Wednesday Writer Club: Getting Back in the Saddle

So how many of you have started writing and then everything just dried up?


Be honest...we've all been there.

If you're anything like me, it's happened multiple times.  I've gone through at least three major sections of my life where I didn't write.  Some of it was lack of motivation or taking my writing seriously, sometimes it was really just being too busy (or worried about making enough money to pay the bills, or having some major life change throw you for  a loop.

I think that's the true difference between true writers (published, public, or secretive) and those that just play at it.  Real writers come back.

But it's hard.  It's really hard.

So what do you do when you want to start writing again, but don't know where to begin?  Here are some tips that have helped me:

1. Read books about writing.  For me, just reading fiction I enjoy isn't enough.  I have to get the push and writing ideas from books about perfecting the craft.  Two of my favorites are On Writing and Bird by Bird.
2. Set goals--but make them small.  Start out saying you'll write one paragraph a day.  Hell, in some books a paragraph can be one sentence or a whole page.  Make your paragraph whatever length works for you.
3. Write fanfiction.  I know, I know, a lot of people think it's a terrible thing.  And clearly it'll never get published, but if you're really having to get over the hurdle of coming up with characters and settings, a little fanfiction can be enough to get the wind back in your sails.
4. Procrastinate by other types of writing.  Where do you think 80% of the worlds blogs come from?* Authors that are putting off writing their masterpiece.  But really, writing anything for me, even silly posts gets my brain working in the right way to move on to other things.

So what about you?  If you've put off writing, what helped you get back to it?


*Completely fabricated statistic, but it sounds pretty authentic, huh?

Tips for your wedding day

There's all sorts of list out there of things to do (or not do) your wedding day.  I thought I'd put in my two cents with what the Husband and I learned on our big day.

1. You will forget something.  Try not to panic. For me, it was getting my nails done.  I ended up painting my nails with some fast-dry polish in a neutral shade an hour or so before the big event. 
2. Your dress and accessories will probably be out to kill you (or at least embarrass you). My snood (the white thing on my head) slipped off every time I tried to kiss the Husband. He's roughly a foot taller than me.
3. If you want to, see your intended before the ceremony.  I was pins and needles that morning, but I settled down with a short chat with my honey before everyone started getting there.  I did make sure that I was still in my slip though.  He didn't see the dress until I walked down the aisle, because that was the important part for me.
4. Have walkie-talkies.  The ceremony started late, but no one thought to tell the groom.  He was convinced I had run away screaming, never to return.
5. On that note, remember, someone will be late.  Whether it's an important guest, part of the wedding party, or the photographer, someone will make the ceremony start late.
6. Choose short songs and readings for the ceremony.  Everything seems 100x longer on the day than in any rehearsal.
7. Make sure you eat, but not anything with red sauce. My maid of honor fixed a plate for me otherwise I probably would have bottomed out.  But I didn't think about the baked ziti, and it landed on the center of my dress.  Luckily it was small enough that it didn't get into any of the pictures. 
8. Yes, it is all about you.  Even in the planning stages remember, this is your day and you're allowed to have whatever will make you happy.  Be prepared to argue for it, but it'll make the day all the more yours.
9. But, some things aren't worth fighting over.  We had very clear ideas what we wanted the ceremony to be like.  The reception menu, on the other hand, we could care less about.  So we left that up to others that really wanted to help us make decisions.
10. Take a deep breath, enjoy the little moments, and take lots of pictures.  Because you probably won't remember most of it.