Overcoming Writer’s Block

All writers have dealt with this unavoidable bump on the road to completing an article or novel. The origin of writer’s block can be from varying factors. Here’s an article I wrote on how to make fear your friend and overcome writers block.

The Dreaded Writer’s Block and How to Overcome It.

Photo image: Flickr- Drew Coffman

In the Dark of the Night

One of the current stories I’m writing revolves around a man who has the ability to shapeshift in to a raven. He has the unique gift to enter someone’s mind and navigate the dream world. In my research of dreams, I stumbled across great information about the origin of the word nightmares. I admit, I always envisioned the image of a black horse galloping across the night sky, bringing buried memories, self doubt, and insecurities to the forefront of our subconscious. Like the Irish Pooka, a dark horse that would sneak in to bedrooms in the dead of night and carry you away into a new, strange, and often terrifying world. Imagine my surprise when horses, particularly a mare, had nothing to do with the name’s origin.

Art by any other name

I love tattoos. In almost every story I write, at least one of my characters have a tattoo. In the current novel I’m editing, the heroine has a tribal angel wings tattoo covering her lower back and hips. In my new paranormal novel, the hero has an intricate raven tattoo on his chest. So, in honor of my passion for tattoos, I’ve decided to share the fascinating history of the art of ink.

Challenge Accepted

A fellow writer (and all around awesome lady), Becke Martin, issued a challenge yesterday that I had to accept with the agreement to pass it on to seven other writers. Here are the challenge instructions:

1. Go to the 77th page of your work-in-progress or latest book.
2 Count down 7 lines.
3 Copy the 7 sentences that follow, and post them.
4. Tag 7 other writers.

My current work in progress is only on the first chapter so this is another story I completed. It’s still in the editing phase but, here we go! Here are the seven sentences for A TASTE OF BETRAYAL.

Bringing A Story To Life

Russian author Anton Chekhov, considered the greatest writer of short stories, once said “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

One of the biggest challenges for a writer is how to bring their story to life. I can have a great story in my mind but using the right imagery to breathe life into it is not easy. It’s easy for non-writers to take for granted the work authors put into bringing words to life. The right imagery can make you believe anything. It can transport you to new worlds with dramatic alien life form. It can take you back in time to women in big hoop skirts and tight corsets. The right imagery takes you away from the troubles of your own life and throws you head first into exotic places, new adventures, and happy ever afters.