For October, my favorite of months, I took a break from writing publicly. And I received this huge gift, which is that I learned how to be tender with myself and not criticize what I previously would have called mistakes. As Mary Oliver writes, I finally knew what I had to do, and began.
Read moreThe peril in getting everything you want
Everything that happens to us is public these days, and it has me wanting to know myself at the core, without filtering through how my life will be broadcast and who I am as a writer. Who's the self beneath there? I intend to find out.
Read moreEnjoy writing again, without bribing yourself
Sometimes, no matter what we try, we can't get to our desks to write. Or if we do get there, the writing doesn't come. I hope we can be in this thing together, helping ourselves back to a place where we can do and enjoy the work without fearing it or tempting it with bribes. I've stopped expecting writing to look a certain way because our writing lives change over time, and it's time to embrace that cycle.
Read moreThe important reason to write what you *don't* know
The advice "write what you know" holds a kernel of truth, and its intention is pure: You'll have more confidence in your writing if you've already experienced your story, drawing from those real-life emotions and their turmoil. You know how to fill in your friends on your life's happenings, so surely that translates to writing and pacing a fictional story, too. Or so one would think.
Read moreWill you commit to writing, at the bare minimum, once a week for a year?
What would happen if you committed to weekly writing? If you're anything like me, you'd find a million reasons to do anything except the hard work of meeting your most vulnerable self at your desk. That's why I created The 52-Week Project, for writers like you and me who need a nudge. This project is a free weekly email series. One writing prompt a week: That's all there is to it.
Read moreChange your reaction to a poor writing day
My intuition is you've had some crummy writing days, too, sessions that produce nothing of value. I don't want to be the type of writer thwarted by a bit of writer's block. (And I'd argue that much of so-called writer's block is simply good ol' procrastination.) To that end, I've made a list of ways to reroute a poor writing day.
Read moreJumpstart your writing life with this no-brainer habit
There are fears at every turn in the creative life, fears about identity, money, recognition, misunderstanding. Fears that we're doing it wrong and others are doing it better.
But at what point are you going to embrace the fact that you're a writer, you're established because you say so?
Read moreSneak peek of Fiction Workshop
Online workshops can be tricky to suss out. Are they going to solve your problem? Do they contain information you don't already know? Will they be worth your money?
The truth is education is ongoing, and when you've been out of the classroom, you're a lot less likely to keep up with your studies. That's one of the reasons I created Fiction Workshop: for people who are creative, know they can write well and want to write better. If you want to embrace and own your writing life, for once and for all, Fiction Workshop is for you.
Read moreNo more 2D characters in your stories (includes free worksheet!)
For longer creative writing pieces -- novellas and novels -- I find character profiles to be enormously helpful. They help give definition and breathe life into people who only exist on paper. If ever I'm unsure how a character might respond to his circumstances, I refer back to the profile I created to remind myself of who he is and what drives him. This profile acts as a blueprint for a fictional person.
Read moreChoose your words wisely
We understand by now that writing is hard work. Many writers don't like the act of writing and instead prefer the joy of having written. Me, I really enjoy the writing process, in part because of cheerfully I enjoy words.
Masterfully, in her poem "Tides," Mary Oliver thoughtfully chooses words we don't see every day.
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