It can be discouraging to be a writer—or any artist for that matter. Self-doubt, rejection after rejection, bitter-tasting criticisms, more self-doubt, long hours of hard work with little or no financial gain, and yet more self-doubt. (Did I mention self-doubt?) That’s why it’s important for creatives to remind ourselves that there are benefits to this…
Tag: Writer’s Life
Returning to Writing
No matter how dedicated, disciplined, or in love with our stories we may be, there comes a point when we drift away from our daily habit of writing. How do we make ourselves return? And what is it about stepping off our writerly path that makes it so hard to step back on? About six…
Thankful for the Ugly Cry
I have seen a common theme in many RMFW posts lately on a subject I am quickly learning is key to success: gratitude. As the year wraps up and my dreams of being a traditionally published author are just days away from fruition, I usher in my favorite season with a warm “soul blanket” of…
Getting My Mojo Back…But at a Cost
For the last six years I’ve been suffering from serious writer’s block. I did write three books during that time, but it was a total slog. I made myself write, instead of wanting, yearning to write, which was the way it had been for the previous twenty years. Never before had I struggled to put…
Increased procrastination or increased motivation? That depends on you.
Have you ever been searching for that something special for one of your characters, a subplot, a setting, a way to kill off a character, or perhaps researching for a historical fiction manuscript and it happens? You click. You have no self-control—you simply click! For example: Xkcd’s Radiation Dose Chart – PA: 88. LRD: 988….