I think humans must have created ritual as soon as they started forming tribes, maybe before. We seem to do it almost without thinking. We tend to think of ritual as something involving religion. Catholic Mass. Pagans casting a circle. Celebrations of midwinter and new beginnings like birthdays and weddings. Even something as simple as…
Tag: writing space
Research status? Confusing, cluttered, and chaotic!
Research, both noun and verb, means to investigate for facts—explore, analyze, delve into. But what’s next? I overheard an author, I think Susan Spann, say that by writing a rough draft first, she then knew what research she needed. A quarter of the way through self-editing my final draft, I tested Ms. Spann’s idea. By…
How to Write When You’re Not Writing
For the last 12 months, I worked in a sort of creative fever on my latest novel. When I wasn’t at my day job, I was writing. When I couldn’t be writing, I was brainstorming. When I stopped writing to sleep, I felt like I was still trapped in the fictional world, not really resting…
Life’s Wake-Up Calls
For the past few months, I’ve been so focused on my own stuff that I realize I’ve been missing the bigger picture. Time to reevaluate. As some of you may have heard, we’ve been moving—downsizing—and I’ve been angsting over a variety of things: 1. Downsizing. How do you get rid of a thing that someone…
Spring Cleaning: Give Your Writing Space a Makeover
I have several writing spaces, including the couch, the library, and (weather permitting) the patio. But when I really need to focus, I have a designated, distraction-free place I can retreat to. I call it my “cave,” but it’s more like a hobbit hole: cozy, comfortable, and colorful. Here’s how I did it—complete with photos!—and…