ukmeetWell, I had a brilliant Saturday. I got up at 5am (ok, that wasn’t so brilliant) and got the train down to Milton Keynes. Lucy Felthouse and her Baker extraordinaire other half picked me up and we arrived at the Holiday Inn Express with plenty of time to spare…about 2 hours, actually!

It was brilliant to see so many people there, I think I could approximate that there were 40 or more authors/readers/publishers in that room and it led to a lot of interesting (and occasionally naughty!) conversation. We started with introductions and a few general questions then we all fell upon the mountains of food the ever generous folks had brought with them.

After lunch we had the panels, Total-E-Bound told us all about the advantages of eBook publishing and of being published with them (Well, I knew all those already!) We had Historicals explained by 3 knowledgeable individuals and found out some great tips for social marketing too. The last 2 panels were dropped but everything else went pretty much to plan!

It was all over far to soon and I was whizzing back up to the north West on one of those tippy trains virgin now have, it’s like being on a rollercoaster sometimes I can tell you! What will always stick with me about the day is the genuine loveliness of all the ladies and gents in that room. I think I could have happily spent the day just going round and chatting to folks!

Anyway, I did a little presentation on Beating Writers Block so I’m going to let you in on all the secrets I shared! I’m afraid you won’t get the full impact of the wonderful visual aids I had at the meet but I’ll try my best to make up for that with wit and photos stolen from the interwebs.

Take a Break

Go for a walk / Get fresh air / Think it out. Just get away from the computer for a bit and let the characters talk to you!

Different Style

Write long hand, Try a different medium. This can also symbolise just keep writing!

Exercise

Exercise! The blood pumps to your brain faster and you can think clearer. Regular exercise has been proved to improve brain power. I got some really interesting suggestions of what kind of exercises you could do with this rope…. ;)

Eat Something!

Eat! Sometimes we forget and eventually we run OUT OF energy. Break for food when you need it. I did emphasise I mean real food here, not just the *enter snack of choice here* you have by the side of your computer with you at all times!

Skip a Scene

Start at a different place. Skip the scene that’s blocking you and write something more exciting and enjoyable. *nudge, nudge, wink, wink*

Keep Pushing On

Write one sentence at a time. Just keep pushing on. Okay, it might not be your best writing BUT you can go back and edit. You’re just ‘breaking through’ your block.

Time Yourself

Time yourself. Give yourself 20 mins to write, having a time limit often helps.

Write with Friends

Write with your pals! Organise a group of people and write online together or even meet in the real world (now there’s a novel idea) at a library/cafe. When your time is up share your word counts! This is good for the more competitive writers among us!

Treat Yourself

Treat yourself.Set yourself targets and rewards for reaching it. A chocolate bar for reaching 1000 words, an hour watching your favourite telly show for finishing a chapter etc.

Relax!!!

Relax. Step back from the writing and chill out for a bit!

Something New?

Start something new or write something completely different even if it’s only a quick flash fic piece. A change can be as good as a rest so they say!

These were the ideas I came up with but the room of clever authors and readers came up with many many more, so if any of you clever folks want to share your hints and tips here please add them in the comments!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my recollection and my sort of presentation. You should all plan to come to the bigger, the better, the much more awesomer (hopefully there will be a panel on grammar I can attend) UK GLBT Meet next year!