How do you start your writing day? If you’re like most people, you might begin by firing up your computer and hopping onto the Internet. Your purpose may range from interacting on your social media feeds to reading the news to conducting research for a writing project. Sounds innocuous enough,Continue Reading
I would say my biggest challenge is being low income, as a result of writing even though my novels don’t generate enough income to justify the time/energy investment. Self-promotion is also a big emotional challenge. My low income status (very small social security check) is a threat to my abilityContinue Reading
Whatever your experience as a writer, there are certain things you learn along the way. Perhaps the most famous lesson is to “develop a thick skin.” We’re told early on that we need to embrace criticism so we can learn to be better writers, no matter how difficult it isContinue Reading
The two greatest challenges for me are self-doubt and finding the mental energy to write after being tapped out from a day’s work. I put in 10-12 hour days at a physical and emotionally challenging job, and some days I can’t even decide what to have for dinner when IContinue Reading
Where were you as a writer 10 years ago? What was important to you then? And how does it compare to what’s important to you now? I got to thinking about this the other day after watching a TED talk by Dan Gilbert called “The Psychology of Your Future Self.”Continue Reading
by Lisa Steele-Maley I began writing very soon after my Dad died, trying to make sense of what he and I had just been through together and hoping to write my way to some sort of understanding of how to move forward with the new experiences and insights I hadContinue Reading
When is your best writing time? You probably have a pretty good idea of how you’d answer that question, but new research suggests you may be wrong. Particularly if you’re looking for a creative solution to a plot problem or a new idea for a story—some sort of creative insight—youContinue Reading
Author Linda Osmundson shares her true story behind her children’s book, “Papa’s Changes.”
Are you signing up to win NaNoWriMo this year? It’s a big challenge—write 50,000 words before November comes to an end. There are a lot of tips out there to help you rise to the challenge, but there’s one thing more than any other that will determine whether you succeed:Continue Reading
by Sheree K. Nielsen Being around water and nature inspired my poetry and photography collection, Mondays in October. My heart has always been drawn to the ocean and lakes, and you’ll find those references in the majority of the poems. I create best when I’m near water. It’s so easyContinue Reading
If you love Halloween, you may be looking for ways to celebrate. In addition to dressing up, checking out the corn mazes and haunted houses, and taking the kids trick or treating, you may also want to consider treating yourself. After all, we writers work hard, right? So just forContinue Reading
by Nan Sanders Pokerwinski The memoir Mango Rash centers on one pivotal year in my life, when I lived on a tropical island as a teenager. That one year made such an impression on me and left me with such a sense of longing, I could never get it outContinue Reading