Help for When Words Desert You by Wendy H. Jones


As the picture says Words can be a powerful thing. I use the capital of the word deliberately because this is particularly important when you are a writer. But I've come to realise lately that they can also be slippery little blighters. Especially when there is a deadline looming.

Who it comes to writing my novels I have no trouble finding the right words. or ideas. Ideas are mainly what I am talking about today, rather than words per se. Again ideas for my novels flow thick and fast and I find the words come along with them. If I should get any measure of writers block it is usually an idea I need. Once I brainstorm a few scenarios the words coming flooding back. Slippery creatures they may be but they don't stay hidden for long.

Lately, when it comes to ideas for anything shorter my words seem to get up and take a holiday. So I decided that my blog post today would give ideas for blog posts and short stories. The focus will be on ideas for writers as this blog is, after all, a blog made up of some fabulous writers. None of whom have any trouble with words flying out the window. Outstanding writers to a man and woman.

Nature - A look out of my window gives a stunning view of a stream and trees. I live on the edge of a city, and I mean edge. The other side of the trees is one house and then countryside. I often have a heron, ducks, pheasants in my garden and there are fish in the stream. It is beautiful. So how about a blog post about writing about nature? Or what the heron can teach you about writing? Or making any of the wildlife into a short story?

Travel - I live in Dundee, Scotland. It is a historic city with a lot going for it. How about a blog post about your city or any one of the tourist attractions within or around your city? Or a blog post on travel writing itself? Or a short story around one of the attractions itself? My novel, Killer's Crew, is set around the Discovery Ship in Dundee.

I'm sure you've got the gist by now so I'll list the rest of my ideas


  • a bus journey
  • a train journey
  • A trip to the hospital
  • Making a meal (I'm a crime writer so could have all sorts of fun with this one)
  • A bookshop (Romance, Crime, Fantasy or any genre you would like)
  • A family meal out
  • Any one of the people you meet day by day (A man in a wheelchair who's an international spy? I like that one)
I hope this helps you to write your own list or come up with ideas. Please feel free to expand the list and add to it in the comments below. 



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Wendy H. Jones is the author of the best selling DI Shona McKenzie Mystery series of crime novels set in Dundee. The Dagger's Curse, the first book in her Fergus and Flora, Young Adult Mystery series was released on 10th September, 2016. She also has one non fiction book, Power Packed Book Marketing: Sell More Books.

Comments

JO said…
An airport lounge - all those journeys, all those stories!
Wendy H. Jones said…
Nice one Jo. I like it.
Fran B said…
Sit in a cafe and observe people. Write descriptions of them; imagine back stories for them; create a dialogue between two of them; eavesdrop on conversations and note phrases and expressions. Write a short story using several of your 'new characters'.

OR visit an old graveyard and make notes of graves containing more than one person; imagine their lives when they were all alive
Wendy H. Jones said…
All Great ideas, Fran. I particularly love the one about the graveyards

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