I was a poet once, or at least I wrote poems. I sent them to my grandmother in thank-you cards, I scribbled them in my diary, I wrote them in notebooks to exorcise my adolescent feelings. I wrote poetry to heal, to discover beauty, but mostly I liked to play with words and see what … Continue reading Poetry: Breathing New Life
Tag: storytelling
A Virtual Reading
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lf-1W2SBuc I’ve been self-isolating now, as most of us have, for about three weeks. I’m fortunate to be able to work at home and have a beautiful little patio so I don’t feel so boxed into the city apartment my fiancé and I share. I am finding happiness in little things, staying busy, developing my … Continue reading A Virtual Reading
The New Balance
Writers are known for self-isolation. We have carved out a space in our homes tailored especially for our creative work. Most writers have day jobs in another place and can usually leave the day job behind when they come home, separating it from their creative space. In March 2020 the Covid 19 pandemic shut down … Continue reading The New Balance
Nightmares Writers Have
“It’s not good enough” … “No one will read it…” “No one will like it…” “I’m not a real writer…” “Someone walked out in the middle of my reading…” “I got a bad review” … These are the nightmares writers have - the haunting doubts that wake us in the middle of the night, questioning … Continue reading Nightmares Writers Have
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
A Summer of Reading
Write every day. That’s the advice we are given when we start writing - to make it a habit, to incorporate it into our daily schedule, to just write. And for the most part, I do. But during the summer, my writing work slows down. Most of my deadlines have passed, the days are warmer … Continue reading A Summer of Reading
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
