On Writing | Kristin Waites

What Makes a Storyteller

I will admit that I am often that person who tells a story that garners absolutely no reaction. It’s frustrating, and usually embarrassing, especially when the story is about something that means a lot to me. So why is it that our stories fall flat, whether they’re oral or written down? What makes a good story,… Continue reading What Makes a Storyteller

Confidence: A Writer’s BFF

Sometimes it’s hard to have confidence in words, even when they come from your own brain. We write them down, question them, write them again. Then we stare at them, wondering if they say what we want them too. It’s only second nature, but it’s also damaging when we don’t trust our words. I’ve been… Continue reading Confidence: A Writer’s BFF

Trusting the Workshop

We tend to think of writing as a personal, internal experience. Thought to paper, right? And that idea is fine until someone actually reads your work. Then you have to think about what your writing means, its relationship to reality, what people think of it–all the stuff you would rather avoid while just continuing to write. I… Continue reading Trusting the Workshop

Translating Experience to Fiction

I’ve found myself relying more and more on my experiences as I’ve been writing this semester. It’s weird for me, since I tend to write less from “what I know” and more from research. But I think there are just some experiences that beg to be written about, and I discovered a lot of them… Continue reading Translating Experience to Fiction

Writing Abroad

Writing is something you have to make time for. I know this. What I didn’t know is how easy it is to make time for writing when you’re doing things like homework and laundry all the time…it’s much harder to make time in between traveling, eating out, and sightseeing. During the five weeks I was… Continue reading Writing Abroad

All You Need is Something to Write In

I’ve been abroad for a week now, and I haven’t even attempted to do any creative writing. And yesterday, as we were walking around and exploring the city, I realized that part of this is my fault for not taking advantage of all the inspiration around me. So I bought a journal, and last night… Continue reading All You Need is Something to Write In

A Day in Christ Church

I’ve been in Oxford for about two days now, and I’m still constantly astounded by the beauty of the university and the city. Our train from Wales came in around 4 on Saturday, and the streets were flooded with tourists. It was a shock seeing it so busy, since none of us really thought… Continue reading A Day in Christ Church

Appreciating “Normal” Life

I’ve been so excited about leaving for my trip that I almost forgot to enjoy life – the life I’m living now and that I’ll be coming back to soon. I had planned for this post to be about waiting, and how difficult it is when things are so aggravatingly normal. But this weekend changed… Continue reading Appreciating “Normal” Life

Inspiration: The Writer’s Excuse

Let’s first note that I am not saying inspiration is bad. Inspiration is a great thing, often the best thing a writer could hope for. So what I’m addressing today is what happens when you don’t have inspiration. We have all said these words, at least in our heads: “I’m just not feeling inspired today, so… Continue reading Inspiration: The Writer’s Excuse