Are You Writing a Second Draft, Yet?

     If you have not written a second draft from something, then you need to stop procrastinating. It's the first day of a new month  Or, maybe it's fear. I know, it's unchartered waters for many of you. Look at it as a journey. A wonderful excciting journey. Remember, that second draft should be easier. You've already did the hard part. Ideas will jump out of that draft like jumping beans. You'll be surprised.

      Remember, no one can see it, if you don't show them. Friends and family are not good judges, anyway. I say this because, they are too emotionally involved. You need a stranger to read it. Any stranger, or perhaps me.  I'm a stranger to you, so maybe it could be a great beginning for you.

     Go ahead and e-mail me something! Come out of the closet. You will never know, if you don't do it. When you take this next step, then you are serious. Talking about it gets nothing done.

      I've been doing reviews for writers for almost three years now.  There's nothing worse than no support. Every writer out there had to begin somewhere. You have something worthwhile to say. All writers know the pain of getting started. Your writing is important and unique. Any work reviewed is about that piece, not you. You are unique, so jump in....The water's fine! :)

     Waiting to hear from someone who is serious about getting started. We all have to begin somewhere, so have fun!

The Freezer!

A refrigerator/freezer is an excellent appliance for keeping things cold, isn't it? If you agree then you will understand why, when I get writer's block, I bury it in the freezer for a couple of days.
First of all, no one will see or find it.  When you finally take it out, you will have new
insight on your written piece, trust me! This little habit of mine has never failed me.
While it is being kept on ice, I go ahead and write something else.  Having no loss of
words, I just keep writing. I figure if I though enough crap on the walls, something
will stick! :)

Do you have any suggestions for writer's block? Post your comments!

Good Morning all you wannabe's!

Now that you have made notes and drafts, what is your next step? To start writing something, of course. Will it be from your notes and drafts? It is a great starting point.
Can you add to them and begin a second draft? They should look different to you and
new thoughts will spill on to the page.

If you aren't ready to write from them, ignore them for a couple of days and write something else. Anything to get the juices flowing. Writing is like physical exercise, only mental.

Many things can give you ideas: The news, family events, photos, waiting in the doctor's office. That elderly lady sitting across from you has her own story to tell, but
perhaps you can write something about her. Take a good look at her. What are her
facial expressions? Is she bored or sad? Does she seem friendly or offish? What is
she wearing? If you find something to write about her, you have the beginnings of a
character for a story. Maybe she can be entered into one of your story drafts.

That was sneaky, wasn't it? Even though you were stumped, you wrote something else
that can perhaps be used in anyone of your stories or a new one. There's no deadline and your creativity is being challenged.

My whole point here is don't give in to writer's block. There is always something to write about if you just keep your writer's mind open and your notebook handy. 

Your New Journey as a writer begins......

     As with any craft, you will need some tools to begin your writing: A dictionary, thesaurus and a good writing program, such as "Microsoft Word" or you can download a freebe called, "OpenOffice." It has a spell checker, etc., just like the big boy.
     I've written several short storys and have had a small collection published at Amazon and Lulu.com. You can purchase my paperback or download it on your reader or computer. My book is entitled "Short Story Favorites".  It has stories that are both fiction and non-fiction. All of these stories were written from several drafts.
     It's a journey that you must take to write your final story, but it can be exciting. It's your drafts that produce that final "polished and professional" piece of work.
     All those thoughts that are floating in your head need to be put some place safe or you will lose them.  This is the first step and your story will begin to take shape. You can now see your thoughts on paper.
     Are you ready to write? Then grab a piece of paper and a pencil. It doesn't matter what flows at first. These are just your thoughts, which are the beginnings of any short story. Don't worry about the spelling, grammar, etc. until you have put all your thoughts down. This is the first step in any written piece. You will be surprised at yourself, after you go back and read it. Magically, other ideas will come to mind and add them too, to your draft. Remember, this is just a draft. I think they call it "brain storming."
     If you have a computer, make a file and store all your notes there. I carry a small notepad around with me. When a thought comes to mind, I write it there. These are your drafts. I've heard some writers complain about doing the rewrites. Frankly, I find it exciting and easier to build from those first drafts. I get so excited when my story begins to take shape. So go ahead and write what ever comes to mind. No one will ever see them, except you.

     Does anyone else have tips to share? Feel free to post them here on my blog.

Write Your Daily Dose!

Writing is good for my soul, so I try to write my daily dose.

I have written on and off for years, belong to a writer's group and my favorite genre is Short Stories. I never know what I'm going to write, I just start writing. I call this my first draft.

Needless to say it doesn't look professional. More like a kid when given some paper and a pencil. If  I see words misspelled, I don't correct it. I have to keep the thoughts coming and I keep writing. When I go back, this is when I correct, change sentences around to give it a better flow. The second and third drafts are fun. I have already done the hard part with the first draft on what to write. I use a word processor and it's much faster than with a pencil.

A pencil and note book is for taking notes in the car, sitting at an airport, or something I have thought of or seen.  Of course, now that I have a laptop  I'll probably use that too. My fingers like to cramp when I writing by hand. By the time I get it down on paper, I may lose the thought. I'm a fast typist and most times, my fingers can't keep up with my thoughts.

I enjoy meeting other writers so please feel free leave your comments.