11 Important Techniques For Overcoming Writer’s Block

by Michael Dehoyos

Inspiration is a strange beast, sometimes it is there and other times it’s not. When it is absent it feels as if nothing one writes is any good or worth expanding on. Ideas seem bland and conventional. And the motivation to sit down and write simply isn’t there. This lack of inspiration, accompanied by the aforementioned feelings, is referred to as writer's block.

Anyone who has spent a decent amount of time writing has gone through writer's block at some point in time. Like a flu, it almost always passes on its own given enough time. Unfortunately, there isn’t always that time available. There may be deadlines, commitments, or other external forces that require an individual to finish their writing within a certain amount of time. Because of this, it is often necessary to be proactive in getting through a writer's block. Here we will go over 11 important techniques for overcoming writer's block.

Change The Environment: Sometimes the mind needs a bit of change, something different from the ordinary and expected. Much the same way people often feel invigorated upon returning from a vacation, a writer can get a similar charge by simply changing where they are writing. It is no coincidence that famous writers felt the need to travel around.

Go For A Walk: It is conventional wisdom that going for a walk helps to “clear the mind”. “The famous German philosopher Emanuel Kant used to develop his ideas during his walks around his village. Even modern psychology has commented on the mentally stimulating qualities of a good walk.” writes Jesse Nygard, a lifestyle blogger at Britstudent and Writemyx.

Have An Alcoholic Drink: It is no secret that many writers had a penchant for alcohol. While we don’t recommend becoming intoxicated, a drink helps many people loosen up while writing.

Do Something Else: Sometimes one needs a reset from writing. Passing some time by indulging in another hobby or interest is a common way to reset the writing mindset.

Read Another Writer: Reading someone else’s writing, especially on a similar topic or subject can get the mind thinking in a way it wasn’t before. Sometimes something is read that switches a writer's paradigm or gets them excited about the topic all over again.

Take A Nap: It may be the case that the inspiration issue has more to do with tiredness than anything else. When one is tired it is harder to think clearly and come up with new ideas. Taking a short nap can do wonders for getting out of a writing block rut.

Re-read Previous Writings: This is especially true for those writings novels or short stories. Having a read of what has been already penned will get the creative cogs turning again.

Try An Economy Of Words: “Hemingway claimed his aim in writing was to do so with an ‘economy of words”, explained Jason Lacroix, a writer at Australia2write and Nextcoursework. What is meant here is that by writing in very simple terms it allows a writer to flesh out concepts and storylines without having to worry about the prose.

Refocus: A common cause of writer's block is a loss of direction or lack of vision. A writer can write so much they start to lose focus of what they were trying to convey in the first place. Taking a moment to remind oneself what they want to accomplish can help set back on the right track.

Determine Peak Writing Time: The body works on different internal rhythms which are in tune with several external factors. This being said, not everyone is the same. A good writer should pay acute attention to what times in the day they feel they do their best writing. When writer’s block takes hold begin by only writings during those ‘peak’ writing hours.

Reduce Distraction: Writers in the previous generation may have had a more difficult time typing and editing but they were much less distracted. While the computer offers a level of ease that the old typewriters did not, they are also a great source of distraction. It can be difficult to get into the proper mindset when one is constantly distracted by social media and other internet activities. Removing these distractions will afford the opportunity to focus solely on writing.

Michael Dehoyos has been editing and marketing books at Phd Kingdom and Academic brits for some years now. Aside from this, he is also involved in helping companies develop marketing strategies and concepts. An avid writer, he is a contributor to Origin Writings.

7 Winning Marketing Tips for Self-Publishers

by Dorian Martin

Whether you are a new writer on the block or someone who has decided to chart their own course after several publisher-backed book launches, self-published work can be both exciting and scary at the same time. While you do enjoy more freedom and creative decision-making, you will also lack the higher budget and networking opportunities provided by a large publishing agency.

That being said, you can still successfully market, launch and monetize your written work without a middleman with an adequate pre-launch advertisement campaign. With that, let’s take a look at several winning marketing tips for self-publishers which will help you spread the word and interest in your literary work in order to reach as many readers as possible.

Write a Brief Outline

While you are the author of your own work, the people who will consider buying and reading your book will most likely know very little about its contents. In order to amend that, you should create a small paragraph or two which will briefly outline your book’s content or plot, depending on its genre and message. This will not only help you attract a greater reader base to your book but also challenge you as an author to describe your work in as few sentences as possible.

Make a Preview Available

One of the best ways to market your literary work as a self-publisher is to make a preview available to general audiences. Free previews in the form of a small, non-spoiler chapter can showcase not only your writing style but also the general premise and content of the book to those unfamiliar with your work. Previews can be published on several communication channels such as social media and your own website, with an end-note which can consist of an Amazon affiliate link or a direct book order form from a partner print agency.

Create a Social Media Presence

Given the global nature of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, marketing your book via these channels is of utmost importance. To get started, all you have to do is create dedicated pages under your pen name and publish updates about your writing progress, future literary career plans, tips for other writers, etc.

Jennifer Brook, Head of Content Writing at Supreme Dissertations spoke on the matter recently: “Whether you market your work locally or globally, social media will allow your followers to share the content with their social circles unlike any other medium. In addition, you can easily engage your followers and chat about your product, their feedback about your work and other topics related to your continued development.”

Hype up a Release Date

With so many books, book series and literary materials available to readers across the globe on a daily basis, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd without creating hype. Hyping up a proverbial release date for your book with small plot snippets, calls to action for your readers, or even previews of illustrations or other visual content within your book can work wonders in terms of digital marketing. Once you start building hype toward a particular release date, you can add other activities to your marketing campaign, such as book signings, public readings and other types of public events with yours truly.

Blog about your Writing Process

When it comes to marketing your literary work to new readers, blogging about your writing process is one of the best ways to do so. You can set up a simple WordPress blog under your pen name and start writing articles and posts about the way you write, your thoughts on contemporary literature, writing tips and other useful content. Dispersed within these can be ads, messages and promotional materials about your upcoming book releases, as well as affiliate links to digital storefronts where said books can be obtained.

Reach out to your Mailing List

Resorting to email marketing is a great way to raise interest in your self-published work regardless of whether or not it’s your first outing. Reaching out to potential readers via email will allow you to control your marketing message and adapt to constant readers more easily than by using public advertisement channels such as social media. When it comes to tools to do so, a combination of writing platforms such as Best Essay Education, Evernote and Grab My Essay, in addition to a mailing platform such as Mail Chimp can do wonders for your self-publishing success.

Organize a Meet-and-Greet

Lastly, a great way to create interest in your self-published work is to resort to public events via your local book stores, libraries and coffee shops. Author meet-and-greet events, marketed via social media and personal website prior to their happening, are a great way for you to gain loyal followers, ambassadors and supporters of your practice as a writer. Most importantly, these events cost nothing in terms of resources apart from your own time and willingness to interact with interested readers, opening doors for a variety of activities such as reading sessions, signings and book discussions among others.

In Conclusion

Working with publishing agencies may appear as a path of least resistance at first glance. However, doing so will rob you of creative integrity and a percentage of your earnings, not to mention the legal obligations per your contract with any given publisher. Focus on creating a book you can be passionate and proud of before jumping into self-publishing and marketing waters – with a solid baseline, finding the right audience for your writing will only be a matter of “how”, not “if”.

Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/book-chapter-six-5834/

Dorian Martin is a blogger and novel writer. Currently, he works as an editor at Studicus and IsAccurate. His biggest passions are jazz, baseball, and medieval art.

Author Visits & Donors Choose: How to Get Authors In Your Classroom

by Carly Black

The vibrations immediately pulse through your body and the energy of the crowd is infectious. Live music is the best way to experience the art musicians create. The experience of meeting or hearing an author talk about their writing feels a lot like being at a concert. Hearing music played live adds new connection and emotion to the songs and the artists. Meeting an author in person has always had the same effect for me.

Meeting author Suzanne Collins at The Hunger Games premiere party in Los Angles was a true fangirl moment for me. Walking into the massive tent felt exactly as I imagined walking into a Capitol party might feel. Celebrities mingling about and here I was in awe of the decor and dedication to making it feel as if I’d stepped right into the book. An English teacher’s dream come true courtesy of my brother who was working for Lionsgate at the time. 

The night introduced me to several of the actors and actresses where I learned their thoughts on playing particular characters. The young tribute actors felt like my people and we had great conversations about reading the series. About halfway through the night, we found ourselves standing in the center of a crowd, all trying to get a selfie with Taylor Lautner. That’s when I spotted her. Suzanne Collins was being ushered through the crowd. If I was going to meet her this was my only chance. I pushed past the few people standing between us and introduced myself. I remember telling her, “I’m a middle school teacher from Ohio and my students have loved reading The Hunger Games trilogy. Could I get a photo?” 

She was so gracious and let me take a quick photo before rushing off out of the party. To me, she was the greatest celebrity in the room. Meeting an author to thank them for sharing their talent and expressing the impact they have made on readers is part of what I love about my job. It’s not a requirement of course, but it’s a super cool part of being a teacher of readers. 

In 2010 I had the privilege of attending the NCTE conference where I was introduced to several of my favorite authors. Some of the authors I met were debuting their first novels at the time and they quickly became beloved authors for me. I’m reminded of my conversation with author Sarah Weeks. She shared her book So B It and her heart for people with disabilities. Her book was the first one I read from the pile of books collected from the conference. 

After meeting all the authors that first day of the conference I wanted to devour every book they had ever written. I can remember specifically walking up to Laurie Halse Anderson and using every ounce of my energy to not lose it right there in front of her. Another major fangirl moment for me. I had read her book Speak several years before and it’s definitely in my top ten reads. Meeting her in person made me want to read every book, short story, and poem she had ever written. Laurie sat at her table signing my book and casually talking with me about life. After that conversation, I was convinced that if we lived near each other we would be best friends. At least the invention of social media now lets me pretend to be friends with my favorite authors. 

All of these encounters have convinced me that everyone needs to meet their favorite author or any author really. As an English teacher, these have been some of my favorite experiences. Events, where I have been able to meet an author, help me feel a stronger connection to a favorite story or introduces me to their new novels. Sometimes it’s a new introduction altogether. 

Sharing opportunities to meet authors is even more fun when given the chance to introduce students. Authors can feel like untouchable celebrities to the voracious reader. But the truth is, like any celebrity, they are human. In fact, they often do their own marketing which includes book signings or meet and greets. If meeting an author can make a reading impact on me it’s possible to have the same effect on students. 

Follow a Local Library

Libraries often invite authors to talk about their books or share a writing workshop. I’ve made it a habit of checking nearby library calendars for author events. Some even have an email subscription that will send events to your inbox. Another great way to stay on top of these events would be following them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. 

My first student group to meet an author was an hour’s drive to a major city south of us. My colleagues thought I was crazy, but my students had just finished Brandon Mull’s latest book Fablehaven. Several of them mentioned never loving to read until reading that book. When I learned that Brandon would be at a nearby library I began making plans to take students. The hour drive seemed completely worth the time if students could meet the author who helped them identify themselves as readers. 

We drove down on a school bus immediately after school with about 12 kids, one parent and myself. Brandon talked about his experience with writing Fablehaven, answering all the questions from kids who asked where he got such funny ideas and interesting characters. He signed copies of books and other swag for the kids. Some of my kids had never owned their own book, let alone a signed copy. After this experience, many of the kids who went ended up finishing the seven-book series. 

Book Stores

Another great place to meet authors, especially local authors, would be your local bookstore. Our small town doesn’t have a bookstore so we have to keep in touch with stores from nearby cities, but like libraries, they usually have website calendars, social media, and email lists.

My favorite local bookstore, Main St. Books, often brings authors to share and sign books. One April they had invited my co-teacher’s favorite Ohio YA author, Mindy McGinnis. My co-teacher raved about her novels and often shared them with our classes. At the time I had not read any of her books but of course, I was up for an evening out to hear her talk about her latest book, Heroine. 

Mindy talked about how she collects ideas for stories and some of her process for writing those stories. Many in the audience had specific questions about her books and they all made me want to rush out to read anything she’d written. I bought two of her books that night! Since then I have collected all of her novels and have been binge reading them all. 

Mindy and I struck up a conversation about teaching, she’s a former school librarian. That night was the start of a very long conversation about how I could bring her in to meet my students. Almost a full year later we are finally making that a reality. 

Grant Opportunities

Thanks to a grant through the Buckeye Book Fair that helps teachers and librarians bring Ohio authors to their schools we are able to host Mindy for a full day. In anticipation of her visit, our English department has planned a special giveaway each month.  

Thanks to my fully funded Donors Choose project my students now have copies of Not a Drop to Drink, which we will read as a whole class, and five copies of her other novels for our monthly reading assignment. If you’ve never tried Donors Choose I highly recommend creating a project. Use this link to get started and possibly snag a boost to your project. They are always working to find donors that want to help with different literacy projects. You never know what supplies or events might get funded. Did you know you can now ask for funding to attend professional development or field trips? 

If you are looking for a way to engage students with reading or help them make connections to the stories you read in class talking to authors in real life is a great place to start. Sharing student quotes or projects with authors through Twitter is another great way to connect. Some authors are willing to video conferences with classes as well. Bringing the story to life by learning how it was written and the background about its inception can turn kids on to books. 

Carly Black spends her days encouraging tenth-graders in West Salem, Ohio to believe reading and writing is totally cool. At night she chases preschoolers with her teacher husband and in the morning repeats the process all over again. Find the lessons and ideas she uses to encourage her students and tame her tiny humans on the blog www.TeachMomRepeat.com.