What if you’re tired of your non-writing rut, but you can’t seem to crawl out of it either? I’ve noticed one amazing thing about myself and other writers who claim to want to write more than anything else. Something odd takes over, and we fill the free time of our lives with all kinds of non-writing […]
Month: February 2014
Shifting Focus: a Critical Writer’s Skill
When driving a car, you need to focus on the distance so you don’t run a red light that is coming up or miss your exit sign. But you also have to focus up close, paying attention to your speedometer or the car in the next lane. You won’t successfully reach your destination if you […]
A Walking Idea Factory
Some days I feel about as creative as a cement block. Most of us know, however, that we can’t wait to feel creative before we write. Writers who wait for inspiration before they decide to write are generally known as hobbyists. Working writers–those actively writing and growing in their craft–must write whether the muse is […]
Writing on the Road
If you can’t be flexible, don’t be a writer. Deadlines. Emergency phone calls. And you’re on the road again! Sometimes there is just no choice. Family needs you. Deadlines won’t budge. So you do what you have to do. It may not be ideal, but writing in the car can be do-able. Writing in a […]
Creative Writers and Depression
I was reading an article in Writing World‘s monthly newsletter (see archives here) where an editor revealed her struggles with depression. Her symptoms might surprise you. They also might sound familiar. Could This Be You? Dawn wrote: “It came as a huge surprise to me. I thought I was suffering from Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome, or […]
Writing Habits: Getting Back on Track
There is a famous quote: “If you take one day off writing, your muse will take off the next three.” In other words, it will take you three days (after skipping writing) for you to get back into the flow of your writing project. Even taking one full day off will cost you in focus. […]
Principles of a Creative Life
“The healthy creative life is an intentional life, in which the person examines options and opportunities, necessities and desires, and makes his or her choices accordingly.” ~~(Vinita Hampton Wright) in The Soul Tells a Story You may know exactly what your writing dreams and gifts are because you’ve pondered them and journaled about them for […]
A Writerholic’s Many Faces
Did you know that, contrary to popular belief, workaholics (and the sub-group writer-holics) don’t work all the time? In fact the term can describe “any person who is driven to do too much, whether that person works sixty hours a week or runs around like a chicken with its head cut off…Some work addicts appear […]