Open the Door to New Ideas

Do you ever get stuck for ideas? Or find yourself in a place where you aren't sure how to proceed?

What helps you get un-stuck?

I think many writers, whether newbies, veterans, or somewhere in between, face this closed door on occasion. Solution advice includes taking a walk or buckling down and pressing through.

There are other simple fixes that help us renew and refocus, like going to a movie, working on another project, or brainstorming. 

Speaking of such, the following brainstorming methods have helped me work out the wrinkles. Maybe they'll help you too.

Freewriting - Set a time limit (five or ten minutes) and write down anything that comes to mind. It matters not what, just write. When the time expires, review the results. Some content won’t be useful, but there might be a nugget or two that stands out.

Clustering (or Mapping) – Choose a word or two from your topic, write it down in the middle of a blank piece of paper, and circle it. Write related words around the main word/s, circle them, and draw a line from each to the main word/s. A visual like this can reveal patterns or fresh leads.

The Five W’s – Ask the questions used when writing a news article - Who, What, Where, When, and Why (don't forget How, too). List these words, then answer each one using related ideas about the theme.  Answers don't have to be extensive, any thoughts can be useful. This is my favorite method. :)

The Flip Side – Consider the subject from a different angle. This is especially helpful for emotional or controversial issues. Place yourself in the other person's shoes and see what happens.

The Top Five List – Make a list of the top five things you or others might like to know about the subject. A list of any size can help sort and clarify ideas. 

Brainstorming methods can offer alternative thoughts or perspectives thus sharpening and polishing our work. Go ahead, give one a try. You never know what fresh ideas might pop out when you swing that door wide open!


I've a guest post about real life and writing at Helping Hands Press blog. If you have a moment, stop over and say hello. :) Thanks so much!

What helps you brainstorm? What are you working on this week?

Happy writing,

Karen

Photo credit: Free Images

Editing Tips - Guest Post Link

   

I'm discussing editing tips at my publisher's blog today. 

Here's a peek at the post:  

 

"Does the word editing make you cringe? 

Do you postpone this stage of the writing process as long as possible? 

Editing is a necessary part of the journey to publication, 

yet it often intimidates even seasoned writers...."

If you have a moment, I invite you to check it out. 

Thanks a bunch! :)

What are your weekend plans?

Happy writing,

 

Karen

 

Spring Writing Prompts

Writing Prompts

How do you feel about writing prompts? They intimidate some writers and engage others. Still others have never tried them.

I think there's a common misconception about prompts - that when you use one, it has to be just so. Unless it's an assignment for a class or for a specific project, I say there are no rules. Just an opportunity to write and perhaps build better writing habits.

Prompts help stretch writing muscles in other directions. For example, I don't write poetry. Writing it never appealed to me, so I don't include it in my lineup. But when tutoring a young student required writing limericks, I found the exercise stretched me. And that was a good thing. Writing practice (of any type) can produce growth and generate interesting ideas for other projects too.

One of the simplest prompts is a sentence. It acts as a brainstorming tool, a story starter, headline, or a hook to draw the reader in.

Try this:

She should have listened to her grandmother.

Or,

He stared at the marigolds in the garden.

Or,

"How much is a pint of strawberries?"

One of my favorite prompts is Hemingway's Challenge. Someone challenged Hemingway to write a six word story. This is what he wrote:

For sale, baby shoes. Never used. 

Not only does this illustrate the six word story concept, it provides great word economy practice.

Want to try a few more? Check out these links:

Writing Prompts 

Writer's Digest Prompts

Daily Blog Tips

Special Note

This Friday post is part of the Blogtastic weekend event from my publisher, Helping Hands Press. Hop over to their Facebook page for more posts from the HHP authors.

Have you ever used writing prompts? How do you stretch your writing muscles? 

Happy weekend,
Karen
 
P.S. I'm sharing tips for writing poetry with kids over at Carol J. Alexander's Homestead blog. Hop over if you are so inclined!

Photo credit: Stock Exchange

Happy Weekend!

 

Celebrating Blogtastic weekend here, which is a periodic event hosted by my publisher, Helping Hands Press. If you'd like to check out the other Blogtastic posts, stop by the HHP Facebook page.

In keeping with the "What Makes a Good Blog" theme this month, I'm sharing a post from the archives. Happy weekend! :)


The Blog Baby
 
My husband listened patiently while I reviewed my to-do list out loud. When I mentioned having to write a blog post a thought hit me, and I said,

"My blog is just like a baby. It requires regular attention and care."

The significance was lost on dear hubby, supportive as he is, for who truly knows what it takes to maintain a blog unless you have one? The idea stuck with me. A baby. Yes, that's about right, it is. This roamed about in my head for about a week or so.

And now the thought is a blog post. Who knew? (Most of you, right? We're writers, after all.)

Don't get me wrong. I love blogging. But the fact remains that blogs require a lot of care if we want them to succeed. They need to be fed, changed, and maintained by us blogging mommies and daddies.

So what's a parent to do? Here are a few things I've discovered after several years of blogging.

1) Keep it short.

Great posts don't have to be long. Knowing that they don't have to be novel length can make the process less daunting. Our visitors' time is usually limited, so this helps them out too.

2) Write and schedule posts in advance.

This handy feature is helpful when going away or facing a jam-packed bunch of days. It's also great if an idea strikes and you have a bit of time to write but don't want to post it just yet. Lee at Tossing it Out discusses it a little more in Scheduling Posts.

3) Offer regular features.

Friday Roundup is a staple at Susan J. Reinhardt's Christian Writer/Reader Connection. Susan shares a brief commentary and a link or two to close out the work week. This type of post might help structure thoughts and can be easily written and scheduled in advance, too.

4) Post less often.

When I started blogging, I nearly swooned at the thought of posting five days a week. There was no way I could work that into my schedule. Three days a week seemed less daunting, but I knew that would be pushing it too. So I compromised, posting two days a week, and that's worked out pretty well. (So regular bouts of hyperventilating were avoided.) I'm now posting once a week so I can focus on writing projects.

5) Take a break.

I need to take my own advice and do this more often. Some blogger friends take the third week of the month (or similar) off. A little time to regroup, refresh, and catch up on other things can be downright therapeutic. Oh yeah, and don't forget the chocolate.

6) Watch for ways to manage time efficiently.

I like to think that I manage my time well, but this is not always the case. And some weeks produce events that just blow my perfectly planned agenda out of the water, and adjustments are necessary. So I'm always looking for ways to streamline and weed out things from an oft overcommitted schedule.

Jody Hedlund offers time management tips in her post, When Social Media Becomes a Time-Suck. One point she makes, "Realize the world will go on fine without us," hit home. Really? The blog world will continue to spin if I don't post? Okay, a bit hard to swallow, but true nonetheless.

Another thought she offers, "Give ourselves permission NOT to keep up," is a revelation that I must heed now and then. What's more important, keeping up with everything or preserving our sanity? I'm choosing sanity.

What about you, is your blog a baby? TLC is important, but every parent knows that boundaries are too.

What steps do you take to care for your blog baby?

Happy writing,

Karen

Photo Credit: Stock Exchange

Life Lessons from Patti J. Smith

Please join me for a special weekend post with fellow Helping Hands Press author Patti J. Smith!  Welcome Patti! :)

In case you haven't had the pleasure of meeting her yet, Patti's specialty is devotions. Hop over to her Amazon author page to check them out.

A LIFE LESSON 

When I tell people I was raised in the military, many say, “That must have been

hard”. In some respects it was with constant moves, leaving family and friends and

being the new kid at school; however, in contrast to those hardships, there was an

atmosphere of excitement and adventure whenever my dad got his orders. One

such assignment was Nouasseur Air Force Base, Morocco – right outside of

Casablanca!

The military was integral part of the local economy by hiring domestic and

landscape services. We had a maid, Fatna Omar (who we called Nanna), and a

gardener, Bashir. Nanna not only kept our home impeccable, she taught my sister

and I French and Arabic. There would be days assigned where she would only speak

French or Arabic, which made learning the language easy. In fact, when we returned

stateside, we could both speak French with ease and retained quite a bit of Arabic.

She also shared local recipes with my mom, my favorite being Couscous, durum

wheat (rice-like) served with chicken and vegetables. Our yard was absolutely

beautiful as Bashir took great pride in his handiwork. They were warm, loving

people who quickly integrated into our family.

What I'll always remember is the joy they brought into our lives. Never did we see a

frown or words of anger. They were sincerely happy people. They not only showered

us with as much love as they did their own families, but always brought my sister

and I home-made trinkets that became instant treasures. Although they saw how we

lived with all the modern conveniences, they were satisfied with what they had.

They lived in shacks, with dirt floors, no running water or electricity yet were

content with their meager surroundings...and always proudly welcomed us into their

homes.

While we were there the base closed which proved disastrous for the economy. My

mom and dad were so worried about Nanna and Bashir they gave them a year's

salary as severance to keep them going until they could find something else. They

both tried to refuse but with much prodding, they finally accepted the gift with great

humility. Leaving them was very hard because we knew we would never see them

again, but the life lesson they shared with us will be held in our hearts forever:

“True happiness is not having what you want but wanting what you have.”


Thank you, Patti, for sharing with us today. Wish you all the best with your 
writing!

You can find out more about Patti and her books on her blog, Gridiron Granny, on
Pinterest, or on Amazon. 

How was your Thanksgiving? What are you up to this weekend?

Happy writing,

Karen

P.S. I'm visiting Patti's blog today. If you have a moment,
hop over!
 

A Special Note

Happy Wednesday!

My publisher requested that I share this special info on their best selling series:

A WORD FROM HELPING HANDS PRESS, THE PUBLISHERS OF Amazon Top 100 AUTHORS SARAH PRICE AND WHOOPIE PIE PAM JARRELL’S #1 BEST-SELLING STORY- “The Divine Sisterhood of the Whoopie Pie Sisters Trilogy”.

Hi,

We would like to thank all of the wonderful readers that have purchased, read and reviewed Book I and Book II of the #1 Best–Selling Trilogy “The Divine Sisterhood of The Whoopie Pie Sisters” by Amazon Top 100 authors Sarah Price and Whoopie Pie Pam Jarrell.

Good news about the Trilogy!

The price of Book II was originally $1.99 but has just been lowered to $.99.

Buy it on Amazon

Anyone that has purchased Book II at the $1.99 price is welcome to come to the Helping Hands Press Facebook page, message us there, and we will be happy to send you some amazing stories to compensate you for the price reduction. To visit the Helping Hands Press Facebook Page, click here.

Remember: there is only one dynamic author duo named Sarah Price and Whoopie Pie Pam Jarrell and there is only one original series named “The Divine Sisterhood of The Whoopie Pie Sisters”. Except no imitations!


There you have it. :) See you tomorrow for an extra Thursday post!

Happy reading and writing,

Karen

A Happy Announcement

May I boast just a teeny bit? 

Release day is here!

After a few delays, it's rather surreal - exciting too, so I just wanted to share the news. You've all been so faithful to lend your support and cheer me on. Thank you!

For details on Homeschool Co-ops 101 click here, or visit:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo

In Other News

In case you missed it, we discussed good writing books in last Monday's post. I invite you to hop over and add your two cents.

Thursday's post featured a blog tour visit for Pamela Christian's Examine Your Faith! Stop by if you like and congratulate her on her new book.

I'm taking a short break but will be back on Monday, November 4.

What exciting things are happening in your neighborhood these days?

Have a great week!

Happy writing,

Karen  :) 


P.S. For those of you who signed up for the HC 101 blog tour, we will email you the details shortly.