Writer’s Block

After a super busy (and generally successful) March and April, I tried ramping up the writing. I hope to get out another Italy story, this time a novella. In addition, the Earl of Chadbourn, friend to Jamie, Andrew and Glenaire (if you’ve read my Dangerous books) needs his own story. I’ve been writing daily for two weeks. To be more accurate, I’ve been staring at goldfinches, fighting the urge to hang out in Mrs. Marlowe’s Book Emporium** as “Fanny Vincent,” and keeping my yearning to play games in check while writing some paragraphs and sketching at notes. None of it is working. My muse has deserted me. There are only a few solutions in this situation:

1. Take a step back and review your hero. Why is he doing what he’s doing? Does the action reflect that?

2. Plan out one or two scenes. In my case don’t OVER plan. My muse runs and hides from me what I use the “p” word.

3. [goes into writer’s block]

Better idea: Take a rest. Perhaps a vacation will do. Perhaps my muse already left on one. I wonder where she went? She took “the girls in the basement” with her, I think, and my characters too.  Hmm. Excellent idea.

The Travelling Companions, Augustus Egg, 1862

**Mrs. Marlowe’s Book Emporium and Teashop is a Facebook group labeled Bluestocking Bookshop, a group devoted to original fiction on the fly, character sketches, and role playing. Anyone can bring or invent a character, and join in on an existing scenario/thread or create a new one.