Author Support Group discussion

Welcome...and Help!

Jj,

You are a man of action!!!! We have our own club now. Way to go!

Jj,

Thank you for starting this group.

Your welcome. Hopefully we can all benefit from each others experiences.

I'm not sure what it is all about, or how I can help, but I am willing hang around to find out!
Carole

Hey Carole! We're just a bunch of authors trying to help each other. Especially when we feel overwhelmed or a little discouraged. Glad you joined!

Cool. Thanks for the invite. I'm here.

terrie

Madison checking in to show some love to my fellow authors. See you all on the New York Times Best Sellers List. Wow, I'm confident this morning.

Thank you for the invite, Jaimey...I am looking forward to this group!
:)

Ali wrote: "Thank you for the invite, Jaimey...I am looking forward to this group! :)"

You're welcome, Ali! So glad you decided to join us. :o)

Thersa wrote: "Cool. Thanks for the invite. I'm here.

terrie"

Welcome, Terrie! So glad you could join us here. :o)

Hi Tamela! It's great to see you! :o)

Tamela wrote: "Hi, Everyone!"

Hey Tamela. Nice to meet you.

Wow, this group is really starting to take off. Welcome, everyone. Hope it turns out to be beneficial to the new and not so new author. All are welcome!

Jj wrote: "Wow, this group is really starting to take off. Welcome, everyone. Hope it turns out to be beneficial to the new and not so new author. All are welcome!"

I love our group Jj. It's like my nice little vacation home away from the big city noise.

Hi...um I'm writing a book and ya I thought it would be interesting to talk to you guys.

Hi Big J/little j

Thanks so much for creating this group :]

Also, a special thanks to my fellow author and good-bud Jaimey for the invitation.

When one of use succeeds, it is a victory for all!

Dee Marie
Sons of Avalon Merlin's Prophecy

...You guys are all authors write???...sorr...um I was just wondering cause um I'm writing this book...and I was wondering what you guys do when you draw a blank and can't think of anythind to write?

Hey Athena,

I personally do not believe in "writer's block."

The best thing to do when you feel "stuck" is to write through it.

By that I mean, just let your mind flow. Let your characters talk to you, and write down what they are saying...channel their words, not yours :]

Some of what you write will be total "junk," but within the garbage will be hidden treasures of beauty :]

Athena wrote: "Hi...um I'm writing a book and ya I thought it would be interesting to talk to you guys."

Glad your here Athena! I am a brand spanking new author myself so I can so relate to you what you going through. Anytime you need encouragement let me know. It's "...a whole new world..."

Dee wrote: "Hi Big J/little j

Thanks so much for creating this group :]

Also, a special thanks to my fellow author and good-bud Jaimey for the invitation.

When one of use succeeds, it is a victory for..."

Welcome Dee, I look forward to getting to know you. Two novels at the same time. My mouth is open...lol

Carole wrote: "I'm not sure what it is all about, or how I can help, but I am willing hang around to find out!
Carole"

Hello Carole,

Nice to meet you. I am sure you are holding pure nuggets of wisdom. I am so glad you are a part of our group.

Hello, Athena. I agree that "writer's block" is usually something else (I've been there myself, LOL). In my case, it's most often the characters trying to tell me that the direction I'm going is all wrong!

I find it helps to put down a project at times like that, work on something else, and then come back to the original work with fresh eyes. When I was writing my first draft of "In The Eye of The Beholder," I wound up removing whole sections of the book once I realized why I was struggling ... and the rewrite made the book much stronger overall.

Best to you in your work.

=]

Thanks. Right now I need all the advice I can get. My friends on goodreads say my writing is awesome...but I'm not so sure.

Athena wrote: "=]

Thanks. Right now I need all the advice I can get. My friends on goodreads say my writing is awesome...but I'm not so sure."

Sharon gave you great advice. If I may add, I would also find something inspirational to watch or read that builds your confidence in yourself. This was a lovely discovery. Keep talking to that friend or family member that says your writing is amazing. Also be kind to yourself and stay humble. I have to always remember this craft found me, I did not choose it. By trade I am a teacher and I do not even teach English! Always be in learners mode and you will be very pleased with the results. One more nugget, my mentor shared something with me that may apply to you. He advised me to not share my work with anyone until it was in its most finished state. At first that scared me because my confidence as a writer was soooooooo low. However, in my case he was absolutely right. He said he would not read it because I needed to believe in myself. FYI I edited my book 23 times afterwards but it was embraced by a publishing company and had 25 pre-orders before I even finished those edits. Do what's best for you.

=] wow thats a lot to take in but thanks! When you say 'Stay humble' what do you mean?

Athena wrote: "=] wow thats a lot to take in but thanks! When you say 'Stay humble' what do you mean?"

When I say "stay humble" I mean always maintain a sober estimate of who you are as a human being. We can strive for perfection, but we are not. There will always be something we need to work on, so learn to love correction. This will help you tremendously during your editing process. Your eyes will play tricks on you and mistakes can go to press. If that happens, just fix it and grow. Start lining up a great editor now. They are hard to come by and not cheap if you hire from a professional pool.

Welcome to all our new members!

So glad you could join us, Dee! I was so hoping you'd show up to share some words of success and encouragement with us.

Athena, welcome to the group! I have found that when I get 'writer's block,' it helps if I work on my character's bios and backstories some more. (I have a detailed notebook for every book I've written and am currently working on.) If that doesn't work, I work on a different story entirely. The last time I did that, the back-up story I turned to got finished before the original story. :o)

~Jaimey

I can feel the love flowing already. Nice to have so many people willing to share their experience and help each other.
My 2 cents on writer's block. As already stated, it's obviously a simple mental hurdle that can be overcome. Everyone has their own way of dealing with it and I'm sure you will find something that works for you Athena. As mentioned, some write through it, where I prefer to do the opposite. I'll sleep on it, trying to not think about what I'm working on. Other times, I'll jump to another neglected project. Many times I find that I have much content waiting to be poured out onto the page. When I'm spent, I go back to the original project. It's like I needed to clear up some hard drive space on my "computer" to make room for more. Weird, I know.

hahahahaha!!! I'm confused!! But thats okay. thanks for the suggestions I'll try them out. Oh!! and thanks for making this group Jj.

Ugh!! I'm so tired!!

When I get stuck, I have to do something completely "non-wordy". I would stop writing and work on my photographs, cover design, or page layout - something more visual. Now, I've decided to learn guitar (again!) so even getting up and practicing for 15 minutes is a great way to clear my head. It's usually when I'm doing something else, that I have my best brainstorms!

Madison wrote: "Carole wrote: "I'm not sure what it is all about, or how I can help, but I am willing hang around to find out!
Carole"

Hello Carole,

Nice to meet you. I am sure you are holding pure nuggets ..."

Madison and Athena

Well, thank you so much for your confidence! :) I don't think I have a lot to add to the others who have replied to Athena's dilemma. I know what it's like not being able to think where your next plot line is going. The worst thing you can do is worry about it. Relax,go and do something totally boring, like the ironing. Sometimes the muse will come when your head is empty of anything else.

Another good idea is get yourself a writing buddy. One way of doing that is to join something like the Internet Writing Workshop,(it's free) where you send in your novel chapters for other members to read and critique. You repay by critiquing their chapters. It has worked well for me over a last ten years. If anyone is interested, I can pass on the link to you. Warning, you need to develop a rhinocerous hide. People can be brutal, but not usually without reason.

cheers
Carole

Well, well, so many wonderful and familiar faces. Thank you Jaimey, for the invite to this group, I am confident that between us all we will provide invaluable informatation and support for each other.

Great to be here!

Ciao, Stuart

Hello Everyone,

I feel like a brand new person with this gift of writing. I turn conversations into poetry, and reality intertwined with fiction into novels. I have published my first novel entitled "Elegant Emma Trent" and I'm currently writing my second one. It feels so good to express myself, and it's even more exciting when people ask what is really truth! As always, I smile and thank them for their support.

Has writing given any of you a new outlook on life?

Welcome, Stuart and Suzanne! We're delighted to have you here!

Thank you Jaimey, looking forward to some writers tips when I'm really stuck... It's brilliant to know you're finger tips away... :o)

Welcome, everyone.

Just checking in to let you know I'm here.

Hi Robert. Welcome to the group.

Welcome, Robert. Glad to have you. :o)

I have a question and I don't know where to post it so I'll do it here. Where would I find the list of Goodreads Authors on Twitter and also how would I get my name on it.

http://twitter.com/authorofspewnovels
http://twitter.com/Davilbob

Is there a list of Gooddreads Authors on Facebook and My Space?

Thanks for any help.

Twitter: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
Facebook Fan Pages: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

We haven't started a thread for MySpace users yet.

For one of the longest lists of goodreads authors on twitter, there's Dee Marie's post from the Tips & Tricks group: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

Jaimey wrote: "Twitter: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
Facebook Fan Pages: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

We haven't started a thread for MySp..."

Thank you very much Jaimey

Hello Robert and Suzanne!

W. wrote: "Hello everyone, been busy this week, just checking in to let all know that I am here too."

Welcome aboard Mr. W.

Slowly but surely the group grows. Welcome everyone!

Hello Everyone, I am new to the group. I hope I get an opportunity to get familarize with some of you!

Hi Everyone! Thank you Jaimey Grant for inviting me. Always happy to be a part of a writing group.:-)

Welcome, Cindy and Andrea! Take a moment to look through the different discussions we've had and add your social networking links to the appropriate threads (twitter, facebook, blogs, etc). And don't forget to add your books to the group shelf, if you can. :o)

~Jaimey

Thank you, Jaimey! I am at:
http://www.facebook.com/cindyschuerr
http://www.twitter.com/cswriter59
http://www.theheartofwriting.blogspot...