It’s hard to write when you’re travelling. I find it takes me at least three days to settle somewhere new and want to get words down. If you’re struggling with writing while you’re on the road, don’t worry. Use the time to absorb new things and let your creative mind wander. Experience everything you can, and trust that you’ll draw from those experiences when you do get back to your writing. You can take notes too – I always intend to, but never do. Many writers have made beautiful novels, essays, poetry and plays from their travel notes.

Here’s a little excerpt from Gotham Writer’s Workshop’s newsletter – click on the link to read the rest of this good advice.

Thriller Author Shares Her Insight

British author of the acclaimed thrillers Sister and Afterwards, Rosamund Lupton shares what gets and keeps her writing.

Q: What is your method for overcoming writer’s block ?
A: I think there are many ways to overcome writers block, depending on where you are with your book and simply how the rest of your life is going. Sometimes I think you just have to write, even if its ‘rubbish’, and as you write it can magically become ‘not rubbish’. I had to write 2,000 words a day for my second book to meet the deadline, so I just had to start typing. (Continue reading here.)

(From Zoetrope’s site) The deadline for the sixteenth annual Zoetrope: All-Story Short Fiction Contest is October 1. Enter now at www.all-story.com/contests.cgi.

GUEST JUDGE:
2012 National Magazine Award-winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist Karen Russell will award the top prizes.

PRIZES:
First prize is $1,000; second prize, $500; and third prize, $250.

LITERARY AGENCIES:
The three prizewinners and seven honorable mentions will be considered for representation by William Morris Endeavor, ICM, Regal Literary, the Elaine Markson Literary Agency, Inkwell Management, Sterling Lord Literistic, Aitken Alexander Associates, Barer Literary, the Gernert Company, and the Georges Borchardt Literary Agency.

DATES:
Entries must be complete by October 1, 2012. Results will be announced at the website December 15 and in the Spring 2013 issue of Zoetrope: All-Story; and the winning story will be published as a special online supplement to that Spring 2013 issue.

Complete contest guidelines are available at the website. Please read them before submitting.

Please e-mail us at contests@all-story.com with further questions. We look forward to reading your work.
The editors at Zoetrope: All-Story