Do You Want To Feel The Creative Writing Juices Flow?

So you want to feel the creative writing juices flow?

 

This week, in celebration of The Short Course In Creative Writing reaching the Amazon market place in paperback, I will be posting 5 consecutive lessons in Creative Writing. Fun! Fun! Fun! In addition, I will add in the sample of the audio book sections that has been posted on Sound Cloud - where you can listen to them for free!

LINK TO SOUNDCLOUD

https://soundcloud.com/ruby-allure/creativewriting-edit-99-retail-sample-mastered

So before we get all literary and fluid, let me ask you to dispose of your inner critic - the major dam and hindrance to enabling creativity to flow. I would then ask you to ask the inner saboteur to take a vacation too. The saboteur is the clever little part of you that keeps telling you that your writing is not good enough and that you have to delete it before other people see it. Admittedly, these two 'baddies' are useful in life. They protect your from ridicule, they keep you safe and keep you from experiencing change. In fact, they cleverly keep you stuck in the creative rut. So be very aware before you begin this epic writing adventure that these rather shady inner characters will cleverly find ways to sneak into consciousness and find clever procrastinations and distractions!

 

On the counter balance we have the inner optimist, who is often held hostage and gagged by the critic and saboteur. Well, ask that inner optimist to rise to the surface along with the inner coach. These two aspects of the personality are the ones that enable you to experience the now and find good things about your work. Sometimes they may even say 'hang on that is pretty good!' Imagine. So are you ready for those creative juices to flow? You might want to check out my previous blog on 'When do you have your best ideas?' And then Monday will be a whole new week of luscious creativity!

In the meantime, have a listen to the lovely Erin on SOUNDCLOUD and see how you feel:)

https://soundcloud.com/ruby-allure/creativewriting-edit-99-retail-sample-mastered

LINK TO PAPERBACK ON AMAZON.COM

A Short Course in Creative Writing
by Ms Ruby Allure
Link: http://amzn.com/1517234832

 

Why write a book?

Why write a book?

Do you really want to a write a book? The idea has been buzzing around your head like an aggravating fly. Snatches of scenes keep popping up and your find yourself writing down snippets on random pieces of paper, even loo paper. The characters turn up in dreams or you find yourself drifting off at work and engaging in imaginary conversations with characters and how their day has gone…  Oh and that is just the beginning.

Those who are not of the literary stance will read the above an interpret it as madness and in truth, maybe it is. The thing is the desire and the compulsion to write has to be accompanied with a reason ‘WHY’. Otherwise why else would you sit alone at a desk for hours tapping a keyboard? That is the reality - you are sitting alone imagining and transforming that image in your mind into words in hope that someone will read it. Maybe someone will read it, maybe they won’t – so if no one reads it then what is your WHY?

The WHY could be anything. For me, my why, is that I am able to step into my own inner fantastical world where there are no limits. I can imagine anything I like and push my characters beyond their boundaries rather than have to experience the situations myself. Admittedly, Love Hunt, is based on reality and I would rather have imagined the scenarios rather than experience them in reality.

So once you have your WHY you have your fuel to remind you what you are writing for. Many of the WHY’s from my students have been quite amusing. ‘I want to put characters in some of the weirdest situations and see what happens.’ Some say they want to be the next bestseller (you can’t dismiss someone else’s why by the way). In the memoirs class my students wanted to use writing their life story as a catharsis/healing or for their family to read in future generations.

Something I will mention is that often when there is a WHY outside of yourself motivating yourself to write becomes easier. The WHYs that don’t work are usually based on money. One student once said I want to write to become rich. Well, that why is never guaranteed and there are more ways to make money which are time efficient. I think my favourite WHY came from a girl who wrote some brilliantly humorous pieces ‘I want to make space and time to sit and laugh hysterically at my own jokes while I write.’ Of course the sense of enjoyment she achieved through writing and simply enjoying resulted in her completing numerous books and drove her to make sales. Her infectious enthusiasm and humour shone from her novels.

So my advice: before you begin writing work out your WHY. It will be there to remind you when you are cleaning the toilet to avoid writing that you have a reason why you chose to write a book.

 

Link: http://amzn.com/B00TZWLRL0

Write what people want?

Write what people want? Is that the best advice a successful author can give you?
When I first received this advice I had to contain my expression of absolute bewilderment. I also had to conceal an offended chuckle. Really? You go to a literary event and ask what is the best advice you can provide for new authors? Answer: write what people want.

You will have to excuse any expletives that I now write but what the F*!!! If everyone knew what people wanted surely all books would be bestsellers. What's more, not all people want the same thing. Do we really think that some of the most famous authors sat down and thought - what do people want to read? I am sure that J.K. Rowling did not go - hmmm people will want to know about a young boy with a scar on his head. Or Douglas Adams laid thinking - what do people want? - Oh yes they want a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Their ideas and books came from inspiration. Douglas Adams was travelling, a little wasted and laying in field looking at the sky when he had the title pop into his head. There was none of this - hmmm what do people want?

Now, in contrast to approval seeking, I like to think of my writing as a time and a space in which to explore characters and build stories. My whole approach is not seeking approval from strangers; instead, my writing is about enjoying every moment of creation. It enables me to explore visionary concepts and step into constructed mental landscapes. Maybe this is the anti-thesis of write what people want - I write what I want because it provides mental adventure. I write to sit crying laughing at my own jokes or enjoy taking characters to absolute extremes. If I was writing what I thought people wanted I would spend my whole time focused on seeking writing approval. That would certainly not motivate me. Instead I a compelled to write because it is my passion and I love literary escapades.

Another point that popped into my mind was maybe 'people' don't know what they want to read until it exists. Now there is a paradox - you don't know something is missing until it turns up in your life. Maybe the next book you or I write will be precisely what people want - they just don't know it yet.
My advice is write your passion for you. If people want it good. I would also then ask why I write. Do I write because I desire to be rich or do I write because something within my soul compels me to write, explore and enjoy?


Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00SZFEQIO