Every time I finish a writing project and put myself on hiatus, I end up feeling all weird and anxious and like I'm forgetting to do something really important. It's much worse this time, because I've become so disciplined about writing that now I feel almost a bit lost. I have other writing projects I'm … Continue reading Unmoored
Author: Leah Kent
Writer. Researcher. Analyst. Queer.
Denver, CO
Music to write novels to
Do any other artists find that creating is easier with the right music? I have extensive playlists named after various characters that I use when I need to get into a particular character's point of view. I have playlists that elicit setting for me in some way. And I have some that simply evoke a … Continue reading Music to write novels to
It begins… [writing exercise]
[Instructions: Begin writing with the words "It begins..." When you get stuck, or come to the end, start over again with "It begins." Lather, rinse, repeat.] It begins with a subtle shift – so subtle that it’s barely perceptible. A glance, or lack thereof; a sigh, an averted gaze. Then it widens. Silence where there’s … Continue reading It begins… [writing exercise]
Re/action
In my wanders as a writer, beta reader and editor of fiction, I've recently come across several drafts of stories with the same major issue: Unrealistic emotional reactions from characters. This is a common early draft issue, so no need to beat yourself up if your first passes through character reactions don't sit well with … Continue reading Re/action
Know she breaks my siren
It started with a song. With many songs, luring us away from our quotidian world and into some sort of liminal space, some sort of dangerous borderlands, a place it's easy to get lost in. There have been so songs. So many beginnings, and so many endings. Each one is a different lifetime, a different … Continue reading Know she breaks my siren
Inspiration is Bullshit
I've been thinking about someone I knew years ago, who - like me - was a writer. And I've been thinking about how she quit her job one day, and packed up her car and drove halfway to a new place, a place she thought she could really put her all into writing and perhaps … Continue reading Inspiration is Bullshit
There’s life in a fairy tale
"When a boy changes his life, it's called an adventure. When a girl does the same, it's only a fairy tale." - Emma Donoghue I recently listened to Emma Donoghue speak through Denver's Pen & Podium series, and she's lovely. And her books are dark twisted places that always manage to surprise me in various ways, which … Continue reading There’s life in a fairy tale
Juneteenth
I didn't always know what Juneteenth was - that was not taught when we learned about the Civil War. I was, sadly, an adult when I first learned about Juneteenth. For those who still aren't sure what it is, here's a brief explanation from History.com about how Juneteenth came about. As a follow up, here's … Continue reading Juneteenth
Unwise Sleeper
"...there are bad dreams for those who sleep unwisely." - Bram Stoker This line, from Chapter 3 of Stoker's Dracula, is the part of the novel (also seen in the 1992 movie) where Dracula warns Jonathan Harker not to fall asleep in any other rooms of the castle but the ones he has been given. … Continue reading Unwise Sleeper
Condensation
I've lived in Colorado for a long time, and for much of that time, condensation on glasses wasn't something that necessarily happened all the time. That requires humidity. And as anyone who lives in a humid state knows, a glass of ice water will quickly begin to rain water droplets down its side when exposed … Continue reading Condensation
Notes in the Margins 