Jump Start Your Creativity vs Waiting – by Debbie Nance
Do you have a hard time waiting?
I do.
And it seems like I’m always waiting for something.
Waiting for health test results.
Waiting for responses from submissions.
Waiting for a phone call, inspiration to strike, or more energy.
My grandpa used to say he was waiting for his ship to come in and then we’d all be rich. When I was young, I thought he was serious. I dreamed about an actual ship with tall white sails, though I wasn’t sure how my grandpa owned a ship like that or where it would dock in our little town. Grandpa’s ship never did come in, but he never seemed to mind. He and Grandma were happy together with what they had.
My mom used to say doing something, even if it was wrong, was better than doing nothing. You might guess she is a real go getter—still.
So what is your MC waiting for?
Think about a problem area of your book. Can you speed up the scene by having your MC do something instead of waiting for something to happen to him/her?
Making a character active rather than passive will surely strengthen your book. Give it a try now. Don’t wait.
Give your character a task or chore or a mission that must be done. Have him or her do something even if it’s wrong, and see if it will jump start your creativity.
P.S. WIFYR is coming in less than 40 days. If you haven’t signed up for a class, now is the time to act. Go to http://www.wifyr.com/ and check out all of the options for this year. It will be a great conference that you won’t want to miss!
Throwing Up Words 