Monthly Archives: February 2022

From the wonderful guide Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin: “One of the marvelous things about that marvelous thing the novel is its many-voicedness, its polyphony. All kinds of people get to think, feel, and talk in a … Continue reading →

As we honor his birthday this week, it’s worth remembering that Abraham Lincoln had his share of setbacks, personal and political — he knew what it felt like to fail and have to fight another day. We’ve all had them … Continue reading →

The Night Will Never Stay The night will never stay,The night will still go by,Though with a million starsYou pin it to the sky; Though you bind it with the blowing windAnd buckle it with the moon,The night will slips … Continue reading →

“The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation.” Mark Twain Love this—think it’s my new favorite quote! How wonderful to think that as creatives who’ve chosen to corral and convey wayward words, we’re actually going on vacation every … Continue reading →

There’s nothing more fun than having fun while you’re writing. Enjoyment not only boosts our feel-good endorphins, it also enhances our creativity. Here are a few easy-to-use little tricks you can pull out of your kit bag on days when … Continue reading →

“When you’re writing, it’s rather like going on a very long walk, across valleys and mountains and things, and you get the first view of what you see and you write it down. Then you walk a bit farther, maybe … Continue reading →

When J.K. Rowling was writing her now-legendary Harry Potter series, one of the tools she used at some point was a version of storyboarding: She mapped out her chapter outlines and plot points using vertical columns on a sheet of … Continue reading →

What better way to spend a February winter’s eve than discussing writing, rhyme, and the creative arts? The event? An on-line Craft Chat” hosted by the Write Group, a community of writers from all genres, and led by two devoted … Continue reading →

Storm’s End Sky breaks openjust before duskas you stand in agreat wild silenceknow that you’vemade the right choice:to weather the stormand steal this momentfrom the godsto rejoicebreath-by-breathfully awarethat just being hereso utterly alivein the teeth of the worldwith a belly … Continue reading →

The secret of becoming a writer is to write, write, and keep on writing.”Ken MacLeod “Nothing will work unless you do.”Maya Angelou William Styron called writing “my tortoise-like art” and pursued a strict writing pattern: He rose at 12, then … Continue reading →