Writing Tips & Guidance

Writer's Block: Consume Responsibly

Any writing advice will tell you to read, read, read. And that's fine advice, though it isn't without flaws. I would say better advice would be to consume advice about writing as much as possible.

Why? Tone is so, so fragile. Maintaining tone is integral to cohesion and the actual completion of a story. If you read Lord of the Rings (an epic fantasy) before starting a story with that tone in mind (as inspiration), but read Marley and Me (realistic emotional fiction) in the middle of your writing, that might alter your tone. Getting the original tone back might be next to impossible for some beginning writers and can cause massive "writer's block." Meaning, you are no longer in the "right" headspace for the story you were writing.

(For me, sci-fi versus fantasy can be incredibly distracting. I listen to sci-fi music (retrowave, synthwave, etc) and it doesn't work with writing in fantasy settings. Some people can shut off outside thoughts and focus real good, but I get into the outrun aesthetic and can't just crave that dingy, muted color, neon-lit future we were supposed to have by now. It's really, really a lovely headspace but also bad for writing fantasy.)

Here are some methods for bringing back the tone and flavor you were working with before:

- Work on story elements outside of the story: character bible, world bible, outline, etc. If you have artistic skills, maybe make a map or do some character art. Cook something from the era or that is relevant to the world. The purpose is to re-focus, don't lose sight of that.

- Make a playlist of songs that invoke the setting in your mind. Celtic songs for an Arthurian story. Storm sounds for a dramatic scene in a raging storm. Sythwave, retrowave, darkwave for scifi. Etc.

- Read between your writings or when you have a bad case of writer's block (you've lost the tone anyway at that point). Try to find stories with similar tones for further inspiration and influence. They can be different so long as an aspect relates back to your story. Yyou may be inspired to divert and make interesting changes you wouldn't have made before if you add gothic murder mystery elements to your scifi mystery thriller (as an example).

- Go back and read what you read before you started writing to regain that tone.

- Have a cheap candle you can light during writing sessions, association is strong. When you light the candle, you'll be taken back to that story. Don't rely on it to do all the work, but it's nice to have fluffy little tricks too.

- Keep a second story "on the back burner." For instance, if your focus piece is fantasy but you keep getting into the scifi headspace, have a scifi story you can flip to work on until you get it out of your system. This isn't a good method for if you have a deadline, but great for general creative writing.

- Seek story advice. What does that mean? Read about writing. Follow a writer's blog that's heavy in the advice articles. Watch videos about writing. Watch videos about screenplay writing (focusing on story-driven elements).

YouTube Channels: Alexa Donne. The Closer Look. Lessons from the Screenplay. Writing with Jenna Moreci (not my favorite)

Books: The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. The Anatomy of Story by John Truby. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Pick something relevant to the particulars of your story, like history, mythology, or science.

Tumblr Blogs: thewritershelpers, theauthorofus, dailywritingtips,

Other Blogsites: Authors Helping Writers Become Authors. Or just find guides online (like this advice thing I'm writing now).

As much as I would recommend something, there are things I would not recommend (or un-recommend, if you will). Don't let yourself get distracted by content masquerading as useful. "Booktubers" are a thing. They don't really offer advice for writing, but they make one or two opinion-heavy videos that make it seem like they do (to draw you into their scheme, not to actually help). Without a doubt, if you can get some to read and review your book, that would be good news. Otherwise, I don't imagine them being useful for writers. Don't get me wrong, a rant is always engaging to watch, but it doesn't exactly help with future writing. Watch and consume not helpful things in not-writing time.

That's kind of it. Just know your brainspace is fragile. If your friends want to go out to watch a horror film while you're working on a fluffy romance novel, it might be best to suggest a different film or tag along next time.

Not to say that professionals and seasoned writers can't jump in and out of their genre's brainspace, they can. And it's a skill you should work on. By knowing your brainspace and being there as consistently as possible, you can find it with more ease once you've lost it.