Music is arguably the purest art form. It’s a breathing of the soul, a perfect embodiment of emotion, a story without words. For the most part, we lowly writers can barely hope to tell as complete a story in 300 pages as can be found in almost any collection of musical notes. If you’re a […]
December 11, 2009 by 87 Comments Writing InspirationHow to Hijack Mind-Blowing Inspiration: Music for Writers
November 29, 2009 by 87 Comments Writing Inspiration4 Reasons I Quit Writing Exercises
Creative writing exercises are a staple of workshops and a beloved tool of many authors, but are they really an effective use of time and energy? Writers are encouraged to keep writing journals where they spend at least fifteen minutes every day writing whatever pops to mind: story ideas, essays, stream-of-consciousness paragraphs, writing-prompt brain stretchers, […]
October 25, 2009 by 36 Comments Writing InspirationWant to Take Your Story to the Next Level? Punch Readers in the Gut!
Writing is not only an intellectual endeavor for me, it’s also very much a physical one. When I’m on to the right story, the right location, the right situation, the right theme, my body tells me. I feel a surge of excitement in my solar plexus that literally sends the message Yes yes yes! to […]
October 11, 2009 by 40 Comments Writing InspirationWhy You Should Be Writing Scared
It’s my belief that writers should be writing scared pretty much all the time. In fact, a constant state of terror would be optimal. When you sit down at your desk and extend your hands to your keyboard, a little tremble should shake your fingers. Your heart should be pounding just hard enough that you […]
August 23, 2009 by 42 Comments Writing InspirationWhy Genre Writing Could Kill Your Career
The title of this week’s post is easily a very controversial, debatable, and in some respects downright wrong statement. After all, we have only to look at the latest copy of the New York Times to see that the fiction categories in its bestseller lists are inevitably headed by established genre writers. Very obviously, genre […]
August 2, 2009 by 41 Comments Writing InspirationThinking About Giving Up on Your Story: This Is the #1 Reason You Shouldn’t
There you are, staring at the computer, fighting the very nearly overwhelming urges to alternately smash your forehead against the keyboard, tear your hair out, and, eventually, weep inconsolably. The problem? You’re 30,000 words into your latest novel, and nothing is going right. The dialogue is as flat as week-old roadkill. The characters are either […]
May 23, 2009 by 25 Comments Writing Inspiration4 Unbeatable Ways to Fight Writer’s Block
Would it surprise you to hear I don’t believe in writer’s block? This infamous boogey man, rumored to lurk behind computer monitors and breathe down writers’ necks, hypnotizing us with the blinking cursor and laughing as we toss upon our sleepless beds—he’s just a ghost story as far as I’m concerned. An over-hyped ghost story […]
May 18, 2009 by 10 Comments Writing Inspiration5 Ways to Capture Brilliant Ideas for Your Novel
I think it’s safe to open this post with a broad, sweeping generalization: We write because of inspiration. Not only because without inspiration we wouldn’t have anything to write about, but also because inspiration is the writer’s version of runner’s high. It’s this top-of-the-world, explosion-of-joy experience that makes the personal sacrifices and hard work of […]
April 5, 2009 by 26 Comments Writing InspirationHow to Tell if a Story Isn’t Ready to Be Written
In December, I finished Dreamlander, the fantasy I worked on for almost two years. Now, four months later, it’s time for me turn my eyes to the future and start writing again. That creative lobe in my brain is starting to itch, and I’m getting that restless urge to start visiting unknown worlds and invisible […]
March 22, 2009 by 53 Comments Structuring Your NovelWhat You Need to Know About Writing Novels in the Age of Movies
I have a confession. For someone who spends her time writing novels, it’s kind of a deep, dark secret, so brace yourself. I like movies better than books. Shocking, I know. Don’t get me wrong. I couldn’t live without books. I practically breathe books. I gobble more than 100 books a year. Why? Because I love […]
