come forward with a willingness to create then I will step away. Not necessarily for the entire day but I will go for a bike ride or take a class at the gym. Exercise is a great and healthy way to clear your mind and help the turmoils of your subconscious work themselves out. More than once I have had breakthroughs while I run on the track or lose myself in the music of my weight lifting class.

If after all of these different attempts have failed then I will resign for the day. Some times you need time and space from your novels. When this occurs I relax with a book, preferably one that is vastly different than anything I am currently writing. Getting lost in someone else's vision has helped to give me ideas as well as perspective on my own creations at times. I also talk to my friends both writer and non writer types. Again this helps me think of things totally unrelated to my works that are being so uncooperative and I am able to ease my mind to try again the next day. What are some things that work for you?

Learning From Kids

When I was five years old I told my mom I wanted to be a magical fairy princess. I told her I didn't know exactly what they did but I was willing to learn. Like many children I was told that I could be anything I wanted to be and that was what I wanted as a kid. I watched all the disney movies I could find with princesses in them. I read book after book trying to learn more about what I wanted to become. 

I was taking dance classes at the time and when I got to dress up in my costumes and perform I felt like royalty. As I continued dancing through the years my dreams shifted. I learned that I could not become a magical fairy princess because they were in fact not real. I did feel like I could fly on wings made of magic when I danced however and decided that I would focus on becoming a dancer. I studied different styles of performance, incorporated a number of genres of music into my repertoire. I was sure that I was going to travel the world performing on stages across every continent.

Because of a few physical and one major emotional setback however I did not dedicate as much time and effort to my training and studying of the craft as I should have. I fell away from my dreams and gave up. I hid from the world and the further I moved away from dance the more depressed I became. I turned to a hobby I had had since I was seven as a way of dealing with my concerns.

I would write poems and short stories. As my depression set in I began using it as a means of escape. I would write about the worries I had and change the endings to reflect the way I felt it should have gone in real life. It wasn't clear at the time but writing was beginning to take the place of dance in my life. I still did not work on it or dedicate time to writing the way I should have if I wanted to make it a viable life goal and career choice.

Tonight I was watching the cooking competition Masterchef Junior. These young home cooks are dedicated far beyond anything I could have imagined at their ages. I am now less than a week from reaching my thirty second birthday and just within the last couple years I have finally started focusing more on the career choice. I have been procrastinated for quite some time but I have found inspiration to rededicate myself thanks to the children following their dreams on Masterchef Junior.

Pen Names

Writing is my passion. It is a job I have dreamt of and worked towards off and on since I was in elementary school. When I published my debut novel last year I published under a pen name however it is just my first and middle names. I have been married and divorced more than once and so wanted to keep a name that remained constant.

On top of writing I have a day job as most writers do. I am a table games dealer at a Las Vegas Strip casino. It is a fun and entertaining job and gives me a chance to interact with people from all over the world. Along with players, many of my fellow dealers are aware that I write. some even own my book. A few weeks ago one of them asked why I didn't use a completely made up pen name. I know several that do and there is nothing wrong with that. For me I guess I just used my real name because I am proud of what I created and wanted to stand behind it as much as possible.

Now moving forward however I am looking at the possible creation of a few new pen names. I write in a number of different genres and while I am proud of everything I write, for marketing purposes it is better to keep a pen name for children's books separate from my suspense and erotica novels. Then of course there are my YA books which are the ones I write under my real name. I am not by any means ashamed or trying to hide from what I create just making sure that they are kept in separate categories so as to keep the individual audiences happy.

My children's books, though currently ranging in subject matter, are written with more of a masculine tone. I did that specifically for the first few and after that discovered it was easier for me to utilize the same tone for all books for that age group. However being a divorced child free woman that is a difficult angle to market so I will be using a name that is more vague gender wise. For my more adult books I will be seeking something slightly exotic that hearing it puts even me in the mood for reading a story with more adult themes.

Not everyone uses a pen name and some writers write exclusively under one or more pseudonyms. I am looking forward to branching out further and learning more about each side of my personality as I get into character to write more books under each name as well as begin promoting them.

Excerpt from Breathe

She stood shivering in the drizzle knowing she had to go in but not sure her body was going to cooperate. She began to cry, everything had just gotten so out of hand and she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to fix it and get it back on track. Kelsey looked through the revolving doors and saw the desk clerk was pointing at her and prepared for the onslaught of questions she was positive would be coming as soon as the manager got her inside.

            He rushed out and wrapped a raincoat around her soaking shoulders and guided her back into the lobby. She allowed herself to be pulled into the warm sweet smelling room and collapsed onto the plush armchair. He never said a word as he wiped away her wet stingy hair from her forehead and gave her a pitiful look, much like a father looking at a daughter after she lost a beloved pet. He was clearly a good man but she still wanted to get away from him.

            He stalked to the corner of the adjacent room where a coffee maker was simmering and grabbed a packet of cocoa powder adding hot water from the side spout. He came back and presented his gift silently still. She stared at him. She felt like it was a trick, take the hot chocolate and then she would be trapped while she drank it, unable to avoid the prying queries about to spew her way.

            The pathetic look that crossed his face made her feel guilty once more. He lowered the cup in failure and was about to take it back when she smiled and reached for it. His grin returned immediately and he took a seat next to her as she wrapped her stiff frozen fingers around the paper cylinder, appreciating the heat. He was obviously bursting with the questions and she gave up sighed and leaned back in the chair.

Pros and Cons of Research

There are times I believe that research, though important for accuracy, can be a huge problem in the goal of writing a book. I read an article several years ago that gave advice for creating memorable writing and one of the tips that stuck with me was to use specifics in order to make the story more realistic. It made perfect sense but it also made me realize looking over some of the stuff I had written that none of it had specifics so I would need to research to find these things to include.

Because my first book was set in a place, Chicago, that I am quite familiar with and in a world, performing arts, that I grew up participating in, I was very comfortable adding in these specifics. I used ballet terminology that I have heard for years, I mentions modes of transportation and topography of the city I know all too well. I only had to look up a few small items as I went through the writing process.

With Breathe it was a similar story that I did not have to look too deeply for things as this time the city was made up and while it is still realistic fiction I was free to invent places and people at my whim so long as they fit the story. The most difficult part of Breathe is that there were two alternate endings and I am not fusing them and expanding upon the shorter of the two in order to make a fully cohesive book.

Sharing Strength did require a limited amount of research because of the syndrome represented PTSD. I myself was diagnosed with PTSD a decade ago and my therapist believed I had actually been suffering from it far longer. I know the psychosis of the disease but because there are characters that got it in a number of different ways and have varying side effects I needed to look into the areas I am not as familiar with. This book is again set in a small made up town so I can paint the picture of Clydesburg as I see fit as long as all accounts match one another.

The last one I am working on revising at the moment is Welcome To Syn and this one is where I have found research to be a  requirement as well as a major hinderance. It is set during the time of the Salem Witch Trials though not in Salem. The hysteria does play a factor in my book however and so I need to understand that element as well as learn about the darker side of the craft because it does get introduced eventually. Even though it is set in another town I need it to be believable so I have been looking at Salem and getting to know about the people of that time.

I find myself reading and researching for hours fascinated by what I see with still little usable information to be garnered for my own needs. How do you learn what you need without falling into a pit of information that could instead turn your book into a research paper? What can be done in order to narrow a search to just at least mostly relevant information? This is still a journey I am on and hopefully will find some answeres soon so I can get back to being more productive.

Finding My Genre Home

I have many friends that write in the sic fi / fantasy genre. It is a very popular genre and I know not only several writers but more readers of this particular category than perhaps any other. While I find it greatly intriguing to have the ability to form your own world, I have always preferred writing realistic fiction.

I enjoy taking a place I have either visited or want to visit and sharing it with my characters and the rest of the world. My characters are created and like most writers they speak to me and share their lives but they are in fact created. I have never claimed that one genre is better or worse than another though at times I definitely feel that whatever the current popular genre is gets a preference that can cause other genres to be looked upon as less important.

I have written a drama and a charity book that I am immensely proud of but I am still finding my home. I have written a historical fantasy with elements of witchcraft. I have two romance novels and a drama written about a mental disorder. I also have a short story right now that is about domestic abuse based on a true story.

I am always trying to branch out and create something that forces me to push the limits of my own creativity. I have only been seriously working on my writing for a few years and while I have known it is something I am passionate about for many years I am still in the early part of my creative career. I am still learning so many aspects and finding a genre to call my home.

I know many successful authors write in several genres simultaneously as well as write books that can cross category lines. It is my goal to reach that level at some point but there are bound to be some genres I am more comfortable as well as more talented at creating so that is what I am seeking now, my home. I want to find a genre that I can create a number of works within and hopefully eventually build a loyal readership. 

While I search I am hoping that I will eventually make attempts in most of not all of the different styles of books and that includes sic fi and fantasy. For now though I am enjoying realistic fiction and exploring as I gently push the envelope with each new attempt.

Staying Determined

Recently I posted on Facebook about some mixed feelings I have been enduring. I watch as everyday people are creating their visions of covers for their upcoming projects. I see the endless memes and teasers set forth by fellow authors in respect to their work. I long endlessly to be doing more cover reveals and release parties of my own yet there are things that hold me back.

First is a frustrating lack of knowledge on how to create these memes, teasers and covers. I personally have no interest in creating a cover myself as I have a very talented boyfriend and cover artist friend that both can create these for me. The teasers though I wish I know how to make them so I could promote in a more interesting way that simply plying the same text heavy posts again and again. This is one thing I feel should soon be added to my list of things to learn in order to help push my abilities to another level.

The other aspect is that I find myself lost. Not that I do not know what to write because that I feel I am quite on top of but each of my current projects has something that limits my ability to continue on. Sharing Strength is an emotional roller coaster and as more than one character is a portrayal of a particularly difficult part of my life I find myself struggling deeply to move forward very quickly. Breathe is drafted and just needs to have the end revised. This is the closest to being ready for submission and consideration but here I am held back by my own self doubt.

I am concerned that because I am still learning and my first book did not have nearly the reach I had originally hoped, though it has been well received by those that have read it, I cannot help but wonder if my next book will suffer the same fate. I wish so much to prove myself and share my work with an ever widening circle that it pains me to think I do not possess the talent and ability to do so. Welcome to Syn is drafted as well but needs a tremendous amount of work and sadly I have found that I am already introducing new levels in my head along with the list of items needing to be researched so that will be a rather extensive project once I get into it.

Chocolate Covered Cherries is a romance novel without any other genre attached. It is not something I would have ever though I would create but the idea formed and begged to be written so I internally agreed to give my characters the book they deserve. My personal lack of interest in many romance novels though seems to weigh on this project giving me an odd sense of unimportance toward it. I want to write it because it is so new for me and I think the story is actually quite interesting but I still find myself somewhat prejudiced against it and fight an internal battle whenever I open up the file.

On top of those in the works I still owe it to my debut novel Never Give Up to continue doing events and promotional work in order to keep trying to reach new readers but I have found that I was shying away from it almost as an embarrassment. Please do not understand that I am not proud of the accomplishment, I very much am. I love the characters and the reflection of so much of me in the story. It is just that I have come so far, at least I believe I have, since the publication date and I feel my excitement has moved instead to the new books.

I received a reply to my post explaining that I should not be embarrassed about my first book because without a first there can be no second of third. That everything I have learned going through the process has helped me to find a greater voice going forward and that these are things I still would not know if not for that first book. I am grateful for the comment. It seems like common sense but it is easy to fall prey to our own minds at times and allow our emotions to overrun logic. So with that said I am of course still struggling but recommitting my resolve to complete the projects before me and keep pushing for the success I have long desired.

Thanking Life of Brian

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to go to an event in honor of the dog shown above. Brian was obviously abused and neglected to a point that no one expected him to survive. Celebrating one year of rescue yesterday I saw a happy healthy dog that while still shy in a few ways and hesitant to be left alone, is completely reformed from a year ago.

I drove the 5 hours to Sherman Oaks California from my home in Las Vegas for the sake of meeting Brian and even more importantly his owner Dana. She has been a tremendous supporter of my charity book Rescue Me in which Brian appears as well as his rescue organization Leave No Paws Behind. I was shown love and support for coming and she made sure to tell people about my project as well as was happy to share more stories for upcoming editions of my series.

I had so much fun helping out with the party and cannot begin to describe the inspiration of seeing an animal so loved that his entire life and outlook upon it was transformed. I did the return drive last night as well reaching home about 1:30am. It was exhausting but entirely worth it and as someone involved in he creation of my rescue me book it was an honor to be included. It reminded me of how important as well as rewarding it is to be involved actively with those that help in my writing.

I want to thank Dana for allowing me to share this story and being so involved and welcoming to me and my writing and I am looking forward soon to trying to be more involved with additional groups and people that have been a part of my books.

Writing As A Sole Career

I was having a conversation earlier about what I would do if I ever stopped my current day job. Right now I am a part time table games dealer at one of the large casinos along the Las Vegas Strip. It is tremendous fun and something I find exciting as well as intellectually challenging in several ways. It affords me the opportunity to be a performer, challenge my mind with various games and to meet new people every day.

I also have a degree in marketing. I have long considered that I would focus either on promotional marketing campaigns, perhaps in the advertising realm but more likely in an area such as promotional events. I also had a minor in my degree of marketing research. I think it could be very interesting to delve further into research and development for new as well as existing products. It is interesting to me to discover what makes people respond to a particular product or service and to find creative ways to reach new audiences.

I use some of this same interest in my writing as I learn how to reach new readers as well as develop my craft in a way that lets me tell the stories I have burning inside me while at the same time creating worlds that others would want to share. The one thing I thought about the most during my conversation though was that I do not think it would benefit me to leave my job for the pursuit of being a full time writer. I know to many that is absolute insanity but the truth is that I feel devoting myself to it full time would actually cause a decline in my ability to even do it.

I get so many of my ideas from the people I meet and the places I go that it would be detrimental to cut myself off and stay home or in a coffeehouse to focus solely on the task of writing. While yes I could still talk to people, do things like go to the gym and of course attend writing events and groups I think for me personally it is imperative that I have a scheduled set of breaks that pull me out of my own head and force me to concentrate on other topics.

If I was to make it financially to a point that I could stop working at a punch the clock kind of job then it would also have to me substantial enough of an income in order to allow for international travel and the ability to do dedicated volunteer work both domestically and oversees. My opportunities to travel the world as well as the wonderful people that have come into my life in all of the incredible location I have explored have helped shape me and therefore they also have a dramatic effect on my resource well for inspiration.

I feel that if I was to focus only on writing and attending writing related events I would end up creating events just to get me out and meeting new people. Eventually the events would probably not even have to do with the books themselves. In fact if writing were my only job it would probably begin to feel like pressure and cause it to become a burden which would make me pull away from it entirely. It was a shock to realize that the one job I want more than anything could, for me, be a problem if I was to actually achieve me desire.

Has anyone else ever stopped to think about this? What do you think now? Would writing as a sole occupation be a good thing so that I could pour all of myself into my creations and have the dedicated time to attend events and work diligently on new books or should I maintain a second position for the ability to keep the pressure off of my writing and keep me in the flow of the rest of the world for future inspiration?

A Look At Survivor

Domestic violence is such a big topic right now. It has been discussed everywhere from the Grammy awards to the Superbowl and of course has numerous PSAs dedicated to it. It is a topic I am personally connected to being a survivor of an abusive relationship. Below is a short excerpt from Survivor - Jasmine's story which is also the background of a character in Sharing Strength. It is also a look at just a tiny part of the relationship I took years to escape from but helped make me the person I am today.

She stopped as soon as she looked up and saw her man striding toward her. All of the girls outside had paused to take notice of him but it was clear he was on a mission for one girl. Without a word he reached her and grabbed her arm yanking her to the side. It hurt tremendously but she didn’t want to make him feel bad so she bit back the pain.

“I come all the way across town to see you at school and you insult me by flirting with another guy?” He practically hissed the words at her. 

“I wasn’t flirting Tyler, that is my lab partner from chemistry we were just talking about our project. He likes Kelly.” She finally managed to pull her arm free. It was bruised already. 

            

He lightened up when she mentioned that the other boy was into Kelly. The look on his face changed, softened. She backed away unsure of what happened. She covered the bruise pulling down the sleeve of her shirt. He pulled her in for a hug, she hugged back but hesitantly. He leaned down and kissed her making almost every girl standing in the yard jealous to their very core. 

            

She could hear the whispers around her. He pulled her even closer and she melted into him. She forgot about the handprint on her arm for the time being. He bent and told her sweetly to wait right there. He sprinted to his car retrieving an origami rose he had brought for her.

            

When he gave it to her she could smell a sweet smell coming from it. She looked back up at him. He told her it was a perfume that he thought would be nice for her. She didn’t actually like it but she couldn’t disappoint him. She smiled and thanked him holding the rose close to her heart. 

            

The bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Jasmine turned back toward the front doors. She was hungry since she hadn’t gotten the chance to eat with Tyler there. He saw the look on her face and asked what was wrong.

            

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she smiled waving off the concern. “I am just hungry and didn’t get a chance to eat that’s all.”

            

“So you are saying I shouldn’t have come?” He looked hurt. More than that though, he looked pissed. “So it was a waste of time for me to come here and see you? I shouldn’t bother caring? Or maybe you don’t care about me as much as you do stuffing your face!”

            

“I never said anything like that,” Jasmine recoiled from the angry burst. “It was just an observation, nothing important.”

            

Tyler put his hand on her stomach. She looked down and then back at him. “It isn’t like missing a meal or two hurts anyway right? I mean I am in great shape and so I eat to maintain that but some people are happy looking mediocre.”

Dream Love - Example of my older poetry

My heart beats, my breath shudders

At this expressive moment’s pass

My body tingles, my eye lids flutter

I know this dream will never last

As down I lay, and dreams may come

To fill my sleeping mind

Alone I drift, through the unconscious sea

Until home again I find

My moment is now, as it always is

To prove my life so true

For tomorrow may never come

And this my last moment with you

Then let us lay arm in arm

And hold each other tight

Letting passion over take us

We shall make love all through the night

I feel your tender touch

Your lips upon mine

We shall live forever in this moment

We will exist only in this time

Whispered words, a gentle caress

And impassioned thoughts abound

Raising us up in this mystical world

We are soaring high above the ground

But suddenly our moment is over

I feel myself slip away

Morning has come and again I awake

To the light of a new dawning day

But my body does remember

It’s a feeling I cannot deny

Remember me for now my love

Soon again we will try

I will return to bed and dream of you

Again in the fading light

May this new dream last forever

And we stay together always in the night

Kid's Books

For the past few years I have been working diligently on my novels and have learned a great deal from the indie publishing world. I have a number of projects that I am currently writing and if all goes well I will have drafted, edited and submitted eight full length novels by the end of 2015. I of course also have my charity books that mean the world to me and could never begin to express my gratitude for those that support this project.

However there are two more writing related focuses I have that at times fall by the wayside. One I have been involved with since I was in second grade is poetry. It began as just a single four line stanza making sure the last words in lines two and four rhymed. It rarely made sense, it was extremely juvenile but it was mine and and I was proud of it. My poetry has since evolved to contain messages, tell stories and paint emotional pictures from my heart. I share pieces from time to time as I write occasionally with the honest hope that I will gather it all into one collection for possible publication some day.

While I am dabbling in poetry and creating my novels I also have one more passion that I keep somewhat hidden as I research and explore, I write children's books. I have been writing a series that I am hoping to find a publishing company that I can interest in the project. It is for a niche market but I feel with my marketing campaign it could actually reach a rather wide audience. By the end of 2016 I am hoping to have the manuscripts for the entire series ready to present and the full campaign created for presentation.

While speaking with a few members of a writing group recently I had mentioned that I am interested in creating this new market for children's books and it was suggested that I write a kid's storybook about animal rescue that could promote the importance of volunteering, fostering and adopting. Even with all of the projects I have on my to do list I couldn't resist the chance to reach children while at the same time supporting animals.

it got me wondering what types of projects would you not be able to resist adding to your to do list?

Why I Read

When I was a kid I remember how much I loved to curl up with my books getting lost for hours in the carefully woven tales of the master storytellers I collected. Nights when I went to bed, summers, even family gatherings and vacations were all perfect excuses to to hide away in some small cubby and pull out my latest literary adventure.

It shocked me when I would talk to my friends about it and they would look at me like I was crazy. Some of them had parents that knew the importance of reading and they would enforce a one hour per night three times per week schedule of reading (sounds like the forced workout schedule I put on myself now as an adult). They could flip through magazines, skim operator manuals or if so inclined, reach for an actual book. To them the activity I looked forward to was a punishment.

Just recently I was sitting in a  coffee shop a few miles from my house. I go there occasionally to write when the home office is feeling claustrophobic. I had been working for over an hour when I decided to take a break and pulled out the book I was reading. Sipping my cafe mocha sifting through the satirical comedy of Terry Pratchett, a noticed a man walk in and look with disgust at my book. I figured he either wasn't a fan of the author or perhaps genre but after ordering he planted himself directly next to me and began making unhappy noises until I looked up.

Before I could even think of what his concern might be he asked why I was wasting my time reading a book. I answered simply that I enjoyed reading and while I am aware that I could get ebooks now I have always preferred the real thing. He snorted and informed me that in his opinion reading period was a pointless and time consuming activity. Then he opened his computer bag, produced his laptop and set to work on something he appeared extremely dedicated to finishing.

I went back to my book for a while sipping my drink again. When I finishing my coffee I decided I would still be there for another few hours so I got a refill and when I returned to my chair I happened to see he was writing what looked like an essay or blog post. I tapped him on the shoulder startling him so much that his flailing arms nearly cost me my new cup of coffee. He glared at me snapping what could I possibly want. I told him I was just curious what he was working on. His answer blew my mind, he was writing a novel.

I was baffled. I man that just sniped at me for reading was creating a book. I tried to ask what it was about but he refused to answer. I inquired if he had ever published anything and mentioned that I myself am an author. He laughed and said that I was clearly one of "those kinds of authors" motioning to my book once again. He had apparently had enough of my questions though because he packed up and left. I still don't know what "those kinds of authors" meant but I am even more lost about a person that would want to be a writer but now read.

Reading helped me develop a vocabulary, expanded my understanding of various cultures and locations, and has introduced me to countless new friends. I have taken adventures with these characters. I have laughed and cried at their side. Most significantly though is the fact that reading books has inspired me to create my own work that I can now share with the world and perhaps someday something I write will be a spark for an up and coming writer like I was and still continue to be.

Plot Bunnies

I was talking to a fellow writer online the other day about plot bunnies. It occurred to me through the conversation that while it is a commonly used phrase not everyone knows what exactly a plot bunny is. Wikiwriso defines plot bunnies as story ideas that pop up and refuse to go away until they are written.

Recently I was taken hostage by just such an innocent looking creature. While I am already in the midst of an epic battle with four different works I happened across a post from the nanowrimo group on Facebook. A strange occurrence happened to another writer that she found disconcerting and there was a comment looking that it would be a great plot bunny. Normally I sill stop and pet the bunny, offer a carrot or two and be on my way however lurking within the gentle fur of this particular rabbit was a story so insistent that it took control.

I tried to write my current book Sharing Strength but the characters were drown out by a constant nattering for my attention. I went to work at my day job but there were reminds of the plot all around. I began work on the revision of Breathe yet the changes I made weren't flowing with the rest of the story. I opened a new document to take some notes on things to research for editing and revision on Welcome to Syn but my hands were hijacked and I was forced to create an opening scene and outline for a thriller.

I have always enjoyed reading suspense and thriller books but it is not a genre I have ever written because I do not feel comfortable doing so. I am more of a drama and romance kind of girl with a definite flair for the YA style books. Now however I am constantly being hunted through the forest of my mind by a character shooting plot points at me like a barrage of bullets. She even went so far as to wake me up from a dead sleep last night in order to continue adding details to my outline.

I am beginning to understand why some writers have been known to drink. It quiets the voices briefly and allows the writer time to organize the existing thoughts. I found today that a difficult exercise regiment can give the same relief pushing your body's needs and focus in front of your brain. It is a very strong push to maintain my fitness goals, not just for my health but also for some peace of mind.

Since I have resigned to see where this story goes, though i the order it was conceptualized, the characters seem to have calmed down for now and the deceivingly innocent little plot bunny has hopped back to its hole in the ground to wait for another time when I feel I am caught up. If I am able to complete all current works by the end of the year, including the ones with waiting files, I shall have produced eight novels and four charity books in 2015. They may not all be edited, revised and submitted but I have faith they can at least be drafted and ready for the next stages. This will be a great year if from now on the bunnies staying their cages.