You can't fix a blank page

I read an article in a writer magazine a few weeks ago where Nora Roberts was quoted as saying: "You can't fix a blank page."

Amen, sister.

For me, my ideal writing goal is five pages a day. With chapters of approximately 15 pages, that's three days per chapter, right? Uh, not usually. Five pages a day is when I'm really cranking out the words, inspiration is flowing, my muse is in the room (and cooperative). Three pages is the minimum acceptable pages per day for me. But what about the times when the words aren't flowing, when I really don't know what happens next?

I write something, because in the words of "La Nora," you can't fix a blank page.

So I pound out some pages either on my laptop or a notepad. For me writing longhand takes the pressure off, because it's not "writing" it's "scribbling." ; ) I write even if I know it's crap and I'll be tossing it later, even if the words my characters are saying don't sound quite right -- I can't fix something that ain't there. Because for those of you who (like me) shoveled cow manure into the soil of the family garden when you were kids -- it takes a lot of crap to grow a good garden.

Some of what's coming in the few weeks:

• How to keep a story believable
• Authors are business people, too
• Writing yourself out of a plot hole
• Need inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry. ; )
• Listen to your readers
• Trust your own internal editor
• Keep the action going
• Real dialogue for realistic characters
• Say no to "info dump"
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Stick to a writing schedule
• Talk to yourself on paper

And if you're one of my readers here in the U.S., please get out there and vote. Ignore the long lines; you're a part of history in the making. : )

Happy Election Day!
Lisa