2authors blog--The official blog of the award-winning writing team, V. and D. Povall.

 Hello Readers!  *drys off* We hope all our SoCal readers weathered the extreme rain without too much damage. We got lucky and had no problems at all.  But goodness, that was a lot of water! After our blog last week about different routines and exercises you can do to spark creativity, we got interested in writing exercises. We haven't used them too often in our process, but reading about them inspired us to try some out, and we found some gems that we wanted to share with you.  So, if you're looking for some interesting prompts and exercises to get your writing flowing, check out our favorite new (to us) writing prompts below: See, exercise is fun! 1) Opposite - opposite Pick a pic that conjures a specific feeling in you. This image can be beautiful or terrifying or anything else, as long as it makes you feel something. Then, write a short story about that image. BUT, the short story flips the image on its head. If it's a gorgeous picture, make the reader feel the ...

Hello Readers! We hope all our SoCal readers are ready for the atmospheric river that's about to unload on us. The last storm brought some nasty flooding to our area near San Diego, so we'll have our fingers crossed for the next week or so.  Our blog for today is focused on our fellow writers. We wanted to offer y'all some ideas for sparking creativity. If you're looking to form a routine or break out of a slump, we have some suggestions to get yourself going and flowing--unblocked and free. Here are four of them. Even Clark Kent had trouble writing sometimes 1) Go for a walk   Our first suggestion couldn't be simpler. Walk. Going for a walk before you sit down to write can be very stimulating. Especially if you make a routine of it. Walking for 15-30 minutes gets the juices flowing and your brain thinking. It's like magic--except it's been well-documented already that walking improves cognitive performance. Another thing you could do is copy Hemingway, who ...

Hello Readers! We're back, and this week we're offering a few simple reminders for our readers who may be fellow writers.  Things to keep in mind as you're writing whatever it is you write.  These aren't rules really; just some encouraging words to keep you going when things inevitably get tough. Writing can be lonesome and discouraging, and if you can find a way to go a little easier on yourself, you'll be better for it. Françoise Sagan in 1955, Getty Images Here are five things to keep in mind as you write your story: 1) The execution is what matters How many times have you heard people say 'That's been done before', or 'This has been beaten to death'? So? Who cares? Every story has been told already anyway. It's not the originality of the premise that matters; it's how you tell the story. It's the execution. Are we really only supposed to write plots that have never been created in the history of storytelling? Tell the unoriginal ...