The ‘Publish My Book’ button seems to be a multitasking piece of HTML. Not only does it somehow transfer all your words and pages into a proper book that people can buy on the other side of the world – wow! – BUT it also opens some kind of hidden tap in your brain through which all your creativity magically begins to drain away.
There you are thinking, ‘right then, onto the next book’… You have so many awesome ideas, all written down in a pile of ragged notebooks. There is even the odd chapter or three of a shiny, new project hidden away in your computer. It’s calling to you in a polite ‘excuse me’ kind of voice. You look at it. It doesn’t look quite as good as you thought it did, but you read to the end. You raise your fingers above the keyboard, ready to carry on. And…
… Nothing.
You think the next day is going to be better. But it’s worse, and then worse again the next day. A week goes by and the blankness has gradually turned to fear. Why are all my ideas suddenly so bad? What if I can’t do this anymore? What if I’ve already said everything I have to say?
Last time, the fear lasted too long, but I must have found a way to block up the leak because the creativity came back and I wrote another book. This time around, it isn’t quite as scary because it’s happened before. This time it’s more annoying than anything.
But THIS TIME, things are going to be different. THIS TIME, I have a weapon! And I’m prepared to use it!
‘The Creativity Challenge’ by Tanner Christensen, lists 150 creative exercises to ‘discover your “Aha” moment right now’ and ‘help you ditch typical thinking patterns and finally unleash the possibilities within your mind.’
So that I stick to the challenge, I’m going to pop the next task on my blog. Then, if I don’t complete it, I’ll be a little bit embarrassed!
SO THE FIRST CHALLENGE IS GOING TO BE:
PEOPLE WATCH: Go to a public place and quickly write a short story for some different people you see walking about. Combine the different traits and actions of your ‘characters’ into one compelling story.
Are you in a creative slump? If so it would be great to have some company 🙂
Jo Danilo | Writer 
Hey Graham, looks like I did fill in the same thing as you as I am liable for 5% tax for US payments. Just checked. So that should amount to about $2 tax for the last six months then 😊
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Hi Jo. After finishing one story and starting a second, I’d decided I needed to be more organised as I was mindful of difficulties in linking things together. I then found I went too far the other way in that I had everything laid out and I knew where I needed to get to…which robbed me of some sort of mojo. Interesting to learn about yourself.
I wanted to ask you something, I’ve recently joined the Kindle Direct Publishing and have been busy trying to understand everything about it…but the problem I have is TAX (urgh!)…having done the Amazon tax interview they tell me there is a 5% withholding rate applied…I have queried why this is the case and have been told that this is what it is for any US sales but that the NZ IRD might set that off against any income earned (answer from IRD is now pending). Can I ask how you negotiated this minefield?
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Hhmm. I wonder if things have changed since I set up my account because I don’t remember having any problems. I say it up in a writing class and the teacher walked us through. That was at the beginning of the year. Having said that, I haven’t been paid yet so don’t know if it’s working properly!
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Maybe I foolishly gave them information that made it more difficult for me! Did you supply an IRD number? Did they give you an American tax ref number at all?
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I don’t think so 😕
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Je ne sais pas. Mon dieu!
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My memory is the worst though!!! 😀
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