Last week, I had my first full week off in two years. I had grand plans that involved writing, hiking, canoeing, and other things. Mostly, though, I sat still. I’d not call what I did last week laziness, though; I did do things! But those things were much more reflective and done without interruption: reading, […]
How to Declutter Your Desk
In his book, On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft (Affiliate Link), Stephen King talks about how he once bought the perfect writing desk — the kind of desk he always thought a writer should have. It didn’t work for him. * * * There are times I think about having “the […]
The Learning Curve
Yesterday, I posted an entry about how writing well takes time. I’ve been very fortunate to be friends with writers, artists, and musicians. One of my musician friends is somebody I’ve known for over 25 years. In that time, I’ve seen him play bass, piano, and guitar. Yesterday on his Facebook page, he posted this […]
Monday Motivation: Living
“How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.” – Henry David Thoreau While a writer doesn’t have to pack it all up and move to a cabin in the middle of nowhere or travel to the far ends of the planet, it helps to have some […]
Walking Away
I see writers who talk about how much they really don’t like writing. And yet, they do it. They talk about how agonizing writing is, but act as though they don’t have a choice in the matter. They tell would-be writers to run as far away from writing as they can, as though the act […]
Killing the Muse
People who wait for inspiration typically stagnate more than they produce. It’s a nice thought that some unseen entity — a Muse — watches over you as you do the things that keep you from writing, just waiting for the right moment to whisper “write,” in your ear. When the sweet word dances in your […]
The Sunday Night Ache
Sunday nights get to me. I love having a weekend to see the people I love, and I love having a weekend to write! Sunday night signals a return to the 5/7ths of the week I have to work. When it comes to jobs, I have a good one. I’ve turned down offers making almost […]
Looking Back
There are times I look back on my writing progress in recent years and feel like I haven’t done enough. I can come up with excuses; some of them are even valid: I spent a couple years caring for my big sister before she died from cancer in 2003. I’ve spent most of my recent […]
The 50,000-Word Race
NaNoWriMo begins at 12:00 a.m. on November 1st. For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Each November, over 100,000 people take a vow to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Less than 20% succeed. Fifty thousand words in one month is a challenge for even fulltime writers, let alone writers who are […]
10 Ways to Write Everyday
One of the most common bits of writing advice is to write every day! But with a day job, family, and trying to find a moment to relax that’s easier said than done, right? Wrong! 10 Ways to Write Everyday 1. Write Early. Writing should become an automatic reflex. When you wake up, you should […]
How to Juggle
When I was twelve, I went into my backyard and taught myself how to juggle. It wasn’t something I’d thought about doing — I was bored and needed something to do. The only jugglers I remember seeing: Steve Martin A clown at a third-rate circus A guy at a Renaissance festival I didn’t have the […]