I'm no Barton Fink

For fans of my series The Pandora Chronicles, I'm telling you ... story 4 breaks things wide open.

I decided not to write this particular story in public, although I definitely want to do so for one of the stories in this series -- maybe story 5. (At this point, I'm thinking that there will be 8 stories, total.)

A lot of people talk about writer's block. Stories have been written about it (irony much?) and movies have been made about it ("The Shining," anyone?)

But one of my favorite movies about writer's block is "Barton Fink."

If you're not familiar with the movie, I highly recommend watching it. Fink is a NY playwright who goes to Hollywood to try his hand at screenwriting. But the thing is, as hard as he tries, he just can't do it. As the guy at the studio says, "It's just a wrestling picture." And maybe that's the problem. He's not able to write a simple wrestling picture when he's used to grappling with much grander ideas.

I enjoy grappling with grander ideas, and I'm working to incorporate some into The Pandora Chronicles. (See my final paragraph, below.)

But I'm no Barton Fink. I like to bury myself in action and romance and suspense and thrills and chills and all that good stuff.

My cure for writer's block is ...  to write. Sound too simple? Maybe it is, but here's what I do: I give myself permission to say anything on paper, and my characters have had a lot of adventures outside what you've already read on your Kindle. Thousands of words' worth. I also use self-hypnosis for those rare times when I feel stuck. Maybe Barton Fink should have tried that ...

Story 4 will be published very soon, and if I may make a promise, it's this: it will definitely get your heart going and your mind racing.

And I also will try to write faster!

What broader topics in The Pandora Chronicles have resonated with you so far? I'd love to hear from you.