tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post4842309598904877447..comments2024-03-25T03:14:46.787-04:00Comments on Across the Board: Getting Your Writing Mojo BackStephen Kozeniewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185600045044927669noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-17595281437448026692015-06-09T11:18:52.787-04:002015-06-09T11:18:52.787-04:00If you hurry the heck out of that one you might be...If you hurry the heck out of that one you might be able to get it in to <a href="http://www.tor.com/submissions-guidelines/#Novella%20Submissions%20Guidelines" rel="nofollow">Tor</a> before their novella submissions close July 1!Stephen Kozeniewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185600045044927669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-24643917784569585002015-06-09T09:13:00.281-04:002015-06-09T09:13:00.281-04:00Thanks, Mary! Patience is a virtue, as they say. I...Thanks, Mary! Patience is a virtue, as they say. I wish I could say I never envy other writers' successes, but it's a natural human emotion, am I right? Anyway, congrats on all your successes (he says with no jealousy whatsoever;), and many more to come! Jonathan Schrammhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13790604374800284914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-79750307090662260022015-06-09T09:05:05.622-04:002015-06-09T09:05:05.622-04:00Thank you, sir. Hopefully things will simmer down ...Thank you, sir. Hopefully things will simmer down soon. In other news, I actually did end up doing some outlining last night. I'm trying to turn one of my old short stories into a novel/novella. It's about a crazed New Jersey bus driver who snaps and tries to kill all of his passengers. I may be consulting you soon for your horror expertise. Stay tuned!Jonathan Schrammhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13790604374800284914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-34321805941715938052015-06-08T23:41:24.817-04:002015-06-08T23:41:24.817-04:00Great post! Especially about being patient... '...Great post! Especially about being patient... 'Tis the hardest part!Mary Fanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11280462566854191985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-37328884569718736272015-06-08T22:08:49.981-04:002015-06-08T22:08:49.981-04:00Great post, Jonathan! I couldn't imagine bein...Great post, Jonathan! I couldn't imagine being a dad and dealing with all this business. Mad props to you, fella!Stephen Kozeniewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185600045044927669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-69314081583757947862015-06-08T22:07:41.251-04:002015-06-08T22:07:41.251-04:00Howdy, stranger! Congrats on your big news, Beth!...Howdy, stranger! Congrats on your big news, Beth!Stephen Kozeniewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185600045044927669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-5492596338423179002015-06-08T20:22:32.250-04:002015-06-08T20:22:32.250-04:00Thanks for the kind words, Brrenda! You're rig...Thanks for the kind words, Brrenda! You're right. After all the things you list, I'm pretty darn tuckered out. I used to do my writing from 8pm to however long it took me to get to 1,000 words. Now when 8:00pm hits, it's all I can do not to topple over. Perhaps I haven't lost my mojo after all. I will definitely check out the book you recommend. A prompt might just be what I need to get the creative juices flowing again. Thanks!Jonathan Schrammhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13790604374800284914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-40279702946471480362015-06-08T17:33:23.830-04:002015-06-08T17:33:23.830-04:00Day job, tiny human, presumably wanting to spend t...Day job, tiny human, presumably wanting to spend time with your wife, eating, sleeping...sometimes it's not losing your mojo, it's life forcing you to re-prioritize for a little while. Which doesn't mean quitting or setting aside your dreams, but giving yourself permission to take a time out. I always find that forcing myself to write when I'm not in the mood doesn't work for me and that's when I work on other things -- promo, networking, even reading counts. And if I'm desperate to get back to it and it's still not happening, I dig into Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones and pick a random prompt to respond to, just to get the creativity flowing again. <br /><br />Congratulations on your little one. When I had my son, now 10, people always said the days last forever, but the years fly by and I finally understand what they mean. Brenda St John Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01995664320021950254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-50052336747799135812015-06-08T16:25:54.522-04:002015-06-08T16:25:54.522-04:00Very good to know! Thanks!Very good to know! Thanks!Jonathan Schrammhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13790604374800284914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-37141863783338079592015-06-08T16:11:01.682-04:002015-06-08T16:11:01.682-04:00Very good point! I guess I can't really compar...Very good point! I guess I can't really compare writing with a young child vs. older since my daughter was 7 when I started. I will say that even now I don't find much time when she's home since my focus is to spend time with her, but she is in lots of activities and so that's when I can get in that extra writing time! I have no doubt you'll figure out something that works for you!Carrie Beckorthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04324065022504846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-79052656877757272162015-06-08T14:04:41.335-04:002015-06-08T14:04:41.335-04:00Thanks for sharing your POV, Carrie! Unfortunately...Thanks for sharing your POV, Carrie! Unfortunately, I can't just "knock out" my little distraction (lol!). I do think/have heard that when the kids grow up a little bit, the writing gets a little easier and time a little more plentiful. Maybe I just need to let that happen before I declare that I've totally lost my mojo?!Jonathan Schrammhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13790604374800284914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-29925831941864408582015-06-08T13:34:22.088-04:002015-06-08T13:34:22.088-04:00Great post, Jonathan! I think you have a solid pla...Great post, Jonathan! I think you have a solid plan in place. Although I've never looked at it as losing my mojo, since I published Shattered Angel I haven't been able to get into the grove of my next novel. I realised that part of it was because I needed to let the emotions of writing Angel's story play out. Now I'm focused on getting the three biggest distractions out of the way - (1) I had a short story clogging up my brain. I've never written a short story, and I have no idea what I'll do with it, but I wrote it. (2) Getting my newsletter up and going. (3) Revamping my Pinterest account to focus on my author/book stuff. I already feel some 'mojo' coming back after getting #1 done, and really hope completing #2 and #3 will bring it back completely! I guess I've learned that if I have a distraction that's holding me back, then I need to just focus on that and knock it out.Carrie Beckorthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04324065022504846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-74104764974616004372015-06-08T11:24:13.278-04:002015-06-08T11:24:13.278-04:00Beth, you rock! I thought we needed some kind of a...Beth, you rock! I thought we needed some kind of announcement about your big news over here, so I figured I'd slip it into my post:) Congrats again! And thanks for the support-- I've always heard that your first novel always goes in a drawer somewhere, but never wanted to believe it (still don't, really:). But maybe I just need to explore the waters to know what I've got, you know? Or perhaps this trip is coming at the exact right time... At least I'm not giving up altogether, right? Could never see myself doing that... Thanks for the props on the baby. He's pretty darn adorable if I do say so myself. Jonathan Schrammhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13790604374800284914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-52679642109755840592015-06-08T10:58:19.393-04:002015-06-08T10:58:19.393-04:00you're the best, Jonathan!! thank you! I can&#...you're the best, Jonathan!! thank you! I can't tell you how many times I've been through this. The book I was working on in the fall was all wrong and I spent a good month or so trying to make it work. The problem was, it was too similar to my book on sub (now sold) and I needed to do something totally different. Now the book I'm working on now is flowing so much better. I think the trip and seeing a setting for your MS will completely help :) also your son is adorable!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07181207761130079393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-74979478429631470472015-06-08T10:51:48.817-04:002015-06-08T10:51:48.817-04:00Thanks, Kimberly! I'm semi-dreading being in t...Thanks, Kimberly! I'm semi-dreading being in the car for that long with a car-seat hating 5-month old, but I'm really looking forward to the time off from the soul sucking day job and the relaxation it "should" bring. Jonathan Schrammhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13790604374800284914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1020653850161663700.post-74128634843488045772015-06-08T10:37:59.475-04:002015-06-08T10:37:59.475-04:00I concur on taking a trip. I took a trip to Key We...I concur on taking a trip. I took a trip to Key West when my oldest was 18 months old and I got inspiration for the project I'm working on now. My next trip is aboard a Disney Cruise. Thinking a new mystery series where Goofy is the villain. Kimberly G. Giarratanohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03983330164849240374noreply@blogger.com