I always make New Years resolutions – you can probably browse through my old blog posts and find a few posts about them. Normally they’re about writing or reading, but this year I’ve decided to do something different. I spent 2016 experiencing new things. I moved to a new city, started a new job, met… Continue reading A Year of Adventuring: January
Category: On Writing
Moving Forward (with a little help)
It always happens – you start the year off well, writing and reading (or generally achieving whatever goals you set for yourself). But slowly, over time, things fall to the side. You start spending more time watching Netflix and staring at your phone than doing all of those things you said you would do. It’s… Continue reading Moving Forward (with a little help)
Why We Write
Lately I’ve been reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I’ve been drawing it out, since I always seem to read the saddest parts in public, and I hate crying in front of people. But just this week I picked it up again, and, before I got to another incredibly sad part, I read a passage… Continue reading Why We Write
Breaking Up and Making Up with Your Writing Group
I feel like there have been so many things for me to write about since I’ve moved to Boston, but for some reason I haven’t been able to put any of it on paper (and by that I mean here, on my blog). I feel like I’ve lived a lifetime in these two months, and maybe… Continue reading Breaking Up and Making Up with Your Writing Group
A New Normal
It hasn’t taken long for me to settle into life in Boston. In fact, it has been surprisingly easy – I have great roommates, an amazing apartment, possibly the best job I could have hoped for, and a new place to explore. All of these things have made my transition pretty painless. In many ways,… Continue reading A New Normal
Moving Forward When You Aren’t Sure Where You’re Going
Happy 2016! Like most years, this one began with a sense of newness. But this isn’t just the “I’m going to write every day” kind of New Year. This year it’s more like “I’m going to get a job and move to a new city and probably change my whole lifestyle.” It’s made me realize that… Continue reading Moving Forward When You Aren’t Sure Where You’re Going
Embracing the Wiki Loop
“Wiki loop” is one of those phrases that has popped up to describe a phenomenon we’ve all experienced: getting stuck reading endless Wikipedia articles. If you’re like me, you may wonder why this could ever be considered a bad thing. But I guess some people have better things to do on Friday nights than click through… Continue reading Embracing the Wiki Loop
Getting to Know Your Main Character
This is my favorite part of writing. Your main character will make or break your story, and unfortunately they will not just appear from your head fully-formed, Athena-style. That is why this getting-to-know-you stage is arguably the most important part of writing. If you’re not sure what I mean by “getting to know” your main character,… Continue reading Getting to Know Your Main Character
The Creating Process
Creating a story is like creating anything else. It takes time, some reflection, and a little bit of improvisation. Of course, like anything, your story might not exactly come out right the first time. The good thing is that it’s easier to rewrite a sentence than it is to fix a painting or remodel a… Continue reading The Creating Process
Deciding Not to Settle: A Writer’s Job Search
A few weeks ago I went to the career fair and left with a bag full of trinkets, a free shirt from a company that told me they didn’t have any jobs for me, and whole lot of questions. Needless to say, it wasn’t particularly fruitful. I would even go so far as to say… Continue reading Deciding Not to Settle: A Writer’s Job Search