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Neil Ostroff's Blog – March 2013 Archive (5)

Sleep well manuscript

It finally happened. I reached the end of my creative juices on my latest novel. At 25,000 words in, I’ve had enough. The book started well enough. I had a great idea and I feverishly wrote the first draft in under three weeks. I let it sit for a few days while I visited the Jersey Shore and then pulled it back onto the screen anxious and excited to begin the revision process. And then thunk!

 

Plagued by writer’s block for the last two weeks, I’ve been spending my morning…

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Added by Neil Ostroff on March 24, 2013 at 2:30pm — No Comments

The sacrifice

Spring is here and once again the oncoming nice weather will test my resolve to finish my latest novel. I find it especially difficult to keep focus when it’s a beautiful, sunny seventy-degree day outside. But as an artist I must ignore the temptation to enjoy the outside. When I am working on a first draft (as I’m doing now) I find that I can only concentrate on creating original material when I’m sitting at my desk. Something about that particular space and mindset unlocks my…

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Added by Neil Ostroff on March 21, 2013 at 12:11pm — No Comments

Taking pause

As a prolific writer, I find it hard to take even one day off of working on my craft. In my mind, a day spent not writing is an unfinished day, as if I’d skipped exercising or went to bed without having dinner. But every now and then the unpredictability of life pops in and you have to take time to pause.

 

This happened to me recently as a family member was suddenly admitted to the hospital. After a long, unproductive week of experiencing torturous writer’s block, I had…

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Added by Neil Ostroff on March 15, 2013 at 12:01pm — No Comments

The virtual bookshelf

There is a riding wave of enthusiasm and excitement among indie authors that finally, after centuries of struggle, we can now put our books out there on the virtual bookshelf for the world to see and for all eternity. What an incredible concept that a hundred years from now someone might happen upon one of my books and my characters would rise from the ashes of time and thrill a new reader. Or is it?

 

What is the likelihood that a future individual will happen upon one of my…

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Added by Neil Ostroff on March 8, 2013 at 1:40pm — No Comments

Breaking Writer’s Block

I woke up this morning momentarily gripped by a fear and uncertainty that has plagued me as of recent. Would today be like yesterday and the day before and the day before? Would I spend the next fifteen hours walking around my office in a daze trying to rip free of this chain of boredom? Would today be the day I finally break this horrible bout of writer’s block?

 

For twenty-five plus years, I’ve woken each morning with my head crammed full of ideas. Imaginary characters start…

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Added by Neil Ostroff on March 4, 2013 at 5:00pm — No Comments

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