Author Toolbox Blog Hop - Pandemic Fatigue

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Would you want to read a work of fiction about COVID-19? What about a different pandemic?

My answer is no, and from my very “scientific” research, I am not the only one who feels that way.

My very “scientific” research consisted of asking my friends and colleagues, both avid and casual readers, if they would be interested in reading a book about our current pandemic. I was sure one or two people would have loved the idea, but honestly, everyone said no. 

Why?

In the beginning of the lockdown, I noticed that a lot of people were watching movies like Contagion and Outbreak. My son reread The Maze Runner because it’s post pandemic and dystopian. But I think people are done with those types of things. It was fun in the beginning because we didn’t know just how much the dictator-in-chief would fuck up the national response. Most didn’t know that the clown we currently call “president” had thrown away the How to Survive a Pandemic guidebook that President Obama had successfully used left him. Most didn’t know that he fired the whole pandemic team at the CDC.

And because of that…

COVID-19 fatigue is real, very real. I work in a hospital as a pharmacy tech, and while I’m not a nurse or doctor treating C-19 + patients, I feel like I’m neck deep in the pandemic every day. While I care so deeply for every life touched by this horrible illness, I am also tired of it, and so are so many of my co-workers. Don’t get me wrong, we are not the crowd who are tired of it and refuse to wear masks or refuse to believe the science behind social distancing and basic hygiene. We are the people who get home from work and don’t want to talk about the positive cases anymore. Home has become the one place I can pretend the world is normal. And books are my escape because nothing is normal.

Pandemic fatigue is why everyone told me they wouldn’t read a work of fiction or even a memoir about COVID-19. I’m sure as time passes more people will be willing to read about these things again, especially if we writers find an interesting way to spin/twist it.

Let me know in the comments if you are wanting to write or read something pandemic related!!

To continue hopping through other great blogs in the monthly #AuthorToolboxBlogHop or to join, click here.

The Importance of Word Choice

Have you every read a short story or a book that felt off? The story itself was good but something just didn’t feel right. There is a good chance that it was poor word choice that was throwing you off.

The way I see it, one of the most important things a writer can focus on is word choice. Especially when it comes to dialog. Dialog can make or break a story. As a writer I need to know when to have a character say “hello” versus having a character say “hey.” I need to know the connotation behind words, particularly if I am writing a period piece or a story taking place in a certain country (if the story takes place in the US but a character had just moved there from London, it would be a smart choice to have the character use British slang versus having them use American slang.) 

Along with good word choice, I find that my favorite writers aren’t afraid to use “colorful” language. They use cuss words and content appropriate slang. It’s kind of sad that I feel the need to mention this, but Americans are extremely weird when it comes to language. The word “fuck” will have some of them up in arms and they will act like you’re obscene idiot for using the word, but they have no problem watching something extremely violent as long the language isn’t too filthy (PG-13 movies.) 

Why is using colorful language important to me? Because it makes your characters easier to relate to. Think about Fifty Shades of Grey, it’s hard for to me to take it seriously because of the language that the characters use, whether in dialog or their head. The main protagonist is 22 and calls her vagina “my sex.” She says “holy crap” and “double crap” way more than most adult women do. The only Latino in the books says “dios mios” almost every time he appears. (Basically, you should read Fifty Shades of Grey as “what not to do” example.) It’s all good to have a character who has a tagline, but to have them repeat the same words over and over feels cheap and lazy.

So, when you’re writing your next story or editing your current story, please look at your choice of words. Did you make sure the language made sense? Did you make productive choices? If a sentence doesn’t sound right, try changing a word or two and see if that helps.

I hope this helps you in your writing. Please let me know if you have any word choice tips or advice!

Next week’s blog will discuss getting a job that allows you to use your degree. I would like to give a shout out to my great friend, Lori, for the idea!

One Week to Go

Well, next week is the start of something amazing, National Novel Writing Month! So, to begin the count to it I thought I would share this year's writing playlist.

I am a firm believer that every book ever written has a soundtrack even if the author was conscious of it while writing it. That soundtrack could be rain hitting a window, the sound of their surroundings, or actual music. Music inspires me and really helps me set the tone of what I write. Try making a playlist for your story or let a playlist create itself by hitting shuffle on your choice of music player.

Well, here is my list (in no particular order), I hope it inspires you!

1. Arsonist's Lullaby by Hozier
2. Kansas City by The New Basement Tapes
3. Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't by Brand New
4. Wild Sun by The Strumbellas
5. This is Gospel by Panic! At the Disco
6. Talk Too Much by Coin
7. Critical Mistakes by 888
8. Bad, Bad, Bad by LANY
9. Battle of Who Could Care Less by Ben Folds Five
10. Do You Remember? by Jarryd James
11. Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran
12. Got You (Where I Want You) by the Flys
13. How Soon is Now? by the Smiths
14. I'll Catch You by the Get Up Kids
15. Life Itself by Glass Animals
16. Mess is Mine by Vance Joy
17. The Mother We Share by Chvrches
18. Settle Down by 1975
19. Vacancy by Socialburn
20. Ditmas by Mumford and Sons
21. Rainy Girl by Andrew MacMahon in the Wildness

Take a Break!

So,  you're staring at a blank screen, the prompts and visuals aren't working, no amount of advice is inspiring you, what should you do?

Take a break!

Sometimes your brain needs some time off. Go for a walk, play some Pokemon Go, listen to some music, watch your favorite show, read a book, or take a long nap. 

Whatever you do, make sure you take a notebook with you because you never know when an idea will hit and you will want to be able to write it down.

Also, don't feel bad for hitting a wall, it happens to all of us. Think about it, one day you might write 5,000 words or even 7,000, so taking a break, skipping a day, it will not ruin your chances of winning National Novel Writing Month. But, do try to start writing again as soon as possible, the longer you wait the easier it is to just quit.

Next week I will begin the count down to NaNoWriMo, good night and good luck!

Where Do I Begin?

Sometimes being told you can write about what ever you want makes it difficult to write about anything. So, here are some writing prompts to help you on your NaNoWriMo journey:

1. After accidentally killing the hero, you (or main protagonist) must embark on an adventure to complete his/her quest.
2. Write a story about a hitman for the supernatural. Why do the supernatural need a hitman? Well, sometimes ghosts need revenge before they can rest in peace.
3. Write about someone finding out that Earth is actually just an insane asylum for the Milky Way.
4. Every 100 years the seven deadly sins meet up for a tournament, the tournament determines which sin will plague the human race until the next tournament comes around.
5. Use the first line of your favorite nursery rhyme as the beginning a very dark narrative.
6. Write a story, that as it ends, the main protagonist realizes that they were the villain all along.
7. Write a story about a world where dreamcatchers have to be emptied of the nightmares they catch once a year. Who empties them and what does that person see?
8. Write a story that takes lace immediately after a tragedy, but never once mention the tragedy. Let your readers discover it themselves.
9. Write about a world in which heartbreak causes physical breaks and fissures to the earth's landscape, creating cracks in pavement and valleys. Write about the heartbreak that caused the Grand Canyon.
10. Every full moon an extra hour is added at midnight and only a few people get to experience it, write about the witching hour, what happens and who gets to live it.
11. Write a story the involves a countdown. Start with 10 and countdown to 1 or use time (10 hours until... 30 minutes until...)
12. One day you (the main protagonist) notices a new key on your keychain, you have no idea what it unlocks, but you are determined to find out.

I hope that these prompts help inspire you to write your story. Remember, the world needs your novel.

Tomorrow I will give you some visual prompts to further inspire you and help you with your NationalNovel Writing Month journey.

Countdown to NaNoWriMo

In about 25 days National Novel Writing Month will begin and I can't wait! For those who don't know what NaNoWriMo is, please, let me explain. NaNoWriMo takes place during November, from November 1st to the 30th you are to write with reckless abandon in order to reach 50,000 words. While there are technically no rules you shouldn't write the same word 50,000 times and it is recommended to start on a whole new story, but that isn't to say you couldn't start outlining a story in advance.

Throughout the month of October I will be blogging tips and tricks for prepping for and making it through November.

If you are interested in more information about National Novel Writing Month or would like to sign up to participate (it's free and there are some cool prizes for completing) please visit: http://nanowrimo.org.

Tomorrow I will be discussing why you should commit to 30 days of craziness even if you don't think you are a writer!

Let's Get Creative With It!

Sometimes new ideas seem very elusive and creativity seems to be on a vacation but that shouldn't stop you from writing.

Sometimes you just need a boost or kick in the butt!!

So, what can you do??

You could listen to music. I have a soundtrack to everything I write, whether it's a story or an academic paper, I have a set of songs that have inspired me somehow.

You could get away from the computer and write everything by hand. First off, it helps stop distractions (Candy Crush... Twitter...). Secondly, the feeling of physically writing and the smell of a new notebook will help boost your creativity.

You could daydream. I swear, some of my best ideas have came from daydreaming while folding laundry or doing dishes.

You could drink a little alcohol... now, don't go get wasted but being a little tipsy will loosen you up and will help you think outside the box.

You could lie down and maybe even nod off. Sometimes your brain just needs a break.

You could go outside. Fresh air and natural sunlight are great creativity boosters. Being in  natural setting helps to stimulate the imagination.

You could exercise and blow off some steam.  If you exercise your body, you are ultimately exercising your mind. Again, I get some pretty good ideas will on my run.

One thing I do to help boost my creativity down the line is I keep a notebook and I write down the random ideas I get as I get them. See, on a day where nothing is coming to me I look through my notebooks and inspiration typically hits!