May is Mental Health Awareness Month. One in five U.S. adults live with mental illness, yet it is still a taboo topic in our personal and professional lives. Those with mental illness are often driven to live with their suffering in silence for fear of damaging their relationships and credibility. I have lived with mental… Read more »
Did you know that the month of May is International Short Story Month? I didn’t! In May 2010, International Short Story Month was first organized as a way to celebrate short stories in all their glory from writing to reading and everything in between. It was inspired by National Poetry Month in April, which we… Read more »
Anytime you share your creative endeavors with people, you open yourself up to being judged. As a writer, when I expose my words to the public eye, I’m vulnerable to other people’s opinions, which can be scary and exciting at the same time. When I was younger, I was never the class clown, or quick… Read more »
In some ways, writing in the first person feels like the most natural way to tell a story. After all, we create stories “in first” every day—over drinks with friends, describing our weekends to colleagues, and complaining about our jobs to our partners at night. “I did this…” and “I told him that…” we say,… Read more »
A rolling wave of earth rumbled me out of my sleep like it had a dozen times before in other types of disaster. Instinct kicked in as I jumped out of bed to the closest doorway to only remember—there aren’t earthquakes in Tennessee. Weird. Something didn’t feel right though and without thinking, I went to… Read more »
Seeking Travelers For the 2021 Virtual Writers Sabbatical I started my writing career just shy of 50, so I’ve been playing catch up with my writing craft. After DIY MFA 101 opened me up to the wonderful world of writing, I was hooked. I dove into a writing craft quest—taking more classes and listening to… Read more »
We think of inspiration arriving in a flash, a moment where the rabbit appears from the magic hat as if from nowhere. Those creative lightning strikes hit each of us occasionally. We know we can’t rely on their appearance. But what if we could? Creativity exercises foster conditions that make inspirational lightning strikes more likely…. Read more »
Like me, I suspect one of the facets of creative resistance, aka writer’s block—overwhelm, perfectionism, procrastination, and self-doubt—has seduced you. You’ve probably cast about researching different tips and tricks on how to break free from resistance, so you can get back to writing. Your research likely revealed tips on establishing better writing structures, getting ruthless… Read more »
Recently, I launched Kris Clink’s Writing Table, a podcast to help new writers learn from authors and publishing experts as we explore books, the writing craft, and the varied paths to publishing. It’s been a joy to hear firsthand from authors who are responsible for my favorite books. Kathleen Barber, Kimberly Belle, Lyn Liao Butler,… Read more »
We signed our book deal at the end of July 2020 with a January 2021 publication date. We were in the midst of a global pandemic. Our kids were home 24/7 with nowhere to go. Karissa had a brand new three week old baby. And we were on a one month deadline for our first… Read more »
