While most of us began writing totally alone, it didn’t take long to begin sharing what we wrote with others. I started showing my writing to a couple close friends. Once they liked what they read, I had the confidence to show my writing to more people. Soon, I had a large group of people […]
Stuck in a Rut
When you’ve been writing for years, it’s easy to sometimes find yourself stuck in a rut. Maybe you feel like you’re writing the same old thing; maybe you feel like work and life have taken priority over writing. Maybe you feel like writing’s lost that spark it once had. * * * When you do […]
Monday Motivation: Rewrites
“I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.” – James Michener One of the topics that always seems to come up in the writing group I’m in is how much we don’t like rewrites. I’m the most tolerant of rewrites, having rewritten the novel I just finished four times, but I still […]
A Room of Your Own
All this week, I’m discussing writing vacations and writing-related things you can do on family vacations. Today: A Solitary Getaway. * * * If you’ve exhausted your vacation time and aren’t able to get away for a full week, consider a long weekend alone in a hotel. Maya Angelou keeps a hotel room when writing, […]
Road Trippin’
All this week, I’m discussing writing vacations and writing-related things you can do on family vacations. Today: Road Trippin’. * * * I grew up north of Chicago–my father lived in Kansas City. I looked forward to seeing him each summer, but almost as much as the visit, I looked forward to the road trip […]
Retreating
All this week, I’m discussing writing vacations and writing-related things you can do on vacations. Today: Your Own Writing Retreat. * * * Having trouble finding the right writing retreat? Not wanting to pay the cost of an expensive retreat? Why not pool your resources with other writers and create a retreat of your own? […]
Working on the Side
All this week, I’m discussing writing vacations and writing-related things you can do on family vacations. Today: A Working Vacation. * * * Many writers dream about traveling and writing. To see the world and write about it on somebody else’s dime would be as good as it gets. A new travel writer doesn’t stand […]
Find Your Inner Thoreau
All this week, I’m discussing writing vacations and writing-related things you can do on family vacations. Today: Finding your Inner Thoreau * * * In 1845, Henry David Thoreau left it all behind and retreated to the woods on Walden Pond. He had very little contact with others for two years. Thoreau wasn’t the only […]
A Sense of Place
All this week, I’m discussing writing vacations and writing-related things you can do on family vacations. Today: Creating a Sense of Place. * * * As writers, we want to create a sense of place in all we do that leaves readers thinking, “Man, it’s like I was right there!” It’s not a hard thing […]
The Writing Pilgrimage
All this week, I’m discussing writing vacations and writing-related things you can do on family vacations. First up: The Author Pilgrimage… * * * Every June, Mark Finn makes a pilgrimage to Cross Plains, Texas. He goes to the tiny town for Robert E. Howard Days–a celebration of the writer best known for creating Conan […]
Writing Trips
It’s been awhile since I’ve done a series. With summer about to leave us for good, maybe you want to have one last fling before cooler weather settles in. Maybe you were too busy at the day job over the summer to take vacation, but now looking for something to do as the year begins […]
Monday Motivation: Labor Day
It’s Labor Day in the U.S. For many, that means cookouts and rushing to crowd several weekends of fun into one last fling before the weather turns colder (unless you live in Texas!). On most holidays, I stop for a moment in my office and think about what the holiday means to me. Labor Day […]
The Rawness of a Duck
I have a confession: with few exceptions, I don’t discuss writing with many other writers. When it comes to talking about writing, I prefer talking with artists. Next to talking about writing with two friends in my writing group, I prefer talking about writing with my wife (an artist), and my friend Jeremy (an artist). […]