Dealing with Rejection

Posted on 8. January 2015 by fmoebius
rejection

Rejection

For writers, rejection can take many shapes.

The classic shape, of course, is a rejection letter from an agent, a publisher or a magazine. For decades, those letters determined the life and success of a writer. (I have a few myself.)

Nowadays, rejection can take the shape of a bad review on Amazon, Goodreads or elsewhere. It can be the silence from people who received an ARC. It can be a devastating lack in sales.

No matter which shape it takes, we writers feel rejection personally.

The disappointment, the shame, the failure. Continue reading →

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Being Thankful

Posted on 27. November 2014 by fmoebius
happily creative

Happily creative

Today, it is Thanksgiving in some parts of the world. I don’t celebrate it, as I live in Germany and don’t share that particular history.

But there is still plenty that I am grateful for, and I want to mention one particular thing that I thank every day for being a part of me:

Creativity.

I believe that every human being and possibly quite a number of animals are creative. We and they use our brain to come up with new ideas, new concepts and we’re even having fun while we’re doing it.

Being creative is fun.

We writers channel our creativity in a different way than many others, no more, no less. But in order to create stories and novels, we must do so regularly and constantly – just to keep the creativity flowing with ease.

Of course, there are bursts when the words just flow and flow and flow. Those are the good days. And every writer I know is extremely thankful for those.

On the bad days, however, the only thing that can save us is a writing habit. And that’s another thing to be thankful for. Continue reading →

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When Characters Misbehave

Posted on 20. November 2014 by fmoebius
Character running wild

Character running wild.

It started out so well. You created your world, you named your characters and you plotted the story. You were writing along happily.

And then, the characters suddenly did something that you hadn’t planned.

You’re staring at the words on the screen and have no idea where that particular twist came from. You’re both surprised and annoyed.

Congratulations.

Your characters have become so real in your mind that they are starting to have their own lives. And they let you know that some of the things you planned for them will not work.

This is quite awesome because your subconscious knows more about human behavior than you do. You have soaked up information about that since you were a small child. And now, that background information is helping to make your characters more real.

Listen to them. Argue with them. Continue reading →

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Why Writers Must Read

Posted on 13. November 2014 by fmoebius
Reading

Reading

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” ― Stephen King

Writing is basically a craft, even if it also demands being creative. Like every craft, you get better at it through practice and through learning from masters.

Which basically means writing and reading.

I believe that practicing your craft every day is a very good idea. It keeps the words flowing, it keeps a story alive in your head and the characters and the world present and at your finger tips.

In fact, there’s a free program I offer to help you with that right HERE.

But practice is only one way you improve your writing. The other way is learning from masters. That means watching them in their craft, figuring out their tricks and choosing bits and pieces you want to try out yourself.

And that is reading. Continue reading →

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The One Thing Every Story Must Have

Posted on 6. November 2014 by fmoebius
conflict

Conflict

Well, apart from the very obvious, like characters and a setting, a story needs one single thing:

Conflict.

Think about it.

Conflict is where desire and obstacles meet.

If there is only desire, and it is immediately fulfilled, there is no real story. And if there are only obstacles, but no reason to surmount them, there is no story, either.

The story – and our interest in it – only starts to live when desires and obstacles are in a relationship. Continue reading →

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The Power of the Timer

Posted on 30. October 2014 by fmoebius
Timer

My timer

As a writer, you should use a timer, especially on those days when you do not feel inspired.

Because that timer can make you write anyway.

How does that work?

The timer is simply a tool that makes you focus on the task, and bypass all the unhelpful thoughts that are crowding your mind when you do not feel inspired.

The timer erases all that. It unclutters your mind.

And then you can write.

It’s almost too simple to be true, right? But this is the power of the timer. I use it all the time, like for writing this blog post. Continue reading →

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Three Novels a Year

Posted on 23. October 2014 by fmoebius
Three novels

Three Novels

So you are saying there is no way you can write every day. Even if you really want to be a writer.

Because you’re really, really busy.
Because you work long hours.
Because you don’t have a single hour to yourself in a day.
Because you have to get everything else done before you can sit down and write.

Actually, all of this is probably true, and yet, it’s a mindset issue.

Because it’s a question of priorities.

Take a close look at all the things you do every day. And then think again. Even if you can carve out 15 minutes to half an hour every day that you dedicate to writing, you can write a novel in … let me do the math for you: Continue reading →

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What if I Just Can’t Write?

Posted on 16. October 2014 by fmoebius
distraction

Distraction

So, you’re ready to write every day. That’s your goal. You made that decision. Awesome!

But the minute you sit down, your brain scatters. You may think of the chores for today, you may wonder what to cook for dinner – and the story is further away from you than ever. Soon you give in and head over to Facebook. No writing today. Again.

That’s only your inner self protecting you.

Sounds weird, doesn’t it? I mean, you do want to write, after all, and then you suddenly cannot. I know – because I’ve worked with many clients – that there is a fear behind that sudden loss of focus. And a safety program that protects you from the feared consequences. Continue reading →

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Stop Chasing your Muse

Posted on 9. October 2014 by fmoebius
Muse

Muse

Greek mythology knows nine muses. Each of them represents one of the arts, and quite a few are connected to writing. The concept of the muse, however, has generalized so that the muses are seen as the source of inspiration.

Many writers wait for inspiration. They even chase it. Sometimes desperately.

They refuse to write without inspiration.

Which in turn means there are many days where those writers do not write.

This totally kills productivity, of course. And it’s not even necessary. Continue reading →

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Too many ideas

Posted on 2. October 2014 by fmoebius
My ideas notebook

My ideas notebook

What to do if I have too many ideas?

This is a question I got on my writing board a few days ago. I believe it is a question that many writers have, simply because we’re creative types and many, many things can trigger a story seed. And of course, our active mind explores those ideas and wooosh! –  a new story is born.

That’s wonderful.

And awful. Because chances are, we’re not done with another idea we had. Or the one from yesterday. Or the awesome series that I plotted last weekend.

Pure idea overwhelm.

And the flip side of that is procrastination. Continue reading →

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