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Overcoming Writer's Block and Managing Stress

In this episode of Killer Prose, Tanner discusses strategies for dealing with writer's block and managing stress. He offers personal insights into his own practices for de-stressing and staying focused, such as prioritizing workouts and meditation, observing the world for inspiration, and experimenting with his writing process. Tanner also provides updates on his current projects, including 'Fools and Corpses' and 'The Haint,' sharing lessons learned from revisions and character development. Additionally, he highlights the importance of keeping oneself open to inspiration and adjusting writing habits to overcome creative blocks.

00:00 Introduction to Writing During Stressful Times

01:45 Current Projects and Revisions

04:40 Deep Dive into 'Haint'

12:20 Strategies to Overcome Writer's Block

17:26 Experimenting with Writing Processes

21:47 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Connect with the show at: https://www.killerprose.com/

Intro & Outro music: Super Strange Synths by YellowTree -- https://freesound.org/s/482961/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

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Killer Prose

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About your host

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Tanner Rutledge

Tanner Rutledge writes small-town mysteries and supernatural thrillers. Before turning to fiction, he spent 15 years as a private investigator, working on everything from missing persons to homicide cases. Those years gave him an intimate understanding of motivation and the quick thinking it takes to crack a case.

Tanner’s love of storytelling started early. He was the kid who wrote spooky tales for his second-grade classmates and stayed was always up late reading Stephen King and RL Stine under the covers. In college, he studied criminal justice but couldn’t stay away from creative writing and literature classes. When the world shut down in 2020, he finally gave himself permission to shift his focus back to writing and hasn’t looked back since.

He also hosts The Killer Prose Podcast, where he talks about the craft of writing, creativity, and the strange overlap between true crime and the paranormal.

When he’s not writing, you can usually find him spending time with his family or hanging out with his little black cat, Broccoli—his constant companion and occasional editor.