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]
Tag: writing process
Unmoored
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
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
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
I write so that we can meet again
I write because I have to keep talking to you. Because I want to meet you again - out of time, out of memory.I want to be surprised by you again, to be drawn into your story.I want to be curious about you again.I want to hear you, and feel heard.I want to unravel you, … Continue reading I write so that we can meet again
I want my writing to fuck me up
I'm not writing to fix myself, I'm writing to fuck myself up.
Writing is hard.
Listening to Gabino Iglesias talk about how yes, writing is hard, and you need to want to be a writer more than you want anything else. The heart of his talk? Do the work, don't give up. Ignore all the reasons why you can't. Find time to do it - on a break, on the … Continue reading Writing is hard.
I made a thing.
I really am good at going silent. I think of things constantly that I could bring here, write about, poeticize, eulogize. But I don't, because here's the thing - I wrote a book. More specifically, I wrote a book while living with an incurable chronic illness that's slowly eroding away at my energy level. (I … Continue reading I made a thing.
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