THE CHICKEN NUGGET CURE FOR BLANK PAGE BLUES - BY SHAYNA MATTHEWS

The necessities of writing.

CHICKEN NUGGET CURE FOR BLANK PAGE BLUES - BY SHAYNA MATTHEWS

     Chicken nuggets, bread, milk, eggs. A short list, but it's much more than a grocery list. It wields the power to tell an incredible story. Of course, the 'incredibility' of the story rests solely upon the mind of the author. (Well that, and the characters' willingness to cooperate).

     I fear it's safe to say, virtually all authors have secrets. Some more so than others. We're a tricky lot, we have to be. Writing books is a daunting task, after all. We will stare at a blinking cursor for hours, only to lie awake all night running plots, scenes and characters through our minds like an old movie. Most of us live on a scandalous amount of caffeine, but that isn't much of a secret, is it?

     The secret lies within the writer and how we deal with the darker side of writing. What do we do when the words just won't come? Some are inspired by music, (always one of my favorite methods for coping with any mood or crisis!) or by sitting in a cemetery with a notepad and pencil. Travel-the exploration of someplace new can often stir the creative juices, but what if you can't manage any of the above? What do you do when its just you and a blank screen/paper? The showdown at high noon, words at twenty paces. You hope.

     I have a simple method of coping with the fearsome blank page blues, and yes, it includes chicken nuggets. (Bettin' you'll read the next line, now won't you?)
The chicken nugget cure for writer's block came from one of my elementary school teachers - oh, how I wish I could recall her name! She told us a grand secret--one which stuck with me over the years--really nothing more than a simple trick to prod the flow of words. A blank page may be that--empty, but it is LOUD in silence.

     Indecision(my worst foe), intimidation, fear, and a host of other insecurities can sometimes rear back and stampede across that blank page. When faced with such cursed evil, beat it back with something I call the Chicken Nugget Cure. Set a timer for, oh, say fifteen-twenty minutes. During that time, the point of your pen MUST NEVER leave your paper. If you're typing, you MUST NOT stop. Not once. I don't care if your goal is to write the next bestseller, a monthly blog, or a letter to a friend. If you set your alarm for twenty minutes, write down whatever comes to mind for those twenty minutes. If you don't know what to write, write just that. "I don't know what to write. I need to get groceries. Let's see, Zane needs more chicken nuggets. He loves those dinosaur shaped ones, I hope they have them. Chicken nuggets, bread, milk, eggs." If nothing else, reading back over the direction of your mind, recorded on paper, is amusing.

     More often than not, however, you will fall back into the realm of the written word, having demolished that loud emptiness. One page will fall into another. Don't let the timer stop you. Keep writing, follow the chicken nugget pathway of your brain...let it lead you where it may. Your brain will flip through channels, like a taped down PAGE button on the remote control. Jot down your grocery list, (don't forget the nuggets!), swim through the barbecue sauce sidelines and I promise, you'll find yourself exactly where you want to be...writing your next epic masterpiece.

     What are YOUR favorite literary secrets?

Shayna Matthews is the author of "The Legend of Venture Canyon", a short story encompassing the dark secrets of a traveling Side Show as they travel through canyon country, and one cowboy determined not to fall for them.

"A Spot in the Woods" is Shayna's nonfiction short showcased in a wonderful anthology collection of personal stories about leaving childhood behind. "A Spot in the Woods" deals with the memory of a childhood bond shared through historic play...a bond which tragedy just could not break. You can find this story in "Memories from Maple Street, U.S.A: Leaving Childhood Behind".

WISE QUOTES TO INSPIRE and a FREE GIVEAWAY TO ONE LUCKY READER........Gail L. Jenner

Writers are voracious in their appetite for inspiration! For me, one of the things that I find inspiring is the wisdom passed down from the most famous writers --- those individuals who have made a "big splash" in the world. Not only do I enjoy reading their stories --- classics that never fade with time --- I enjoy hearing them speak to us, as writers.

As I was browsing through a recent list of inspirational quotes, I found a number I thought worthy of sharing. Perhaps they will inspire others.

For example, the prolific and dynamic Stephen King wrote:
I try to create sympathy for my characters then turn the monsters loose. - Stephen King
 

Not just obstacles or antagonists or issues and foibles....but monsters? A great inspiration....I have never thought about turning monsters loose in my stories, but why not?


And how often have I struggled to figure out where I'm going in a story, but E. L. Doctorow provides an alternative:
Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.
– E. L. Doctorow 

Along with that..... Faulkner says:
Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.– William Faulkner

So --- does that mean don't fret? Don't worry so much about trying to make the story "good" before its time? Leave the critical part of the brain on the shelf until later?

And who can resist listening to Mark Twain? Do we speak the truth or are we liars, one and all???  He insists:  Most writers regard the truth as their most valuable possession, and therefore are most economical in its use. – Mark Twain 

And Anton Chekov says it beautifully, reminding us that:  My own experience is that once a story has been written, one has to cross out the beginning and the end. It is there that we authors do most of our lying.

In other words, the truth comes as we move through the story --- letting that inner voice or muse direct our hand. Mayhap that is why the beginning and end are so often vague or redundant or anti-climactic? Some other worthwhile thoughts include the following:
Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer.
– Barbara Kingsolver

I like Kingsolver's remarks: It reminds me that I am not just writing for a "market" or sale. I'm writing to say something -- hopefully something that resonates with the reader, something that is unique or timely or universal.

Ayn Rand wrote:  Words are a lens to focus one’s mind.

I agree! It's AS I'm writing that elements of the story become clearer to me: the conflicts or the internal issues my character(s) must overcome seem to percolate as I move through scenes or when I introduce new characters or problems to be solved.

Likewise Conrad makes it clear that: 

A writer without interest or sympathy for the foibles of his fellow man is not conceivable as a writer.  – Joseph Conrad

Isn't it through story that much of what we observe about human life and experience comes to the forefront, driving us as writers and driving our characters through their created universe? Perhaps, as Sidney Sheldon wrote:  A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it to be God.  Does that mean we need be grateful we are not demi-gods in the real world? I think so. We do not have the ANSWERS to life, but we surely must ask the QUESTIONS!

Hemingway also speaks about being a writer and the perception that others may have. I wonder if he spoke "tongue in cheek" when he said: 

 It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.



Also speaking to the issue of quality and value of writing, Herman Melville wrote:
                  To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme.   – Herman Melville  Ray Bradbury spoke about the importance of letting characters have their way. Perhaps a reminder that we cannot always control the direction of our stories or our characters' choices in life! He wrote:   First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!
Finally, on the issue or necessity of revision, John Irvin writes:  Half my life is an act of revision.  Hmmmm -- the ugly truth raises its mighty head! REVISION -- the art, the power of it is what makes our stories shine. More reason to leave the critical part of the brain until it's time to begin revising... Well, time for me to return to my sanctuary! But the trip through the mind's eye of great writers really does give me pause and reminds me that writing is more than just a calling...writing well is a craft and requires attention and dedication. Such is my goal.  THANKS for stopping by......Leave a comment....I will be awarding one lucky reader a free copy of JULY'S BRIDE, my novella recently released from Prairie Rose....           -------------------------------------- Gail L. Jenner, a past history and English teacher, began writing at age 9. Inspired by so many writers, one of her greatest thrills is having WON a WILLA Award for Best Softcover Fiction from Women Writing the West, for ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS, re-released by Prairie Rose Publications in 2013.    For more, visit: www.gailjenner.com OR: http://www.amazon.com/Gail-Fiorini-Jenner/e/B005GHR47O Her newest releases from Prairie Rose include JULY'S BRIDE and JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS! She is the author of several stories that have also been included in the PRP anthologies, PRESENT FOR A COWBOY, LASSOING A BRIDE, and COWBOY KISSES. She is the coauthor of 5 regional histories and edited and contributed to ANKLE HIGH AND KNEE DEEP, an anthology of Western rural women's stories.

THE MINDSET OF WRITING: ARE YOU TOUGH ENOUGH? by CHERYL PIERSON

When I first began writing seriously, it never entered my mind that it would be a painful process. But it truly can be, and usually is.

From the very beginnings of our imaginings as writers, the first stirrings of creativity that we feel compelled to share with the world by transferring our thoughts to paper (or computer), we are "putting ourselves out there" for the world to look at--and judge. Self-doubt is inevitable.

When you wrote your first essay in grammar school--think back--"How I Spent My Summer Vacation"--that was the beginning. You most likely had to stand up and read it for the class, to be snickered at by your classmates if you hadn't had some kind of fantastic summer experience to write about--good or bad.

Your retelling of a wonderful vacation to Disneyland could be trumped by a classmate who’d visited relatives that lived near Billy Bob's Crocodile Farm. Never, never could we slip into mediocrity by writing about a boring summer of "just staying home."

My first "sold" story was to ADAMS MEDIA'S ROCKING CHAIR READER: MEMORIES FROM THE ATTIC.


Without our realizing it, this was the beginning of the rest of our lives as writers--and the judgment of the rest of the world. By what we wrote for those long-ago class assignments, we unwittingly took the first steps on our journeys into the world of writing successes
to come. How our classmates reacted, even at age eight or nine, would affect the rest of our lives in ways we didn't imagine then.

Think of it this way: Miss Smith's third grade class was our first experience with peers who critiqued our work. And some of those peers could be downright snide, despite Miss Smith's admonishments to mind their manners!

Kids are cruel, but so are adults. Our school years were the proving ground for obstacles we face in the adult world in many areas, but did you ever think of your third-grade classmates as your first panel of reviewers?

Just as we longed for acceptance then, we wish for it now. Those of us who are writers hope to be embraced by a fan base of some size--even if it's small.

Miss Smith was the next hurdle, representing an elevated level of criticism. She gave you "the grade" for your paper--evaluating not only the grammar and punctuation, but the content and creativity.

Dealing with teachers and curriculum in school is much like dealing with a literary agent and the governing “rules of writing” in our adult lives. The comparison is striking.

My first "sold" novel--FIRE EYES

We have to "make the grade" to land an agent. But, like teachers, not all agents are alike. Some tend to give more advice, push harder for the sale, or spend more time networking. Ultimately, your agent, if you have one, is your personal "gatekeeper," making the sale for your work--or not. Miss Smith in third grade, along with countless others like her, represent the first broker for your writing. Did you pass or fail? Were you creative? Did you meet your word count?

Much of the outcome depends on you. Have you been "tough enough" through the years? How do you handle the past rejection that comes as an inevitable, integral part of a writer's life? Have you ever thought that you might have started your adult writing career sooner had you had a bit of encouragement in those early years?

Realize that you are here, at last, and having made it this far, you are on the road to success. It might not come tomorrow, or next week, but it is out there, waiting. Much of our success as writers depends on luck, or "being in the right place at the right time." Having that teacher, mentor or friend at some point who gave us a small piece of encouragement is sometimes what can "make or break" us.

But learning to be tough and stay constant, to keep from being disillusioned and disheartened, and to be our own source of inner comfort and strength during this journey is the key to success.

Remember, even if you haven't sold anything yet, you've written it. And that's a success story in itself.

Completing a manuscript of any kind means you were tough enough to "tell it" and it's only a matter of time now until you sell it!

I'm giving away a signed copy of FIRE EYES to one lucky commenter today! Just leave a comment and check back after 7:00 tomorrow, Friday the 10th! Comment tomorrow for an added chance to win!