How to overcome writer’s block

No matter what professional or recreational activities we may engage in, at some point, we’re all going to be off of our game. A surgeon may struggle with shaky hands, a public speaker may slip into a bit of a stutter, or any other number of samples can apply. But in many cases, these problems are more mental than they are physical.

One of the most notorious examples in the world of literature is that pesky little condition known as writers block.

Photo courtesy of Marya Jan

First off, make no mistake, it happens to everyone.

But as I can suggest by personal experience, there is really only one reliable way to deal with it and overcome this problem – writing through it.

Whether you are a sports fan or not, the easiest way to explain what I mean is through the world or athletics. Let’s take baseball. Even the best and most productive hitters in the game fall into a slump from time to time. During those slumps a pitch that they might normally knock right out of the park might send them to the bench as a victim of a strikeout. And worse yet, it keeps happening over and over again. But how does the hitter finally break out of the slump? He keeps hacking away until he succeeds and gets back into his typical rhythm.

The same approach should and must be taken when you find yourself in a state of writer’s block.

Here are two practical ways to do so:

1. Write for the sake or writing during a case of block. Just keep going despite the quality. This is essentially exercise and nobody ever even has to see what you write.

2. Use the condition as inspiration. Yes, write something, anything, about writer’s block. A few yea’s back I had a poetry assignment I had to write for a class and just couldn’t get going. So, I decided to write the poem about the need to be inspired. In the end, I got an A.

In the end, when you take the time to work through the frustration, things will work out just fine.

New book and another one coming

So as you may or may not know, my educational background is in the literary arts. And in 2006, a few years after graduating from college, I wrote my first book. Since then, I have added three more to that list. However, the newest isn’t a literary work but rather a visual showcase of artistic photography. And the next one will be an SEO guide.

I’d like to that this posting opportunity to provide a little detail on each of my books, starting with the most recent.

My books

Coming soon:

A yet untitled SEO guide for simple and effective website promotion.

Currently available:

“Attirance”

This is a visual piece focused on my work with model photography and showcasing several creative images built around the art.

“Making Beautiful Photography:  A Guide for the Novice and the Enthusiast”

This  publication (available in e-book format only) seeks to help those who have a passion for digital photography by offering basic photography tips and tricks that are sure to improve anyone’s understanding of this visual art.

“Shadows and Shade”

This book centers on the emotions and circumstances that we all come to experience at some point in  our lives.

“Wishing Wells”

In the amalgamation of three sections, the reader will be taken on a journey through the stages of life, the daily challenges of our world and the mysteries of our very own minds.

The resurgence and modernization of the fairy tale

One of the most creative forms of literature, which began long ago out of the desire to tell stories to the children of the world, is that which is commonly called the fairy tale. For a while, it might have seemed like the fairy tale had been relegated to the basement of the proverbial library, all but removed from the minds and hearts of readers for generations.

But, it would seem that perhaps the tide is changing. And as a creative writer myself, I’m curious to see how all of this turns out.

Where and when did this resurgence begin? We’ll that might be hard to pinpoint with any level of exactness. However, in my humble opinion, I’d venture to say that it really started in early 2012. Some might say that animated films like those of the “Shrek” series kick-started things but I’m not so sure that is the case.

In March 2012, Relativity Media released the film “Mirror, Mirror,” a new, yet not too far-fetched, version of the tale of Snow White. Soon after, a number of adjusted fairy tales began to emerge on the silver screen, all with new twists on the classic stories.

Some of these include:

Snow White and the Huntsmen (2012) - This movie is a bit more action, driven with a darker side to it.

Hansel and Gretel: Which Hunters (2013) – This one appears to focus on the chosen careers (as which hunters) after the original story. It is certainly of the action adventure variety.

Jack the Giant Killer (2013) – Also an action-oriented film, this take of the original looks to be a visual spectacular.

Other movies in development include revised versions of “Sleeping Beauty,” “Peter Pan and “Pinocchio” among several others.

As far as I can tell, most of these movies seem to be geared toward a more grown up audience with more graphic and mature themes.

At the very least, it should be interesting to see how all of this plays out and whether or not this current trend will be welcomed by the masses or simply turn out to be yet another fad of sorts within the entertainment industry.

Taylor Swift poject

As you may know…

I’m something of a Taylor Swift Superfan. After all, what’s not to like – she’s smart, talented, driven, beautiful and down to earth.

So recently, I came up with the highly ambitious idea that some how, some way, maybe I could get her to meet me in person. And what other tool will I use but Youtube of course. Hey, while it is probably a million to one (or even less likely) shot that it will work, it has worked for others who put out messages to their favorite singers of actors.

Anyway, as part of the effort I reworded her song “Love Story” and wanted to share it below. When the video is up, it will be featured on my Youtube channel and you can feel free to check it out.

Dream Story

————————-

You were so young when the world first saw you.

I heard your voice it was the perfect art

I was sitting there relaxing in the living room chair

——————————————————————————-

I saw you sing, saw you dance, heard your sounds

As you made you way across cities and towns

I thought “whoa,”

But little did I know…

———————————————–

That you’d be a star, talented on so many levels,

My mind said, “She’s beautiful and would never settle”

And moved sadly through the rat race

Wishing you’d only know

And I thought…

———————————————

Taylor, take me somewhere  that I’ve never known

I’ll be waiting; this could be so much fun

I’ll be the audience, you’ll be the songstress

It’s a dream story Taylor, just say, “Yes”

——————————————

I’d even sneak in to the show to see you,

And keep quiet, just to enjoy the view

But for now, I close my eyes just imagine your smile

Oh, oh

——————————————

You’re now a star, talented on so many levels,

My mind said, “She’s beautiful and would never settle”

And moved sadly through the rat race

Wishing you’d only know

And I thought…

———————————

Taylor, take me somewhere  that I’ve never known

I’ll be waiting; this could be so much fun

I’ll be the audience, you’ll be the songstress

It’s a dream story Taylor, just say, “Yes”

——————————

Taylor save me, I don’t know how to feel

This may be difficult, but you could make it real

Don’t be afraid, no need to have any stress

It’s a dream story Taylor, just say, “Yes”

Oh, oh.

——————————-

I’ll never tire of waiting

Hoping that you might come around

Maybe your heart needs persuading

Like mine until I first heard your sounds

And I said…

——————————-

Taylor save me, from wondering what could be known

I’ll be waiting; this could be so much fun

Could you have heard what I said? Maybe seen my Youtube link

When you come back to my town maybe we could meet

Listen to me Taylor, I’ve always loved your sweet, sweet tone

I feel new, every time your soft tones flow
I really want to meet you bad – but I don’t mean to press

It’s a dream story Taylor, just say, “Yes”

——————————————

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

———————————–

You were so young when the world first saw you

2012 in review – Creative Dreamers Blog

WordPress.com has compiled a summary of the statistics for WP based blogs throughout 2012. And thanks to our viewers/readers, we had a pretty good year.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 14,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 3 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

Welcome in 2013 – artistic resolutions

With all of its ups and downs

2012 is now yet another closed chapter in our lives and the history of the world. 2013 is a chance to start over and perhaps even make this year the best one yet. Besides the personal and not so personal resolutions you and I have made and set out to accomplish over the next 12 months, I also offer a few artistic resolutions if you will (after all, this is an arts blog)  for the new year that is now upon us.

1. Hold a model shoot marathon

In terms of photography, I’d like to set up an event, probably with fellow photographers, in which we will shoot several models thought a single day which one coming in for a few hours, then leaving for another to step in front of the camera. We could even overlap them a bit for a doubles session if you will. And of course, we’d use a variety of different backdrops and props for different looks in the images.

2. Write more poetry

While poetry is among my literary passions, I haven’t written as much as I would like over the last year. While I truly believe that you can’t just sit down and write a poem as that it requires inspiration, sometimes you can do a little bit to encourage inspiration to come along. In the past, I tried to write an average of one poem per month. I hope to get back to that.

3. Get my work “out there” more

Sure the Internet is a great resource for showcasing your work, but even today many people still don’t use the web and even if they do they like to be able to physically approach or even touch art work or feel the the tactile experience of a book or written/typed page. I’m working on getting some shots into gallery-like displays once again and maybe doing some more poetry readings for  literature enthusiasts.

No matter what your resolution(s) may be, here’s hoping you reach your goals.

The two most overused words in English (or any other) language

As a writer, I consider myself a student of language. This includes both the uses and abuses of words common to our everyday communication. And while many words are overused all the time, in my opinion  there are two that stand out among the others. These words are “love” and “hate.”

Having written two books of poetry to this point, obviously a genre of writing that deals in emotion, I can understand the tendency to use such words quite often. However, I can also understand why doing so can essentially devalue them to some degree.

Let’s take some examples.

Love

Love is the strongest and most powerful positive emotion any being is capable of experiencing in their life. So while you may really enjoy pasta or are a huge fan of my hometown Pittsburgh Steelers, you neither love Italian food or the legendary football team.

Hate

Maybe this actor or that one may not be your favorite, or a specific song rubs you the wrong way. However, I am willing to bet that you do not actually hate either the movie star or that particular tune.

Moral of the story – think twice before using such strong words in either your writing or casual everyday speech.

Differences in writing styles

Writing is writing…

is something you might hear when the different styles and genres of this skill are part of a discussion. However, one thing is for sure, such a statement could only be made by a non-writer.

The fact is, there are many different types of writing, virtually all of which have their own distinct characteristics. Of course, it would be very difficult to cover all of these in a single post or even a series of posts. That being the case, I’ll delve into the  differences between  three genres below to give this bog’s readers an idea of what I’m talking about.

Let’s take these three:

Journalistic writing

Academic writing

SEO-based writing

Perhaps the easiest way to distinguish between them is to do so in a chart:

The bottom line

All types of writing are not created equal and involve a particular set of skills.

 

How to write an effective essay

Guest post courtesy of York Notes

For many people there is nothing more intimidating than having to sit down and write an effective essay for a piece of coursework or an exam. It is a concentration of so many things learnt that the actual managing of all that information into a succinct and readable essay can just become overwhelming.

One way to make life easier when faced with this kind of task is to break the job down into manageable sections. In this article we will look at how to make the introduction as good as it possible can be, because if you start well you will feel much more confident going into the rest of the essay.

Before you start any essay you need to make an outline of what it is that you are going to do. Every piece of written work should be founded on a plan and never written from cold.

In an essay, it is essential that you have a “grabber.” This is something that will grab a hold of the reader’s attention from the beginning. It could be a joke, a shocking fact, a proverb or a quote. You need something special to set this piece of work apart.

The next element of the introduction is for you to introduce your topic or subject. It is not however to simply state what your topic or subject is. You need to give the reader reasons for wanting to know about what it is that you have decided to talk about, or how you are going to talk about it.

A good way to break down the reasons for you to talk about your topic is to ask yourself five questions about the topic: who, why, what, where and how. If you systematically break down the topic into these easily understandable aspects, then your ability to write clearly about it will also begin to flow more naturally.

Once you have understood what it is you are going to talk about and why, it is necessary for you to understand whether you are going to be writing from a positive or negative point of view about your topic.

It is important because once you have decided what your point of view is going to be in your own head you do not then go and present your argument in a one-sided way. A good essay always looks at two sides of an argument and you must always keep this in mind no matter what your personal opinions on the topic are.

Once you have taken the time out to consider your essay in such a methodical way, you will see how the actual writing of it becomes so much easier.

Of course, understanding how to write an essay and how to implement a plan about your writing is a great step towards writing better pieces of work, but it does not mean that your English literature revision books can be forgotten about now that you have the perfect essay writing method.

If you do not do the study that gives you the information you will need to write, then you are never going to have any knowledge base from which to write.

Essays do not need to be the most difficult things in the world, but you have to work at them in order for this to be true.

Info from: Revision notes, Chapter summaries and books on English Literature

Hope (a poem) – For the victims of Hurricane Sandy

As a poet, I often feel compelled to write after some major event occurs, whether that event is something good or bad or simply indifferent. That being said, a few days back I wrote this piece as a part of the emotional journey we are all going through as a result of Hurricane Sandy.

Hope

And so the wind and rain swirled mightily

Over the labors of both man and machine

Relentless in enacting its wrath on each

—————————————————–

When all was said and done

The fierce storm sought only to take

Leaving lifeless bodies

And lost memories in its wake

—————————————————–

But amid all this sadness

And the suffering within our hearts

Comes the triumph of the human spirit

Across the land and beyond

—————————————————–

We will rise from this devastation

Coming back from where we’ve been

We will see the sun tomorrow

Because with hope, we’ll always win