| Barbara Renner |
Writer’s block. It happens. And when it does, we find ourselves in a daze, staring at a screen saver as the blue and green fish swim from left to right across our monitor. Just once I’d like to see a Great White Shark swim in from the right, or a monster eel squirm up from the bottom along the screen. But, no, the creative juices just might start flowing again. Instead, there are all kinds of distractions we find more interesting than writing: dusting the pot shelves... rearranging the living room furniture... trimming the palm trees. When I find myself in a writer’s funk, which is just about every day, I participate in a few activities that help stimulate the right side of my brain.
Take a hike. There’s something about breathing the fresh outside air that cleanses the axons between your ears. The sounds, the smells, the moisture in the air all stimulate thoughts and conjure ideas better than anything inside my stuffy house, unless I’m vacuuming, which, for some reason, arouses creative thoughts. If I were more dedicated to writing, I’d have a cleaner house. Back outside. As my husband and daughter hiked through the woods one morning, I came up with the premise of one of my picture books. We commented on holes in trees and grass mounds along our path, and we wondered what animals make those their homes.
Ah-ha. What if a curious little duck asked his mother if he could live in an eagle’s nest, a beaver’s dam, or a muskrat hole? That’s when Lonnie the Loon was born and began searching for his home. Walking my dog in the desert last weekend gave me ideas for a new picture book about a little quail. While on my walks, my mind often organizes a beginning paragraph or attention grabber or a way to smooth out an awkward scene. Then I have to hurry home and pound it out on the computer. Yes, fresh air is good for the health and the mind.
Attend an event. I recently went to a NASCAR race with my husband and son. This is the first year we immersed ourselves into the entire experience by hauling our trailer out to the racetrack and camping for four nights... along with 24,000 of our closest friends. This RV city contains a plethora of personality types, an excellent variety from which to choose for those special characters in your novel. We were parked in East LA and walked the mile and a half to the track while observing a variety of camps along the way. Just by listening to the many conversations, you can create unique dialogue in your story. I plan on using “I’m researching my family tree and discovered a lot of little bushes.”
Shopping at the mall, or Wal*Mart, can also be considered attending an event. Observe how people interact with each other and you’ll have yourself material for the characters in your story. Ob-serve how the lady standing in line blows her bangs out of her eyes for a unique description. Observe how the 80-year old woman writes a check – ever so slowly.
Observe how mothers talk to their children. Hus-bands and wives/boyfriends and girlfriends present additional story fodder. Watching body language will invoke emotional descriptions for your reader to see. Just look at that old man striding ten paces in front of his wife in the parking lot. Oh, wait, that would be my husband.
Drive through the country. Ahh, the wonderful sights you will see as you drive along the road: fields of flowers or cotton... indigenous foliage and mountains... a toilet positioned under a mailbox with flowers sprouting from its pot. Take pictures with your mind’s eye or cell phone so you can later describe scenery as your protagonist moves from place to place in your book. Tune into a local news channel. While driving through the Minnesota countryside last sum-mer, I listened to the local news. Apparently there is not a lot to report in a town of 900 residents. In the short three-minute news flash an unfortunate farmer had an altercation with his John Deere tractor and a car motoring down the highway. No one was hurt. Then there was the story about a stolen truck that had been found in a vacant field. The keys were still in the ignition and the windows remained rolled down. Thank goodness.
As you escape the confines of your writing desk, don’t forget to take along a tape recorder or notebook to re-cord your observations. Heaven forbid you forget everything before you hit the keyboard. When writer’s block happens, don’t let it frustrate you – take a hike.
Barbara Renner was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has traveled extensively, but enjoys her current winter home in Arizona and summer home in Minnesota. She was inspired to write her 'Lonnie the Loon' picture books while fishing in the lake country of Northern Minnesota. A retired teacher, Barbara has taught a variety of subjects to students from middle school through post secondary. She currently is an adjunct instructor at the community college level and serves on two business education association executive boards. Barbara is pursuing her career as an author by writing picture books for children, blogging humorous life stories for adults, and submitting articles to newsletters, journals, and magazines.
Find Barbara and her books HERE
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