By Henry McLaughlin James Scott Bell posted a blog called Don’t Ever Mail It In where he wrote about the attitude that we’ve reached a certain point in our writing where we don’t have to improve. What struck me most is his definition of a real writer. It’s someone who honors the craft and never settles. In this blog, I’m …
Writing Out of My Comfort Zone
By Lee Tobin McClain I’m usually a planner… I’m a planner in all areas of my life. I write grocery lists, yearly goals, and daily plans. Most relevant to this post, I plan out my novels. I have chapter outlines and Goal-Motivation-Conflict charts for every book I write, and I usually plan out each scene before I write it. But …
Writing Out of My Comfort Zone
By Lee Tobin McClain I’m usually a planner… I’m a planner in all areas of my life. I write grocery lists, yearly goals, and daily plans. Most relevant to this post, I plan out my novels. I have chapter outlines and Goal-Motivation-Conflict charts for every book I write, and I usually plan out each scene before I write it. But …
Getting Naked on the Page
By Lenora Livingston In my lifetime, I have spent a lot of time, money, and effort trying to improve my writing skills. I have taken long courses and short courses, attended writing seminars, and joined writing groups. But the best advice ever given to me came absolutely free from Mark Weston. I had already learned from taking acting classes that …
Getting Naked on the Page
By Lenora Livingston In my lifetime, I have spent a lot of time, money, and effort trying to improve my writing skills. I have taken long courses and short courses, attended writing seminars, and joined writing groups. But the best advice ever given to me came absolutely free from Mark Weston. I had already learned from taking acting classes that …
The Writing Life Interrupted
By Michelle Shocklee Interruptions in life happen to all of us at some point. Sometimes they’re dark and scary, perhaps due to a storm raging that has nothing to do with the weather. (Although as many of our friends and family on the Texas and Florida coasts know, weather storms wreak havoc and disrupt life in ways they’d never imagined!) …
The Writing Life Interrupted
By Michelle Shocklee Interruptions in life happen to all of us at some point. Sometimes they’re dark and scary, perhaps due to a storm raging that has nothing to do with the weather. (Although as many of our friends and family on the Texas and Florida coasts know, weather storms wreak havoc and disrupt life in ways they’d never imagined!) …
Writing and Staying Healthy—Was Your Mother Right?
By Roxanne Rustand Yes—she was right, about getting enough sleep, exercise and eating properly. But how easy it is, to ignore that wisdom when there aren’t enough hours in the day to work on your writing career! Whether you are an aspiring writer longing for a first sale, a busy author working on deadlines, or someone with responsibilities in a …
Writing and Staying Healthy—Was Your Mother Right?
By Roxanne Rustand Yes—she was right, about getting enough sleep, exercise and eating properly. But how easy it is, to ignore that wisdom when there aren’t enough hours in the day to work on your writing career! Whether you are an aspiring writer longing for a first sale, a busy author working on deadlines, or someone with responsibilities in a …
The Miracle of Music
By Christine Sunderland Music, an ordering and art of sound, is a profoundly intriguing phenomenon. What is, after all, music? Why is it deeply personal and grandly universal at the same time? What is the “music of the spheres?” I wish to explore some of these ideas in my next novel (working title, The Music Librarian). Writing novels (or writing …