Happy Friday the 13th! I’m finally back and I couldn’t think of a better date to start this blog back up. As most of you have probably noticed, I’ve taken quite the lengthy hiatus from my website. The good news is that during my lengthy break, I’ve been busy working my ass off on this series and its spinoff. The first five books in The Witches of Luna Cove series have been determined and two drafts have been completed, while others are in various stages.

I’ve accomplished a lot over the past year, which I’m proud of, but it took quite awhile to get here. And the truth is, I’m far from done. What many people don’t realize is that there’s more to writing than just cranking out a draft and publishing it. There’s a lot of work that goes into crafting a story, or in my case, a series of stories. It’s planning, plotting, brainstorming, outlining, researching, world building, creating realistic characters, drafting, editing, rewriting, revising and more. Some of these steps require multiple rounds of repetition. I’ll be touching on these in the future. Today, I want to kick this off by talking about what motivates me and inspires me to write.

Necessities

Comfort. Most people assume that writers are introverts that sit in front of a computer all day, drinking coffee in their pajamas, while typing their stories. This is partially true for me. I don’t always wear pj’s, but I do wear comfy clothes while I work. Comfort is a necessity to me. If I’m not comfortable, the only thing I’m thinking about is how uncomfortable I am, which means that nothing gets done. Comfy clothes and a comfy space are a must in order for me to get some writing done.

Beverages. Coffee is a must when I’m getting my day started, but it’s not a must when I write. However, I always need to have a drink nearby when I’m working. Whether it’s tea, coffee, water, soda, or wine, I have to have it. Once I get in my zone, I like to stay that way, even if it means my drink never gets touched. Yeah, I’m kind of weird like that.

Privacy. I’m not one of those people that can go into a coffee shop or other public space filled with people and write. There are too many distractions and too much noise. The last thing I want to do while working on my story, is listen to other people’s conversations.  I need to work from the privacy of my home, preferably in my office with the door closed. This is one of the reasons that I work late at night. It’s quiet, peaceful, and most people are asleep, which means I get the privacy I need to work on my stories with minimal interruptions and distractions.

Inspiration

Music. Anyone who knows me, knows I love music. Music is a major source of inspiration, especially when I’m feeling stuck or I need to capture the mood of a scene. I have playlists for each of my books and most big scenes, even some of the smaller ones. I don’t need music to write, but it does help get the inspiration faucet flowing and keep it flowing. It also helps with the dreaded writer’s block.

Images and aesthetics. Those that follow me on Twitter or IG have probably seen some of my aesthetic boards floating around. I love making aesthetics, they’re a major source of inspiration for me, especially on days when I’m feeling stuck. When I’m struggling, I’ll pull up an aesthetic or some saved images that compliment the scene to help get things moving. Aesthetics, along with some music, usually get me through. If that doesn’t work, I’ll work on something else, read a previous scene, or take a break. One of these methods always helps me push past any mental wall.

My Typical Writing Day

I don’t want to bore you with all the mundane details of my typical writing day. The last thing I want to do is put everyone to sleep. My life is not that exciting. I doubt I need to say that I shower, dress, and groom myself every day, but I’m saying it anyway. I like to take care of myself and prep myself for my job minus the rigid clothing.

My typical day starts off with a cup of coffee, a bite to eat, and my journal. I usually free write in my journal about whatever comes to my mind. Sometimes, it’s about my stories or characters, other times it’s about my personal struggles, accomplishments, or goals. Whatever  is on my mind, I release it by writing it down. If I don’t let out whatever’s eating at me, it just builds and festers until I finally explode. It’s not healthy and it’s not fun. Writing these things down, helps me cope and helps me get them off my chest in a healthier way, which allows me to move on with my day.

After I’ve finished journaling and gotten my caffeine kick, I check my email and social media. I usually hop onto social media a few times a day, participate in a couple of hashtag games, chat, and then hop off. I try not to linger for too long, because once I get sucked into the social media black hole, it’s hard to get out. And then my writing and blog end up suffering as most of you have noticed. So, I decided to cut back my time, stop talking about writing, and actually do some writing. The small change has worked wonders and is part of the reason that I’m back on track with my blogs.

The rest of my day consists of running errands, tackling my to-do list, and spending some time with my family. Around 10pm or so is when I get to work. Sometimes, my night only consists of writing and drafting. Most of the time it volleys between research, planning, world building, character interviews, writing, and more. As I’ve said, there’s a lot more that goes into making a series of stories than just writing them.

Now, I do want to say this, if a scene does play out in my head at random times of the day, which it often does, I do break from routine and write it down. If I’m lucky, I’m at home and can type it up on my computer. Other times, I use my Word App, notebook, or whatever’s available at that moment. I don’t always have time to write a full a scene out with all the juicy details, especially if I’m out and about. I’ll write out the basics and jot down any important notes that I need to flesh out the scene at a later time. I call these my scene sketches. My scene sketches are the bones or a tree without any leaves. As long as the basics are there along with my notes, I can fill in the rest later. I’ll talk more about this in a later post.

I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek into my writing life and into my writer’s brain. I’ll be updating this blog bi-weekly on Fridays. Next up, I’ll be talking about my favorite topic and one that I’m always asked about: characters. Stay tuned and I’ll see you all in two weeks.

Cheers,

Amelia