No One Likes Writing First Drafts While I will always love writing in the Loving Husband and Hembry Castle worlds, my creativity has been pulling me in other directions lately. I've started the academic research that has been on my mind for some time now, and I'm branching out in my fiction. I've been writing … Continue reading Writing Inspiration: Facing the Fear of First Drafts
Writing Inspiration
Unleash Your Creativity: Why You Need a Commonplace Book
What Is A Commonplace Book? Lately, I've been seeing many posts about commonplace books. Once I discovered what commonplace books were, I was surprised I hadn't kept one before. Then I realized that I have kept commonplace books, only I called them quote journals. Maybe you have too. Commonplace books can act as second brains … Continue reading Unleash Your Creativity: Why You Need a Commonplace Book
Advice For Young Writers: How To Get Published
I Was a Guest Speaker at Writers' Block I was invited to speak at Writers' Block, a group of young people studying the craft of writing. When I asked what the group wanted to learn about, the answer came back overwhelmingly that they wanted to learn more about the publishing side of writing. As I … Continue reading Advice For Young Writers: How To Get Published
Guest Post: How Lucretia Grindle Writes Historical Fiction
The Importance of Character, Setting, and Situation A friend whose opinion I respect a great deal once told me that all a great historical novel is, is a great novel in a historical setting. I agree. Although that sounds deceptively simple and deserves a little unpacking. Character, setting, and situation are the central components, the … Continue reading Guest Post: How Lucretia Grindle Writes Historical Fiction
What Is Slow Writing and Why Is It Good For You?
My Definition of Slow Writing I had an interesting time putting this post together. Normally, when I write a post like this I do a little research to help me find others who share a similar opinion. But when I looked for slow writing on several search engines, I didn’t find much. I found some … Continue reading What Is Slow Writing and Why Is It Good For You?
One Tip To Keep Writing (Even When It’s Hard)
Writing Can Be Hard No matter how much I love to write, sometimes it's just hard. I don't mean having writer's block, although sometimes that's an issue too. It can be a challenge to find the motivation, or it can be a challenge to find the time. I've been a professional writer for more than … Continue reading One Tip To Keep Writing (Even When It’s Hard)
Guest Post: Bringing History To Life Through Fiction
Behind the Scenes: How Amy Maroney Brings History To Life For me, there are three integral steps to writing historical fiction: travel, research, and writing. Travel is the magic—the pixie dust that sparks my imagination and gives me story and character ideas. Doing research is endlessly fascinating to me. I love disappearing down rabbit holes, … Continue reading Guest Post: Bringing History To Life Through Fiction
What Is Authentic Writing?
Remembering Why We Became Writers As I'm working on my second nonfiction book about writing, one of the themes I keep returning to is authentic writing. As a writer, editor, and publisher, I feel as if authentic writing has been pushed aside in favor of writing as quickly as possible, publishing as quickly as possible, … Continue reading What Is Authentic Writing?
More Simple Joys of Journaling: Art Journaling For Writers
Art Journaling is Another Way To Express Creativity Last week I shared some ideas for journaling for writers. I've had a lot of great feedback from that post, so this week I'd like to share a little bit about art journaling, another kind of journaling that helps to get my creative juices flowing A page … Continue reading More Simple Joys of Journaling: Art Journaling For Writers
The Simple Joys of Journaling: Journaling For Writers
Journaling Is a Good Habit For Creatives Many writers keep a journal in one form or another. If you're like me, you probably have several journals going at once. I don't write in each of my journals every day; I write in them as needed. I have a personal journal where I jot down observations … Continue reading The Simple Joys of Journaling: Journaling For Writers