Writer’s Block

This Christmas has been a very demanding affair. As I have saved some leave from work I have got myself some time off after a bout of temporary promotion experience and in the process have been kindly volunteered to attend all the Christmas events at my boy’s school! Panto, Chruch walks, nativities, Fayres and so on………that said it’s been fun.

I did, however, crack open Volume 4 Magdon folder on the old Dropbox and try to pick up the story where I left off.

Two paragraphs in two hours. Yes, I was on fire…NOT REALLY.

Staring at the screen and then to the notebook I’m running for The Magdon series I couldn’t get anything to flow. No use in forcing it, I’ve spent far too long in life trying to force flow the stories and I much prefer to write freely and that way enjoy what I am doing rather than naturally (as I often do) rebelling against something that has become a chore rather than an escape/enjoyment.

Putting Book 4 to bed I then sat down and edited Book 3 ready for a Jan/Feb release.

The edit went brilliantly and made som nifty tweaks to the story which made me feel I was at least being slightly creative.

And then I think about marketing. I’m pants at that! I am experimenting more with Instagram at the moment. I have run Facebook Ads and got nothing for the money I have spent to be fair. I’m looking at employing someone a little more experienced in PR but am juggling money for my 2018 Everest adventure for charity (and personal achievement of course) which will take a lot of saving!

Well, today I tried to write again….Volume 4 Magdon folder open again……………and closed pretty much as quickly.

I sat staring at a blank Word screen and thought what to do.

So I played an old game I used to do with pen and paper. I just wrote what came into my head. Normally on paper I will write sentence after sentence of nothing but things that follow on from one another. It’s an exercise for my brain which draws out ideas without committing to a specific story.

Except my first sentence simply read: Bullets flew through the air in every direction.

I sat and closed my eyes and just imagined it. Oddly an old story popped into my head which I could see as vividly as when I first had the idea in 2003 whilst studying Psychology at University.

First of all I started to wish I could draw as it would make an awesome comic. Then I decided to write an opening scene for the “old story” as I never committed anything to paper.

A nice little opener and all of a sudden, instead of writing my current projects, I rolled out a few pages (1,036 words to be precise) of an introduction to the main character.

A main character I may never do anything with but it was still rewarding. It reminded me I can create, told me I can come up with new things that sit outside of the stories I am currently growing and nurturing.

[image error]Random ranting writing – a brain exercise I use occasionally

I’m still trying to break through this imaginary wall that seems to be blocking The Magdon Series. Obviously I haven’t found the right outlet/attraction yet but no matter what it won’t stop me writing them as I know one day it will catch the right attention, I have faith in the story entirely.

Oh well I suppose this is a rant to just say follow your heart, open your imagination and go with the flow.

To that end I am launching my alter-ego Tobey Alexander as more than just a pen name for books. Due to my work I can’t be openly associated with stories/activities that may conflict with my work so I have assumed Tobey Alexander as a persona. To that end the moto/ethos is ASPIRE TO INSPIRE. Everything I do needs to influence, inspire and motivate someone to do something. Stories, characters, books I produce, adventures I take….all of it must have some sort of positive influence on people, even if it is to just show them to follow their dreams and dare to try something new then it’s worth it.

Pretty much a rambling of an overactive and undewrused brain today!