In this post, we’ll consider the challenges of trying to change people’s minds, trying to urge action, trying to change the world, or some portion thereof, explicitly with your words. While the examples I reference are from creative nonfiction, I believe the tips can apply to fiction or poetry as well. In response to the… Read more »
Over the last several weeks, several months, truthfully, it’s felt like everyone I know, including myself, has been running on empty in most areas of life. At the very beginning of this “new normal” period, every day was a bit of an unknown. From not really knowing how long the pandemic was going to last,… Read more »
During this strange state of the world that we’re living in right now, I’ve noticed that my creativity and motivation in some areas has completely and utterly taken a nosedive. At the beginning of the year, I usually came up with story or writing ideas fairly regularly — pulling together a part of a universe… Read more »
From my writing desk’s window this morning, I see dull brown grass trimmed with splotches of melting snow, bare trees, and a gray sky. January is hardly the most inspiring time of year, at least not for those of us living in a seasonal climate. Yet that cold and boring outside has its upside: it… Read more »
People think creativity exists only when options are endless. The truth is that infinite possibilities can be paralyzing. There’s research to support this: that when people have too many options, they’re much less likely to take decisive action. But setting limits for your writing can be a good thing. It’s only in limiting your choices… Read more »
Every writer needs a healthy dose of humility. Having a humble outlook is what lets us realize that we still need to work on our craft. That we should never rest on our laurels because our writing is never as good as it could be. That there’s always room for improvement. Humility is what makes… Read more »
Last week we talked about the power of words and how we must use them with precision, and today we consider the counterpart of those words, the silence. After all, it’s not just what we choose to say, but what we choose not to say, that matters. To illustrate my point, I would like to… Read more »
I’ve always wanted to go to the Intrepid Air and Space Museum, but rarely had a chance to get there. Once upon a time, I think I went there on a school field trip, but it was a long time ago and I had never gone back since. Until this weekend. But even as I… Read more »
