The spectacular Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse on Sunday got me thinking. While I endured the cold to watch the effects of the earth’s shadow on the moon, I realized the earth was experiencing something I could not see. Situated between the sun and the moon forces were acting on my home planet. I marveled at the opposing energies on the spinning earth. Pulled by gravity in her orbit around the sun, she also holds the moon within her own gravitational field. Everything works together to maintain the precious balance.

Gravity is a relentless force. It is what whisks the rollercoaster from dizzying heights and thrills us in our downward rush. Climbing to the height required for the thrill is a more arduous task. The cars click and clack as the cables pull the coaster ever higher. If you enjoy rollercoasters you don’t lament the slow steady rise. You relish the journey, anticipate the approach to the apex, and rejoice in the moments you teeter at the top.

Are you celebrating your gravity-defying ascent?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

There is truth in the statement that putting things in writing creates clarity in logical thinking. The simple creation of a list, a set of pros and cons can quickly illuminate inconsistencies, missing facts, and flaws in reasoning. What may have been a jumble of feelings and beliefs and conjectures, take form, they evolve into carefully constructed arguments.

The same happens when creating a story. Characters evolve, the plot forms, we discover inconsistencies, missing facts, and flaws. Visions floating in scattered, nebulous thoughts coalesce into a cohesive whole, as we make conscious decisions on the events driving character arc and story.

Does the process of writing your story help build your confidence?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

At first glance, writing appears to be a solitary pursuit. You sit alone with your thoughts and spew words on a page. But I can think of no other calling which connects us so completely, soul to soul. To write strong characters who act in believable ways, we must interact with real people. You know face to face, in person, real-life relationships.

We writers are an introverted bunch and interacting with others is challenging, thrilling, exciting. Yes, exciting. I have developed a trick for talking to people. The key? I listen, nod, and ask questions. Complete strangers reveal their deepest desires, pet peeves, how they react in certain situations. Their honesty has been astonishing. Along with great material for my writing, I have also gained new friends.

What surprises has your writing given you?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Do you believe in writer’s block? Or is it smoke and mirrors? A writer’s excuse used to defend not writing? I haven’t decided. But I know when I hit a wall. The thump on my forehead is a dead giveaway. My eyes glaze, words blur and, I realize just how tired I am. Clues. They demand change and it is silly to ignore the warning signs.

Today I will be kind to myself. Rest is on the agenda. Well, sort of. I will still write my minimum daily word count, but then I plan to enjoy the day. Saturday fun includes a roaring fire, sorting my books and cleaning the five bookshelves in the house. I am sure a book will leap at me, demanding a reading in the big comfy armchair by the fire. With luck, a nap will catch me in its sweet embrace.

How do you recharge your writing batteries?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Sometimes words don’t come. We get tired, and we block the free flow of words. The result is frustrating, and it can grow into a debilitating problem. Joni has the right idea. The best remedy is to change the flow. Change your movements, do something different, push writing from your mind. My answer is allowing my hands the freedom to engage in activities they know well.  It allows my brain to rest. Completing chores around the house, working out, crocheting a scarf or a blanket or using my sewing machine creates needed space.

Rote activities shift my brain into neutral, it clears a space, leaving a void.  The universe despises voids. Voids require filling. That is when inspiration strikes and I am soon back at my keyboard, filling blank pages with another story.

What activities help you clear the way for your story?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The multiple ways a story can develop, form and become written words on the page, never ceases to amaze me. Sometimes I sit, and the writing is laborious. Each word is a struggle, sentences form with difficulty, thoughts are fragmented and jumbled. But I continue because there are often golden nuggets in those disjointed ramblings. They only require a sane mind to rearrange and augment.

Then there are halcyon writing sessions, where words flow like water, time slows, and pages are filled with a minimum of perceived time and even less effort. And we wish every writing session could be thus.

What tactics do you use on difficult writing days?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Doing a little math, you realize our buddy Stephen spent 320 hours writing his first draft. Those hours don’t include time spent editing, revising, sending to beta readers or any other tasks necessary to creating a novel ready for publication.

Let’s assume we will create a draft the same length as Stephen’s. Further, we will write the same words per hour as Stephen. However, we will write one hour per day. Using more fancy math skills, we find it will take 320 days to create our draft or about 10 and 1/2 months. Writing 10 minutes a day would take us over 5 years to complete the first draft. Numbers put things in a different perspective, don’t they?

Are you working enough to reach your goals?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Today is the 15th the half-way point for the month. How are your New Year Resolutions? You remember them, don’t you? Maybe you are a rock star, hitting your goals every day. Perhaps you aren’t doing well. Maybe you are like me, floating somewhere in the middle. The good news is, you can start goals or resolutions any time. You needn’t wait for a new year, or a new month. All it takes is a new day. Like today.

I am taking today to revisit the goals I set for the 2019. I know there is one I am hitting. Yeah. Another goal is limping along and needs a helping hand. Two others need serious attention and a breath of passion.

Can you find the passion in your goals today?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Anyone who tries to tell you writing isn’t work hasn’t attempted it. Creating ideas, characters, plot lines, outlines are demanding tasks. Writing about emotions is a visceral experience for me. When my characters bleed, I bleed. When they suffer depression or anger or frustration, the emotions live in me. I try to space emotionally packed scenes over the course of a few days, but often find I end up writing them in one sitting.

I like to think the intense emotions I feel as I write are magically imbued into the words and released when the reader experiences them for the first time.

How do you handle heavy emotions in your writing?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Doing what I want to do and what I really do, is often very different. It is easy to shut it down. Sleep. Veg in front of the tv. Listen to Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” or “Fell on Black Days” and sink into the darkness. Let dark hours become dark days that wash away cares and goals and opportunities.

Or I can call my black ninjas. Scrape together every ounce of creative energy, lift my mighty pen and write an unexpected exit out of the vortex. I can spew death and destruction on the forces standing in the way of my character’s arc and help him battle to the story’s climax.

Do the stories you write impact your mood?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer