 Noticing Newbies: May 21, 2008 Issue [#2403] |
  Noticing Newbies
This week: Get Your Groove Back! Edited by: esprit  
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1. About this Newsletter
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3. Letter from the Editor
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6. Ask & Answer
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Welcome to the Noticing Newbies Newsletter! Our goal is to showcase some of our newest Writing.Com Authors and their items. From poetry and stories to creative polls and interactives, we'll bring you a wide variety of items to enjoy. We will also feature "how to" advice and items that will help to jump start the creation process on Writing.com
We hope all members of the site will take the time to read, rate, review and welcome our new authors. By introducing ourselves, reviewing items and reaching out, we will not only make them feel at home within our community, we just might make new friends!
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Get Your Groove Back!
I roam discussion forums regularly and once in a while I'll see a post from a writer that says, "I want to write, but I don't know what to write about."
Or, "I've started a novel but I've had Writers Block for three months. Can someone give me some ideas?"
Or, "I need inspiration, I can't finish anything I start.
First, I don't believe there is such a thing as Writers Block. I think it's a handy simile for two real issues.
 The first is the lack of enthusiasm. We get bored.
We all get into ruts and lose the spark of creativity . Writers cannot run on high octane all the time. If writers waited for inspiration very little would get written.
We rarely get truly quiet anymore. We're all too busy, and even leisure time is spent on active video games, television drama and news, active text messaging, IM's and active conversation where we laughingly say we should be writing instead of chatting, only half joking. When we finally close our eyes to sleep, our brain is still going strong. It hasn't had a chance to slow down at all, and you wonder why you don't get a good night's rest. We even worry about waking at three in the morning to write down our dreams; making sure the pen has ink and the notepad is opened to a clean page.
You owe it to your mental and physical health to give yourself time when you're disturbed by no one and no thing. Outside is the best, because you can breath the fresh air and gaze at the sky. Clear your mind and rest.
Find a quiet spot, lie flat on your back and close your eyes for a few minutes. Relax and let your mind slow down. Open your eyes and find shapes in the clouds as they float by. Don't even move your head to follow them, let the clouds do the work - be still. Breath deep and steady. Don't think about writing at all. That means don't try to remember anything to be described later in a story. If you do decide to use the scene later, it will be there, in your subconscious. Relax.
Or take a walk in a quiet area.
If neither of these are possible, clean the house or work in the yard. The goal is to relieve your mind of anything stressful, especially writing.
The second reason is the lack of confidence in your writing abilty.
Have you ever been advised to take time out to read a good, well written book when you get stuck in your writing? Sure, I see the advice often and probably have said it myself. It's considered to be the magic rocket that will motivate and inspire. Well, it won't. Not at this point. In fact, it's the worse thing you can do. Surprised at this contrary advice, and think I'm wrong? Read on and see the logic of it.
Do a scientific experiment. Go ahead and read a chapter of that good book and notice how magically the author uses words. Isn't he a wonderful writer! Does it inspire you? Does it encourage you and boost your confidence? I doubt it; not when you're down on yourself, disillusioned and question your writing ability. Reading a good book now will only convince you that you'll never be able to write that well.
Would you like to know what will help you? Honestly? It's something I've never seen advised in any 'how to' books, but it works. It is the magic rocket.
Read a badly written story.
Still don't believe me? Conduct another scientific experiment. Read stuff that is so bad it makes yours look like award winning material. They're easy to find all over the net. You'll see how much better you write than some others, and that knowledge will boost your confidence tremendously. When your confidence is high, your enthusiasm returns. You feel energetic and ready. The spark of creativity comes back, making writing fun again.
Inspiration comes and goes, you can't depend on it to always be there. Sometimes, you have to keep writing anyway. Deadlines must be met, enthusiastically or not. This is where your properly prepared outline or notes of ideas can carry you through these dry times.
Find a quiet spot to relax and read another bad story, even a comic book will work. Keep exercising your writing muscles and keep practicing.
After you've written your story is the time to take some R&R and read a good book. Now you can really appreciate how the author turns his words into a magical rocket that pulls you smoothly into his world. Enjoy the ride!
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your story isn't what you want it to be, doesn't sound the way you imagined, or isn't even comparable to the hundreds of books you've read.
SUBMITTED ITEM
Submitted Item:
Submitted Comment: I like to express myself in various ways and this is one of them.
Remember to read your neighbor's work too
Read a New Member!
http://www.writing.com/main/list_items/type/newbie
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I shook my head as I read your reply. What a waste.
After all you said about wanting other people to read your work and how you wanted to improve your writing, it turns out that you're not willing to make use of the most effective way to improve writing skills, and that when it comes down to it, the only audience you want to consider is yourself. That's quite the failure to communicate.
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Submitted Comment: Hi, I'm new and I've been wondering how you join a group. Much obliged, Nemesis
Nemesis 
Hi, Shaun
Most groups will welcome you by a simple post on their forum asking if you can join. Others require an e-mail to the host. Still others want you to fill out a survey. Most groups have a home page with the information on how to join. I've listed a couple in this newsletter. You can find a complete list by going to Item Jumps in the Site Navigation Box on the top left of the page. Look for Groups.
Comments on "Invalid Entry"
The NL on 'Showoff' was a hit and I appreciate your comments. Commenting helps guide the editors to your iterests, so thank you!
Submitted Comment: Thank you, esprit. Clear, concise, and to the point (spot, meaning, place...). It always pays to look at word choice.
flex
Submitted Comment: Great piece this week, kudos!
sjmarques
Submitted Comment: I show my originality by responding to your words of advice with a hearty "Write On"
Ette Nom
Submitted Comment: A great comment about not being a showoff. I used to stress when I first started writing, thinking I would look like such a novice if I didn't use big fancy words. But as you say, it's just the opposite. Let the words flow as they will, you can always go back later and change something if you've used it too much or it doesn't quite fit. Trust your writers conscience!
Helen McNicol
Submitted Comment: Don't be a showoff. Bang! you've hit the target. You have said in one short article, what the 'experts' have been trying to get across for ages. K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple ....Scribbler. Smile.
al1801
Submitted Comment: The advice you gave on striving to be invisible was excellent as usual. I always enjoy reading your newsletter. Thanks for telling it like it really is.
Nomar Knight
Submitted Comment: Thank you, Esprit, for exhorting us to eschew obfuscation!
KimChi
Showoff! 
Submitted Comment: This is a great newsletter. I enjoyed reading many of the stories featured here. :) Keep up the good work.
Ash
Thank each and every one for the comments and feedback, the editors all truly appreciate every word. And for the readers, you're very important to the success of each newsletter. Thank you!
Editors:
Cubby 
laurencia
Your host this week is esprit
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