Feeling the Summer Writing Slump?

Advice for Breaking out of the Summer Writing Slump

Breaking Out of the Summer Writing Slump: Beat the Heat and Ignite Your Creativity!

Hey there, fellow memoirists!

Summer is in full swing here in Munich, and while the sun may be shining bright and the beer gardens is calling my name. However, I’m feeling like it’s time to dust off my memoir and reignite the flames of creativity.

We all know that summer can sometimes be a tricky season for writing, with its lazy days and distractions aplenty, but there’s no reason why we can’t enjoy the season and still get some writing done. Here are some tips and tricks to help you break out of that summer writing slump and make the most of this season.

1. Change Your Environment: Take your notebook or laptop outdoors to a park, the woods, a breezy cafe, or even your own backyard. Sometimes, a change of scenery can do wonders for creativity.

2. Write with Pen & Paper: Break out that pretty journal that’s been gathering dust. Writing by hand can access a different part of your brain and creativity. Also, if you’re looking for a new pen, try out the schneider xpress fineliner. My new favorite.

3. Set Realistic Goals: Summer is often packed with activities and adventures, so it’s essential to set realistic writing goals. I’m a big fan of small word count goals. Something about it tricks my brain into writing more, whereas I find large goals demotivating. Set aside dedicated periods each day or week, even if they’re shorter, to ensure you maintain momentum and progress.

3. Embrace the Morning Magic: Beat the summer heat by taking advantage of the cooler morning hours. Wake up a little earlier and dive into your writing before the world awakens. The stillness and freshness of the early morning can be incredibly inspiring and set a positive tone for the rest of your day.

4. Experiment with Writing Prompts: Sometimes, all it takes is a spark of inspiration to get those creative juices flowing again. Writing exercises can be an excellent way to break free from writer’s block and find new angles for your memoir. Here are some prompts to get you started:
https://authority.pub/memoir-writing-prompts/
https://thewritepractice.com/memoir-writing-prompts/
https://becomeawritertoday.com/memoir-writing-prompts/

5. Join us Thursdays at Memoir Mentors: Summer is a great time to connect with fellow writers who share your passion. Engaging with other memoirists can offer fresh perspectives, accountability, and the motivation to keep pushing forward. https://www.meetup.com/memoir-mentors/events/calendar/

6. Examine Your Summer Sensations: Something that I have really appreciated about being a writer is how I appreciate life in a new way when I think about how I would write about my experiences. Embrace the flavors, smells, and sensations of summer. Savor a juicy watermelon, sip on a refreshing iced tea, or let the warm sand tickle your toes at the beach and remember these experiences from earlier times. Fuel your senses and infuse your writing with the essence of summer.

7. Give Yourself Permission to Rest: Lastly, remember that summer is also a time for relaxation and rejuvenation. Give yourself permission to take breaks, recharge your batteries, and enjoy life’s simple pleasures. Sometimes, stepping away from our manuscripts for a short while can actually lead to fresh insights and a renewed sense of purpose when we return to our writing desks.

Here’s a great blog with more ideas
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/summer-writing/ 

So, let’s break free from the summer writing slump and make this season one of creativity, growth, and unforgettable storytelling. Grab your pens, find your inspiration, and let your words shine as bright as the summer sun!

Book Club Choice: The Liars’ Club by Mary Karr – MOVED TO JULY 6

July 6, 2023 – 7:00pm Munich time, 10:00am Pacific

Sign up here: https://www.meetup.com/memoir-mentors/events/293588179/ 

In the Memoir Mentors Book Club, we read memoirs with a memoirist’s eye, looking for things that we could use in our writing or things we want to avoid.

This time we’ll be discussing Mary Karr’s memoir, The Liars’ Club.

The Liars’ Club took the world by storm and raised the art of the memoir to an entirely new level, bringing about a dramatic revival of the form. Karr’s comic childhood in an east Texas oil town brings us characters as darkly hilarious as any of J. D. Salinger’s—a hard-drinking daddy, a sister who can talk down the sheriff at age twelve, and an oft-married mother whose accumulated secrets threaten to destroy them all. This unsentimental and profoundly moving account of an apocalyptic childhood is as “funny, lively, and un-put-downable” (USA Today) today as it ever was.

The Liars’ Club – Book Club Questions

• One of the biggest challenges and worries we have as memoirists is how our family will react to our stories. Mary Karr writes with sometimes brutal honesty about her dysfunctional family. Did she use any methods to soften the impact on her family? Did her writing give you ideas on how to represent your own family?
• In the introduction, Karr says, “I chose to write The Liars’ Club as memoir instead of fiction: when fortune hands you such characters, why bother to make stuff up?” She also said, “I chose to write The Liars’ Club as memoir instead of fiction: when fortune hands you such characters, why bother to make stuff up?” She also said in a later interview: “When I tried to write about my life in a novel, I discovered that I behaved better in fiction than I did in real life. The truth is that I found it easier to lie in a novel, and what I wanted most of all was to tell the truth.”
  What are your thoughts on these statements?
• What do you think about fictionalizing your life story or the genre of autofiction (autobiography + fiction)?
• Have you read autofiction?
• Karr says in the introduction that when the first book first came out, she was getting 400-500 letters a week from people who said they identified with her story. She also said that the story helped heal some of the family trauma of her past even though that was not the aim of the book. Do you think your story might also do the same for your family and others? Are there other books that did this for you?
• Were there any stories or sections that took away from the main plot or distracted you?
• Is the story plot-driven, moving briskly from event to event? Or is it character-driven, moving more slowly, delving into characters’ inner-lives?
• What is the story’s central conflict—character vs. character…vs. society…or vs. nature (external)? Or an emotional struggle within the character (internal)? How does the conflict create tension?
• Is the plot chronological? Or does it veer back and forth between past and present?
• Do any characters change or grow by the end of the story? Do they come to view the world and their relationship to it differently?
• Share your favorite quote(s) and why you felt it was noteworthy.
• Would you be compelled to keep reading if this were not a book club assignment?
• What did you think of the book’s length? (265 pages)
• Were there any surprises? Were they effective?
• Was the point of view and character voice consistent?
• What were the major strengths and weaknesses of the book?
• Do you find the narrator(s) and other characters likable? Believable?
  Of all the people described in the book, who did you most relate to or empathize with, and why?
• Were there any inconsistencies that bothered you?
• How honest do you think the author was being?
• What gaps do you wish the author had filled in? Were there points where you thought she shared too much?
• Is the ending a surprise or predictable? Does the end unfold naturally? Or is it forced, heavy-handed, or manipulative? Is the ending satisfying, or would you prefer a different ending?
• Is there anything about this book that you want to emulate in your own writing?
• Is there anything that you want to avoid in your own writing?
• Finally, what did you take away from the book? What themes or ideas resonated with you, and how has the book impacted your understanding of memoir as a genre?

Book club Whatsapp group:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/Lh819vvK3Mf1nGdvAFLdEX 

Upcoming events – Changing to Thursdays

Random goodies

Have you checked out my Creative Questers podcast? Here’s an episode where Stefka and I talk about memoir:
https://creativequesters.com/2023/01/31/lets-talk-about-memoirs/