Looks what’s in stores today! Also available @ JILLWEATHERHOLT.COM
Today I’m excited to help our friend, writer and the queen of world-building, Jacqui Murray as she launches Against All Odds, book three of her Crossroads series. This trilogy takes the reader on a journey into prehistoric times where survival is never guaranteed.
Before I share a little about the book, here is a question I posed to Jacqui.
Title and author: Against All Odds
Series: Book 3 in the Crossroads series
Genre: Prehistoric fiction
Available digitally (print soon) at: Kindle US Kindle UK Kindle CA Kindle AU
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers, and the Man vs. Nature saga. She is also adjunct professor of technology in education, blog webmaster, an Amazon Vine Voice, a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, Laws of Nature, Book 2 in the Dawn of Humanity trilogy, Winter 2021.
Social Media contacts:
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jacqui-Murray/e/B002E78CQQ/
Blog: https://worddreams.wordpress.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacquimurraywriter/
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/jacquimurray
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/askatechteacher
Twitter: http://twitter.com/worddreams
Website: https://jacquimur ray.net
Why I Don’t Get Writer’s Block
By Jacqui Murray
An efriend writer originally published this as a guest post on their blog to help me launch Against All Odds August 2020. In case you missed it there, here are my anecdotal thoughts on how to add drama to your story:
***
I should get writer’s block. I write twelve hours a day, pretty much every day. Where it used to be a hobby, it’s now What I Do. Well, I teach also but that requires a lot of writing (because I teach online).
Before I explain why I escape that horrendous malady that over half of writer’s anecdotally report they suffer, let’s talk a little bit about writer’s block.
What is Writer’s Block?
Writer’s block is where you stare at a blank page for long periods of time, trying to write but are unable to find the right words. To put that academically:
“Writer’s block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. This loss of ability to write and produce new work is not a result of commitment problems or the lack of writing skills.” —Wikipedia
According to Terry Pratchett:
“There’s no such thing as writer’s block. That was invented by people in California who couldn’t write.”
Why (I think) I Don’t Suffer From it
I write a lot of different stuff, fiction and nonfiction, for myself and others, blog hops and my own articles. Each seems like a break from the other. I divide my day into thirds, each devoted to a different writing event. That way, if I get stale on one task, I move to a different one.
“The wonderful thing about writing is that there is always a blank page waiting. The terrifying thing about writing is that there is always a blank page waiting.” ― J.K. Rowling
Here’s how to get rid of it
Jack London has this to say about curing writer’s block:
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
The folks at Master Class offer eight EASY ways to overcome Writer’s Block. I’m always suspicious that something labeled ‘easy’ isn’t but they had some good ideas including take a break, jump ahead in your novel, and freewrite. Still, I wondered if they would work so kept searching…
Darren over at ProBlogger suggests you make a habit of finishing any writing that you start.
Here’s an idea from Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature:
“One of the most difficult things is the first paragraph. I have spent many months on a first paragraph, and once I get it, the rest just comes out very easily.”
Mark Twain suggested:
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”
Here’s what I’d try if I got Writer’s Block
More on writer’s block
University of Illinois’ Center for Writing Studies
10 Ways to Beat Writer’s Block from Penguin Random House
7 Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block from Writer’s Digest