Stuck? Read Lyrics

All writers have been there - you're writing, or editing, and you cannot move on because you're searching for the perfect turn of phrase or a clever metaphor, and the only words your brain supplies are "duh" and "blah." Nothing sounds good. You have simply run out of words and creative ways to use them.

For some authors, they re-read beloved passages from favorite novels, hoping to spark their creativity. Not me. I head for my favorite song lyrics.

Think about it - in three minutes, a musician must tell you a story. Not just any story, but one that grabs you around the throat until your emotions spill out in song. The best songs force you to sing along (no matter your level of talent). You sing because somewhere deep inside, the lyrics have spoken a truth to you.

To me, that is incredible power.

Some of you may ask, "Why not just read poetry?"

I don't know if it's the way my brain is wired, but poetry puts me to sleep. I don't understand it a bit. But put poetry to music, and suddenly my brain clicks on. Maybe it's the same reason I obsessively listen to music while I write.

So who are some of my favorite musical poets?

Nina Gordon - you may remember her as the lead singer of Veruca Salt. Nina put out a couple of solo albums and it's just the type of music I like to drown in.

Example:

"Now I'm bleeding like watercolors
Keep me dreaming in pale blues and greens"
-Watercolors

Alanis Morissette - Say what you will, I think she's a modern poetic genius. I love all of her music and can't wait for another new release.

Example:

"I have been running so sweaty my whole life
Urgent for a finish line
And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete"
- Incomplete


I could go on for a long time, but that's not helpful to you. For all I know, you're reading these and thinking, "These are terrible. They don't make any sense to me."

And you're justified in thinking that. lol. The beauty of this exercise is that we all have our own favorites, so next time you're stuck, read the lyrics of some of YOUR favorite songs. If it speaks to you, then it will help. Trust me.

Good luck!!!!!

XoXo,


Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber

Write Like No One is Reading

Tip of the Day: If you're a self-publisher, you might not want to set up release dates until you book is actually done. It'll save you some stress. Trust me.

My newest series (under my other pen name, Isobel Lucas) isn't doing so well. I have deadlines to pub a new installment every two weeks, and now that I see sales are practically non-existent, it was hard for me to convince myself to keep writing.

Yes, I love writing for the sake of writing, but I also have this pesky left brain that tells me to manage my time in a way that will encourage a steady income. Spending time writing books for a series that isn't selling is not a good use of my time/income ratio.

There's also the other side of me (how many freaking sides do I have?) that won't give up. I'm like a puppy chasing after a big dog. I. Will. Not. Stop. Not until I've accomplished my goal. Since I promised readers a new short every two weeks, I have to give it to them - even if there's only a few out there that are interested.

So I sat down with my iPad. I stared at it for a while. I played on Facebook. Started some new Song Pop challenges. You know, productive writing things. Then I sighed and wrote some really bad words. Really, really bad ones. Words I knew wouldn't make it past editing.

Then I turned off my iPad.

When we are unpublished, writing is a joy. We have only dreams for our babies. After publication, our babies are clothed in stress and deadlines and bad reviews and rejection and poor sales. Writing loses the joy because in the back of your mind, there's always that nagging voice, "People will hate this. People won't buy this. People won't read this. Why waste your time? Write something more commercial. Stop following your muse."

I did the only thing I could. I ignored that voice in my head and I sat down to write whatever the hell I wanted. I didn't worry about everyone else, and instead I wrote for ME. And guess what? I love what I wrote. I really do. I kind of giggle when I read it because it's soooo me.

I just uploaded that ebook last night. I have no clue what people will think when they read it. Besides, there are three novelettes that come before that one. I know how sales work - the most sales are on the first book and there's always a decline after that. People drop out for whatever reason. I just hope the ones who stuck with it enjoy the ride, because Infliction is a lot of fun. ;)

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber

Writer’s Block Cause #4: Obligations

Tip of the Day: Check out the February Scholastic Bookclub Bestseller list! My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours is #4 in Middle Grade! Woot!

I kinda hate to call them obligations but I can't think of a better word for my little darlings. They're not like a sink full of dishes that I can walk right by and ignore until later (and oh yeah, I do that a lot). But dang, I have this book that I need to write and every time I think I can get to it there is something else I need to do! Like, boy scouts, girl scouts, ballet, karate, ice skating, class trips, lunch mom etc. It never ends. Here are the little darlings now:

(Obligation #1, #2, #3, and #4. Ok, I'll stop calling them that right now I swear. At least they're well read, right?)

So what am I doing about it? Well, I generally need to remove myself from the house/kiddos to write but with all of the stuff they need to do (and side note: Whoever said to get a plant before having kids to see what it's like taking care of something was a certified nutball. They are SO not like plants. They want way more than water and sunlight. And they scream and run in circles when they don't get it.) and how many words I'm trying to get done this month (26,000 more. Ugh. I'm never going to make it am I?) I've taken to trying to do two things at once. Take swimming lessons. The other day I took two of the kids to swimming lessons and sat down at the table with a notebook to hand write a scene in my current project. It's hard to write in a muggy pool area by the way, but I had to do it. As I wrote I made sure to occasionally look up and smile, clap, and give thumbs up. Hopefully those gestures all came at appropriate times. We'll see how long I can get away with this type of thing.

Kristina, Miss Author in Action