Did you know you could get book blogger’s block?

When I first started blogging about books, I wasn’t familiar with the term ‘book blogger.’ But that was in 2011 or so. Fast forward a decade (wow! All that time has passed!) and I’m a book blogger with an oversized and highly-unlikely-to-finish reading list.

But come 2021 and something rather odd happened to me.

I enjoyed reading books but I just couldn’t sit down and write the reviews. I know my book reviews are detailed. I like to cover many aspects of a book to give it a fair rating and to tell readers what I liked and disliked about a book.

Read: 8 Ways to Write Powerful Book Reviews

I also know that it takes me a while to sift through my notes and write the review. Recently, I’ve added a small task of creating a couple of images on Canva to go with the review.

I’ve gotten faster at this. But still the whole process of writing the review, adding images, uploading both, and ensuring the fonts are the same throughout… all of this takes at least 2 hours. Sometimes longer with non-fiction books.

But…

But last year, I just couldn’t sit down and write. As a poet and writer, I know what writer’s block is. But book blogger’s block? What was that? Did you know you could get book blogger’s block? Did I know that?!

What is book blogger’s block?

Put simply, book blogger’s block is when you are unable to get your words and thoughts about a book on to a page. It’s a lot like writer’s block, but unlike it, book blogger’s block doesn’t need a ton of inspiration.

You write your notes about a certain book – whether as sticky notes or e-notes if you’re using a e-reader like a Kindle or Nook, and then you compile them into something intelligible.

But even with writing a review that involves some copying here and there, it turns out you can get put off or blocked too.

Image via Pexels

There’s another case of book blogger’s block where you’re not in the mood to read books – especially those that land in your inbox as review requests.

Sometimes you want to get back to your own books, the ones collecting dust on the shelves. And sometimes you’re in the mood for binge-watching Netflix or any other streamer’s series. And sometimes life just gets too much and you can’t do anything.

That’s what book blogger’s block is. At least, that’s my personal definition of it. I’d like to hear what other book bloggers have to say.

My book blogger’s block in 2021  

So for the most part, I barely published any reviews – or writing for that matter – in 2021. I didn’t publish a single post between June and December 2021. 

I only started posting reviews again in 2022. Though I was shocked that all that time had passed and I was unaware of my delayed posting.

I do know that one of the reasons I haven’t been able to write reviews as before is that I’d been too focused on my freelance writing business. Which is a good thing because now I have name – more-or-less – in the B2B copywriting sphere.

But at the same time, all my work is about researching and writing. So with book reviews, there’s even more writing. And my reviews are long. I’ve tried to trim them but I’ve not gotten there just yet.

 

Have you experience book bloggers’ block before? Do you have a different definition you’d like to share (and I’d love to add it).

Write Your Book in a Flash by Dan Janal – Book Review

"No one cares how many words your book contains. They care about reading the right content."

Write Your Book in a Flash by Dan Janal is a great resource for anyone planning to write or working on a book but is struggling to finish a draft. Be it the first draft or later drafts. 

The book offers tons of tips and comes with a series of exercises to help you write. It's an easy read.

I'd recommend you read Janal's book either while writing your book or before you start. It's a reference-type-of-book. I have a book I want to write so I'm planning to reread Write Your Book in a Flash as I write it so I can apply the tips mentioned inside.

"Confused readers don't buy books."

Janal references a ton of books in his own. As a book mentoring coach, he's read a lot and therefore shares much of what he's learnt and what he has used to write his own books (he gives examples from his works and others').

The first important question Janal asks the reader, and potential author is: "Why do you want to write a book?"

While Write Your Book in a Flash primarily deals with writing non-fiction books, much of the advice can be applied to fiction. Tips like starting where you feel comfortable and how to edit your book are applicable to any type of writing; fiction, non-fiction, blog content, anything.

"People want information. They know they aren't reading literature. If you solve their problems, you're a hero. If you don't help them, you're a zero."

Some honest tough love there with the above quote but Janal is 100% right. As opposed to reading novels, short stories, and poetry, people reading non-fiction and self-help books have desires and ideas other than wanting to be entertained. They pick up a book because they want to learn something and/or solve a problem.

My problem? The getting-to-write part of writing books - whether fiction or non-fiction. The sitting down and getting started. I've picked up several hints from Janal's book for both categories.

One of the things I liked about Write Your Book in a Flash was Janal's promise in the first chapter that he would teach the reader how to "overcome procrastination and conquer your limiting beliefs so you can write and finish your book" and goes on to deliver on that.

One of my favorite pieces of advice in Write Your Book in a Flash is Janal saying "Don't get married to your title." As a copywriter, I know what it feels like when you write a title that just wows you and you try to stick to it but then things don't go as planned.

I like how Janal uses his own books as examples. Regarding the "don't get married to your title" advice, he says that Write Your Book in a Flash was originally named How to Create an Outline for Your Book.

"Ugh!" he says about his former title. "That title told me what the book was about but it wasn't catchy. It also didn't convey the benefit to readers. Why would they want to write an outline for their book?"

Here's another tip about writing titles: "To find out what your prospects think of your title, you must ask them."

I must note that it took me a while to start Janal's Write Your Book in a Flash, which I got as a review request last year, because I had this fear of reading self-help books. But I have overcome that fear (to an extent) and I'm working on reading more non-fiction books as a means of self-learning and self-development.

I like Dan Janal's brutal honesty in the book. As writers, we are often afraid of how we will be received or when simply tell others we're working on books. But Janal's honesty comes like a reality check. He's been there, done that, and he's giving you the important tips and the more important "don'ts."

"Who do you think is the worst person to ask for feedback? No, it's not your mother. The worst person to ask is YOU, because you are NOT the target buyer of your book."

See what I mean? :)

There are tons more tips and quotable bits in the book but that would make my review much longer.

So overall, I think Write Your Book in a Flash is a must must-read. It's a book you can easily read once, twice, or several times. Think of the book as your tutor before and while you're writing. I highly recommend it and plan on reading it again once I start working on my non-fiction book.

Overall rating for Write Your Book in a Flash by Dan Janal: 5 Stars

It's worth mentioning that Write Your Book in a Flash was one of my top books of 2019. There's a list that I just updated with the new review. (I finished reading the book in December 2019 but just posted it in March 2020).

Note: I received a free copy of Write Your Book in a Flash from the publisher in exchange for a review. This did not affect my review in any way.

Takhayyal Writing Prompt 100! Halloween

Welcome HALLOWEEN! And welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, Ghosts, Vampires, Werewolves, Fae, Zombies, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; WELCOME EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal!

The season of magic is BACK! 

There's something about Halloween that gets me excited, possibly because I like all things fantasy and October translates into fantasy and fun for me.

I won't keep you. The image is simple but you can image the magic wielder is a guy instead of a woman... Look at the image and let inspiration flow from your brain to your fingertips (and the screen)

Not sure who's responsible for this image, I found it online. It's not mine.  

Feel free to mix up or combine this image with the one from August, titled Magic Book, also about magic and possibly spells. 

Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a means to find inspiration and spark creativity and writing.

Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction; you name it and write it. (It can be in any language, but these are the ones I can read and comment on)

General rules:

·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.

·  Use the image for inspiration and write your piece in the comments below or publish it on your blog and leave the link to it in the comments

·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture

·        Multiple entries allowed

·     It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.

·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets or tag me @NadanessSobhi and I'll retweet you :)

Let's IMAGINE!

Gearing Up for Writing Time by Lida Sideris - Guest Post

Today, I'm exciting to feature an author, who every time she has a blog tour, I'm backed up but will one day read her cozy mystery books. J

Join me in welcoming…. LIDA SIDERIS!

I previously hosted Lida Sideris with a guest post titled The Magic Behind Success. Today, I'm re-featuring Lida with a guest post about writing and finding motivation to write. It's what keeps her going and what has probably contributed to the writing and release of her new book Murder: Double or Nothing, book 3 in the Southern California Mystery Series.

First some book info

Book: Murder: Double or Nothing
(A Southern California Mystery, 3rd in Series)
Author: Lida Sideris
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Level Best Books
Publication Date: 22 July 2019
Print Length: 285 pages
Digital ASIN: B07VMB2DSN

Synopsis:

Corrie Locke, newbie lawyer and daughter of a late, great PI, is learning the ropes at the Hollywood movie studio where she works—and where things are never what they seem. Life imitates art when a fictional murder attempt turns real—right before her very eyes. 

With more than a little help from friends and a crazy movie legend, Corrie trips down a trail littered with wisecracks, mysterious messages, and marginally legal maneuvers to track down the killer. Meanwhile, clues keep disappearing and Corrie makes an enemy whose deadly tactics keep escalating. Will her impromptu sleuthing skills be enough to catch the mysterious assailant before he takes her down?

About the Author

Lida Sideris is an author, lawyer, and all-around book enthusiast. She writes soft-boiled mysteries and was a recipient of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America scholarship award. Murder: Double or Nothing is #3 in her Southern California Mystery series, published by Level Best Books. Lida is also the author of The Cookie Eating Fire Dog, a picture book for ages 4 to 8. She lives in the northern tip of SoCal with her family, rescue dogs and a flock of uppity chickens.  

On to the Guest post

Gearing Up for Writing Time by Lida Sideris

(Exclusive to Nadaness In Motion)

There are times when I don’t feel like writing. I drag my feet, stay away from my writing desk and just plain waste time. But ultimately, I know if I don’t write, I’ll feel lousy, dejected, and dissatisfied. Not writing is NOT an option.

When my kids were little tikes, they weren’t too interested in going to sleep at night. So we created a pre-bedtime routine. We’d play a quiet game, read a gentle story and soon, they were nodding off. When I don’t feel like writing, I take a few minutes to find sources of motivation. It’s part of my pre-writing routine.

One simple means is picturing myself after I’m done writing – what a feeling of accomplishment! Plus, once I’m finished, I’ll have time to read, garden, and do whatever I please.

If visualization doesn’t do the trick, I’ll read from the pages of one of my favorite authors. That usually ignites a fire inside of me, making me jump up and get started on my own writing. I love the power of words to create images and page-turning stories. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll hunt down stories of really big authors and how they wrote some of their greatest work in conditions that were less than favorable.

Take Robert Louis Stevenson, for instance. He wrote Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde one sleepless night when he was suffering from advanced tuberculosis. In his aggrieved state, he wrote the book in three days! How is that even possible?

Unhappy with the first draft, he ripped it apart, literally, and rewrote the whole shebang, again in his ill state, in three more days. That’s 64,000 words in six days! I have to pause right there because even in my well state, I can barely imagine writing as he did. Mr. Stevenson wrote more than 10,000 words…a day. Most writers consider 1,000 or even 2,000 words per day an accomplishment. At my best, I wrote 2,500 words a day for two days to complete my first short story. I do know that at least that much is possible.

What Robert Louis Stevenson showed us is that:

-  All we need to do is try;

-  Anything is possible if we set our minds to it; and

-  Never, ever give up no matter what the circumstances.

These days, when I sit restless in my chair, and distractions are shouting out my name, I think of Robert Louis Stevenson and stay put. Thank you, Mr. Stevenson for showing us what we’re capable of accomplishing.

Connect with Lida Sideris via her Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Add Murder: Double or Nothing to your Goodreads' to-be-read list.

Purchase Murder: Double or Nothing by Lida Sideris via Amazon

Keep up with the rest of the blog tour, including spotlights, book reviews, guests posts, and interviews.

September 11 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT & The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST

September 12 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

September 13 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
September 14 – Babs Book Bistro - SPOTLIGHT

September 15 – Nadaness In Motion – GUEST POST & Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT & Diary of a Book Fiend – REVIEW

September 17 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 18 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW

September 19 – Jane Reads – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 20 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT

September 21 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author & Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHTS & Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – GUEST POST

September 22 – Laura's Interests – SPOTLIGHT

September 23 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 24 – eBook Addicts – SPOTLIGHT

Takhayyal Writing Prompt 97: Music in the Woods

Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's MONTHLY picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal or Imagine.

Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.

The newest image has a bit of spring and for some reason reminds me of the introduction of Nightwish's song "While Your Lips Are Still Red."

So grab your pen and paper, or an empty word document, and may be some music and let the image and the notes inspire you :) 

Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction, an imaginary situation, an artistic thought; you name it and write it.

General rules:

·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.

·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post

·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture

·        Multiple entries allowed

·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.

·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE!

Takhayyal Writing Prompt 96: Ramadan Lanterns

Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's MONTHLY picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal or Imagine.

Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.

The month of May this year coincides with the holy Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan. I found this image I had saved a while back to be the perfect celebration and means of inspiration where hundreds of millions of people come together to fast and be united.

You're free to interpret the image as you see fit. May be take your Muse in an oriental realm? Or imagine what it would be like to be surrounded by these beautiful lanterns? What about characters? What does their seller think, feel, or even want in life?

As always, your imagination and your words...

Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction, an imaginary situation, an artistic thought; you name it and write it.

General rules:

·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.

·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post

·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture

·        Multiple entries allowed

·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.

·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE!