I had a sort of epiphany this semester. In my creative writing class, we spent a lot of time workshopping our short stories. I made a comment about one girl’s work, and she told me after class that I always had the best responses and that I really helped her see the direction of her story.… Continue reading The Art of Helping Others
Tag: writing
The Joys of Rewriting
Writing is hard. If you’ve ever tried to write anything at all, you know this. However, acknowledging that rewriting is an essential part of creating a final product makes every step along the way easier. Personally, I find comfort in knowing that what I write is not final. It means that when writing, you no longer… Continue reading The Joys of Rewriting
Embracing Deadlines
All writers have to deal with deadlines – it’s simply a part of the job. But it’s amazing how much your perspective on writing can change when you embrace these deadlines rather than dreading them. This morning I woke up to an email from the editor of a magazine I’m writing for. She sent it… Continue reading Embracing Deadlines
What I Learned in Boating School Is…
(I hope you all got that SpongeBob reference. Don’t worry, I’ll explain later.) Another semester finished. I only have one more to go, which is a little hard to accept, but I’m starting to feel ready. When I posted in January about all of the writing I would be doing this semester (read the post… Continue reading What I Learned in Boating School Is…
New York: A Writer’s Final Frontier
It seems everyone I know is moving to New York. In just the past six months, four of my good friends have gotten jobs and moved to that big city we’ve all dreamed about living in. I’ve always wanted to move to New York, and it’s always scared me. But watching people I know take this… Continue reading New York: A Writer’s Final Frontier
Eating vs. Reading: A Research Comparison
Just like fiction, feature writing is hard. I spent a lot of my time doing both this semester, and I learned quite a bit about what translates between genres and what doesn’t. If you’re looking to switch from one to the other, here are a few tips (and my thoughts) on the differences required when… Continue reading Eating vs. Reading: A Research Comparison
When Writing Becomes Work
With the end of the semester quickly approaching, I’ve been working more and more on my final projects, all of which are focused on writing. Now that I’m spending seven or eight hours a night doing nothing but writing, I’ve started to wonder at what point this writing stops being fun or even bearable and… Continue reading When Writing Becomes Work
Screenplays and Schedules
This semester, I feel as if I’m writing on someone else’s schedule. In the past, even when I’ve had other classwork and writing assignments, I’ve always felt like I was able to do them at my leisure, when I felt like writing. Somehow it seemed as if writing was my idea, rather than the professor’s. But especially as… Continue reading Screenplays and Schedules
Overcoming the Hurdle of Fear
Every year I submit a story to Baylor’s Student Literary Contest, and every year I have to spend hours convincing myself to do it. Logically, I know that nothing bad is going to happen if I send in a piece of my work. They might like it, they might not, but ultimately it doesn’t change… Continue reading Overcoming the Hurdle of Fear
Writing What You Don’t Know
“You must stay firmly based in reality when writing,” my creative writing professor says. This means no fantasy, science fiction, or even dystopian stories. I don’t agree with her, but I nod along as she speaks, because she’ll be the one grading my stories. Still, her words bring up an interesting point, and the old… Continue reading Writing What You Don’t Know