Today I am praising my paper shredder. All hail the paper shredder! Without it, you might find me, weeks later, buried under a pile of balled up paper. For several weeks (okay months) I have been diligently editing and rewriting a short story. I find short stories challenging to write. While novels tend to follow … Continue reading Short Stories: A Moment in Time
Tag: editing
The Year of Pandemic Writing
In the spring of 2020, the world was flipped upside down. We never saw it coming. We never could have guessed a virus would alter our lives in the worst kind of story - one without a hero to swoop in and save us from our fate. The change in our world upset our circadian … Continue reading The Year of Pandemic Writing
Break Your Chains: Write Everywhere
Summer has finally arrived on the west coast - after a stormy beginning, the cool overcast mornings have given way to clear skies and sultry twilights. It’s a time to sit back and breathe, maybe take some vacation time, and slow down from the rush of work and school. After six months of surviving workshops, … Continue reading Break Your Chains: Write Everywhere
Giving Your Voice to Your Words
The first time reading your work in front of an audience can be both exciting and terrifying. It’s exciting because we get to share our work; it’s terrifying because we are exposing our heart and soul and opening ourselves up to criticism. Writers are not the most social creatures. We spend the better part of … Continue reading Giving Your Voice to Your Words
The Pitch
You haven’t heard from me in a while. It’s because I’ve been writing. It’s the reason we embark on this journey – to write, to put our words out there, to tell our stories. I’ve been fortunate, in my short writing life, to connect with an audience early on and find opportunities to share my … Continue reading The Pitch
It’s All Worth It
We come to the desk every day and write. We send out our stories, poems and non-fiction articles just waiting for that one bite that will launch us into literary success. We wonder if we are making progress with all the hours we spend lurking in our own imaginations and putting all those words into … Continue reading It’s All Worth It
Taking Research on the Road
Research is necessary for the writer. We research everything from the right kind of devices for writing, publication procedures, literary agents, publishing houses, facts versus fiction, writing markets, coaches, editors, people, professions, places - the list is almost endless. Research is essential for us to find the right fit for our work, and often it … Continue reading Taking Research on the Road
Why Everything Falls Into Place
A writer friend of mine posted on his social media page: “some days I feel like everything is going wrong and some days I feel like everything falls into place.” Most days of writing can be a struggle. It takes work to craft that perfect piece we finally deem ready for the public eye. While … Continue reading Why Everything Falls Into Place
Working It Out
Contrary to popular belief, writers actually do (and must) participate in a life outside of our own secluded world – I can’t always be at my desk, but no matter where I go or what task I am currently performing, my mind is constantly in motion, spinning out chunks of dialogue, visualising settings and chasing … Continue reading Working It Out
Writing My Life
"Is there a blanket ban on writing about my life if it involves anyone else?” – Brooke Wyeth, Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz I began writing stories in my childhood. It started with writing in my diary, then graduated to the more intricate skills of writing poetry, essays and short stories. I wrote … Continue reading Writing My Life
