The first attempt of a cover design for my free digital StoryStarters (writing prompts) book due out in September.

Will add more details soon.

But does Rocky have anything for writers? You bet he does. Get ready to have some motivation knocked in to you. Take it to heart and you’ll have the publishers down for a ten count.

• Never give up, no matter the odds.

Getting published is hard. The odds are stacked against you. If you never give up and keep trying, it can happen.

• Keep training even when it seems you’re going nowhere

Rejections happen. You’ll write a lot and seem to be going nowhere at all. But the writing isn’t in vain. Each piece helps you hone your skills and move closer to your goal.

• You never know when your big break will come

Not only does it take skill to get published, but there is a little bit of luck involved as well. You never know when that one person who reads your story will be the one that likes it enough to take a chance on it.

• Know your competition

Know what others who write in your genre are writing. Discover what will set you apart from them. People take notice and you’ll come out on top.

• Keep your eye on the prize

Life happens. Things come up and get in the way. But to get published, you have to keep your eye on the prize. Dedication and determination is the difference between a published author and a writer.

These are just a handful of what I came up with. If you have any lessons Rocky can teach us about writing, please share them with us in the comments below.

All it may take to get past it is a little inspiration, some little something to spark that creativity that needs to be released. It could be a word, a phrase, a sentence, or just about anything. The smallest of pushes could lead to a quick write to alleviate writer’s block, give you that idea for your next short story, or even provide you with the foundation for your next #1 New York Times Bestselling novel.

I’ve created the #storystarters hashtag to provide that nudge we all sometimes need. I know, you’re probably thinking there are plenty of sites on the internet geared for that very thing. You’re right; there are tons of fantastic sites for writing prompts and kick-starting your creativity. Since joining Twitter, though, I have been amazed at the amount of support there is for us writers from our fellow writers: @JohannaHarness’ #amwriting, @WritingSpirit’s #WriteChat, and @jmstro’s (J. M. Strother) #FridayFlash to list just a few. I wanted to do something to give back to everyone for what those writers listed above and numerous others have given and the #storystarters hashtag is what I came up with.

What exactly do I envision #storystarters as and how does it work? It is a place on twitter where we writers can go to find and share creative sparks that may help us or fellow writers when faced with the dreaded blank page. I myself will try to add a few items each day and hopefully my fellow writers will join in and add items themselves. It could be something as simple as a word, something you heard someone say, an opening line, or a headline from a news story. Anything that may help to spark an idea to write about is fair game to be posted.

Although I doubt there is a need to from what I’ve seen of writers on Twitter so far, I’m going to issue you all a challenge. Rise to the occasion and support the #storystarters hashtag on Twitter to help your fellow writers beat their bouts with blank page syndrome. And if you happen to find yourself suffering from a case of it, you know where you can find the cure. Together we can eliminate the blank page!

#storystarters…writers inspiring writers!

A few days ago I decided to try out a new program to write with, Q10.  It is a full screen text editor with a few bells and whistles that are very easy to learn.  In no time I was writing away, forgetting about the open browser windows hidden behind the screen with my writing.  After my writing session, I started thinking about writing tools in general.  How helpful are they?  Or are they a hindrance?

No doubt it boils down to the person using them and the situation.  I know I have sat down to write using a new tool and spent my entire writing time trying to figure out how to use the new program.  Then there have been others when I was off and writing in no time.  If I am limited in my time and just want to get the story out, it isn’t the best time to try something new.  If I have some time to spare, though, I don’t mind using some of it learning something that may help me make better use of my time later.

So, from now on, when I am thinking about trying out a new writing tool, I’m going to ask myself a few questions first.

1. How badly do I want to write right now?
2. Do I want to spend my writing time writing or learning a new program if it isn’t instantly intuitive?
3. How much time do I spend trying to figure out the program before I give up and consider it a hindrance no matter how cool the features sound?
4. Is it something best to stash away and try another time so I can just get back to writing?

I think these questions work well for me.  They may even be helpful to others, or at least serve as a starting point of things to think about before firing up the newest writing tool when they have limited time to write.

What are your thoughts?  Do you have some questions that can be added to this list?  Do you know of some great writing tools that really do help you make the most out of your writing time?  Feel free to share them with us by leaving a comment in the comment section below.