Time to Write

The solution to writer's block may be right in front of you

When you have writer's block it's natural to focus on what's not working. 

Often the solution is to focus on what IS working.

For instance, one of the people in my online Writing Breakthrough Program said she's feeling blocked on her fiction project but is enjoying blogging.

My suggestion: create blogs written by the major characters about what they are going through. Obviously you don't have to make them public (but I'd keep them for possible "extras" later on).

It's a good way to get deep into your characters and understand how the story looks from their perspective. 

Naturally at some point you will have to decide how to fit these multiple experiences together into your short story, novel, or script, but you will have plenty of material to work with and my bet is your block will be long gone.

(Want more practical help in writing your book or script? Get my latest book, Your Creative Writing Masterclass, to learn from the best writers of all time. You can order it from Amazon or your other favourite bookseller.)  

 

An interview with me by Eric Johnson on writing and the writing life

Here's what Eric Johnson, who is a coach and whose site is www.rightnowlife.com, said about the interview he did with me recently (blush, blush):

As a prolific writer and creativity coach, Jurgen is simply outstanding and holds a powerful track record of experience.  More importantly, he is a wonderful man who is more than willing to share his expertise, experiences and strategies with others.  You may be thinking, “I’m not a writer” or “The work I do is nowhere near creative.”  However, I have to tell you – LISTEN to the interview. You will learn things you’ve never heard or considered before. I know I did, and frankly I read a ton and I’m exposed to tons of teachers, experts and strategies. Writing parallels with so much in life, including business, working on making your dreams happen and overcoming adversity.  What Jurgen brings to the table is phenomenal.

Some of the topics we covered include:

• the top 3 obstacles writers face
• how to deal with your inner critic
• managing yourself during the writing process
• guiding quotes
• and a lot more. 

It will be 40 minutes well invested. I promise. Click here to listen or download.

(If you like my approach, why not pick up a copy of my book, "Your Writing Coach" or the brand new "Your Creative Writing Masterclass," -both from Nicholas Brealey Publishing and available from Amazon or your other favorite book seller.)

Write it right: the elephant in pajamas

As somebody who occasionally writes about the most common spelling and grammatical errors, it’s embarrassing when I make these kinds of mistakes myself. I had a near miss in my current Brainstorm e-bulletin. Before I proofed it, it contained this description of a medical innovation:

 “An MRI set-up used for children decorated to look like an old fashioned ship.”

 I guess that would look something like this:

Of course the problem is the crucial missing comma that separates the two elements, the set-up and the children:

“An MRI set-up used for children, decorated to look like an old-fashioned ship.”

That would look like this:

The most famous example of this error is Groucho Marx’s line: “Last night I dreamed I shot an elephant in my pajamas. What it was doing in my pajamas I’ll never know.”

 It would have been more clear this way: “Last night I dreamed I, in my pajamas, shot an elephant.”

 But it wouldn’t have been funny.