Katie Runyon

I have come to see what people call “writer’s block” as something not as dreadful as it sounds. I don’t like to call it writer’s block. For me it is just a plug and I need to find ways to unclog the pipe that lets my ideas flow freely to my hands. For me, this of course won’t work for everyone, a few things have seemed to help me clear away that dreaded plug. The one I have found most recently is a summary. I will sit down with pen and paper and try to write a summary of what will happen over the next few pages. Surprisingly it all comes flowing out and most of the time before I can finish, I will stop and actually continue the story.

Another one that works for me is the outside. I have read that you should pretty much lock yourself in your room, away from all temptations and distractions. That doesn’t work too well for me. If I sit by the window or outside, almost right away ideas spawn in my head and out on the paper. Nature seems to inspire me.

One of my favorites is a nice back rub. It must somehow relax my brain muscles

Now I am probably just weird and none of these would ever work for anyone else, but I just thought I would share my ideas and my strange, yet usable, techniques.

I have finished my 12th chapter and I have about 48 days left to finish my book. It should be no problem, right?

I have been working long hours on book related work and have had a 48hr. migraine because of it. I am starting on the design for the dotcom site I will be getting in a few months. I am testing out my new skills with Photoshop.

When I was planning on finishing writing my novel, I never took into account the time needed to take a break before I go back and re-read it/edit it before I sent it out to my lab rats (a.k.a. my family). So now I have to speed up my writing a little bit to account for the two weeks of non-writing. Things are still working out okay though. I am well into chapter 12 and am almost finished with my homepage design.

If my house isn’t washed away by all this rain, I will surely be posting sometime in the next few days.

I am trying this blogger site to see if it works out better. Just wanted to try it out, now I must get back to my novel.

Update: I have added all my previous entries from my other blog. I have also finished my 11th chapter and am greatly relieved.

I have been busy writing the last few days. I am almost done with chapter 11, which I hope to finish today. I have also been busy reading lots and lots of information about writing, agents, publishing, query letters, and everything in between. There is a lot to know and it all isn’t as simple as I had imagined. I knew it would be hard, but I had no idea the time it takes. I am not known for my patience, especially when it is something I really want. If I want something done, I do it right then (no point wasting time). So to figure out that it could be 2 months to 2 years or more to actually get my novel published once I have actually found someone to publish it (which in its self takes a long time too), is a little disheartening. I don’t really know what I was thinking, that maybe it would take a few months for everything? But it can takes years! Years! There is finding an agent, then finding a publisher, then getting it published; each taking a long time to accomplish, if even possible. This does not deter me though; I am not going to give up very easily. Just actually finishing my book is a big accomplishment, even if people think it sucks.

I am thinking on the bright side and see the time between finishing it and actually getting it published as a good time to start on part two of the three part series.

In other news, Wednesday was the first day of summer. Let’s see, what do I have planned? Absolutely nothing, isn’t that amazing? I will be spending my summer at my computer, forcing my brain to work long hours with no pay. There isn’t much else I can do anyway, not with my current family situation. I mean, finishing one’s novel is a better way to spend one’s summer, isn’t it? Isn’t it?

Well I must go, I have to take care of the bugs crawling out of my grandpa’s legs-there aren’t really any bugs in his legs of course.

I was able to get some writing done in between taking care of things at home and going to my brother’s graduation. Of course it was miserable in the gym where it was held. We were sweating to death and then when it was all over and we walked outside it was much cooler, but also very rainy. I am hoping I can now get back to writing every day and maybe I’ll be able to finally have my novel done by the end of the summer. If I keep at the rate I am going, which actually is not very fast, then I should easily have my first draft done by then. Next step is the editing and all the other little things that need to be done. Finally when that is complete, I can begin the journey of maybe getting an agent and finding someone to publish it. *fingers crossed*

I thought things were getting better and I could try to get things done, but no such luck. It’s not very easy to concentrate when you are being asked to get cookies for a Dreamcatcher and “her daughter” the calendar. Of course he doesn’t seem to realize, no matter how many times you bring it to his attention and he even agrees, that it’s not a person that just can not speak or eat when he tries to feed them. I know it’s not his fault, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

Listening to his strange full on, one-sided, conversations can be…interesting. And of course anytime a helicopter flies by he gets a little agitated because he thinks that they are here and he isn’t ready (his “girlfriend”, that has no legs or arms, yet flies a helicopter that comes to his window at night and he always says that she is going to take him for a ride in it). I should write a story about all that is going on around here. It would make a very interesting novel, don’t you think?

On the plus side, there are now three people (including me) signed up to the forum. I am getting maybe two people a day to check this site out, but hopefully it will eventually pick up. Here’s to staying positive.

So I have finally figured out how to center my front page picture so it is always in the center. I am happy with how things are going. Of course there is still the problem of getting people to come, but I am trying to stay positive. Now to talk a little bit about something other then the site; let’s talk about something everyone watches, TV. Now that it is summer time, most of the shows are set to reruns. There are only two summer shows that I’ll be watching so far and they are The 4400 and The Dead Zone. I am a little upset with the first episode of 4400, Lilly was my favorite. I’ll have to get back to you on DZ because it doesn’t start until Sunday.

Well I technically have the site up and running, as the title says. I still have a long way to go though. I can’t seem to get the text on the homepage to show up and of course there is the actually trying to get people to come to my site. That is a whole other thing though, yet more important. I hope that soon I am able to get people to mosey on over and check out what I have to offer. If not entertaining, nor exciting to anyone else, it still is to me. What the internet has to offer can amaze one. I never thought I would have my very own blog and *gasp* a forum of my very own (which is filled with a whole test post from me). Well I will see over the next few days if anyone will be bored enough to lift my spirits and join me in my lonely quest.

This is my first try on my very first blog. It is almost midnight here and I am trying my hardest to get the hyperlinks on my front page. Once I finally figure out how to accomplish that, I can put all this up and start getting people to come. Being a very impatient person doesn’t help in times like this.

Hopefully I am able to get this site up and running soon, or else…I don’t know. I have only ever read one blog and that is Ragnar Tornquist’s. Well this entry is going to be short; I must continue to get aggravated by these damn hyperlinks. Oh and if you are wondering what the thing on the front page is, it is a talisman from the novel.