Aug 8
From the time I learned how to read, books have made a huge impact on me. I’ll never forget my third-grade teacher reading, “Where the Red Fern Grows,” and bringing me and my classmates to tears.
Other books I remember:
Charlotte’s Web
Celia Garth by Gwen Bristow. Celia Garth transforms from a fashionable dressmaker to a patriot spy during the Revolutionary War. Read more
Aug 6
The creative process requires clarity and energy, says award-winning director David Lynch. He advocates meditation as a way of achieving a higher consciousness that leads to a deeper awareness and heightened sense of creativity.
In this 8-minute clip from a speech called “Consciousness, Creativity and the Brain,” Lynch speaks about the impact of meditation on his life and how it can help filmmakers and other artists boost their creativity.
A few days ago, I had a flash of insight about a story I wanted to write. I quickly wrote out a draft and after making some changes, I looked at it and decided I was missing some of the deeper meaning.
I’m going to rely on my subconscious self to delve into the deeper meaning. I have a strategy to do this. If you’re also looking for ways to build out a piece of your writing, you may want to try it.
Here’s how:
1. Print a poem, short story, or a few pages of a manuscript you’re working on and read it right before you go to sleep. If you have any outstanding questions about its direction, write them in the margins of your page and think about them as you drift off to sleep. As you sleep, your story will be simmering in your subconscious. Read more
If you’re looking for an agent or editor, you’ll want to show your work in the best possible way. In my last post, I offered four tips for approaching agents and editors. Here are four more.
Note your unique skills and expertise. If have an expertise in an area that pertains to your book, say so. It might give you an edge because you’ll have a connection or built-in audience who will be interested in your book. Read more
You have written a draft, revised, edited, revised some more. Now you’re finally ready to query an editor or agent. Do you want to improve your chances?
Here is what you should know based on feedback from editors and agents at the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Association Conference July 19-22.
Follow the instructions on their websites. You would be surprised at how many people don’t follow the submission guidelines, some going as far as using odd colors and funky typefaces. Do you want to stand out? Submit polished writing and format and send your manuscript according to their instructions. Read more
In my earlier post, “How to Use Writing Contests to Reach Your Goals,” I mentioned one of my main goals this year was to enter more writing contests. I haven’t been consistent in entering contests in the past but this year, with the prompting of my blog partner Carly, I wanted to create a new habit.
Each month, I have a goal to enter X number of competitions and/or submit my work to various places. This helps me celebrate the little successes, build my artist resume, and gain some much-needed inspiration and motivation along the way to my larger goals.
This February, I entered the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference Literary Contest and earlier this month found out I was a finalist in two categories:—memoir/nonfiction and poetry. I was thrilled. Jumping up and down. Ecstatic! Read more
A Massachusetts publishing company has come up with a unique distribution model: It gives its books away.
Appropriately named Concord Free Press, it simply asks recipients of the books to make a donation to a person in need or a favorite charity. They’re asked to post their donation on the press’s website and later donate the book to someone else who will be part of the ongoing experiment in generosity.
So far, the donated books have inspired more than $300,000 dollars in donations. Some recent examples: Read more
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