Don’t feel like writing right now? Or maybe you don’t have the time? Or maybe you’re just blocked as all get out at the moment? Whatever the case, there’s no reason you can’t still use what time and motivation you do have to feel productive about your writing—because “writing” is really about a whole lot […]
September 23, 2019 by 134 Comments Writing InspirationAre You Struggling to Be Creative? This Might Be Why
I talk to my wonderful mother on the phone every night. We talk about everything from health to books to psychology to faith to whatever might be making us grumpy at the moment. This week while discussing health and diet, she shared something she’d read that said she was now at the beginning of the […]
February 25, 2019 by 112 Comments Writer's Help7 Things to Try When Writing Is Hard
Some writers might look at that title and respond incredulously: “When isn’t writing hard?” But as I’m sure all writers everywhere can attest, there are times when writing is hard in the normal sense and times when it’s hard hard. Often, the difficulty lies simply in the unwieldy story—and the need for an ever-evolving understanding and ability […]
August 29, 2016 by 75 Comments Writer's Help6 Reasons You Need to Make Way More Writing Mistakes
Writing mistakes are frustrating—especially when that mistake is novel-sized and cost you months of work before you realized it was, indeed, a mistake. Because frustration is a negative emotion, we usually do everything in our power to, first, avoid making writing mistakes and, then, when we inevitably do make them, distance ourselves from them as […]
December 14, 2015 by 71 Comments Writing InspirationNot Feeling Creative? 4 Ways to Reignite the “Wonder” in Your Writing
Writers are supposed to be magical beings who live somewhere in the glorious wilderness between insightful reality and abandoned creativity. Sometimes that’s exactly what the writing life feels like: heady with inspiration, swirling with visions of people and places beyond the prosaic world in which we actually live. Everything has meaning and wonder. Who needs drugs, […]
December 17, 2014 by 264 Comments Writing InspirationNow! Learn How to Conquer Your Writer’s Block and Summon Inspiration (In E-Book Form)
The one essential of the writing life is inspiration. You’ve got to keep those ideas flowing–or you’re out of luck. We’ve all battled writer’s block from time to time, and, brother, it ain’t very much fun. So what if I told you I knew a way to beat writer’s block 99.9% of the time? It’s […]
March 28, 2014 by 34 Comments Writing LifeWhy You Should Walk Away From Your Writing
Sometimes the only way you can make progress as a writer is to walk away from your writing. Many writers attest to the necessity of “bum glue” to finish their manuscripts. Some joke about tying themselves to their office chairs. I’ve been known to stick my feet in a bucket of water to curb my […]
November 15, 2013 by 22 Comments Writing Inspiration6 Tips to Come Up With Great Ideas for Writing
Idea creation may seem a random and even mystical process, but there are simple and practical ways to increase your chances of how to come up with great ideas for writing. All writers know it’s impossible to have great ideas all time. Sometimes you feel stuck, and it frustrates you, doesn’t it? What is an […]
October 27, 2013 by 106 Comments Writing Life3 Signs It’s Time to Give Up on Your Story
Giving up on a story is like giving up on a relationship. It hurts. It can make you feel like a failure. And it can leave the near future seeming pretty blank. Giving up on a story can seem like an entirely negative experience—like the only good thing about it is the sudden lack of […]
October 25, 2013 by 14 Comments Writing InspirationWhen Chaos Creates Writer’s Block—Is Your Life More Hectic Than It Needs to Be?
Note: The winners of Chrystle Fiedler’s book A Scent to Kill are Alicia Rades and E.M. Bahnsen. Congrats! Organization may be difficult for the naturally creative person. Often, when we’re swept up in our latest creation, everything else falls to the wayside. Time spent cleaning is clearly not time spent writing. And if you have little kids […]
