How To Write Whether You Feel Like it Or Not

Handwriting

I get asked this question from readers several times a week, “How do you write when you don’t feel like it?”

It’s frustrating, right? One day you’re passionate about writing. You’re in the zone. Words come easily without much effort.

And then something happens.

You skip a day. And then two. A week goes by and you haven’t written a paragraph.

You feel guilty, like you should be taking your writing more seriously, but you just can’t muster the willpower to actually write.

Have you ever felt like this? I know I have. In this article, we’ll talk about why you don’t feel like writing and what you can do about it.

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Three Rumors About Dialogue

photo credit

Dialogue is one of those tricky things that can make or break your book.

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Gaunt [words on wednesdays]

Tragedy By the Sea by Cliff

PRACTICE

Write for 5 minutes using the word gaunt often.

When you’re fin­ished, post your prac­tice in the com­ments section.

Also, extra credit if you use the word of the week in your daily practice!

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The 7 Types of Plots: The Quest

Emerald City

Yeah, like you’re going to see a list of plot types that doesn’t include the Quest. The Quest is a search for a place, item, or person that requires the hero to leave home in order to find it. Sometimes the item is just a MacGuffin to drive the plot along; other times the thing driving the quest is specific to the story’s circumstances. Either way, the hero is leaving home to find whatever the heck the story demands, and we get to come along for the ride.

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Energize Your Writing with this Easy Trick

Jumping in Leaves

If your writing seems a little dull, tap into this easy trick—focus on the verbs. Using direct, precise, and active verbs instantly makes your writing stronger.

These verbs move your story forward, create powerful imagery, and convey a confident tone.

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3 Reasons Critiquing Will Improve Your Writing

Red Pen

ou’ve been told over and over that we writers must read to improve our craft. Over at the Story Cartel Course, we’ve been practicing critiquing. I’ve learned writers can’t  just read, we must critique!

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Should You Write Nonfiction or Fiction?

Nonfiction vs fiction

In allegiance to Stephen King’s writerly maxim, “The only requirement is the ability to  remember every scar,” I’m considering writing a new series of stories about my father’s five year struggle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrom.

I was ten when my father had to quit work go on disability. His body was hurting all the time and he couldn’t think he was so tired. Ten is an age you need a father, but for five years he was largely absent, both physically and mentally. My mom was preoccupied and stressed bearing our family’s financial burdens. I went through the first, confusing years as a teenager all but alone.

But the question is: should I write the stories from this period of my life as non-fiction or channel them into my fiction?

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How to Satisfy Your Reader With a Great Ending

The End

Author John Irving is notorious for writing the last line of every novel first. What we can glean from this daunting factoid is that Irving has a clear picture of where he wants the story to end up. The work is “simply” writing the book.

Would that we all be so lucky!

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Stilted [words on wednesdays]

Stilted Shack by Matt Swern

PRACTICE

Write for 5 minutes using the word stilted often.

When you’re fin­ished, post your prac­tice in the com­ments section.

Also, extra credit if you use the word of the week in your daily practice!

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The 7 Types of Plots: Rags to Riches

Rags to Riches

Everyone loves a success story, especially when it results from years of hard work and the protagonist has struggled from the depths of despair. This story type is so beloved, that it is Charles Booker’s second plot type of seven: Rags to Riches.

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