A Break From Your Creative Genius

I am curious as to what you do when you take break from your writing to get it back on track. Or to those non-writers who need a break from other projects that they may be working on. I, personally, like to take walks or read a book that I've been meaning to read. Also I love to watch shows on Investigation Discovery for more book ideas.  Please share your stress releases.

Some Great Information for Writers

I know that as a writer I am required to be aware on how to use and spell words. Therefore, when I  came upon an article I found on Yahoo, I had to share. It is a really great article. I realize that it says for business writing, however, I do believe that it also applies to writers. As writers, we do not want to turn readers off to our books. Here's the site: https://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/the-32-words-that-used-incorrectly-can-make-you-look-bad-161319699.html. Please read and take stock. Enjoy!

Work, Work, Work

Yeah. I know that word: work. It seems that's all I do is work. I do work a full-time job during the day and my writing at night. So it seems that's all I do. However, no matter how much I work I believe that it'll pay off in the end. With that said, sometimes you have to take a break in between working your day (or night for some) and your writing. Taking a step back will help increase your creativity once you get back to your work-in-progress. Trust me, I know-especially having some very long and exhausting days as of late. Why don't you go to the gym, read that book you've been meaning to get to, take a walk and get some fresh air, or whatever may relax you? Personally, I need some time away from my books-especially when I've just completed one to be edited. I try to take a little, but not too much, time in between only so that I can really focus on the editing. Time away helps me to unwind and be more perceptive when I'm revising my newly written book. After all, I do need to be 100% attentive to my precious work of art. Remember, all work and no play makes Jack (or Jill, if you will) a dull boy (girl). If anyone would like to share what they do to unwind, please feel free.

A Busy Life

Well, I am super busy with my day job and working hard by night and weekends to promote my books and to write. It is a huge task, but it is also something I enjoy (the writing is my favorite part). I know that life gets in the way of accomplishing things that we intend to, but if you don't pursue your dreams, no one else will do it for you. I'm not just talking about writers, but everyone, like photographers, teachers, etc., etc. In the past, I have made every excuse in the book to not park my but in the chair in front of the computer. Yet it boils down to: do I really want this? If so, then why am I not forcing myself to try and stop giving up? Trust me, I get it, life is busy and keeps getting busier by the day, but it's a matter of making the time to do what you really want. Think of it as an escape from life for a little while. I'm not saying that I don't get distracted by things and tinker around so as not to write, because I do-still. I was taking care of my dying Grandmother for years, but somehow, I found the time to write. Was it difficult? Yes. It absolutely was. It was my only escape from reality for even just a few minutes. Did I feel like giving up at times-especially receiving all the rejection letters from publishers? Oh yeah. I did indeed. Thanks to a supportive network of friends and family and my own desires, I chose to push on. Life is hard. There are distractions surrounding us everyday. Take stock and put your butt in that chair in front of your computer and ignore the distractions. Once you do that, your story can only take flight one day, one word, one sentence at a time.

Some Interesting Information on Marketing

Here are a couple of links that I found interesting to read for some ideas for promoting your books:

http://www.theloneliestplanet.com/2014/01/building-writing-platform-my-results.html

http://www.theloneliestplanet.com/2014/02/one-writers-platform-part-2-events-and.html

Personally, I find that the more information I can find for marketing the better. I am a pretty shy person, but I am willing to try anything to get my name out there. There is so much information out there about marketing, but I am coming up with my own ideas as well as getting good information from other authors. I think it's a pretty amazing thing to connect with other writers via various social media sites. However, if you are a writer who likes people and want to be out there then I suggest, as someone suggested to me, going to art festivals and flea markets. You never know who you might meet. I'll be going to a flea market pretty soon to sell a few books and get my name out there. I will keep you posted.

Stuck on a Chapter

I hate being so close to finishing that last chapter of my books, but get stuck. It's like walking through something sticky (caramel, yum) and not being able to get out. However, when I do get out, the end result is worth it. Then comes the revisions, which is fun for me, but again I find myself in a struggle with myself to find the right words to add to or replace something I've already written. So it begins again and I am struggling to put the right words to paper. It is a lot of effort to create the "perfect book." That last chapter is, well, a stressful thing to do. Maybe its because I don't want to quite let go of writing the book or that I'm scared of what it might turn out to be. Or, on the other hand, the ideas running through my head for my next book are overtaking my brain and I'm trying to be cautious about what I put into the last chapter (where ideas for my next book are swarming) and I don't want to incorporate the two. Who knows for sure? All I can say is that I will be so glad to start the revisions. I'm looking forward to it.

First Time Blogging

Here I am on this site, beginning my first blog. Where do I start? Let's see. My name is Darla Lark and I am an author of 2 self-published books, which are for sale on amazon.com. Lucy's Suspicion's is a mystery and A Life Worth Living is a YA novel. I will have my third book available on amazon by the end of the year. Anyhow, I am a happily married woman with a dog and a cat. I love to read, spend time with my family and friends, and taking walks. Mostly, as far as what I love to do, I love to write. I find the creative process of writing a book to be fun and stimulating. It's my favorite thing to do. I also believe that it takes a special breed of person to be able to sit long enough to write a book.

My contact information is:

email: darlalarkauthor@yahoo.com

and/or

facebook.com/darlalarkauthor