Posted May 28th, 2009 by Susanna Zaraysky

I want to write, but my mind is as blank as the paper or screen when I sit down to write.

You chat with your friends and all sorts of ideas for stories, personal narratives and anecdotes come to mind. When you sit down to write them, you can’t compose a single line or cohesive paragraph.

The blank screen or white paper make your mind freeze. Your good humor doesn’t translate well into typing on a keyboard.

Your wrists hurt. Typing is painful for you.

There are ways to still write when you your wrists or brain don’t like your computer.

1. Be old fashioned. Write your thoughts or stories in a paper journal.

2. Get someone else to transcribe your writing onto a computer.

Make sure to write legibly. Hire a local high school student and give him or her your penned manuscripts to type up.

Scan your masterpieces to a virtual assistant in India or the Philippines to transcribe and pay them $3-5/hour. You can search for an assistant on www.odesk.com and  www.elance.com. The assistants have profiles listed on the site with reviews from past employers. You pay using PayPal or a credit card.

3. Get an ergonomic keyboard.

Laptop and desktop keyboards are not designed for a human body that does not know proper typing techniques. Since schools rarely teach proper typing techniques, many people suffer from wrist problems because they are not typing in the right way and their wrists and arms are not in a natural alignment . Get an ergonomic keyboard that you can hook up to your computer. There are several types of ergonomic keyboards. You can read about them on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergonomic_keyboard#Split_keyboard.

I have an adjustable split keyboard and it has saved me!  It is designed into two pieces that are connected at the top. I adjust the angle between the two pieces can be easily changed so that I can adjust their height and move them around. When I type, my wrists and arms are in a natural position.

4. Get voice recognition software.

Dragon Naturally Speaking (www.Nuance.com ) is the most popular voice recognition software. I bought the Standard version ($99) six years ago. It took time for the software to get used to my voice, but I was pleased with the results. I spoke into the computer and the program typed what I had said. For words that sounds similar, but have different spellings, you will often have to go back and correct the spelling. The technology has supposedly improved over the years, making it less tiring to train the software to understand your diction.

If you buy the Preferred version that comes with a digital recorder for $250, you can record your musings into a digital voice recorder, download the audio files onto your computer and have Dragon convert your talk into a written document without your having to sit next to your computer. You will still have to edit the document and train the program to get used to your voice. With this option, you can sit in quiet park or somewhere you feel relaxed and just talk away into your recorder.

(I don’t know how well the software works for people whose native language is not English and who speak with accents. I don’t know if the software has options for different English language accents either.)

5. Talk out your story. Record it and send the voice files to someone to transcribe.

In the US, you may find a student who will transcribe your audio recordings for $8 or $10/hour or less.

You can also benefit from our global economy and send your voice files to a transcriber in India or another country to translate your talk into words. If you use a lot of American slang, you mumble, or don’t articulate well, the transcriber may have problems with your diction. Make sure to articulate and to record in a quiet place with good audio equipment.

Send your audio files to a virtual assistant in India or the Philippines to transcribe and pay them $3-5/hour. You can search for an assistant on www.odesk.com and  www.elance.com. The assistants have profiles listed on the site with reviews from past employers. You pay using PayPal or a credit card.

Excuses, excuses, excuses. Stop.

Write or talk out your story.

Move ahead!

Publish your work on BookRix.com.

Posted May 26th, 2009 by Blog Editor

Starting this week and every week here Between Lines we’ll be featuring a writer from our BookRix community. Become part of that community so you can share your work and connect to your readers (you may even be featured on this blog).

1) Your name

Laurie Paulsen

2) Titles of the work you have on Bookrix

Grasping at Shadows: a Collection of Dark Shorts

3) What is your writing method? Do you wake up super early in the morning? Do you burn the midnight oil drinking coffee to stay awake while penning your passion?

I tend to take a while to get going, so I’ll sit down in the afternoon but not get much done before evening. I like to sit and think, doodle, play mind association games to get in the mood. I don’t have the discipline to actually wake up early intending to write, but if I happen to be up, morning is a productive time too.

4) How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing with intention for a few years, but it all started when I was a kid, writing stories for fun and to impress my friends.

5) How do you maintain your regular job while writing?

I don’t always. If work is hectic, my writing suffers. And vice versa. I’m still working on creating that balance. Or maybe I secretly long to run off to a cabin in the woods and tease the bears with my stories. I may need to face that secret desire someday.

6) Do you have special places where you go to write?

My favorite spot is a haphazard “office”–the unfinished guest bedroom. I put together a crude writing desk in the closet, my plug-in Buddha, and portable jambox, and it’s the perfect getaway spot. The dogs visit. It’s a quite peaceful place.

7) Do you have any quirks when writing? Do you need to shut off your phone for the weekend or stay away from family and friends?

Is cursing considered a quirk? Hmm, I do need to hole myself away to get any concentrating done–I’m way too impressionable when it comes to the lure of easy entertainment (video games, movies, television, etc.)

8 ) What inspires you?

Most of my stories started as random unexpected associations–the kindly & the evil, innocence & manipulation, sex & clowns. I’ll just think about whatever occurs to me until I land on a nugget of an idea that feels “juicy” and then I start to dig.

9) Do you want to make a living from your wordsmith skills or are you doing this for fun?

My ultimate goal is to make my living writing stories–novels, hopefully.

10) What are your stories about? Are they fiction or non-fiction?

I write fiction, and will toss any genre in the mix to tell the story. As a result, I’ve written western horror stories, science fiction humor, crime mysteries, one fantasy love story (don’t ask.) Mostly, I gravitate toward stories incorporating elements of horror. Horror feels “juicy” to me.

11) Do you have a lesson in your stories? Do you have a philosophical or moral mission you are showing in your work?

I don’t have a particular message to convey, and definitely not a moral mission. I like to examine people, to experience various situations through their eyes and imagine how I might handle that circumstance. I like stretching the boundaries of what people can endure in my stories–not to be depraved, but to admire the resilience people have, and the ingenuity. Underneath all the psychological carnage in my stories, I’m a humanist.

12) What advice do you have for other authors?

I hesitate to offer advice, honestly. Okay, here’s one thing: never stop learning. Dedicating ourselves to becoming stronger writers is one thing, but I’d suggest taking it a bit further–learn as much as you can about the world and how it works. The more you expose yourself to, the deeper you allow yourself to consider, the better you’ll be as a writer and as a believable storyteller. Never be afraid to think, and to venture where others fear to explore.

13) Please write anything else you’d like for the Bookrix blog. 

Thanks for this opportunity to contribute to the Bookrix blog! I look forward to this site expanding and becoming a vibrant, essential online writing community, and appreciate having a friendly place to post some of my work. Here’s to great things happening at Bookrix!

Posted May 21st, 2009 by Susanna Zaraysky

People often ask me how I write. At first, I thought they were inquiring if I was using a pen or pencil or if I typed on a computer. I realized that they were really wondering how I disciplined myself to put my thoughts on paper or on a computer screen.

“I keep telling myself that once I retire/win the lottery/change jobs/move/find the time, I will write about ______________.”

Oh, I’ve heard this many times and I know that most of the people will never live out their passions because they will always find an excuse not to write. I know this because I was one of them.

For years, friends would implore me to put my email missives and travelogues into a book. I wrote poetry for party invitations and prose while bored at work, but I never thought I could make a living from writing, so I didn’t taken it seriously until…

My body revolted. I became so lethargic that I didn’t feel like I was awake until the afternoon. I had bad migraine headaches. The neurologist was baffled. He thought I had multiple sclerosis, but the brain MRI showed that I was in good shape.

It turns out I was allergic to my job and I wasn’t listening to my long held desire to write. I am serious. I used to work in the Italian wine business in San Francisco and got to eat gourmet Italian food all the time. But I didn’t like my job. Yes, it’s possible not to like being surrounded by wine and food all day. My body developed allergies to wheat (no pasta and bread), dairy (no cheese), citric acid (no tomatoes), chocolate (oh my!), corn and grapes (no vino!). I couldn’t do my job anymore. As soon as I decided to quit, the allergies went away.

I am not suggesting you quit your job. I did get other jobs to finance my writing life once I quit the wine world. What I am saying is that don’t postpone your passions or else your body may postpone your health.

Stay true to your wordsmith calling.

If you have a short story in you that you keep writing in your head while riding the train or bus every morning, then find the time to write it down.

Is your excuse, “I just don’t have the time”? If yes, follow these guidelines to make time to write:

During your lunch break, find a quiet space, away from your colleagues, and write or type away. I don’t care if you have to write under the staircase or in the closet. It doesn’t matter. You need to train yourself to do it regularly. Think about all the empty conversations you have during lunch. Once you dedicate yourself to writing during lunch, you can finally have an excuse tell your colleagues that you need your time alone. They will be proud of your dedication and you will be happy as well.

Just like you may have your soccer or poker night, yoga class or salsa dance class, reserve a writing night to work on your book/novella or other writing project.

Join a writing group. Maybe group work will make you more motivated to write. Look on www.meetup.com or www.craigslist.org to find a writing group in your area.

Find a writing buddy. Pair up with a friend who also wants to write. You can meet at a specified time each week to write together or to share each other’s work.

Is your excuse, “I don’t have a quiet place to write”?

Most libraries have a quiet study room where mobile phones are not allowed. The lightning is good. There is air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. Don’t bring your ergonomic keyboard to attach to your laptop because the loud typing may make someone give you the evil eye and crash your computer. (This happened to me.)

* However, for those people residing in New York City, I have to admit the well lit libraries with plentiful electric outlets are not easy to find. Get to the library early or go during unpopular times.

Find a friend who goes to work when you are free and use their home to write. Sometimes a change of scenery helps.

If you find yourself coming up with more excuses NOT to write, tell them to a trusted friend who will tell you the truth and cut through your argument and give you a solution. Sometimes it takes someone to kick your behind for you to realize that you can follow your dreams!

Above all, write.

Post your new creations on BookRix.

Posted May 20th, 2009 by Blog Editor

Welcome to Between Lines. This is the official blog for BookRix.com where every week, Susanna Zaraysky will be sharing tips and also featuring outstanding authors and their work from BookRix.

Susanna Zaraysky is a world traveler and polyglot whose goal is to empower people to be global citizens who are knowledgeable about world events and are confident international travelers and communicators. In June 2009, she will publish two books, Travel Happy, Budget Low (a guidebook on how to travel the world on a budget), and Language is Music (about how to learn foreign languages using music, TV, radio, film and other free and low-cost resources). Her website is: createyourworldbooks.com.