Author Sara Trimble Guest Post

Welcome to author Sara Trimble today. She's here to talk about how she keeps the ideas flowing and gives readers an excerpt of her new book, Heart Over Mind.

How to Break Through The Barrier

I interview a lot of authors through my column for Night Owl Reviews magazine. I always ask the same question for each person. How do you deal with writer's block. So far, they've all given the same answer. They never have this problem. So I sit there and scratch my head and wonder, 'Am I such a bad writer that only I suffer through such a brain freeze?' Then there's Facebook. Since I'm particpating in NaNoWriMo, I belong to two groups on there. As I read through the posts, I realize, 'Ha, I'm not crazy. Other people expereince the disease too.' Okay, so now what?

Knowing I'm not alone doesn't really help make me feel better. That doesn't get the words to flowing again so I can get my work done. It really makes me feel bad when I see authors that say they finish a book in one month. I wonder, 'How is that even possible!' Granted, I am still new to the writing world and I've only written five books to date, each of those with the exception of one took at least a year a piece! I shake my head in wonder. I tell myself I will be like those writers. I will do a full novel in just a month. If other people can do it, I know it's possible. I just have to be dedicated.

Well, to me, writing is one of the best things in the world. Besides being a mom, wife, and good friend, being a writer is my favorite thing. Yet, I can't find the time to write everyday as I'd like. There just ins't enough time in the day. I have three children, twenty-four seven. I have a household to maintain, a sixteen month to chase around, two children to drop off and pick up from school, food to make, dishes and clothes to do, animals to care for. Then there's the marketing and promoting I have to do for my self-published novel Heart Over Mind. It's amazing that I find time to sleep, let alone write.

When I am ready to set down and get to work, I find my mind blank. It's so busy trying to come up with a new story to work on, or ways to change stories I've already finished that it doens't want to focus on my current WIP. I bet you're all saying, 'You wait until later, don't you?' If so, then you're wrong. I force myself to write. My Muse rebels against the orders but after a few minutes of writing nonsense, it gives up the reins and allows the words to come free.

If I struggle for longer than ten minutes with getting the story down, I switch to something else, like a blog post or an email. Any sort of writing seems to make the Muse happy and I'm back to my novel in no time. Now, so far, I haven't managed to get a novel down in one month but my fingers are crossed. I doubt I'll win NaNo this year, but anything's possible. So everyone, wish me luck.

Have you ever heard of or experienced writer's block? What tips have you heard or done  to survive with your insanity intact?

Excerpt from Heart Over Mind:

Nala nodded and began to chew on her lip as she scanned the median on both sides. Everything seemed still and quiet, like the world was holding its' breath in anticipation. Tall oak and maple trees bracketed both sides of the road, joining in the middle to form a canopy that blocked out most of the sunlight. The bright green leaves swayed, causing eerie shadows to dance along the pavement. Gabriel steered through the hills and curves, handling the large vehicle with expert ease. At the top of a rather steep hill, Nala noticed something amiss a few hundred feet ahead of them.

“Gabriel, look in the middle of the road.”

He did not need her outstretched finger to direct him. It would be near impossible not to see the nine, abnormally large deer standing directly in their path. Four of the animals had large antlers with spreads of at least six feet. As they drew closer, Gabriel tapped the brakes to keep from skidding. Nothing happened. Gabriel applied more pressure and then cursed when the Tahoe did not respond. He could not swerve off the side of the road. Hitting one of the wide tree trunks would be more dangerous than crashing into the animals.

“Nala, brace yourself. We're going to wreck.”

Sobbing a little, Nala reached out with her right hand and held onto the door handle. Her left hand curled around the armrest attached to her chair. Planting her feet firmly against the floorboard, she pushed her body as far back into the seat as she could get. Then, she clamped her eyes shut and waited. Gabriel gripped the wheel praying that the animals would move. He tried to think of a magickal spell to get them out of this but nothing came to mind. He heard Nala's sob and expected to see her panicking. Instead, she sat in her seat, quiet and braced for impact. He might not like how irresistible she was, but he did admire her courage. Damn it. We’re ten feet away. They have to move.

Just as they were about to careen into the horde, the foul smell of evil magick permeated the closed windows. Gabriel did not have time to analyze why the odor was present. By the Spirits, please let us make it out of this. As the SUV plowed into the animals, they dematerialized into a puff of mist. Gabriel tested the brakes. As his foot pressed the pedal, they began to slow down. Relieved, he held it down until they were at a stop. Then he looked over at Nala, still clenching her chair and door. Reaching out, he gently stroked her hand and pried it from the armrest.

“Nala, it's okay. We're fine.”

Scared to believe him, she cracked one eye open. Sighing, she looked around in confusion. “Where did they go?”

“I don't know. They just turned into smoke. I think it was an illusion. Something to frighten us.”

Sara Trimble is new to the world of publishing, though not to writing. She has one published novel, two in the final revisions and a stack of stories ready to work on. She's also venturing out of her comfort zone of Romance to work on a new suspense novel, she hopes to have done by December 1st. When she isn’t writing, Sara spends her time with her three children, wonderful fiance Justyn, spending time with friends, and just enjoying life. You can find her at her website http://www.sararimble.com, follow her blog at http://saratrimble.wordpress.com, Tweet her at http://www.facebook.com/saradtrimble, or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/authorsaratrimble. She loves to hear from her readers so send her an email at saratrimble@saratrimble.com. If anyone is participating in NaNo, feel free to buddy her at youngmomx3. Don't forget to check out the new movie trailer for her debut paranormal romance, Heart Over Mind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws0EXm5tsI8