UWW Newsletter Offering for April

Defeating Writer's Block--from the slightly twisted viewpoint of the altered
reality that is Fantasy and Sci fi.

Sci Fi and Fantasy offer some of the best ways to defeat writer's block. Whenever I find myself staring at the screen and picking hair out from between my fingers, (from pulling it out, not because it grows there.) I pull out one
of The Books of Sage Wisdom--or the scribblers I fill with randomly scrawled ideas, character development and world building--and start picking at my world. The last time I was blocked I invented a board game that one of my
characters is obsessed with. That led to an idea about a time that he uses a game analogy and bam, I was off writing a scene.

I think one of the really great things about the books of sage wisdom is their ability to remove me from the linear thinking of my novel. Sometimes the burden of trying to move a plot and some characters from one adventure to the
next can be onerous, and if the task is boring for you, it's going to be boring for your reader. When I write in the scribblers, I am not held to that timeline; I am set free to discover a scene late in book three while I am still agonizing over the fifth chapter of book one. And, because the idea is written
down in the book, it doesn't get lost for when I need it.

I think the best way to extoll the virtues of The Books of Sage Wisdom is to provide an example:

I had written an initial prophecy for one of my characters, but later decided that since more than one character is involved in fulfilling the prophecy, they should all have a part of it dedicated to them. So I wrote the rough draft
below as a part two of the "word":

"And the Mother promised that one sun a leader would rise from amongst the lowly and that they alone would understand the truth to be found in war and in peace, in strength and in weakness, in light and in dark."

Cryptic no? As all good prophecies should be. That short passage inspired four pages of a scene when the character in question stands up to try to explain his new understanding to his people. I'll bore you with the first couple of paragraphs.

"Lords, ladies and clanspeople, we are a people who have been at war for five hundred cycles (Years). For five hundred cycles we have broken the lines in autumn to bring in our crops, mourn our dead, prepare for the campaigns of the
coming spring, and pay homage to our heroes. This is a room filled with just such heroes."

The room erupted into a spontaneous chorus of cheering and applause. Juman allowed it to go on for a few moments then held up his hand to still the noise.

Once quiet was restored, he drew a deep breath.

"None of that matters now."

The silence deepened, and the eyes watching him narrowed in suspicion.

"None of that matters here, now, or ever again. There shall be no war heroes in my lands."

Okay, enough of that. This scene starting me thinking about why the war in my land is so vicious and devastating--not that all wars are not vicious or devestating--and what I could possibly do to halt such a war.

I scribbled the answer along the top of one of the pages. "Battle Singers create a war with no consequences. No matter the devastation and brutality committed, everyone rides home with a soul cleansed of guilt."

I kept writing the Juman speech scene and wondering how I could bring down a weapon as powerful as the Battle Song. In the middle of the next page I wrote this query as a question. "How do I make the Battle Singers impotent?" Well, that led me to wondering what it is about their power that makes them so
devestating. Is it just the magic, or is it something deeper, something inside the Battle Singer his/herself? I began writing down ideas. Maybe the Battle Song holds a mirror up in front of the enemy, showing them their own darkness and that is what they run from. Maybe there is a level to the Battle Song that
is deeper than I have explored. What if the Battle Song didn't just scare the enemy, what if it ripped their souls from their bodies? After all, the third part of Song tears the Singer's soul from their body and replaces it with a new
one... Hmmm...

But then, how do you defeat an enemy that can rip your soul from your body? YIKES! Talk about a tough power to defeat.

Okay, enough of boring you. The point of all this was... on a day when I hated my book, and I couldn't think of a thing to write that wasn't garbage to my eyes, I wrote six pages of really weird, important and kinda cool stuff.

That is the magic of world building and character development--and, of course, The Books of Sage Wisdom. Writing down questions and snippets of info can lead you on a winding and sometimes bizarre pathway to discovery. You don't have to use everything in the books--just pick out what works for you when you get to
that point. Maybe some of the ideas might find their expression in short story form.

So, my best advice for beating writing's block is to find yourself a book of sage wisdom and keep it closed on a shelf. Lie down, turn on some music, and wonder about your book. Like, what would happen if this character met up with
that one and pinched his cheek like his granny used to--but make it a cool character like a dragon, or Saruman from LOTR, or something. Invent a money system, or wonder about what would happen if the earth suddenly split open and started spewing magma at your characters. Radically change the climate--an asteroid hits your world and bam, they are stuck trying to live in Canadian winter weather! ARRRGGGHHH!!!! (I can say that, I live it--the rest of you, no Canada bashing, I'll cry.) Hey, that's pretty good... one of your characters bursts into terrible, wrenching sobs. Why? The more macho the character, the better.

When an idea jumps into your head, grab the book and write it down. Ask yourself questions--actually write them down--and then explore the answers. Whatever you do, do NOT leave the book open in front of you and stare at the blank pages. That will just make the block worse. Somewhere, sometime, some idea will pop into your poor tired and tattered brain, and it will lead you off on a splendid adventure.

Phew, that's all the sage wisdom I have for today. Good luck, Godspeed, and good writing. Most of all, have fun. (Sometimes it is good to see how many times you can use the word 'was' in a sentence rather than trying to get rid of
it.)