You’ve got them lying around somewhere, don’t you—one- or two-page writing scraps that you dashed off at some point? Maybe they were character sketches you wrote while working through a how-to book on characterization. Or maybe they’re tucked into a notebook you used at that last workshop you attended, where the instructor had you do…
There’s something about traveling that sharpens my writing perspective. In a new place, my thoughts feel unbound, sniffing out every possibility like a dog that’s slipped its collar. In these moments I find unexpected clarity about nearly every aspect of my life, from careers to relationships to plot lines, and from realizations ranging from the…
Before the pandemic, a good friend of mine wrote in public places, environments where there were people around and quiet background noise. That was his routine for over twenty years. With those places no longer open, along with all the other stressors of the pandemic, he stopped writing. Now he is struggling with anxiety and…
What does writing look like? Chances are you are sitting and typing. Or sitting and pushing a pen across a page. And you are thinking, right? Thinking and thinking and thinking. Your brain is working on the plot, evaluating the words you used to describe your protagonist, and judging whether your big twist makes sense….
We have a Super Power. One that not everyone has. We can use that power to entertain and inform, and also to help heal those around us. Or we can cause hurt. I know that sounds pretty pretentious, but it’s true. We can write positive things, or we can write “other” things. We can understand…