Inspirational Poem: Remember

Remember

The path to harmony

Starts with a first step

Of unconditional love for our family

Throughout the stars and Earth, no one to forget.

Smile at the one in the mirror.

Bless the one who irritates you.

Say, “Thank you,” to a strange one.

Remember, Oneness is true.

Jean Neff Guthrie

Four Tips to Manage Writer's Block

When I tell people I'm a published author, they often ask how I deal with writer's block. Sometimes they share frustrations of starting a book, only to hit a mental or emotional wall that separates them from their dreams. While there are as many ways to work through writer's block as there are writers, these tips help me the most:

Enjoy Nature

Stop writing for a day. Unplug and set aside the devices. Go outside, even if you live in a city. Take a walk in the woods, fields, or by the ocean. Empty your mind and open your heart. Listen to the sounds of nature around you: birds, water, wind through the trees, etc. Relax and unwind. Walk barefoot on the ground. Before you go to bed that night, write in your journal what you saw and heard in nature. The next morning, write a new next line of your story.

Face the Block

What emotionally is happening to the characters at the blocked point in your story? How does that relate to a feeling or situation you are avoiding in your life?

Turn Around

Did you ever realize you were walking on the wrong path and needed to turn around in order to reach your correct destination? Apply that scenario to your writing block. Back track through your story to a point of strength or emotional peak. Scratch through the words from that that point of strength until you hit your block. Now rewrite, going down a different path. Perhaps the protagonist faces a tangled conflict with a new character. Be open to surprises.

Brainstorming

In the center of a blank page, draw a circle and write, "Crash the block" in it. Use brainstorming techniques to jot down thoughts or feelings about moving through this block. It's a journey.