Writing Unleashed with Laura M. Harkins

Source Inspired by Syfy’s Destination Truth and host funny man Josh Gates, I plan to set out on a journey to write. Instead of searching for the truth behind myths and legends, I’m searching for places where my ideas will flow unhindered to the page. Writing at home for the most part is successful and gratifying for me. But, some days my writing area just doesn’t cut it. I’ll spend the majority of the time devising strategies to get around writer’s block or coming up with new ways to outrun devious distractions, instead of writing. I’m exhausted. My self-confidence is depleted. A wise writer once said, “You need to show up at the same time in the same place if you want your muse to find you.” What if the “same time, same place” isn’t a physical location, but a mental one? Writers and many other artists get trapped in the interiors of their minds. They dodge booby traps set by fear and self-doubt. I believe this mental perpetrator can be outwitted by finding the righ...

News Source The Future of Print Books Emily Witt of The New York Observer discusses indie publisher Melville House’s attempt to secure print books in the future . The innovation HybridBooks will utilize Quick Response (QR) barcodes in the back of print books, giving readers access to free supplemental material. Will the QR barcode help print books maintain relevance? Source Need Help Focusing on Writing?  John Briggs from The New York Times breaks down three text editors that provide full-screen views, cutting down on internet distractions . Briggs also features an “app that turns off your network connection for a set amount of time.” How do you avoid distraction while writing?     Source Experience Leads to Inspiration For all my nonfiction writers and passionate procrastinators. Travel with A. Igoni Barrett on his flight home to Lagos, Nigeria while he reminiscences about his fellowship at the N...

i-likethings.blogspot.com Man, having your momentum rip away feels like someone is sucking the life out of you with a vacuum.  I submitted a short story for my writer’s group, showed up and endured the critique torture, finished my novel and put a blog post up all in a few days.  The progress had me skipping around and humming tunes.  Unfortunately, the expiration date on my happiness came sooner than expected.  My stretches of concentration are short.  I spend most of my time distracted by an endless amount of things.  As a newbie to the writing life, I battle daily with my ability to maintain focus.  But I fear if I don’t get myself under control soon, I will never see lucrative success. So, at the moment I’m learning to clear some hurdles. TV To put it mildly, I have an addiction to televsion. Whether I’m streaming live from Netflix or catching up on shows piling up on the DVR, it’s embarrassing.  I see a support group in my future....