My novels have been languishing in my drive for years. Everything has been carefully laid out on the page. I know my characters and my setting like the back of my hand. I know their every wish, their every move, and motivation. I have outlined every plot point from beginning to end. But I still … Continue reading A Novel Idea: Daydream, Outline, and Draft
Tag: writers and writing
The Stayed Hand: when you can’t put your ideas to the page.
I have drafts and plots for stories I want to write. They sit in their queue, waiting for me to pick them up, dust them off, and finish them. I have dreams for fairy tales, speculative fiction, suspense, and romance, all half-written with a clear road-map- but I can't bring myself to take the final … Continue reading The Stayed Hand: when you can’t put your ideas to the page.
Half-Told Tales: My Incomplete Writing Projects
Like many writers, I have a backlog of writing. My files and folders are stuffed with projects I've started, but abandoned at various stages of development. Short stories and novellas in many genres: speculative horror, suspense, fantasy, and romance, children's books, and personal essays- all still waiting for their first draft mock-ups. In honor of … Continue reading Half-Told Tales: My Incomplete Writing Projects
Writing In November
October's rains have faded into a cold gray November. Every year I attempt a writing challenge, inspired by NaNoWriMo (Nation Novel Writing Month), but every year I fail. I have my reasons, excuses really. First there was school, then illness, then a demanding career. The truth is, I know I know I could do it, … Continue reading Writing In November
Be Writing, Not just a Writer
"Don't be a 'writer', be writing". I love and hate Faulkner's famous advice. I hate it because I know he's right and I haven't been writing much lately. Between craziness at work, home life, and my business- I am have almost no energy to be creative. At least, that is the excuse I've been making … Continue reading Be Writing, Not just a Writer
My Bad Poetry: Should I Quit?
I was never a good poet. My brain seems hardwired for prose. I can write a beautiful sentence full of metaphor and irony, but any attempt to craft that into something short ultimately results in something cliche and insincere. Still, despite my shortcomings, I never stopped trying to write poems. I still enjoy the genre … Continue reading My Bad Poetry: Should I Quit?
NaNoWriMo 2020
It's that time of year again. The time of year that all your writing friends annoy you with details about the novel they will write throughout the month of November. They may have spend all of October (aka Prep-tober) going over their writing schedule and outline, creating a calendar, and signing up for all sorts … Continue reading NaNoWriMo 2020
Return to Writing
I take the half-filled journal from my bedside; The leather cover is warm in my hands. The broken spine falls open on the table, displaying parchment pages the color of sand. My quill tip pen is newly filled after several month of sparing use. It hovers over the empty pages as I await my writing … Continue reading Return to Writing
Bringing Mae Flowers 