Yes. Unfortunately the struggles of writing a book don’t end once you have a publishing deal. All writers struggle with the writing at times, and the process of writing a book is often different book to book.
I am reminded, of an Alice Sebold quote that means a great deal to me: “You save yourself or you remain unsaved.” While the quote’s context was much different than writing, I believe that it can be applied to almost any emotional/internal struggle.
As an agent I can give client’s advice, offer to brainstorm with them, fly out and visit and make them sit in a chair and yell at them to write (okay maybe not that last one). But I can’t get into their heads. They have to climb up and overcome those hurdles largely on their own (with a supportive New Leaf team to cheer them on or send them Elizabeth Banks gifs, Taylor Swift songs, or wereferret jokes etc).
My best suggestion is to shake up your routine. If you usually write at home, go to the library or a coffee shop, set up a writing date with friends. Take a walk and listen to music that could inspire you, try pandora or a spotify playlist of songs you’ve never heard before. Go for a run, play paintball, go kayaking, hike a mountain, do something that’s out of your everyday routine that will give you time with your thoughts. Talk through your story with a friend or relative who is a good listener.
OR: Go backwards–how do you want the story to end? What should the climax be, what are the obstacles your characters should face in order to grow into the most satisfying emotional ending? If you’re usually a pantster, write an outline (even plot out the beats using the Blake Snyder beat sheet), then turn that outline into a bunch of little chapter outlines for EACH chapter. Then write a draft of the next chapter and who cares if it is the biggest pile of garbage to ever come out of your head, it’s a draft.
And, most importantly, get rid of self-doubt and any negative thinking.
That may sound silly, but for another analogy: I have trouble sleeping. I have my whole life. And if I lay down and think “ugh I’m never going to fall asleep” guess what? I won’t. I’ll lie in bed and stress out about all the things I need to do tomorrow and why I need to get a good night’s sleep and I will be awake forever. In fact every time I fall into that trap, I get up and do something else–yoga, emails, candy crush, etc. Then I try again with a new mind set.
So make a promise with yourself. Your writing time is a safe space. There is absolutely no pressure to churn out a masterpiece in a certain amount of time. You are a writer because you love to write. And any time you start stressing, pause. Stop writing, get up and do something else for 10-20 minutes, and then come back with a new mindset because sometimes those garbage first drafts are actually pretty darn later when you go back and read them. And sometimes they’re exactly what you meed in order to revise a manuscript into submission.
okay this is so late and probably not relevant and also the worst tutorial ever but
I super recommend checking out skinned rabbits if that doesn’t bother you, their musclestructure is beautiful and it helps show exactly how much power is hidden in all that cute fluffiness!
Me, trying to open up to my friends: I feel sad
Them: aw 🙁
Me: okay I’m never doing that again
Every artist who sees this post should do the following:
– Watch the video.
– Follow the instructions
– Reblog
I can’t stress you enough about how important these exercises are for your drawing hand. You don’t wanna get CTS of Tendonitis and similar stuff that will prevent you from making art or even hold a pencil.
Okay, this guy is my HERO. I just did these exercises as I watched the video, and already my arms and hands feel better. I have a degenerative tendon disease that prevents my muscles, tendons and ligaments from retaining their elasticity, and so anything that maintains the health of my bendy parts is important.
I URGE YOU. Even if you don’t draw, do these several times a day. Even just sitting at a computer can do serious damage. My dad, who was a rugby player, a carpenter, and now a handyman, suffered from severe carpal tunnel syndrome, simply as a result of sitting at the computer at the end of the day to play a little solitaire. Don’t let it happen to you!
Wow, these are REALLY helpful. And yes, this is not just good but IMPORTANT for more than artists — if you type a lot, play a lot of video games, do anything that requires lots of repetitive movements of your hands, wrists, and arms (gardening, sewing, factory work), these can help. Even if you don’t yet get pain these are a great preventative measure, because the damage builds up over time. Youth is no protection.
And like he says, you should feel a stretch, but don’t push it too far!
Signal boosting. Guys, I just did this and holy cow do I feel incredibly light and limber in my arms. Again, even if you don’t have any sort of disease, do this as a preventative measure.
I have pretty f’d up tendinitis and this felt awesome.
Found this a while ago! Glad to see it on my feed.
I don’t wear a wrist brace anymore thanks to this video!
Reblogging this here on the main tumblr account because it’s really important. I have tendinitis in my drawing arm, and I have to be careful not to overdo it or the flareups prevent me from drawing for days/weeks/months.
Once you have a flareup, all you can really do is REST. Better to strengthen the muscles/tendons and take care of your arm BEFORE THAT HAPPENS.
Every artist who sees this post should do the following:
– Watch the video.
– Follow the instructions
– Reblog
I can’t stress you enough about how important these exercises are for your drawing hand. You don’t wanna get CTS of Tendonitis and similar stuff that will prevent you from making art or even hold a pencil.
Okay, this guy is my HERO. I just did these exercises as I watched the video, and already my arms and hands feel better. I have a degenerative tendon disease that prevents my muscles, tendons and ligaments from retaining their elasticity, and so anything that maintains the health of my bendy parts is important.
I URGE YOU. Even if you don’t draw, do these several times a day. Even just sitting at a computer can do serious damage. My dad, who was a rugby player, a carpenter, and now a handyman, suffered from severe carpal tunnel syndrome, simply as a result of sitting at the computer at the end of the day to play a little solitaire. Don’t let it happen to you!
Wow, these are REALLY helpful. And yes, this is not just good but IMPORTANT for more than artists — if you type a lot, play a lot of video games, do anything that requires lots of repetitive movements of your hands, wrists, and arms (gardening, sewing, factory work), these can help. Even if you don’t yet get pain these are a great preventative measure, because the damage builds up over time. Youth is no protection.
And like he says, you should feel a stretch, but don’t push it too far!
Signal boosting. Guys, I just did this and holy cow do I feel incredibly light and limber in my arms. Again, even if you don’t have any sort of disease, do this as a preventative measure.
I have pretty f’d up tendinitis and this felt awesome.
Found this a while ago! Glad to see it on my feed.
I don’t wear a wrist brace anymore thanks to this video!
Reblogging this here on the main tumblr account because it’s really important. I have tendinitis in my drawing arm, and I have to be careful not to overdo it or the flareups prevent me from drawing for days/weeks/months.
Once you have a flareup, all you can really do is REST. Better to strengthen the muscles/tendons and take care of your arm BEFORE THAT HAPPENS.
You might be surprised to learn there are a lot of different species of raven and crow! The taxonomic difference between a raven and a crow (that is, whether a species gets named of or the other) is size and lifespan rather than genetic grouping. When comparing the species most of us are most familiar with – the American crow (C. brachyrhyncos) and common raven (C. corax), which will be the two I’m focusing on here – you can’t exactly tell the bird’s age most of the time, so if you have other animals or objects to compare the bird to, size is often the first clue.
The common raven is is massive for a passerine. It’s the size of a red-tailed a hawk, with a wingspan over four feet. Crows, on the other hand, are typically about the size of an African grey parrot. Compare someone holding a crow vs someone holding a raven:
And lemme tell ya, it’s one thing to READ about how big they are, but it’s another to SEE it.
If you see a corvid in flight and can’t get a bead on its proportions, the shape of the tail and flight feathers is another good identifier. A crow’s tail is triangular or fan-shaped, while a raven’s is wedge-shaped (ie the middle tail feathers are longest). Both have well-defined primaries, but a raven’s are much deeper and tend to spread wider. Ravens tend to soar a lot, too; crows are consistent flappers.
Finally, if you can get a good look at the head, the differences are pretty obvious. A raven has a beak that hooks at the end and is as long as its head (or in the case of a Chihuahuan raven, longer than!) while a crow’s beak is straighter, shorter, and lighter-looking in general. Both have nasal bristles, but the shape these bristles form is different due to beak size (a raven’s often looks squared off). Crows are kinda shiny and a bit fluffy; ravens are iridescent and have a very distinctive “beard” of shaggy feathers at their throats which bristles up like hackles when they call.
Finally, their voices are a bit different – a crow’s flat, high caw vs a raven’s deep, resonating kronk – but both species have a very wide range of natural vocalisations and are accomplished mimics. [This video] has some great examples of the caw vs kronk sounds.