Looking for story, story, story Looking for a story but only seeing air, Exasperation, frustration, Nothing real there. As spring begins, I find myself in a freelance work lull which means I cannot run away from
Category: Creativity
Creativity is at the core of all art, from writing books to playing music to dancing ballet. Find inspiration for your creative self, especially ideas to get the most from your writing practice.
I was drinking my morning coffee and reading my book when… Midway through chapter 24, I felt it: the hand of plot. That sense that the author is driving to a point – squeezing in some
Back to My Mountain and a Writing Resolution Like many others, I feel grateful to have made it to New Year’s Eve 2021 without (entirely) losing my mind. And I’ve decided to do something I usually
The internet waited for me through our second summer of the pandemic. But at last I’ve begun some virtual housekeeping. Renewing memberships, fixing broken links, adding dates to the shared family calendar. And writing my first
The relationship between theme and plot has been a major writing challenge during the pandemic. It’s been a year of lockdown, of protest, of raising very confused and saddened children, of angry debates and so much
Happy New Year! Here in the Pacific Northwest, 2021 has begun with… rain. That’s no surprise. Rain is the forecast from something like October to June. I must admit, it’s a touch harder to bear than
The blog migration has begun. I realize that we’re just one week away from the official start of winter and two weeks shy of Christmas. So, if I were a southbound Canada Goose (or Santa Claus),
2020 has brought with it an unusual dilemma for contemporary fiction writers. What are the odds of selling a novel set in the pandemic? The timeline for a manuscript to travel from final draft to bookstore
Zadie Smith is one smart lady. Read some of her thoughts on fighting the algorithm and (short) storytelling. Better, still, take a minute to trick yourself into getting some of your own words on the page
When it comes to creative writing, metaphors can make magic. Even though I know and use metaphors with regularity, sometimes it helps me ground myself with a nice refresher definition and some sweet examples, like the