Posts Tagged ‘writing inspiration’
Trying to practice monogamy … in my writing!
Had you there, didn’t I? But I’m definitely speaking about writing. I always jump from project to project, so I decided to go ahead and try something new. Actually sticking with one project start to finish without looking around for the new, shiny object – and setting a timeframe for completing it. Although I do…
Read MoreWishing you a spectacular reading & writing 2023!
New Year, New reading and writing goals. I always love looking ahead to an exciting new year in books. Every year, I set up a Goodreads challenge, and – as that year ends – I love to look back over the books I read during the course of the year. For 2023, I’ve set a…
Read MoreThe stories behind my new release, In The Shadow of The Apennines
I am so excited my new novel, In The Shadow of The Apennines, releases one week from today. I’ve explained a bit in my acknowledgements section what inspired me to write the novel. But – even if, as an author, it pains me to say it- if a picture is worth a thousand words, perhaps…
Read MoreTalented writers make it look easy
Easy reading is damn hard writing. ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne Perhaps best known to every American school child for his novel The Scarlet Letter, American author Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was a prolific novelist, short story writer and essayist who certainly could speak with authority on the craft of writing. His observation back in the nineteenth…
Read MoreWriters take heart – even John Steinbeck was intimidated by the blank page
“After many years, to start a story still scares me to death.” —John Steinbeck If it can happen to John Steinbeck, it can happen to anyone. Who can believe that the famed American author (1902 – 1968) of such classics as The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, East of Eden and The Pearl…
Read MoreReviewing your own writing – except the bad bits
“I like reading my own work, and often do it. I go gently over the bits I think are bad.” —E. M. Forster I’m a big fan of E.M. Forster’s work. The British novelist ( 1879 – 1970) of masterpieces such as A Room with a View, Where Angels Fear to Tread, Passage to India…
Read MoreUseful advice for writers – and for life
“There’s no end to what can be tried, is there? So better luck next time.” —Eudora Welty Yet more insightful advice from American novelist and short story writer (1909-2001). It must be difficult for writers to read bad reviews or feel they poured so much of their heart and soul into a literary work that…
Read MoreLong walks as Wilder’s writing inspiration
“My spring-board has always been long walks. I drink a great deal, but I do not associate it with writing.” —Thornton Wilder Almost all Americans will be familar with Thornton Wilder (1897 – 1975). I would venture a guess that it is a rare American school that has not performed Our Town on its stage.…
Read MoreWriters in a perpetual dream state
“The good thing about writing books is that you can dream while you are awake.” —Haruki Murakami Love these wise words from brilliant Japanese author Haruki Murakami. After all, a writer will go nowhere without an active imagination. And yes, chances are your favorite author has a tendency to daydream at various points throughout the…
Read MoreA garrulous population is a writer’s dream
“Well, in the South, everybody stays busy talking all the time—they’re not sorry for you to overhear their tales. I don’t feel in helping myself I ever did anything underhanded. I was helping out.” -Eudora Welty Love this quote from American, Mississippi-born short story writer (1909-2001) Eudora Welty. I am no expert on the American…
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