Most writers will agree that….

often they find themselves in the same predicament I do every day, procrastinating the entire day away and writing one or no words. And it’s sooo easy to do. All you have to do is look at an empty page and remind yourself how much time it’ll take to fill it up.

Well, with that kind of thinking, you quickly realize you really don’t have time to write after all. And so the real job of a writer kicks in. You are once again a homemaker or a Mr. Mom and are busy cleaning the house, laundry, dishes, scrubbing the floors. Okay, who am I kidding? You probably turn on the television or sit down with a good book that someone else wrote.

Don’t think there is any shame in this. There isn’t. It just means you’re human. That is one thing that till the end of time will never be a crime.

Most days we inwardly holler help! Then we stare at the empty sheet and get up, disregarding our own goals. Today is the end of that. Today we are going to sit down and pretend the page is already half full. We just have to finish it.

Here’s how it works, sit down and close your eyes. Do you see your character? Is he standing up or sitting down? What is he thinking? Is he in trouble? What is he going to do about it?

Now open your eyes and in a quick flourish write down everything you just saw and felt. If he was in a building, what color were the walls he was surrounded by? If he was out on the street, what did the view look like? Write down every detail and don’t stop until you’re drained of all thought. If your hands are cramping that means you’ve accomplished your goal and have written.

You’ll be surprised by how many sheets of paper are full of hastily scribbled words. Maybe some sentences don’t make sense but that’s okay. Later you can fix that but for now stand up and stretch your muscles. Pat yourself on the back and remember what it feels like to be a writer who has accomplished something. Feels good doesn’t it. Just remember you can have that same feeling every day. All it takes is a closing of the eyes and a remembering that imagination is the key to a good writer.

By Grace Rellie

Observations

When you sit at the edge of a private lake, there are many things that go unnoticed by the casual observer. Some things are obvious. Such as the shimmering, rippling waves, the gentle clash of land and water and the harsh cry of a gull.

But what of the dappled light on the weeping willow or the hiss in the air? The old gnarled wood glistens as the diligent spider winds her web within the tree’s deep crevices and the tiny ant burrow deeper and deeper in an ever searching quest for food and shelter.
The water ripples to the shore, sending tiny bubbles that slowly crawl back to the place of their birth lest they perish on dry land. Smoothly the waves part as a turquoise Mallard duck glides through the water. A quick dash below the surface and dinner is served. Seaweed is buffeted by the constant current and nit-picking gnats circle in a continuous rhythm looking for unwearied prey to walk within their midst in the edge if the shore.

The lake as much to offer and the artist will find a subject at every turn. From the waving reeds to the stillness of the copper crowned rock below the water’s edge, the blue lake is home to all dreamers.

Find a place of your own, in the quietness of the day, observe, and listen to your surroundings. Within the silence of yourself you will find a diamond hidden and waiting for to be unearthed. Don’t be afraid to write of your discoveries. These will become invaluable later when you are stumped for an idea. Besides, they are a unique time-capsule into ourselves that can never be revisited. Life only happens once, don’t waste it.

 

By Grace Rellie

Some Writer Help Websites

First Time Authors

Pascal Marco = Thriller
Pascalmarco.com

Chalene Lassig = Fantasy
Charlenelassig.com

Deanne L. Joseph = Biography
Paulsstory.com

Nicki Elson = Women’s Fiction
Nickielson.com

Writing Schools

Institute of Children’s Literature
Long Ridge Writer’s Group

Mystery Helps
Mysterywriters.org
Mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com
Thrillerfest.org

Romance Helps
Rwanational.org
Romancejunkies.com

General Helps

Whispers and Warnings
Editors and Predators
Writerscafe.org
Authornation.com = a free

Compiled by Grace Rellie

Who is Tiny?

Reasons why we’ve vote Tiny in as our Role Model:

Because:

1. He is sooo cute!
2. He can really get around–on land, in water, and through the air.
3. One giant leap for tiny; many leaps for cawgs.
4. He has a large voice.
5. His fame has grown in far greater proportion than his body.

Text by Anne Krause

Photograph Courtesy Grace Rellie

Who Are We?

Writers… that is what we call ourselves, but we are so much more than that. We have full time jobs, full time kids and full time hassles like anyone else.
We don’t come up with stories. we live them. The only thing different about us is that we write them down. We don’t sleep. We have deadlines that are constantly looming and we always hope for that elusive quiet that never quite finds its way to our lives.
If you think you can keep up with this pace, if you can put down the phone long enough to write a sentence or two and make sense, well I’m sorry to say you’re a writer and I know what you’re going through.
Stick to it. Publication is just around the corner and then you can sit down. Or can you? It’s all in a day’s work but you know you wouldn’t trade it in. It’s who you are.

By Grace Rellie

What is a Writer?

For those of you looking to meet a struggling author/writer, you’ve come to the right place!

No one ever said writing was easy. No one, other than Beaver Cleaver, says that you don’t have to know anything to be a writer because it doesn’t take much to learn how wrong that assumption is.

A writer is a person who never sleeps, always is thinking and spends quite a bit of the day looking at a blank sheet of paper or computer screen, all the while asking themself what in the world they are doing? Who are they kidding? They’ll never write a Pulitzer or win any major awards, yet they write.

Is this a malady they have that will never be vaccinated for? The answer to that one is yes, just as long as the human race can think for itself there will be writers like you and I who do nothing but question themselves and hesitate to send that completed manuscript out the door.

If you understand what I go through, I sympathize with you. Good luck and if you find in your searching that you have a better way to be a writer without the hassle, drop me a line. I’m sure all the frustrated people who trip over this sight will nod their heads and say a mental thanks. You might never hear it, but you will feel it someday when you close your eyes and look at the writing you’ve struggled with but is now published and in your hand.

By Grace Rellie

So You Think You Can Write

If you have to stop what you’re doing in the middle of a project to make a note, you might be a writer.

If you wake up in the middle of the night with a blazing idea, you might be a writer.

If you’re in the shower and start composing poems on the shower wall with conditioner, you might be a writer.

If any of these statements describe you, you should seriously consider keeping a journal.

In it, you can write the day to day occurrences, what your hopes and dreams are and any random thought that comes to mind. As a writer, you will find these to be invaluable assets.

Later, go back to this and you’ll be surprised by what you once thought. Sometimes you’ll even think that what you’ve written sounds plagiaristic. That’s when you know you’re a writer.

Welcome to the writing community.

By Grace Rellie