Flashback Friday: Ricky Bobby Helps with Revisions and Writer's Block

Welcome to Week Nineteen of Flashback Fridays where the old and new collide on everything from books to movies to first loves to favorite vacations. This week we're looking back on revising and writer's block with a little help from Ricky Bobby.


Before I get to the post, I'd like to semi-apologize to my undergrad and grad professors for this "Ricky Bobby analogy post". While they emphasized the importance of teaching through film and using visual texts to reach students, I'm not sure they ever meant for me to reach this far!! Sure, I've stretched my analogies before with past posts on Querying Through the Movies and Beta Readers and Lord of the Rings. So, maybeI'll redeem myself more next week with my Les Miserables Flashback Friday: Everything Emo I Learned From Eponine!


(1). I wake up in the morning, and I piss excellence!
I think we'd all like to suffer from this delusion of grandeur. How awesome would if each and every time we sat down in front of our computers or took up our laptops, the words just magically flowed? And not only did they flow, but they were words of literary excellence!! Yeah, not very often. The very eloquent and awesome Cindy Pon always says, "You're allowed to write utter poo!" And a lot of the time, it's poo, rather than excellence, that's flowing, but it's okay.



(2). If you can drive with a cougar in the car, you can race!

After periods of hellish revisions or agonizing writer's block, you can get a little gun-shy. Opening up your manuscript and staring at the blinking cursor can induce nausea or hysterics. But like Ricky and the cougar, you got tame the wild beast that is insecurity and get back in the saddle!

(3). Shake and Bake! That Just Happened!

I like to equate “shake and bake” moments to when I turn to my betas, critique partners, and/or anyone who will stand still long enough to listen for HELP!! Be it a new WIP, outlining(er, for those of you who outline), or revisions, sometimes you’re just stumped, and you need help. It’s that other pair of eyes, or several eyes, that help you see your way. Ricky and Cal had their special “slingshot” move to get Ricky to victory. For writer’s, critique partners can help you to do your own victory lap.

(4). I'm All Jacked Up on the Mountain Dew....And I'll Come at You Like a Spider Monkey!
Doing intense revisions or knocking out some wordage calls for sustenance. Coffee, chocolate, carbs, whatever your brand of heroin is, it can take epic amounts to get you though. However, you may want to back off when the caffeine or carb overload sends you into a partial “roid rage” and you're coming at family and friends like a spider monkey. The writing game is a tough one, and we can all go a little crazy sometimes. It's important to step back and take a breather.


If you just can't get enough of Talladega Nights, then check out Shake N Bake Store where you can get a "I'm All Jacked Up On Mountain Dew" t-shirt, or "Shake N Bake This" underwear!

****Arcs of August Update***

The winner of Nighshade will be announced tomorrow morning!!! Good luck!!!

And be sure to check back on Monday for some exciting GotYA updates and news!!!