I like to fill my coat pockets with everything that I need to avoid from carrying a purse. I always leave it behind and then have to hunt it down when I finally notice that it’s missing. Most coats have a wallet and cell phone pocket on the inside. I put my keys, chapstick, spare change and pepper spray in the two outside pockets. Now that summer is approaching and it’s too hot to wear a coat, what do I do with all my stuff? I can either leave most of them at home or carry a purse. I usually just opt to carry a purse but what does a guy do in the summer with all his stuff?

Well… I can’t speak for all guys but my guy just hands all his stuff to me. His logic being, since you’re carring a purse anyway a few more things won’t matter. So now I have two wallets, two cell phones, and two sets of keys along with the other items that a woman carries in her purse. Plus we have a baby, so I have a baby bag with the all the baby’s stuff to haul around. Can you imagine how heavy that is?

The only way to lighten my load of stuff is to get my husband to carry his own bag of stuff but he won’t because he thinks that it’s too feminine to carry around a man purse. Can someone please design a more masculine man purse before my poor arms fall off. Don’t even call it a purse or bag, call it the portastuff. Make it look rugged and have a boxer promote it. I wonder how all the single men carry their stuff?

Writing Stamina is the enduring strength to stay the course and complete your work. Lack of writing stamina is probably the number one reason why some books never get finished. I’m sure that most people who want to write a book have the know how to do it, but for some reason it just never gets done.

I can imagine how this plays out. Someone starts writing in their spare time and for a while everything is going smoothly. As time passes the spare time gets shorter and soon writing stops completely. The next scenario is that someone stops writing because of writer’s block or flaw in his or her plot. Instead of finding some way to move forward it’s much easier to stop.

So, what can you do to improve your writing stamina? You need moral support, a cheering crew that gives you extra motivation. Perhaps you can find this in your friends and family members. If not, there are writing forums where you can meet other writers that might be facing the exact same problems that you’re experiencing. This is a place where writers help each other out and cheer each other on.  This is a good way to meet people that can help you answer questions about the writing industry.  You may also find someone that knows more about a certain topic, for example law, that you will need to complete your story.  It’s a great place to socialize and network with other writers. 

While writing forums have the potential of lending support, most likely it won’t be your salvation and here’s why.  Most of the writers that are using these forums are just as insecure as you are. These are the same people that will be critiquing your work.  How much value can you honestly put on a critique that was given by an inexperienced writer?  Also, everyone is busy with their own agenda. You have to ask yourself, how much time are they willing to spend correcting the work of other writers?   

In the end, your writing stamina will come from you.  How badly do you want it? 

To borrow a phrase from Grandma Marble, writing is a hobby unless you’re already established and well known. There has to be a certain truth to this because I know that most of you have day jobs or other responsibilites that come before writing. So, when is a good time to write? I’ve read that some people find time to write everyday regardless of their state of being. I can’t help but wonder if that really works. Suppose you’ve had a bad day at work, your children are sick, or your favorite pet gold fish has died. Is your mind still going to be as creative under emotional stress? I doubt it. I postpone writing when I’m under heavy stress, of any kind, because I don’t want to subconsciously write nonsense. Also, I truly believe that humans are more productive and creative during periods of emotional peace.

Taking the human condition into consideration, there are certain times during day when each person works at optimal performance. This time varies for each person so you have to know yourself. After eating lunch is when most people work at their lowest performance because we tend to get sleepy afterwards. When do you work at your very best? I have my most creative thoughts early in the morning before I get out of bet, so that’s when I write. When I don’t have time, I jot my ideas down in my notebook.

OK, now that we know when we should write how do we actually find the time to do it? To answer this question you will need to ask yourself another question. How important is writing to you? If it’s very important you will have to schedule your other responsibilites around it or sacrifice something to make time. I’m going to end with a quote by Max Beerbohm because it fits so well with this topic. “No fine work can be done without concentration and self-sacrifice and toil and doubt.”

It never fails, whenever I want to take a shower there’s always a spider hanging directly overhead. It’s usually one of those with the grey body and creepy long legs. If I’m feeling brave and the spider’s not moving around on its web I go in, but I make sure to keep one eye on it at all times. Once in a while I make it to the end of my shower but 90% of the time the spider starts moving around and I lose my courage. At this point I have to get out and plot its demise. If my husband is home I can play the wife in distress and let him do the dirty work. I was going to use the word damsel here but as you probably already know a damsel is a young unmarried woman. I wonder if there’s a cool word that means young married woman? Anyway, my husband’s usually quick to respond to my distress call unless he’s sitting infront of the xbox. In that case, I have to get creative. I usually try letting my towel accidentally fall and then pick it up all sexy like. Hey, sometimes a woman has to use her feminine wiles. I wish I could say that this works most of the time but I can’t. The xbox wins, damn that Microsoft!

There are three other ways of getting rid of that spider. The first is point the shower hose to the ceiling and turn the water on. This method doesn’t work so well and I don’t recommend it. The water pressure is sometimes to weak to reach the spider and even if it does your ceiling gets wet.

The second way is to grab a broom and sweep it from the ceiling onto the shower floor. Once the spider is there it can’t crawl back out because it’s too slippery. You can then use the shower hose to wash it down the drain. I recommend this method if you’re not too scared that it’ll fall in your hair or crawl down the broom.

The third and best way to whack the spider is to get your vacuum cleaner and attach the long hose. All you have to do is turn it on and extend the hose to where the spider is hanging. This method is quick, easy and the spider won’t see it coming. One second he’s there and the next he’s gone. You almost feel sorry for him don’t you? How long can spiders live inside vacuum cleaners anyway? I have to empty the vacuum cleaner bag soon and who knows how many spiders are in there waiting for me.

A publisher won’t consider your work a novel unless it’s 80,000 words or more. That’s a lot of writing and it can get overwhelming if you think about it too much. I’ve read quite a few books that were so redunant that I had to stop reading. The author clearly was worried about meeting that word count. I wish publishers would focus more on content and quality of work but since that’s not the case you have to make a balance between quality and volume.

I’ve decided to handle the word count problem at the very end. I want my work to be good and that means no redundancy. I don’t check the word count and I’m using a single spaced format until the very end. I refuse to think about volume right now. The quality of my story is more important to me. If the word count comes up short at the end of my writing, I will go back and find places that needs more suspense or better description.

The magnitude of the story itself can get overwhelming. Just think about how much time your story covers. It most likey extends over a longer period of time because that’s the definition of a novel. Sometimes when I’m writing I get flustered when I think about how much time I still have to cover. I handle this problem by writing in small scenes and I concentrate only on that particular scene until I’m done. This little technique has gotten me through the first few chapters of my story and will escort me to the very end.

In sum, don’t focus on the big picture when you’re writing because it’s way too much information. Think about your story in the sense of time not word count. Dissect that time into small scenes and worry about one scene at a time. Calculate your word count at the very end of the writing process and then go back if you come up short.

A few years ago we went to a funeral. After the service we were all suppose to gather at a different location where the wake would take place. As with any funeral, everyone was dressed in black and it was a somber event. Small groups of people trickled down the side walk as we neared our location. The group I was in consisted of myself, my husband, an older lady and her husband. As we were waiting for the stop light to turn green, I noticed that the older lady was dressed very nicely. She was wearing a tailored black pants suit and a dramatic earring was dangling from one of her ears. I took the opportunity that presented itself and did my good deed for the day.

I politely got her attention to let her know that she was missing an earring and offered to help her look for it. I even started looking on the sidewalk, maybe it had fallen off while we were walking down the street. As I was looking, she gently tapped me on my shoulder and said, “I only wore one earring”. Her words caught me off guard so I looked to my dear husband for help but he could hardly contain his laughter. I have no idea what my facial expression could have looked like. I just remember thinking, Jenue you idiot. I kept wishing that I was small enough to crawl under the nearest rock where I would’ve stayed for the rest of the day. Since I had no magical powers to make myself that small, I had to think of something to say to this poor woman. “Oh” I said trying to be as causal as possible. “It’s a very lovely earring”.

I spent the rest of day trying to avoid from making eye contact with her. I was so embarrassed. My husband couldn’t help himself from teasing me about it on our way home. I should’ve been able to figure out, from her age, that maybe it was just a fashion statement. I hope she wasn’t offended. I honestly was just stupid that day. Now whenever my husband says, “Remember the earring?” I can’t help but laugh so hard that my face hurts.

After finishing my workout I had this brilliant idea for my novel. I had to postpone showering because I didn’t want the little light bulb over my head to disappear before I could record its genius. I quickly picked up my pen and watched as it began to fill my notebook with a creative solution to my main character’s dilemma.

As my hand moved swifty across the page, my tummy growled to get my attention. “Feed me, feed me” it kept screaming. I ignored it for as long as I could but soon I had to satisfy its request. I walked into the kitchen worried that my little light bulb would extinguish itself before I could find something to eat. My eyes wondered around the room and then there it was… It was perfect, no cooking or putting together required and it came in an easy to open package. I was delighted and relieved. I ate with one hand and wrote with the other. The banana had saved the day!

I became aware of my writing talent after I entered a writing contest and had my short story, entitled The Lucky Card, published. It can be found within the book Bardic Tales and Sage Advice at amazon.com. I didn’t get any money for entering this contest but what I got was worth a lot more. This was the first time that someone in the literary industry acknowledged that my writing was good. Wow, I was empowered.

Entering a writing contest is also a great way to practice and practice makes perfect, right? So, even if you don’t win keep trying. Some contest even offer money to the winners so there’s an extra incentive.  Every year Bards and Sages has a writing contest and this year the theme is legendary horrors. There’s still time to enter if you’re interested.

The one drawback I have with writing contests is that I’m not sure how much legal rights the winners have afterwards. For example, would you be able to post your winning story on your blog? I don’t know. If anyone has any insight on one’s legal rights after winning a writing contest please leave a comment. I’ve been sued before for posting something that someone didn’t like and although we won the lawsuit I really don’t want to do that again. It was such an emotional strain that I couldn’t write until the issue was resolved and that took a while. This is the only issue where I would say be cautious.

The best way to get over a writer’s block is to put down your pen and do something fun. I know that this may seem like the lazy way out but it’s not. We’ve all been conditioned by our parents and teachers into believing that hard work is the only road to success. Since when has working hard given me anything but more hard work and maybe a dollar? What they meant to teach us is work smart. In this case, the smart thing to do when your hand stops moving the pen is to put it down. Your brain is trying to tell you that it needs a break. If you continue by doing more research, more brainstorming, more reading of writer’s blogs, I guarantee that your block will last longer. Your brain will take a break with or without your cooperation, so don’t fight it. Do something fun. I like to play some xbox, listen to music, or go jogging. Exercising, by the way, is a great way to boost creative thinking because it gets the bood flowing in your head.

Don’t forget to go back to work after you’ve relaxed for a few hours! This is important, don’t take a permanent vacation from writing. Sit down in a quiet spot and think about your story. How can you make it work? Don’t be alarmed if it takes longer than thirty minutes. Let yourself become the characters that you have created and remember that everything is possible in fiction. I like to think that I’m a god when I write because it’s the only time I have absolute control over everything.

I used to just sit in front of the computer and type without having any pre-written thoughts on paper. Although this method of writing might seem faster, there are several disadvantages. The first thing that I noticed was the strain it put on my eyes. Then my shoulders would ache from not sitting correctly. My thought process was disturbed by the many distractions that comes with being online. I would see right away when there was new email and the temptation to leave my work was too great to avoid. After all, I thought, it won’t take long. So, I’ve read my email and now have completely lost my train of thought. What to do? What to do? Of course, I could answer the email or surf the web. I wasn’t getting any work done fast.

I bought myself an 8×11 lined notebook with the kind of binding that makes it easy to fold the pages back. I also bought a smaller notebook for brainstorming and recording new thoughts. I noticed serval advantages. I could use the margin of the notebook to write down my train of thought. I could spend a longer time writing without getting tired. There were less distractions and I could double check my work during the typing phase.