I grew up writing. For the longest time I had a rather serious problem. Most of my stories lost steam about a third of the way through and sat gathering dust. Then one day I picked up "The Outlandish Companion" by Diana Gabaldon, writer of the bestselling Outlander series, and I discovered an amazing thing:… Continue reading Writer Wednesday: The Drawbacks of a Straight Line
Tag: inspiration
Monday Motivation: The Power of a Smile
I'm a smiley person. But I'll tell you a secret: I don't always feel like smiling. But here are a few things I've learned about smiling that might change the way you arrange your face.Even when you don't feel it ...I've heard it said that if you smile enough, your brain will actually begin to… Continue reading Monday Motivation: The Power of a Smile
Writer Wednesday: Why every writer should read
I would guess that on virtually every writer's list of favourite hobbies, writing would fall pretty high already. Some of us get too busy and the reading falls by the wayside, but it's still something we like to do. Here's a few reasons why it's important to keep reading as a writer.1. Learning about craft.Yes,… Continue reading Writer Wednesday: Why every writer should read
Monday Motivation: What to do when you don’t feel it
We all have days when we just don't feel it. You know the ones I'm talking about. Can't get out of bed. Feel like you're in a fog. Ask yourself a hundred times "Why do I bother?" But you've got a deadline looming or kids to feed or a threatening avalanche on your desk, and… Continue reading Monday Motivation: What to do when you don’t feel it
Writer Wednesday: 5 Ways to Freshen Your Writing
We've all heard the saying "write what you know". While it is important to share our own experiences and work from our strengths, however, it never hurts to open ourselves to new experiences and develop new strengths as a writer. Here are 5 ways to do that. 1. Choose a setting you know little about.… Continue reading Writer Wednesday: 5 Ways to Freshen Your Writing
Monday Motivation: The Long View
A lot of press is given this time of year to goal-setting and reviewing. If you're like most people, you're taking the turning of the year to take stock of your life and think forward about how you want to live it. But while a lot of attention is paid to the recent past or… Continue reading Monday Motivation: The Long View
Monday Motivation: Plug into a team
Nothing can be more motivating than having the right team behind you. Working with a good group of people can open opportunities, provide strengths we may be lacking, and just offer support. Plus, a team has the added benefit of giving an opportunity to help others, which makes the world a better place and keeps… Continue reading Monday Motivation: Plug into a team
Writer Wednesday: Building Blocks of Plot
It's been a long time since grade school story writing, and since nanowrimo is coming up soon, I think it's time to brush up on plot. First of all, where does a story come from? Where do you get that seed from that starts a book? What are the building blocks that go into making… Continue reading Writer Wednesday: Building Blocks of Plot
Monday Motivation: 4 Ways to Cut Dead Weight from your Day
There just aren't enough hours in the day - or enough energy in our bodies - to do everything. I think we've all figured that out. But the trouble is we have a hard time choosing what things get the time and the energy. Sometimes we get to the end of the day and we… Continue reading Monday Motivation: 4 Ways to Cut Dead Weight from your Day
Writer Wednesday: 10 Reasons to Nanowrimo
It's almost time to start Nanowrimo again. What is it, you ask? National Novel Writing Month. During November, over 300,000 people undertake to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Here's why I think anyone who's ever thought about writing a novel should do this. 1. It's a great reminder to write daily. 2.… Continue reading Writer Wednesday: 10 Reasons to Nanowrimo
Erin E. M. Hatton 