Breaking the Writing BLOCK

Lately I've been talking a lot about writer's blog because I've suffered a bit of it. Think I'm out of the slump now and that's a good thing because I was damn sure ready to pull by hair out! This week I did some writing challenges with friends. Have you ever done that?

It's easy. You jointly email several friends and tell them how much you expect to write that day then we promise to check back in several times to report what we've done. Fun little cyber prizes are given out at the end of the day. I set a fairly modest goal the other day. Eight pages with the promise that I'd receive a cyber-cake of my choice sometime that night. It worked like a charm. I not only made my goal of eight pages but surpassed it and wrote ten PLUS figured my way into how I would end my story. YAY!

I've done this before and have found it almost ALWAYS works for me. I think that's the thing. You need a motivational tool that works. Whether it's the promise of that nice piece of chocolate or a glass of wine waiting at the end of the line, it gives you a goal. I'm all about having fun with writing because otherwise, what's the point? Making it a funny little challenge helps get me going. Do you have any neat little games that encourage your writing? Do you play well with others or find you don't need that extra little kick in the butt?

In other news, I just got a contract from Ellora's Cave for Highland Beast, a parnormal/shifter story that I hope will be the first in a series. I'm really excited. Turned in my cover requests last night and now am waiting for edits. Naturally, there's no word on a release date but I'll be sure to announce it here once I know.

Enjoy the weekend!