So I have this awesome idea for curing writers block, but first, can I be super honest? I don’t really suffer from writer’s block, but hey, I’m not normal. Yet with that aside, what helps me most is the way I formulate an idea.

Sometimes I focus on an abstract concept such as lost love. And I’ll ask myself, how can I show this beautiful idea? From that question grows a story. Other times, I hone in on one specific aspect of writing, either character or setting. Then I create conflict. Always starting small and growing from there, I immediately know what I want to say. Everything else just falls into place. If a certain story element takes away from the central message of what I want to communicate, I throw the element out. That is an important skill, believe me. Hardly anyone’s trying to print 400 page books for new authors. Even for self-published authors, it’s hard to keep readers interested over a large book.

Okay, great advice and cute quote from Eistein, but sometimes character, setting, ideas won’t come. Then what? Well, it’s always okay to just steal from the news.

And that is why over this year I am going to be grabbing interesting material from talk shows, headlines, television, whatever and creating a little database of inspiration.

So connect with me, laugh with me, comment. Together we will create great stories.