tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post7406687873122896052..comments2024-03-29T05:53:38.691-04:00Comments on Writers Who Kill: Keeping Your Passion High Through Your Project by Ronnie AllenJim Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-82066297746310058972015-08-29T15:22:43.630-04:002015-08-29T15:22:43.630-04:00Hi Gloria! I know about liking your antagonists to...Hi Gloria! I know about liking your antagonists too much. But that works bc creating a sympathetic antagonist is what makes the character real. We want them to have depth and a solid reason to understand why they killed. I believe that three dimensional portrayal is what keeps the reader turning pages, as one thing. In my first novel my killer was so non compassionately violent, the readers still love her but I had to kill her in the end. In my second novel, coming out this winter, I created a killer that I know for sure my readers won't want me to kill her and I don't. A library with awesome books around you is great to stimulate creativity. One just has to look inside themselves to find what works. Ronnie Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11309877737679445065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-86273239436465586512015-08-29T14:18:19.085-04:002015-08-29T14:18:19.085-04:00Ronnie, I never have writer's block. Sometimes...Ronnie, I never have writer's block. Sometimes I need to work through a problem, but it's not because I have writer's block so much as maybe turning things around a little like the time I started out knowing my murderer and then decided I liked him too much to make him a killer and had to settle on someone else. You have some good ideas I'll consider if I ever do get writer's block.<br /><br />As for me, I write best in my library. However I do walk almost every morning in the woods with my collie - weather permitting, of course. And I spend time in my gardens in the season weeding or planting, too. Walking in the woods or working in my gardens helps my muse. As for the Appalachian Trail, Grace mentioned, a sister and I started hiking sections of it in the Shenandoah area when I was sixty and she was 7 years younger. We took three of her teenagers on that first trip. We spent 4 or 5 days hiking sections of it over the years, and it was a great experience. We did other trails, too. Almost all my vacations over the years have been camping vacations in forests. I feel a special bond with trees.<br /> Gloria Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581719606924364447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-90783831913180772482015-08-29T13:45:00.177-04:002015-08-29T13:45:00.177-04:00Yes Kara, being around fish is very calming. You&#...Yes Kara, being around fish is very calming. You're on target with the amethyst especially if you want to increase psychic awareness so that your writing will feel as if you're channeling it through your characters. It's wonderful to get in deep POV. Ronnie Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11309877737679445065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-8740260373630694922015-08-29T13:23:48.859-04:002015-08-29T13:23:48.859-04:00Thank you for the good ideas, Ronnie. I like to br...Thank you for the good ideas, Ronnie. I like to bring nature inside especially during the winter months. I have a fish tank/fountain in my writing area, an amethyst paperweight (not sure if that stone is helpful to writers) on my desk, and sometimes flowers in a vase. Kara Cerisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16484336785514235707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-41722734582702685802015-08-29T11:30:56.875-04:002015-08-29T11:30:56.875-04:00Absolutely, Grace. The tree and grass faeries are ...Absolutely, Grace. The tree and grass faeries are on our side. The universe has a wonderful way of giving us the clarity and focus we need. Being out in the sun invigorates me. On the opposite side the rainy weather gets me down but it doesn't affect my writing. I'll write outside in the rain, under cover of course. I love that veterans are doing this and they're used to battling the elements. Thanks for mentioning that article. Ronnie Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11309877737679445065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-55674859456504682042015-08-29T10:20:26.446-04:002015-08-29T10:20:26.446-04:00Thank you, Ronnie, for your tips. It's a good ...Thank you, Ronnie, for your tips. It's a good reminder that I need to do more natural things to help my writing.<br /><br />It is amazing how refreshed we can be after a walk in nature. I just read an article today in "Parade" magazine about people who hike the Appalachian Trail. They talk about how they have life changing experiences from their hike. In fact, many veterans returning from Afghanistan are hiking the trail, hoping to gain perspective, and an organization has been established to provide them with the equipment they need. We don't have to hike the Appalachian Trail to become invigorated. A simple walk in the nature around us will help immensely.Grace Toppinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10291304815273486038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-6238376748437576082015-08-29T09:18:46.865-04:002015-08-29T09:18:46.865-04:00Thanks for sharing. Isn't it amazing how many...Thanks for sharing. Isn't it amazing how many ways there are to get back up on the horse that threw you?Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-32615305996675681652015-08-29T09:14:11.133-04:002015-08-29T09:14:11.133-04:00Thank you everyone for commenting. And thank you E...Thank you everyone for commenting. And thank you E.B. for giving me the opportunity to write a blog for Writers Who Kill. Crystals and healings stones, along with aromatherapy are part of my daily life, too. It's so nice to meet other writer who appreciate the wonders of nature to help our works. I couldn't figure out how to respond to each person individually. Ronnie Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11309877737679445065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-69652294984811459652015-08-29T08:03:34.668-04:002015-08-29T08:03:34.668-04:00I grab two writing hours every afternoon on the sc...I grab two writing hours every afternoon on the screened porch, where the only distractions are birds nesting in the lilac bushes. Pure bliss.Margaret S. Hamiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07979191318652199350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-74980898906062841992015-08-29T07:11:10.098-04:002015-08-29T07:11:10.098-04:00Lots of good ideas for getting in touch with our i...Lots of good ideas for getting in touch with our inner voice. I'll have to try some.<br /><br />I do go to a pool five or six times a week to swim, but I've never written there. Or at a beach. (I have visions of my laptop floating away and sinking.)<br /><br />Writers block has not been a problem for me so far, although there are times when I have trouble concentrating and have to pull my mind back to the story I'm working on.<br /><br />Good physical health is helpful, but I do find that writing is one of my important escapes when I'm not feeling well. KM Rockwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03973749764907859829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-10547517565999246762015-08-29T06:41:11.170-04:002015-08-29T06:41:11.170-04:00Sodalite on the way. How perfect. I am rarely trou...Sodalite on the way. How perfect. I am rarely troubled by writer's block, I use aromatherapy on a daily basis, right now Aura Cacia's "Creative Juice" is in my diffuser. I have not tried writing outside though. What a wonderful thought. Kaithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07758348842858993203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-55478267386137079332015-08-29T05:46:55.449-04:002015-08-29T05:46:55.449-04:00I agree that the better our physical shape, the ea...I agree that the better our physical shape, the easier it is to keep in mental shape. If you are stuck (in a novel, in a life) almost always the only way to get out is to try something new. For me, being outside often works. However, aromatherapy can engage different parts of you brain and might just do the trick.<br /><br />~ Jim<br />Jim Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.com