Writer Linda Ford asked fellow fiction writers what they do to get going again, when they seem stuck. Here’s her compiled list of advice (with a few additions of my own):

1. Always stop mid-sentence (not the kind of sentence that you can’t remember how it ends) or mid-scene (perhaps making a few notes on what happens next.) Then you’re ready to go when you sit down to write again.
2. Use paper and pencil to get started. Writing in a different way may let the story flow.
3. Interview the character and write down the answers.
4. Go back and read what you’ve already written and fall in love with the story again.
5. Play your way into “real” writing by checking email, doing updates, etc. (Although I can do this for several hours a day. I need to set a timer to keep a grip on it. –LTB)
6. Play mental games. I’m just going to write a certain paragraph…read the last scene…write 500 words. Open the file and tell yourself you aren’t going to do anything overwhelming…only something little like has already been mentioned.
7. “Free write” for 30 minutes. Anything. Just get words on the paper.
8. Give yourself permission to take your time about starting. Do other things as your mind winds up to that point.
9. Use Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method/scene sentences to plunge into the next one.
10. Set a kitchen timer for 15-20 minutes and write anything you want to in the story (you can cut and paste later). Sometimes you have a scene that’s just burning to get onto paper…
11. Brainstorm a list of 20+ things that have to happen in the story from the point where you stopped.
12. Do a light edit on your previous scene, check your outline, and move into the next.
13. Phone a writing friend and discuss your stories or commiserate about how hard it is to get the words flowing.
14. Read nonfiction resources that relate to plot or characterization. A dip back into “research mode” can spur on new ideas that add interest and zip to your fiction (as well as a tinge of reality)
15. Think of something very, very bad that must happen to your characters NOW. Write that scene and you won’t be able to stop until you get them back out of their crisis!

Picture at top is from micspics via iStockPhoto

I pray you’ll get caught doing things wrong—before they get too big

I pray you’ll fail—in things that don’t matter

I pray you’ll have to say you’re sorry—and get really good at it, so that when the time’s right, you can always find the courage to say the words

I pray you’ll cry, really hard—so you feel free to express both tears of anguish and tears of joy

I pray you’ll sweat—and learn what it means to work really hard for something you want or to reach a goal or to cross a finish line

I pray you’ll get lost—and discover you have the Compass within to help you find your way

I pray you’ll get weary—enough to know that you can’t do everything on your own strength

I pray you’ll give up—and rely on God for your strength

I pray you’ll experience unanswered prayers—and discover deeper, wider trust

I pray you’ll feel foolish—and realize we’re all nothing, without Christ

I pray you’ll suffer heartbreak—and grow in the discovery of how your Creator can use all things for good

I pray you’ll be shattered—and be reborn in the Spirit

I pray you’ll be near-sighted—unable to see anything but God, right beside you

I pray you’ll be far-sighted—unable to see anything but God, right there on the horizon

I pray you’ll lose a job—and know that your Provider is ever present

I pray you’ll brush up against death—and recognize that this is not the end

I pray you’ll have to wait—and learn the value of patience

I pray you’ll be deaf—to all but the Father’s voice

I pray you’ll be scared—of living without God in your life

I pray you’ll take crazy risks—and dare to adventure where your Shepherd leads

Amen.

Feel free to share this/forward to friends—just be sure to include my name with it. Thanks!

Photo credit: LindaYolanda via iStockPhoto

Thank God! He deserves your thanks. His love never quits.
Thank the God of all gods,
His love never quits.
Thank the Lord of all lords.
His love never quits.
Thank the miracle-working God,
His love never quits.
The God whose skill formed the cosmos,
His love never quits.
The God who laid out earth on ocean foundations,
His love never quits.
The God who filled the skies with light,
His love never quits…

God remembered us when we were down,
His love never quits.
Rescued us from the trampling boot,
His love never quits.
Takes care of everyone in time of need.
His love never quits.
Thank God, who did it all!
His love never quits!

–Excerpts from Psalm 139, The Message

On Emma’s birthday last year we were in Montana, at my folks’ lake place, where we spend time every summer. Late that night, she came to me, unable to sleep. We cuddled for a moment and then I whispered, “Do you see those stars out the window? Would you come down to the dock with me to look at them?”

She leaped at the idea, of course, and we slipped on shoes and sweatshirts and made our way in the dark to the beach, then on out the dock. To either side of the dock were dark waters, glittering with reflected starlight, and at the end, where we laid back to peruse the skies, was a mass of stars above us. “Whoa,” Emma said, “I had no idea there were so many!” We sat there for a while, staring at the wash of the Milky Way, satellites slowly trolling in orbit, and made out a few constellations. I wished I could remember more from my college astronomy class.

We talked about how in Colorado Springs, where we live, we can only see the brightest stars, because of all the light pollution. And it sent a pang of sorrow through me that although we share the same skies with Montana, our view is so limited, eleven months of the year. Same skies, different view. And it made me think about how that’s like faith. We all have the same opportunity, day after day, night after night, to see our God, but something might obscure it nine times out of ten.

So, what’s keeping us from seeing God today? What’s keeping us from recognizing Jesus in a neighbor’s comment or a song on the radio? Are we like the still waters of a lake at night, reflecting His light in a brilliant, moving tapestry, or are we but a dim reflection? God is with us, whether we can see Him or not. Sometimes, we just have to move to a spot to get a better view.

God of light, thank you for enduring, for never quitting, even when I fade out on You, now and again.  I long to see You clearly and be a reflection of You in our dark world. Remind me that You are closer than I sometimes think. Surround me, overwhelm me with Your presence. Help me to not forget that You are always with me, always Magnificent, always Holy, always More-Than. I adore You! Amen.

Feel free to forward this devotional to friends–just remember to include my author name with it! Thanks.

Photo credit: Sharply_Done via iStockPhoto

Have you been to Israel? What’d you think? Please comment below.

Subscribe to Writer’s Digest. It is a monthly magazine that helps aspiring writers of any genre with some craft basics. From it, I learned enough to write my first novel! You can too!

Study the market. It is difficult for an unpublished writer to get published, so you have to work every angle you can. What does that mean?

Target ONLY publishers who publish the kind of books you like to write!

Study their current line of books—see if you can spot any trends, preferences. Again, make sure your project fits with their direction.

Not sure where to start? Go to Sally Stuart’s Christian Writer’s Market Guide for a complete listing of publishers and their publishing needs.
TheChristian Writer’s Market Guide is also an excellent place to find out about writer’s conferences near you. The four best Christian writer’s conferences that I know of are held every year at: Sandy Cove, PA; Estes Park, CO; Glorietta, NM; and Mt. Hermon, CA. Keep in mind that you can apply what you learn from a secular writer’s conference too…but one of the major benefits of attending a Christian writer’s conference is that you have access to editors and agents! If you spend the money to attend one of these conferences, you should plan on either (a) relaxing and just absorbing all the information/schooling you can as a beginning author; (b) go ready to learn at an intermediate level AND pitch your project. Sometimes it’s great to go two years in a row specifically to follow this plan. Be prepared…publishing is NOT a fast process! See if there’s a critique group in your area that you can join. The key is that you have to respect the author writers in your group AND their opinions.

Two things I had to work hard to define when I was starting:
SASE: Self-addressed, stamped envelope.
UNSOLICITED: Without an agent, or an accepted query, a publisher will not look at these proposals. Some won’t even look at queries! See the Christian Writer’s Market Guide for information on how to get in with a publisher.

I’m sorry, but I cannot read your manuscripts—even a portion. While I’d love to help, I must dedicate any spare moments to family! But I do wish you every good thing as you pursue this passion we share!