The Secret to Being A Writer? Keep Writing!
November is halfway over and by now, many people despair of finishing their NaNoWriMo challenge. I’m here to remind you that there is no magic. There is only determination. Over the years I’ve noticed...
View ArticleTo Create Art, We Must Show Up
I love starting a new project. It’s one of the reasons I’m such a NaNoWriMo fan. I get to write a whole new book in November, meet new characters, discover new worlds. Starting a new quilt is always...
View ArticleWith NaNoWriMo, Everyone Wins
Writers participating in NaNoWriMo are heading into the home stretch. While there are eight days left for writing, I wanted to encourage everyone who signed up, no matter if they’ve written their...
View ArticleWriting After November: Building a Habit Despite the Finish Line
Many people take on the challenge of National Novel Writing Month in the hopes of building a habit of writing daily. The event seems perfect for this since success requires writing at least 1667 words...
View ArticleThe Unknown Rules to Novel Writing
I finished NaNoWriMo in record time this year. I had written 50,000 words by November 23rd and finished my story on November 24th. I had five days to do other things at the end of the month, and one...
View ArticleWaiting for Inspiration? Spend the Time Practicing
There’s a belief that all the great artists are inspired, that what makes their work wonderful is a brilliant idea or new insight. But this is just a myth. A single moment of brilliance can be...
View ArticleTaking the Chance: Writing Without Planning
Ray Bradbury once wrote about our hesitation to begin anything because of uncertainty and fear. If we listened to our intellect we’d never have a love affair. We’d never have a friendship. We’d never...
View ArticleDisrupted Plans Still Help Me Write
I like to set goals every week for my writing. I use a special planning notebook to track my effort and assess my progress on my many projects. Lately, I have not been meeting my goals. My 14-year-old...
View ArticleFaith (In The Creative Process) Keeps On Keeping On
Like any complex creative process, writing a novel requires the creator to make make a million decisions one at a time. It takes time and energy and, oddly enough, faith. Faith that, by showing up, we...
View ArticleWhy My Fountain Pens Hated Me
I love fountain pens but they haven’t loved me. As I writer, pens are one of my primary tools. While I refuse to freeze in a garret, writing with a fountain pen has always appealed to me. The flow of...
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