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Acquiring a Creative Mind
I’ve had a hectic couple of weeks and, as a consequence, have felt frustrated with the lack of progress on my current manuscript. Though I know what I need to do—set aside some quiet time, ditch the...
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Write from the heart to capture your reader’s heart
Sometimes, I forget the simple things. Working on my fantasy novel, I’ve been caught up in figuring out plot points and events and looking at the larger picture which is great–all stuff that needs to...
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Gifts for the writer in your life
I can’t believe it’s the holiday season again. Seems like it was just yesterday! If you still need holiday gift ideas for the writer in your life, below are a few of my favorites. And if you are a...
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Writing as a path to healing
Since Friday, I, like many people around the world, have experienced an array of emotions–grief, anguish, anger, and compassion, among others. I originally began writing because I wanted to tell...
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What writerly traits run in your family?
My father was a difficult person to live with but, in his own way, he was very philosophical. He was a voracious reader of daily news and current events. He loved learning new things and was always...
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What drives you to be a storyteller?
In his acceptance speech for the 2007 Moth award in New York City, author and storyteller Garrison Keillor tells how his life in storytelling began after the drowning of his older cousin. Keillor was...
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The writer as double—will the real writer please stand up?
Reading Margaret Atwood’s book Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing, I’m contemplating the writer as double. We all have doubles, in a way, whether we’re writers or artists or scientists. We...
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Showing vs. telling: Take down the wall between your character and your reader
I’ve heard the phrase “show don’t tell” at least a million times in my writing career. And, mostly, that’s good advice—though there are times when “telling” is more economical and gets the job done....
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Four tips for writing a synopsis that sells
Before I wrote my first synopsis, I thought it would be a breeze—after all, I’d done the hard part, right? I had finished and edited an entire book! What could be harder than that? Plenty, I was to...
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What I love about writing poetry
For National Poetry Month, I thought I’d share some thoughts on my most favorite and least favorite parts of writing a new poem: My favorite part of writing a new poem: The idea that invades my mind...
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Ask questions to find your story’s theme
Writers often hear the advice, “write what you know,” but my philosophy is, “write what you WANT to know.” A good way to begin discovering your story’s theme is to ask questions because we come to...
View ArticleWhy you should overcome the fear of sharing your art
My stomach burns like I just chugged a dregs-of-the-coffee-pot cup of joe that is now eating a hole through my intestines to the center of the earth. Or maybe there’s a mouse on uppers doing a nervous,...
View ArticleUsing theme-specific language to relay strong emotions in poetry
Recently, I was notified that my poem “Butterfly House” was awarded Honorable Mention in the 86th Annual Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition. The poem is in my newly released book of poetry,...
View ArticleWhat do roadwork, domestic violence and creativity have in common?
Roadwork has been going on in front of my house for over eight weeks—horrendous dust and dust storms, constant machine noise, speeders that don’t slow down for road conditions, dirt embedded inside and...
View ArticleHow I find happiness and health through writing
I’ve dabbled in poetry off and on since my late teens. I’ll go through spurts of massive writing stints followed by some lean months, depending on what’s going on in my life. Over the years, writing...
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Eight exercises to develop curiosity and become a better writer (and person)
Developing our curiosity can serve to make us not only more interesting people but also better writers and more creative artists. Being curious has helped me dig deeper in my writing, develop an...
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Using your grief and other emotions to deepen your characters
It’s difficult to write about deep painful emotions, even in our characters, unless we’ve experienced them. And, even then, it’s not an easy task. Strong emotions can be overwhelming. Sometimes we numb...
View ArticleHow to slay writer’s block once and for all
Writer’s block. Real or imaginary? I’ve heard different definitions of writer’s block over the years, but I think my favorite is from writer and teacher Victoria Nelson in her book On Writer’s Block....
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Free craft webinar: Writing tips from top teachers
As writers, we know that learning our craft is a lifelong endeavor. Even well-known published authors still study their craft. These craft masters want to become the best they can be. After I earned...
View ArticleSymbolism in literature: Is a rose just a rose?
In her poem, “Sacred Emily,” Gertrude Stein wrote, “Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.” This line is often interpreted as meaning things are what they are. In Stein’s view, the sentence expresses the...
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