THE SWEET SPOT FOR THE RIGHT IDEA

This past month I have been chasing my tail. I started by pulling an old manuscript from my desk and dusted it off to find it sucked, though was an interesting idea - if I looked deep into the idea, which I was not doing. I was stuck on vampires. Then demons. Then vampires and demons. Then werewolves started showing up. Shape-shifters. A few more demons and before I knew it, I was completely and utterly confused.

So, I emailed a friend who helped me get back on track in a weird sort of way. One thing I'm not afraid of (and believe me, I have many phobias) is learning and listening to those who are smarter than me. Anyway, I did a lot of reading and watching movies this month. I watched Gone Baby Gone, Eastern Promises, A History of Violence, One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, Nobodys Fool, My Sisters Keeper, Rose Mary's Baby, The Exorcist, Pretty Woman, Steel Magnolias, Scarface, Casino, Demon Hunter, Constantine, The Devil's Advocate, Rain Man and then last night watched Gone Baby Gone again.

This morning, I pulled out my original idea and tried to figure out from that one sentence how I had ventured off in so many different directions. While doing that, my protagonist became very clear through the emotions I was feeling. The key to writing good characters is to make them real. Feel their hopes and dreams. Their fears. Their pain. Same goes with all your characters.

With every direction there was on underlying theme or idea - Katie (the protagonist) has to find her birth mother before the antagonist does - this criminal in Vegas who did a very bad thing a very long time ago. What never changed was the idea my protagonist was not only searching for her mother, but herself. What I hadn't done was cry with my protagonist. I hadn't made her real. She was simply fiction - instead of a real character with a real problem that had to be solved or she would fail. That is what makes good fiction great - the realness.

Anyway, by watching and reading, I came to understand my character. Who she is. What she wants. Without the movies or books, I'm not sure I'd have a creative process. You have to find your sweet spot through finding your blind spot. My blind spot with this book had been holding back on a subject that will force me to open a major vein and bleed out, completely. To cry real tears on paper.

READING AND WATCHING MOVIES THE RIGHT WAY

Last night I was in my office watching a movie on my computer (DVD in office is broken). So, there I was, on the floor, remote in one hand, pen and paper in the other. One of my kids walked in and said "Um, Mom, what are you doing?" I replied. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm watching a movie." Child then said, "It looks more like you are in class taking notes." I laughed. So true.

No one likes to watch movies with me. I always want to stop, rewind, play it again. I'm always stopping the movie to take notes, jot down ideas. Or, if the movie is bad, I'm always yelling at the TV.

Movies and Books are my classroom. It's where I learn about how to craft a good story. It's where I find out how to create memorable characters. Write good dialogue. Figure out the details. Understand when my characters are too stupid to live.

I spent a fair amount of time bugging a friend with my latest idea. After a few emails it hit how huge my idea had become. Plot is great. Need good plot. But just as important, if not more important, you need memorable characters. So, what am I doing this morning? I'm going to watch a movie dealing with the topic I want to write about and study how that story is told. Then, I'm going to read a book recommended by a friend. While it is not about the topic, it's about a character that is similar to what I want my character to be --- flawed, very flawed.

I've never understood writers who say they do not have time to read or watch movies. Yeah, we are all busy. I've got a husband, three kids, a house, part-time job.... welcome to life. However, salesman have time to learn about their craft. Golfers take lessons (even Tiger Woods). If you want to get better, you need to study your craft.

I taught dance for over 20 years. I took classes from other teachers to learn new moves and keep up with the latest in dance. The same must be applied to writing. Where do you learn? From other story tellers. From books. From movies. From TV shows.

Some people look at the time I spend reading and watching movies as a waste of time. They actually think I don't take my writing seriously. That I'm all whimsical, artsy fartsy... in a nutshell they think I'm just weird. Maybe I am. Who knows. I just know that if I want to master my craft, I need to study it. Take notes on it. Figure out what, how and why authors did what they did in their stories that made them so great. Only way I'm going to write a better book.

WRITER'S BLOCK AND MORE WARRIOR-WRITER

Let me first say that I do not believe in writer's block. Yes, I have sat at my desk, staring at the computer for hours and have nothing but a headache to show for it. That is not writer's block. Sure, I have had days, maybe even weeks when my production level stooped way below the norm or to nothing at all. Not writer's block. Currently, I'm struggling with story idea and protagonists goals/motivation as well as the antagonists goals/motivation to the point where I haven't done much productive writing in a few days. Actually, I think I have driven myself a bit crazy with this one, but that is not writer's block.

I've heard writers say they can only write when the "creative" mood strikes. If I waited for my creative mood to strike, I'd be waiting a very long time. I've heard writers say they can only write in the daytime, or morning, or evening, or when it's perfectly quiet and the stars are.... OK. I write best early in the morning. I know this, so I'm not saying these things don't work, or are not true. What I am saying, is that if you want to write, you will.

When you are struggling with writing. The words are not flowing. You're characters are not talking to you. Or plot doesn't make sense. You have no words on the page and your head is about to explode is not writer's block. It's the writer in you telling you that something isn't working. So, dig and figure it out. Take a couple of steps backwards. Maybe go back to the beginning and follow the path you took. Could be simply you created a fork in the road that doesn't exist. Maybe you are pushing your character to do something that doesn't work for them. Maybe you just needed to rethink something.

Writer's block is a state of mind which brings me to Warrior-Writer. Writing is work. It's hard. It's stressful. Some days you feel like doing it, other days you don't. Some days the words flow like Niagara Falls, other days it's like watching paint dry. It's like any other job in the world. Sometimes you're great, sometimes you suck. Today, I suck. Just one of those days. Tomorrow, I'll probably be great, and so goes the roller coaster ride we call life....

Now, I don't want to upset anyone. I have been told I'm wrong about this and that writer's block does exist. I respectfully disagree. If you change your mindset, change the way you think, how you do things, you can work through whatever writing problem you have. Following @Iwhodareswins (Bob Mayer) with regard to Warrior-Writer and really digging deep to apply this to myself (not just the craft) has forced me to understand some simple basic truths. Everything I ask of my characters, I need to ask of myself and I need to put those answers on paper. By doing so, my mind set changes, issues are resolved, writing will flow.

Where am I right now? I've gone back to idea. What is it about this idea that excited me to begin with? What is that I hope to gain from writing this book? Why am I writing it? Why is this important? Because it is helping me understand why I'm having a problem with story idea. It will come to me. I have faith, but I have to sit down and do the work. If I don't do the work, then I will come up with an excuse --- writer's block.

I am standing in my own way. Not some mental thing (though that could be argued). Not some cosmic power. Me. Only me.

However, I am a Warrior-Writer. I will do this. I will cut open artery and bleed onto the page. I will.

DEVELOPING IDEA THE WARRIOR-WRITER WAY

Even with a few publishing credits to my name and a few more contracted books, I still struggle with developing novels. Honestly, so does every writer. Each book faces new challenges.

For two years I focused solely on the craft of writing. It was a gift to myself. I needed to do it to make my writing stronger. Better. The biggest lesson there was that I have much to learn still. Also, applying what you have learned is not always easy. It's hard work.

Which brings me to where I am right now. I'm working on a new book. It is a paranormal romantic suspense. I think. It is still evolving. During the process of developing this idea I came to realize that not only did my writing have to change (improve) but so did I. One of the reasons I wasn't moving forward in my writing was because not everything I was doing had purpose. We are told that every scene must have purpose, it must move the story/characters forward. Well does the process of writing. What I do, how I develop my stories must move me forward, not in circles. I tend to write in circles, but had no idea why.

I'm still not sure I know why, but last night I came to a conclusion. One of the reasons my writing wasn't improving was because I wasn't really open to developing it fully. I would state my idea in a few sentences, get conflict, then think I was done. My mind wasn't open to all the possibilities, even though I thought it was. I was stuck on one thing.

I realized the book I had been working on last year died a painful death because I couldn't see past my idea. Bob Mayer (@Iwhodareswins) teaches that idea is not story. I have always believed him. Give 5 writers the same idea you will have 5 very different stories. However, I never thought that I might have a different story. Last night I realized that ideas need tweaking. They need to evolve and you have to be open to what your subconscious is telling you.

Now, do I have a great handle on what I am doing? No. But I am spending more time with idea and characters, developing them before I write myself into a corner because I really didn't know what I was writing and why. Very important things for a writer to know for themselves in order to make a better book.