Author: Sheila McIntrye Good, Author

When You Can’t Think of a New Idea

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 4 Comments

working handWhen you can’t think of a new idea, and it feels as if your mind is running up against a blank wall,what do you do?

It happens to writers no matter their skill or level. There are a zillion reasons why it happens, but sometimes it’s as simple as life overload. It can be very distressing and if you allow it, take the joy out of writing. However, there are easier ways to find new inspiration and reignite your writing.

1. Sometimes reviewing the basics help me remember things I’d forgotten. After looking back over notes and articles important points about character, settings, or plot are once again fresh in my mind, giving me new ideas. Every Writers Resource is currently offering free online writing courses beginning with the basics. The lessons are brief and the assignments get you back to writing in no time.

2. Utilize prompts.Your choice. It doesn’t have to be a link-up or complicated, just write. I like using Oneword, a 60 second prompt with no link-ups, but there are many other sites where you can share the prompt with other writer’s. 750words.com is another site which encourages you to write by  keeping count of the number of words each day. It is completely private and worth checking out.

3. Join a writer’s group. The support you receive from your peers will be invaluable. Whether it’s a group for instruction, writing prompts, guest speakers, or critiques, the support you receive from one another will make you a better and more informed writer.

So, find a way to inspire yourself. This is your chance to tell your story, one word at a time. Happy writing.

 

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Happy New Year!

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 4 Comments

Happy New Year 2013

It’s here, 2013, time to put away the old and begin anew. I want to thank each and every one of you who has taken a moment to stop by the Cow Pasture Chronicles, in 2012.  May you and your family have a prosperous, healthy and Happy New Year, and I hope you will make Cow Pasture Chronicles and Sheila’s Morning Pages a part of your 2013.

Happy new year

What Are Your New Year’s Resolutions?

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 1 Comment

English: New Year's Resolutions postcard

Christmas is behind us, my tree is down, and I am beginning to feel a tiny sense of routine returning, but we still have two more day’s before all the New Year‘s festivities are over, so I won’t get my hopes too high. In the meantime, I’ll continue to debate the issue of making New Year’s resolutions for 2013. I didn’t do well with  the ones I made for 2012. It wasn’t for lack of trying, but then, isn’t that the excuse everyone uses.

Looking back over the year, I was surprised to find, in spite of all the disruptions, I’d managed to keep half of the resolutions I made in 2012. Okay, half might be stretching it. Maybe I didn’t keep half, but more than I expected. I started a new blog page, Sheila’s Morning Pages, was elected President of my writer‘s group, and kept at least one of my daily prompts (most days). In addition, one of the short stories I submitted made it to the top 40 as a finalists in the WOW, Women on Writing, Summer 2012 Flash Fiction Contest. So, 2012 wasn’t a complete washout.

Nevertheless, I’d be lying if I didn’t say this past year has been challenging for me, personally. Life definitely got in the way, as it often does. I’m a planner by nature and this year was a frustrating year for me as a writer. If  I learned anything, during this time, it was this: you can’t plan life; you have to go where it takes you.

To quote John Steinbeck, “… the best laid plans… often go awry.”

That’s not to say this diehard planner won’t make a few plans or set a few goals for 2013. But New Year Resolutions…. I don’t know. I think I’ll leave those for the hard-line resolver’s, like you, perhaps, and stick to simpler, short-term goals, more suited to my hectic and unpredictable life.

Like, “Today, I will….”

What about you? What are your New Year Writing Resolutions? Leave a comment, I’d loved to know, and please have a Happy and safe New Year’s.

“Life is what happens while you are making other plans.” John Lennon

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Intuition

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

I can’t believe Christmas is here. The week has flown by with last-minute preparations for family, and as the year winds down, I’m contemplating the direction I want my writing to go for next year.  As, of now, I’m now sure which direction I plan to go, but I’ll share more later. In the meantime, I along with the rest of you will be taking a few days off to be with family and friends to enjoy this sacred holiday.

But, before I go, I’d like to pass on a great article, I read this week, The Moo of Intuition.

The article was written by one of my friends Nan Lundeen, author of The Pantyhose Declarations. Nan teaches The Moo of Writing Workshop, and you can find her columns in Female First.

This week she wrote about listening to your intuition,  and the role it plays in our creativity. For me, listening to intuition goes hand in hand with authenticity, especially in writing, staying in tuned to both is the key. I highly recommend Nan’s article.

You can find her book, The Pantyhose Declarations  at Amazon, and it’s on sale now for those of you who may still be looking for last-minute gifts.

Merry Christmas and God Bless

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