Write a story or poem based on the word ‘Elephant’.
Write your response in the comments below. Best entry gets a shout out next week!
—Lady Jabberwocky
Prompt of the Week: An Elephant’s Faithful. 100 Percent.
Month: March 2022
15 Ways to Beat Writer’s Block (Repost for Camp NaNoWriMo)
Hello Writer bees!
(With Camp NaNoWriMo starting next week, some may struggle with writer’s block during this writing challenge. Don’t fret! To help with that, I’m reposting these awesome tips for beating the block. Good luck to everyone participating! – Victoria aka Lady Jabberwocky)
Hope you are are staying safe and writing wonderful work. And if you are feeling stuck with your writing, that’s alright too. Sometimes, it can be hard to get the words on the page. Don’t be discouraged. Writer’s block happens to everyone, myself included.
So today, I’m sharing some tips for beating the block and rekindling inspiration once again.
Be honest and ask yourself, “how do I break out of this funk I’m in?” and “What’s stopping me from writing?” Depending on what you need, there are three courses of action to take. Whatever route you choose, find what works for you.
Push to Writing – the need to shake up you writing habits.
- Write in some place other from your usual spot. No need to chain yourself to your desk. Write in a different room of your home. Or outside. A new, quiet place.
- Freewriting: Write the first things that comes to mind, whatever it may be. Follow where the words take you. On a time crunch? Take a 5 minute writing sprint and write as fast as you can.
- Set deadlines and stick to them. Reach for a daily wordcount goal that’s achievable and works with your schedule. Even if it’s only a 100 words a day. You’ll be 100 words closer to your finished draft.
- Try writing exercises and prompts. They can be a fun, well-needed challenge for some writers and can get the brain working. But where can you find prompts? I post a Prompt of the Week every Monday. Check them out!
- Use a different writing tool. Instead of a keyboard, switch to paper or sticky notes or colorful markers.
Recharge – The need to step back from your writing endeavors.
- Take a break! A real one. Relax. And don’t think about your story. A little separation from your WIP is fine. Sometimes, lightbulb moments happen when you least expect. I speak from experience.
- Go for a walk. Alone, with music, or with a dog. Walks are great. Socially distanced walks while wearing masks is even better.
- Get cozy and curl up with a good book. Fuzzy socks included. Let your mind unwind and dive into a whole new world.
- Drink some coffee/tea/alcoholic beverage of choice. And stuff your face with your favorite food. Writing is hard work. Treat yourself to that tub of ice cream or bag of potato chips. I won’t judge.
- Sleep it off, or just lounge around. Rest, physically and mentally. There are times when the best ideas can come right before you fall asleep. Keep a notepad on your nightstand ready, in case you need to jot down ideas.
Getting motivated and inspired! – the need to get pumped to write again and find inspiration.
- Browse through photos; especially images that relate to your story’s genre. Create an aesthetic board featuring images that remind you of your story. If you are writing historical fiction, keep a folder of snapshots from that time period.
- Talk it out. Talking to another person, writer or non-writer, about your ideas can get those creative juices flowing. Find someone you feel safe with and who encourages you. Don’t waste your time with people who judge you harshly.
- Read some quotes from some famous authors. Gather inspiration from the authors who came before you.
- Connect with other writers. The writing community is a fantastic group of creatives. Make friends, chat about WIPs, support each other through those tough times. It’s nice to have someone in your corner, to have that support system.
- Be okay with writing trash. Not everything you write will be perfect. And that’s fine, that’s what editing is for. Instead of striving for perfection, strive for the story that future readers can connect with. That’s the real goal, isn’t it?
How do you get through writer’s block? What’s your advice to a writer who is struggling? Let me know if the comments.
Stay safe and keep writing!
— Lady Jabberwocky.
Prompt of the Week: The Extra Extraterrestrial
Write a story or poem in the perspective of an alien.
Wow! So many of you replied to last week’s prompt! To name a few….
Write your response in the comments below. Best entry gets a shout out next week!
—Lady Jabberwocky
Off to Camp: Editing Mystery WIP in Camp NaNoWriMo
Hello Writer Bees!
The last few months have been stressful for me. Between office work overload, family stuff and trying to juggle everything, I felt completely burnt out. Think I was letting my feelings and stress build up to an overwhelming size. I needed to take a pause. Last weekend, my boyfriend and I went away for the weekend, for a well needed, long overdue, mental health break. Just to get away from all that stress weighing on my chest. We had a wonderful time despite the cold upstate New York weather. Now I feel way more relaxed, refreshed, and ready to embark on a new adventure: Camp NaNoWriMo.
Over the years, I’ve participated in National Novel Writing Month but never Camp NaNoWriMo. This should be interesting. Every week, I’ll share an update on my progress. Stay tuned for that.
Here are some of my writing goals for Camp NaNoWriMo.
Mostly Editing
For those new to my blog, my current WIP is a murder mystery set in 1920’s Coney Island. After rewriting and retweaking for forever, it’s looking like a real final draft. Honestly speaking, this is my first time editing a large work of fiction. Editing is almost more difficult than writing, especially when it’s your own work. Maybe it’s the perfectionist in me, that’s probably why editing is taking longer than it should. During Camp NaNoWriMo, I’d like to spend the month fixing up final touches and ironing out details. Polish this WIP until it shines.
Final Read Through
At the end of Camp NaNo, I want to read through the WIP, from start to finish. That’s my end goal. I’ve been considering printing out the whole thing, so I can scribble down notes, if needed. And to physically just hold my work in my hands. If it’s ready for a final read through, I’d like to try an experience my story as a reader, not as the author. Which sounds impossible. Sometimes, it’s hard to shut off my writer brain when I’m reading for leisure. Anyone else?
Brainstorm Post Ideas for May of Mystery
This is like my side quest for Camp NaNoWriMo. Every year, I dedicate the entire month of May to detective fiction. I call it May of Mystery. All posts will be mystery themed, including the writing prompts. I’d like to brainstorm posts ideas for all the detective lovers out there. If you have any ideas for posts, let me know if the comments. Is there anything you want to know more about writing mysteries? I’m open to suggestions.
Are you participating in Camp NaNoWriMo? What are you currently working on? Talk to me in the comments!
Stay safe and stay creative.
Write with heart,
Lady Jabberwocky
Prompt of the Week: What Does Jealousy Feel Like?
Describe what jealousy feels like.
Write your response in the comments below. Best entry gets a shout out next week!
—Lady Jabberwocky
The Bechdel Test and It’s Impact on Fiction Writing
Hello Writer Bees,
In honor of Women’s History Month, I wanted to talk about one of my favorite female creators, Alison Bechdel. But more importantly, the important test she invented and how it impacted the writing world.
Who is Alison Bechdel?
Alison Bechdel is an American cartoonist best known for her 2006 graphic memoir, Fun Home. Originally, she was known for the long-running comic strip. In 2012, she released her second graphic memoir Are You My Mother? Two years later, she became a recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Award. As a figure in the LGBTQ community, her journey with her sexuality and gender non-conformity is at the heart of her work.
While in college, I read Fun Home and absolutely fell in love with Bechdel’s candor regarding her life. Highly recommend the book, Fun Home is a memoir like no other. And right now, I’m listening to the Fun Home Musical’s soundtrack as I write this post. (Yes, there was a musical!)
What is the Bechdel Test?
Sometimes referred to as the Bechdel Rule, the Bechdel-Wallace Test or the Mo Movie Measure. In short, the Bechdel Test is a test that measures female representation in fiction. And it can be applied to all mediums of fiction: Books, movies and T.V. shows. Now let’s be clear, failing these criteria does not mean it’s a poor representation of fictional women. However, the test does show the active presence of women in fiction, how involved they are in a story. If you are curious about what movies have passed and failed the Bechdel Test, check out bechdeltest.com, a database where users classify if a film meets the Bechdel Test criteria. To pass the test, a piece of fiction should follow this simple list of rules.
Bechdel Test Rules
- The movie has to have at least two women in it,
- who talk to each other,
- about something besides a man
- Bonus: Two women must be named.
Why is the Bechdel Test important?
While these rules sound easy enough to accomplish, you’d be surprised how many works of fiction fail this test. Underneath these simple guidelines is a deeper meaning. The Bechdel Test draws attention to gender inequality in fiction. Representation matters, writer bees. Women need stop being written off as sideline characters that revolve around the male characters. Women can take on the lead role and have an active presence in a plot. In truth, the Bechdel test raises important questions to all creators. How integral are the female characters in the plot line? Are their story arcs fleshed out and full of depth?
As a lady writer myself, the Bechdel Tests makes me look at my own female characters differently. To be more mindful about how women in any creative work are depicted. Personally, I take this test as a challenge and a standard to strive for.
What are your thoughts on the Bechdel Test? Do you think your work would pass the test? Who are some of your favorite female characters in fiction? Talk to me in the comments. As always, I love to hear from you!
Stay safe and stay creative.
Write with Heart,
Lady Jabberwocky
Prompt of the Week: Doe a Deer, a Female Deer
Write a story or poem based on the word ‘deer’.
Shout out to TheTexasLass for their awesome response to last week’s prompt.
Write your response in the comments below. Best entry gets a shout out next week!
—Lady Jabberwocky
The Brawn Man of Brooklyn (A Superpowered Short Story)
They called it an extraordinary phenomenon.
A regular Hercules, Dr. Rabinowitz on 3rd street claimed. Frankie was born with the capabilities of lifting objects 100 times heavier than his body weight. Super strength, as the kids would say. His mother said Hail Mary in Italian ten times a day and cried, as if her son was some kind of devil. She constantly scolded him out of fear of his destructiveness. “Don’t touch that!” and “Don’t touch anything!” and “Don’t you dare touch the baby!”
He was a toddler. And his strength was something unexplainable, something that should remain a secret. If he pressed his hand into wall too hard, the wall would crack. Toys, if not handled gently, would be crushed or broken into pieces. Even the metal handle of his bicycle was indented with his fingertips. He couldn’t control this, even as he got older, his power grew more dangerous. On the kindergarten playground, he pushed a kid out of the sandbox and cracked his rib. When he was seven years old, he threw a baseball and it landed three blocks away and through a car windshield.
He couldn’t touch anything. He wasn’t safe.
When his sister, Camilla, was an infant, Frankie would hold his small hands behind his back and peek into her crib. He was afraid of breaking her too.
His father owned a deli under the train tracks, Berardi’s Deli. Behind it was a dead patch of grass they called a backyard. And above it was a shoe box apartment they called a home. His father wore a stained apron as he sat on the sidewalk’s edge, smelling like fennel seed and sweat. He smoked a cigarette and watched the kids in the street play. Frankie, now a small boy with small hands, sat beside him.
“Pops, why can’t I play with them?” The boy asked, watching the kids play stickball. “I promise I’ll be good. I won’t hit so hard. Honest.”
His father gave him a side glance, taking a long drag and rubbing his stubbled chin. “Last time, you knocked a kid out.”
He looked down at his small hands, discouraged “I-I didn’t mean to, Pops, he was….”
“Your mother with have a heart attack if she finds out you hurt someone else with your…” Trailing off, he stood up and stomped his cigarette out. The few remaining embers in the curb fizzled into the cement. “Don’t let nobody see you doing that. You hear me?” He warned. Frankie’s eyes wandered to the window to the apartment above the deli, where his mother, with tired eyes, looked out.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Camilla.” He said, looking down at his feet as they walked home from high school one crisp autumn afternoon. His black hair fell into a perfect greased curl.
“Sure it is,” His sister grinned, holding her biology textbook in her arms. “You love baseball.”
“Watchin’ baseball, sure. Not playin’ it,” He shrugged, still unsure “Pop’s will be mad. And Ma’s gonna be in hysterics if she finds out.”
She nudged him with her elbow. Her long wool skirt matched her mint green sweater. “Come on, don’t worry about that stuff, Frankie, you’d be amazing and you know it.”
Frankie sighed, shoving his hands in his Letterman jacket. A chill blew between them. A police siren blared in the distance. The sun was setting, burning orange and gold.
“What if I hurt someone?”
“What if you only hit home runs?” She countered with a laugh.
“I’m serious, Camilla,” He grabbed her arm lightly, as if he was holding a feather. They stood on the street corner across from their family’s deli. “I can’t control this. Someone’s gonna get hurt.”
“You can control it. You don’t have to be scared. You’re strong… super strong, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You can do something good with it.” The sirens grew louder.
As they crossed the street, a car screeched around the corner, being tailed by red and blue flashing lights. A police chase. Frankie was in the middle of the street, frozen for a moment. Camilla screamed, pulling at his hand. “Frankie, move!” He wouldn’t budge. He didn’t want to be scared anymore. The car barreled towards him. He pushed his sister out of the way, and braced for impact, with an arched back and outstretched arms.
The car slammed into Frankie, metal crushed against his chest, pushing him back a couple of feet. His sneakers skid against the pavement. The vehicle was stopped completely, with three bewildered robbers wearing ski masks sitting inside. The next day, the headline in the newspaper dubbed him “The Brawn Man of Brooklyn”.
Hello Writer bees! I’ve been feeling gross this week. For the record, it’s not COVID. While I’ve been under the weather, the Mister and I have been on a nostalgia trip, revisiting shows and movies from our childhoods. High School Musical One and Two were involved. Since I love that nostalgia feeling, it seemed fitting to share this short story I wrote back in 2017. Back when I was a newbie writer. Hope you enjoy!
—Lady Jabberwocky
Lady Jabberwocky 