TWO ARTICLES ON WRITING FROM MARIE GROSSETT

BEST SELLING AUTHOR’S ADVICE FOR ASPIRING WRITERS

Most people like to read about how successful people made it in their chosen profession and the advice they give to the 'up and comings.' I assume you're no different! You too like to read your favourite authors’ life story and the counsel they give.

Since you like to do this, I've rustled up guidance from three bestselling and award winning authors that I have interviewed, to give you statements of encouragement.
The question I asked them was, 'What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to make it in the industry?'

Debora M. Coty who has written books such as 'Too blessed to be stressed' and is an award winner of over 100 internationally published articles and ten inspirational books says:

"I'd share a quote given to me by a dear friend Sherill, who was dying of brain tumour, "Work to become, not to acquire" (Elbert Hubbard, American writer, 1856-1915). Everyone encounters that "Spinning your wheels" rut at some point in building their careers. The important thing for writers is to just keep pedaling, honing your craft, polishing your technique, learning, learning, always learning. You have to believe that one day soon, your spinning tire will finally grip and propel you back up on the road again. I liken preserving to jockeys who encounter horses’ poo as an occupational hazard. They simply step over the piles, wipe the nasty off their boots, and keep moving forward."

Judy Baer who has written books, “Mending Her Heart” and “Sleeping Beauty” says:

"I'm self taught since I didn't know any writer when I started and the big writers' organizations had not yet begun. I read about writing, I read books that were of the type I thought my books would be. I took classes. I poured over Writer's Market and I wrote and wrote and wrote. I compared my prose to that of big writers and tried to see what techniques they'd used to make their stories compelling. I think motivation, determination and refining the craft can do a lot for the aspiring writer. Of course you should always read. Frankly, I listen to books on tape now rather than read because I find myself analyzing. It is either I’m thinking of how it could be improved or wishing I'd been clever enough to write like that!"

Fiction writer Tricia Goyer who is the author of 30 books and has over 500 articles published in national publications such as “Focus on the Family,” “Today's Christian Woman” and “Home Life Magazine” says:

"Attend a writer's conference. What you learn, who you meet, and your view of the industry is worth the cost! Write! So many people want to be writers but they never get words on paper. Write about everything you think of...that's how you'll discover your passion, style and voice.”

THE WRITER’S BLOCK

"Right onto the next chapter," you mutter to yourself. But as your fingers begin to touch the keyboard or the tip of your pen touches the paper, your mind goes blank.

"This can't be happening right now, what's going on?" You wonder.

The symptom is called Writer's Block.

There are times when your creative juices just pours into your imagination that you just can't stop writing, and yes there are times when the pouring comes to a halt! I know this can be annoying but it does happen even to bestselling authors.

When interviewing romance author Joan Wolf I asked her if she ever suffers Writer's Block she answered: "I've never been blocked to the point where I can't sit down and write, but I have certainly come upon points in my books where things weren't going smoothly and I felt as if I was trying to swim through a molasses. I have found in the past that changing points of view sometimes gets me going again. Sometimes you just have to write through it."

Joan is right sometimes you just have to write through it.

Here are some tips on what you can do to unblock your imagination.

·        Go for a walk get some fresh air! We can take for granted the things we see around us just because they are familiar to us. It could be a building, a park with children playing and ducks swimming in the pond. But out of these could be inspiration for your next chapter. So, don't take it for granted as there could be a story out of the things you see around you.

·        Go back to the drawing board, what is the message of your book what do you want people to learn from it. Going back to basics could help you get your imagination active again. If you are writing fiction, is there anything you can add or take away? It could be a character or the plot of the story or maybe a scenario doesn't go well with a character.

Finally, as mentioned before you just have to, sometimes, write your way through, write the first sentence that comes to your thoughts and just work your way from there.

Writer's Block is just temporary, so don't get disheartened if you experience it just keep on writing.

Marie Grossett aka Vanessa Grossett is a published Author, and has interviewed best selling and award winning Christian Authors.

She now manages The Authors Care Agency which helps aspiring Authors break into the publishing industry. For more information email authorscare@gmail.com

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS