GOALS GOALS GOALS

I’d like to say I’m an ambitious person. I try to set goals for myself, both achievable and far-fetched. As this page has proven, even the achievable is out of reach at times.

Last year I tried and tried to find a house to buy with my husband, but it wasn’t in the cards. I wanted to publish my long-since completed novel. That didn’t happen either. Last year’s accomplishments were moving up in the world at my day job, acclimating to that new position, and trying to stay sane during the crazy year that was 2020.

This year I **seem** to be heading in the right direction on the home-buying front and that led me to believe I could try my hand at the publishing thing one more time. Instead of slowly, slowly, working toward a theoretical date to shoot for, I’m giving myself deadlines I have to keep–reaching out to editors, cover designers, just seeing how it goes. The book is written, it’s gone through drafts, and I actually feel like it’s alright. No close friend that has read it has told me it’s crap.

So here goes nothing. 2021 is gonna be the year. I’ll be not just a reader, not just a writer by hobby, but a published author.

Here we go!

XX T. G. Noble

Writer’s Block vs Creative Block

When I think about writer’s block, I think of the movie Stranger than Fiction when Emma Thompson’s character, the author of Harold Crick’s life, is completely incapable of coming up with anything to write about.

She’s suffering massive writer’s block and she can’t think of what her next book should be about. She’s drained. Her imagination can’t come up with any new material, old material, nothing. She can’t write.

Every writer has experienced this to some degree. Whether it be an inability to start a new writing project or reaching a stumbling block in the middle of one.

Whatever the point in my process that I get stumped, I treat it like Queen Latifah’s character did, and see it as something I can cure. It’s not this mystical block on a writer’s imagination, but rather a lack of new creative juice to run the imagination engine of a writer’s brain.

So what do I do when I hit a writing wall?

I expose myself to new creative stimuli.

I read a half dozen novels. I binge marathon a show on Netflix or do a movie marathon of either old favorites or new movies on my “to-watch” list. I listen to a new band or two, discover old music from a favorite band. If it’s an old project I’m working on, I write something small and new.

This refuels my imagination and allows me to move past the Creative Block I had stumbled upon.

Writers get stuck thinking writer’s block is this inevitable mountain they can’t scale they have to allow run it’s natural course and break itself down.

Emma Thompson’s character was able to go out into the world and expose herself to new stimuli to fuel her creativity. I’m able to do it by exposing myself to new media. And so can you.

So here are the steps to take when you hit a creative block:

Step 1: Get away from it. Put your laptop, notebook, desktop, stone slab aside and take a shower or go on a walk and observe the world around you. A nice walk or jog can also get those endorphins flowing and stop it all from feeling so hopeless.

Step 2: Consume the creativity of others. Whether it be a painting, a song, a television show, a movie, a book, or dozens of each, anything to get the imagination gears turning.

Step 3: If all else fails start a new project. Maybe you don’t have your current project in you right now. Maybe you just need a break. Either way starting fresh with a new novel or a new short story, a new poem, a new anything, can reignite your passion for writing and get you back on track.

Step 4: (And probably the most important) Don’t give up. The world needs your story, your creativity. And also most importantly, so do you.

T.G.

Crow Queen Review

Diversifying My Blog

Throw out the old schedule, I never kept to it anyway.

I created this space to review novels and recommend books. That is still the primary purpose of this blog.

However, I think what has been bogging me down is my personal focus has been my writing and I haven’t felt like I should mix the two passions on my blog. But that is just silly. It’s mine. I can do whatever I want with it.

So from now on I’ll be sharing some of my thoughts on writing as well as my book reviews and recommendations.

While I still want this to me more of a book club/reader’s space, I cant ignore the writing aspect of my life either. It exists and is a big part of my hopes/dreams/goals. Yes… I am aware those all basically mean the same thing, but I couldn’t pick just one!

What this means for you:

Basically, I’m going to have a “Writer’s Nest” section I post my thoughts on writing and the personal struggles and triumphs I have in my writer’s life. So if you want to just focus on the books and reader aspect you still can. You’ll just also see some writing content you can ignore it you wish.

I hope to continue on this crazy reading/writing/living journey with you!

T.G.

Crow Queen Review