Posts Tagged ‘creative writing’
Best of luck to all you NaNoWriMo participants out there!
Most of you probably know or have heard of NaNoWriMo, but for those of you who don’t, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. The NaNoWriMo challenge takes place 1-30 November each year and writers sign up to write a 50,000 word novel from scratch in one month. This year, 300,000 writers from around the…
Read MoreDon’t eavesdrop! Unless you’re a writer
Eavesdropping is rude, or at least that’s what your mom always told you. And it’s good advice… except when it isn’t. For a writer, overheard snatches of conversation can provide a wealth of material. They can spark a story idea, just when you need inspiration. They can provide insight into the thought patterns of people…
Read MoreWhat’s wrong with being an aspiring author?
Recently I’ve seen some blogs criticizing people who choose to call themselves aspiring authors. The argument goes that since you’re writing, you’re already a writer and it somehow brings shame to the profession to describe yourself as anything but an ‘unmodified’ author. Luckily, there’s always room for debate on every issue. Personally, I find no…
Read MoreAdvice from a debut author
In Rome, where I live, I’m lucky enough to belong to an amazing writing group. We meet every two weeks to read our work and receive critiques. At a recent meeting, we were fortunate to have as our guest Jessica Maria Tuccelli, debut author of Glow, a family saga set between Washington, D.C. and the…
Read More“Scheduling” daydreaming time…
Last week I posted about the fantastic Conversation with Joyce Carol Oates I attended. The prolific writer was in Rome and shared her views on writing, literature and the creative process. One of the things that struck me was how often she mentioned her need to be quiet and think – to daydream – as…
Read MoreDoes keeping up with social media take time from writing?
The literary agent Rachelle Gardner, whose blog is a treasure trove of useful information for aspiring writers, has an interesting post entitled My Love/Hate Relationship with Social Media. In her post, she poses a question to her readers: Is social media worth the time we spend on it? She also points to issues such as distracted…
Read MoreRejections can be inspiring?
Okay, so we all know an aspiring author must develop a thick skin. Critique groups dish out criticism, so do our beta readers. And on top of that, we’re probably our own worst critics. We’ve all sent out work that we’ve slaved over, but that just doesn’t wow an agent or editor and we have…
Read MoreKeeping the romance alive…
… for your writing, that is. I have other friends who write and share their experiences, so it’s good to see I’m not the only fickle one out there. Still, it’s frustrating that even when I love a project, by the time I arrive to the mind-boggling, head-scratching, going-blind-from-all-the-revisions stage, that I’m ready to toss…
Read MoreMy story will be published in the WriteFrance publication
A few weeks back, I saw a contest announcement for the WriteFrance spring competition. Hopeless Francophile that I am, I couldn’t resist the prompt to write a short story of up to 4000 words on a French-inspired theme. I have been writing a collection of short stories that take place in Italy, but I decided that the…
Read MoreBuilding up a writing resumé
Suddenly, I’m feeling like a teenager again. Alas, not physically, but mentally. At least when it comes to building up a writing resumé. Remember back when you applied to colleges and you had to fill out a whole application explaining why you were such an outstanding 18–year-old and why the college should select you over thousands…
Read More