Write on Wednesday

Write on Wednesday:

Are you having a hard time staying the course toward fulfilling your writing dreams? What are you doing about it?

For too many months to count, I have totally been off course in regards to my writing. That being said, over the past 6 weeks I have finally found my writing voice again.

Although I have been continually blogging since the first of the year, my creative writing has been in a slump. Book ideas that have been cramming my brain, stubbornly refused to be captured on paper.

Finally, at the encouragement of my hubby, I joined a local writing workshop at the public library. This was a big step for me because I'm not a very social person and being in groups of people - no matter how big or small - fills me with severe anxiety. But I went to class faithfully and the help and inspiration from my fellow classmates has spurred my writing muse into action.

I have completed a short story to be included in the writing workshop booklet the teacher is putting together. I've also completed two other short stories and a few poems.

But my biggest accomplishment has been starting my NaNoWriMo project on November 1st. I have broken the 18,000 word mark and I'm very excited with where my book is going. Telling myself to write at least one page daily has been a big help. For some reason that one page turns into 3 or 4 or 10!

Hopefully, by the end of November, I will have reached my 50,000+ words. Then starts the daunting task of editing and revising, and finally, looking for a publisher. Right now, I'm happy with the direction my muse has taken.

Monday Musings

Today's Monday Musings from Should Be Reading asks the following questions:

"So, what do you do when you find yourself in a reading slump? How doyou get out of it? do you keep trying different books until you find one that draws you in? Do you just give in to the slump until it passes, and do something other than reading for a time? Do you ask for help? And, if you ask for help, what great (or, not so great) advice have you been given on how to get out of a slump?

Typically, when I'm in a reading slump, I will pick up an old friend - that one book that always makes me happy and I can read it over and over again. Many times I will return to Laurell K. Hamilton, either her Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series or Merry Gentry series. She is my favorite paranormal writer and her books always make me feel like reading. Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga has the same effect on me. Two other authors I usually fall back on are Barbara Kingsolver and Bobbie Ann Mason.

Ocassionally, I will just keep trying different books, but when I'm in a slump, this doesn't always help. I have a huge TBR pile and many are waiting on book reviews, so I'll try reading through the pile. There are many, many times when I am reading 3 or 4 books at a time, taking notes or jotting down thoughts.

Usually, it takes that one great book to jar you out of a slump. It may be in the TBR pile or it may be at the library. It may be a recommendation from a friend or just a recommendation from Amazon.

My reading slumps don't last as long as my writing slumps, so that's a good thing. And I agree, there is nothing worse for a reading than not being able to read.