via GIPHY When I had my first child, sure my life changed. My sleep was dictated by her cries. I had to take her with me on all my errands and be sure there’d be a place I could nurse. Worse case, I had to time my arrival so I could feed her in the car. No more running in shops or popping out for … Continue reading Claim it!
Some of my earliest memories are of going to the art museum with my father. Later, when I started playing violin, my parents took us to the symphony. We read widely, went to plays and art festivals and were generally immersed in the arts. Before I started my family, I spent years attending live music, traveling to some of the world’s best museums, and grabbing … Continue reading Feeding Your Inner Artist
One of the great things about writing is that there’s no wrong way to do it…as long as words are getting logged somewhere. Anywhere. On a laptop, in a notebook, on thick, creamy paper, or in a recording on a cell phone to be transcribed later. But with all these options, we all have our own comfortable patterns we fall into. Two members of The … Continue reading Where Do You Write?
I’ve never really been one for writing prompts. Like everyone else, I am busy, and so have always felt the writing time I had needed to be as productive as humanly possible. If I wasn’t adding to my word count, I was wasting time. It will probably come as no surprise to those of you who have been writing for a while that I got … Continue reading Why You Need to Try Writing Prompts
When was the last time you wrote just for fun? I have to admit I haven’t for a long time. It’s hard to squeeze writing time in around the rest of life, so when I get it, I feel pressure to be productive: write the next chapter, deepen a character arc, start on revisions. Something needs to get checked off the list. So when I saw that … Continue reading Writing for Fun: Reflections on a Workshop with Jo Knowles
As writers, we spend so much time developing our craft, but at the end of the day we still need something we can’t seem to control—our creativity. Or maybe we can. At least a little. Author Jarrett J. Krosoczka said in his keynote speech at the recent NESCBWI conference that you need to be bored to spark creativity. He’s right, but maybe it’s more than … Continue reading Unlocking Our Creativity
I am not a morning person. At least, I didn’t use to be. But I need a daily writing routine and morning is the best time for me to do it. A lot of writers participate in #5amwritersclub on Twitter. I’m taking baby steps toward that, but to be honest, I think I need to start my own #6amwritersclub because, well, mornings. Bleh. I started … Continue reading Creating a Daily Writing Routine
Writing Historical Fiction, or, Notes from a Time Traveler For years I was haunted by a dream of a young woman walking through long grass. I couldn’t see her face, but I could hear her breathing hard, because she wore a corset and the hem of her brocade dress was damp and heavy. She carried a letter in her hand as she made her way … Continue reading Writing Historical Fiction, or, Notes from a Time Traveler
Can the right clothes inspire writers? In a word, yes. My Winged Pen fellow, Michelle Leonard, pointed me to this article about how clothes affect our performance. Get your red sneakers now before there’s a run on them! So what do productive writers wear? Lucky socks? Writer’s baseball cap? NaNoWrimo Winner t-shirt? I once had a beloved writing sweater with a monk-like cowl with pom-pom … Continue reading Up Your Game with the Write Fashions from THE WINGED PEN
What makes a writer a writer? I’ve heard, and I’m sure you have too, the mantra that if you write, you’re a writer. That’s true, so far as it goes. The work doesn’t do itself. You can have Pulitzer-prize-winning, banned bestsellers coming out your ears, but if they stay there (between your ears) then they’re not going to do anyone much good. The story must meet the … Continue reading The Road to Writer
When I get blocked on a project, I sometimes use writing prompts to spur my creativity. It helps me come back to the daunting task of drafting with a sense of energy and purpose. Free writing like this often starts with something that happened in real life. For example, this week I wrote a flash fiction piece about anxiety after spending a nerve-testing hour in the … Continue reading Writing Prompts to Spur Creativity
