I remember being a choirgirl in the early 90s learning melancholy songs about winter and snow and slumber. 60+ kids from 9 to 18 years old would meet in a college classroom on Saturday mornings, but when we got closer to our concert dates, we'd meet in a rather non-descript chapel on a college campus … Continue reading Blow, blow thou winter wind
A year ago, someone accused me of something in a bit of a bizarre way. I shoved it aside for a while, but it turned up in my brain again recently. Brains are strange like that - pulling up things you thought you'd moved past, or had completely forgotten, dusting them off and handing them … Continue reading The overwhelming awe of betrayal
Have you ever read something that hits you hard and you can't stop thinking about it? Usually that happens to me with novels, but I came across this quote somewhere in the wilds of Instagram recently. It struck a certain chord because there's a real-life theme here that many of us encounter in our lives. … Continue reading “Sometimes an accusation is a confession”
There's a magical thing that happens sometimes with any creative process. I had characters and a setting and a vague idea of what they might be up to, and I let it percolate in my head for around a year. Simmering there, in my subconscious and memories and neurological coding, and then all of a … Continue reading Magic and muses
Part 1: Start out every line/phrase with "I remember" and see what emerges. They key is not to think about it too hard - just write. My "I remember" exercises tend to be a mix of my own memories and things that emerge from the worlds and characters I create. Feel free to write this … Continue reading I Remember… [writing exercise]
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
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
[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]
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
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
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