For Christmas, my roommate bought me a book of writing prompts. I’ve never really been the kind of person to write based on a prompt; usually I just sit around until I have some kind of idea (usually a bad one), and then I write on that for a while before I get stuck. You would… Continue reading On Writing Prompts
Tag: writing
Relearning the Craft
I begin each new semester with a bit of trepidation about what I’m going to be learning. Last semester the daunting project was a grant proposal. The semester before that I fretted over both nonfiction and fiction workshops, which I hadn’t had any experience with before. This semester the worry is threefold. Due to some… Continue reading Relearning the Craft
A Writer’s Resolutions
I’ve always made writing resolutions. That’s not going to change. But, due to recent events (namely my impending graduation and some interest in one of my novels), I’m amending my usual “write every day” resolution to include some more professional goals. So, without further ado, here are my New Year’s resolutions for 2015. 1. Make… Continue reading A Writer’s Resolutions
The Education of a Writer
School is an interesting thing, isn’t it? We’re expected to study something practical, because in today’s society, college is meant to secure you a job. The humanities majors don’t really fit into that box. People ask, “Do you want to teach?” as if that’s the only thing you can do with a major that isn’t… Continue reading The Education of a Writer
NaNoWriMo: The Uphill Battle
NaNoWriMo, if you’ve never heard of it, is this insane thing some writers do. It stands for National Novel Writing Month, and every year thousands of people accept the challenge of writing 50,000 words in the month of November. I am one of those people. My road to this year’s NaNoWriMo has been interesting. I’m… Continue reading NaNoWriMo: The Uphill Battle
Peaks in Life
There are a lot of ups and downs in life, and chances are, you’re either in a devastatingly deep valley or at the top of the highest mountain you’ve climbed in a while. We don’t often notice when we’re in between. I’ll admit that at the moment, I’m sitting at a very low point. The… Continue reading Peaks in Life
The Problem of Overcompensation
I promise this is about writing, but first I’m going to tell you a story. I was driving home yesterday, so I went to McDonald’s to get a Sprite and french fries. There was no ketchup in the bag, so I asked for some. I specifically remember saying “Can I get some ketchup? Just one… Continue reading The Problem of Overcompensation
Finishing Your Novel
I’m nearing the end of my current project, and I can feel myself slowing down; as the end draws nearer, my daily word count decreases, and I spend more time reading, researching, and plotting. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, considering the fact that I was unsure of exactly how the story would end until about three… Continue reading Finishing Your Novel
“A woman must h…
“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” -Virginia Woolf Now I’m not a big fan of Virginia Woolf, but I love this quote. While the money part is debatable, I think most people will agree that having a room of your own, or someplace where… Continue reading “A woman must h…
The Weight of Words
The position I’m in right now, which is a great one by the way, is all because of a few words one of my professors told me. Here’s his final critique for the portfolio (first ten pages of a novel) that I submitted for my creative writing class: “An excellent start to a gripping story. You’d… Continue reading The Weight of Words