Heart Pounding Romance

writers block

Aromatherapy for Writers

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lavender

Let’s face it, writer’s block is real. It hits even the best writers from time to time. I know that people use aromatherapy for healing physical ailments, but I find that it works for mental stimulation as well. Here’s a helpful guide to aromatherapy for writers…and everyone else.

  • Feel Alert with peppermint

  • Feel Relaxed with lavender

  • Keep your Cool with bergamot

  • Tame Anxiety with orange oil

  • Feel Happy with lemon oil

  • Get in Focus with rosemary

Sometimes getting into the groove of writing is a matter of being in the right frame of mind. Writers have a tendency to procrastinate if their mindset isn’t perfect. Life is rarely perfect. You have to follow the Nike mindset and Just Do It. Try these essential oil fixes and you’ll be on your way.

Got another way to beat writer’s block? I’d love to hear from you.

 

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Why Writers Procrastinate

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Why Writers Procrastinate

There are lots of reasons why writers procrastinate about writing. Here are some that plague me from time to time:

The sun is shining and I’d rather be outdoors.
I’ve got company arriving and I need to cook.
I misplaced my imagination and I need to find inspiration.

Now, let me tell you my personal solutions. Numbers one and two above are easy fixes. If it’s a beautiful day and you want to be outdoors, then go. But, take a notepad with you. Sometimes just being in a change of scenery is enough to make you want to write. Be observant and you might even stumble upon an idea for a new story.

When company is calling and I need to prepare, I think of how that time spent in the kitchen can translate to my writing. If anyone follows my blog you’ll notice that I often post recipes and photos of my dishes. I love to cook. There’s no reason to halt one hobby in place of another. If I’m going to entertain a friend for afternoon tea and make lemon bars (bites of heavenly sunshine), you’ll probably find one of my characters is either going to make them as well or find a local bakery to sample them.

Now we come to the tough one…misplaced imagination. You’ve looked under the bed, behind the closed door and still that stubborn piece of inspiration remains hidden in the recesses of your mind. Where is it? Read this article and repeat. Go outdoors. Make a batch of cookies. Think of your story as you do it. Most importantly, trust as you procrastinate that something will evolve.

There’s really no such thing as procrastination if you keep your mind open to the possibilities as you do whatever activity is driving you. Now you know that I go outdoors or cook when the writing muse is on vacation. What do you do?

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Not So Great First Drafts

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One of my favorite author-written books on the writing process is by Anne Lamott. Her book, “Bird by Bird,” not only gives wonderful advice about characters, plot, and the rest, it offers one very real chapter on our not so great first drafts.

Lamott refers to her writing process as “shitty first drafts” and let’s writers know that this is to be expected. When I first started writing, I wanted it to be great…right from the get-go. But I later learned to welcome every awkward, boring, mundane phrase that comes out of my mind. Do you know why? Because at least something is getting onto the page.

I know that if I can plot out the basic elements of the story, I can later make it great. I’ll add character development, dialogue that embodies those characters, and setting descriptions that take the reader away.

Because I like to bake, I equate the writing process to making a cake. Taking out the ingredients from the cupboard is the boring part. Even assembling the cake is rather mundane as there’s no room for experimentation. Add the wrong proportions of baking soda to flour and you’re doomed. But when it’s finished, you get to frost it and decorate. Forgive the pun, but this is the icing on the cake.

The same applies to your writing. Just get those first drafts down. Then, you can rework them, make them into a piece of art, and send them off into the world where they will find their home.

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What’s Mia Making?

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cookies
What do you do when your characters are having hissy fits and decide to run away from home? Procrastination comes to mind. But, in my effort to ban that negative word from my vocabulary and life I’ve decided to create a new column: “What’s Mia Making?”

Some of you smarty pants might be saying, “Ah Mia, you’ve got writers block again.” That’s one way of thinking of it. But for me, a girl who prefers to see the glass as half full, it’s my way of doing something useful for my family while imagining what my characters would say if they were in the kitchen with me. Raven from “Released” would probably threaten to add two or three extra tablespoons of salt because she’s always one for throwing that into wounds!

Today’s endeavor is an amazing refrigerator cookie. What makes them so good? They have more delicious ingredients per capita than your average cookie. M&Ms, nutella, peanut butter, and even instant coffee granules are included. The original recipe comes from the Pioneer Woman’s website and once baked they are flat and crisp. If you prefer a fuller figure, bustier cookie like I do, just add 1 teaspoon of baking powder as well as the existing baking soda to the recipe. Enjoy!

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