Back it up...a little further...alright. drop it right there....

Hello to all out there. Mila Ramos here. Newest addition to MSA. Though I am not new to blogging, I am new to this blog. So a big hello to my fellow authors on this fabulous Sunday morning.

So I guess you're wondering what that headline means....well....

*Throws the huge sack in front of everyone*

There it is...that big ol block...writer's block.

A big huge cement the not only blocks view of the hottie characters you have but also of any end in sight.

Everyone who has ever written anything from student to author, poet to a child knows the feeling. The breeze blows clearer than the words do. The words don't flow, nothing flows, and everything else goes. You find yourself becoming more interested in the lint bunny that has multiplied exponentially than the manuscript that you should be working on.

Then you start talking to the lint bunny than the manuscript. Your characters have gone on vacation and forgot to tell you about it. lol

Yes, this is a feeling this author knows all too well. When I wrote my first novella Prophecy of th Boar, the block was more "Can I really write this type of stuff?" As the experience with the writing came, so did the ways to get around small hindrances. And shortly thereafter, Smoke & Mirrors, Reel to Real, The Watchers, and The Seventh Legends came. I thought 'Well writers block is really nothing at all!!'

Then came the big one, the mammajamma that threw not only a wrench but probably the entire power tools into the mess. lol. The wrench is now lost in the engine and has been slowly pulled out. My current block is with my first novel. Glass of Infinity. The story is about a woman who has to travel back in time to save the sect of time holders she is apart of. Paranormal/Time Travel, what's not to love?!

Well, its been a while now, and I have no clue how to get out of it. So I do what every good author does, eat some chocolate then ponder. Go work off the chocolate I just ate then ponder, and then find the muses to the novel and realize that they went on vacation without letting me know. Sad but true. How did it get this way? Truth be told I have no idea, just one day I went to work on it and poof, everything left. And the little buggers didn't even leave a post it note as to where they left.

So what should you do when this happens? Well many have said to just focus on something else. Some have said to even start anew. According to Dr. Karen E. Peterson, author of Write: 10 Days to overcome writer's block. Her methods can help getting through the fog of uncertainty. Some have worked, and have also lead to more story ideas!

• Scheduling time to write and work, regardless of the quality of the output.
• Engaging in brief periods of "freewriting" or "mindwriting," in which people impulsively write whatever comes to mind.
• Challenging negative thoughts about one's skill or ability to write.
• Using writers' exercises such as "chunking". They use many websites that contain numerous creative writing exercises. Writers read an exercise, and do it.
• Use the process known as Automatic writing.
• Taking a break, meditating, or doing relaxation exercises to relieve any pressure on oneself and on the writing.
• Doing something out of the ordinary. If writer's block comes from a lack of new ideas, attempts to spark creativity by going somewhere new or doing something different can be useful.
• Returning to the writing after a lapse of a day or two.
• Write a basic plot outline of the story, if having problems keeping the story on the rails.
• Brainstorming at the beginning of the writing can help the writer by relating every point to another.
• Reading, watching movies or plays, or similar activities that might bring inspiration.
• Going out to get some fresh air.
• Set your writing down, go out and do something (something that will keep you busy) and then come back in a few hours with a fresh mind.

So what will need to be done to tackle the break through of Glass of Infinity? As of write now...(hehe get it) I've gone back to the drawing board and tried another method of working the story. New ideas plot and whatever else is necessary.

Though writers block can be a hindrance, it doesn't have to mean an end to your creative work. Every writer gets it. Some more than others, true the way you tackle it means a great deal. So to all those out there that write, want to write, attempt to write and may one day write, how do you do it?

Until next time, this is Mila signing out.

Join us again here at MSA...same bat time (ooooh Christian Bale...grrrrr), same bat channel.

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Mila Ramos, Author of Multi-Genre Romance
Website: http://www.milaramoswrites.com/index.html
Blog: http://jademystique.blogspot.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/jademystique