Recently my daughter, completely unprompted, ranked her top 10 favorite words to share with us. Her list included a few made up words and has now been expanded to include a more words she “really likes the sound of,” including “peanut butter” and “pickle.” What words do you like the sound of? When was the […]
Our worldbuilding is the setting and atmosphere of our stories. As writers, we don’t want to overlook this critical component of making our stories the strongest they can be! But what makes worldbuilding great? And how do we *do* that? Today we’ll walk through two aspects of worldbuilding: Theme and Details. For further reading on […]
Today we’re looking at 8 practical ways we can be intentional about improving as writers. With a new year starting it’s the perfect time to think about how we want to be learning and growing! We don’t need to tackle all 8 strategies at once! But building some of these practices into our schedules and […]
Happy New Year! As promised, we’re kicking off the year talking about goals. One of my favorite things! 🙂 We don’t need to be stressed, intimidated, or legalistic about it all: Goals can look like many different things and they can be a hugely useful tool even when used minimally. Along with goals we’ll also […]
We made it, guys! The year is almost over and a brand-new fresh year is right around the corner. That means, of course, that it’s traditionally the time to talk about goals (one of my favorite things!) but instead today we’re pausing to take time to reflect. Reflection and personal introspection is a vital part […]
The holidays are upon us and it’s a magical time! Whether it’s your favorite season ever or whether you’re more of a Grinch (and let’s face it, we all are sometimes!), here’s a roundup of gifts ideas for your favorite book-ish people. And for yourself 😉 If the holidays are a hard time for you, […]
Quotes on creativity and art can provide a glimpse into new outlooks on life and writing and can inspire our own thoughts and work. From everyday moments to the mysteries of the galaxy, art is part of it all! So enjoy these quotes, be inspired, and go make something! Whatever your writing and life journey […]
Thanksgiving is coming which means it’s time to pull our our pumpkins and start thinking of answers to the classic “what are you thankful for” dinner-table question! But here’s a thought: What what if we asked this question daily instead of just once a year? It’s well worth our time. Thanksgiving is a discipline that, […]
There’s this idea of the suffering artist. Of all the work that needs to be done, the sleepless nights, and the sacrifices. The miserable, miserable work work work that it takes to succeed. This is a myth. Don’t get me wrong- there is certainly something to be said for hard work. For perseverance and not […]
I hope you’ve had the giddy and almost magical experience of reading a book that makes you literally laugh out loud. Finding humor in our fiction is a wonderful thing! However, often this is easier said than done. Telling ourselves to “write funny” doesn’t usually work and when a joke falls flat or the humor […]
Kids can be lovely but do you know what isn’t lovely? When we see children in books or movies and they’re just… eh. Writing children in fiction is a tricky thing to do well. And when it’s not done well it can be distracting to the reader and ultimately hurt the story. Thankfully, we’re brave […]
The start of the school year is here and with it we have a few crisp fall-weather weeks just bristling with potential. Which means it’s time to pull out all our notebooks and evaluate where we want that potential to take us! I’ve talked about setting goals a decent amount before because it’s one of […]
Many of my favorite characters aren’t the hero of the story at all- I love Gimli and Legolas over Frodo, Robin over Batman, and Donkey over Shrek. Just because they aren’t in the main character role doesn’t mean they are any less important, memorable, or amazing! A sidekick is a character that is a partner […]
Here are a few things that have caught my attention recently and a bit of what I’ve been up to! Lots of games and some scattered practices of creativity. We’re feeling the summer vibes and trying to soak up lots of sunshine! Don’t be shy- feel free to chime in below with things you’ve been […]
I’m still working through Julia Cameron’s excellent book The Artist’s Way and have gathered together a few of my favorite quotes and thoughts to share. (You can see a few earlier quotes from last month’s favorite things post!) Now I’ll admit I don’t do every exercise in the book or work through it as consistently […]