Lori Twining – Page 2 – Ascribe Writers

Who Are You? And, Why Do You Write?

July 31, 2023July 31, 2023 Lori Twining 4 Comments

The summer months are full of extended family gatherings. This year we are celebrating many things: the arrival of our second grandbaby, the engagement of our niece, the departure of my hubby’s brother and wife (moving to Singapore for two years), and a bridal shower for my hubby’s cousin (even though we are not invited to the wedding). Where am I going with all this family information?

With family gatherings come rapid-fire questions about how my writing career is going. Typical questions are something like this:

“Are you still trying to do that writing thing?”
“Where is this book I keep hearing about?”
“Why isn’t your book done yet?”
“What’s taking so long?”

These questions are often followed by examples of so-and-so publishing their 27th novel this month, and they write three books a year. So, why is my book, which I have been working on for what seems like 100 years, taking so long to write and publish? There is an instant sense of dread or shame. I should stop calling myself a writer and instead watch some movies on Prime or Netflix like everyone else.

Capturing Iconic Friendship in Fiction

June 26, 2023June 26, 2023 Lori Twining Leave a comment

High School Girls’ Reunion in Haliburton ~ 2023

What comes to mind when you read the words “Iconic Friendship” in the title above?

For me, I think of the people in my life who would do anything for me, no matter what I asked of them (even if I requested help to make a body disappear). They would not question me because they know I would never ask for assistance unless it was absolutely necessary.

If I had a sister, I’m one hundred percent positive she would be the one I would call. She would kill someone for me without hesitation and tell no one about it, and I would do the same for her. Unfortunately, I was only blessed with one sibling, and my brother would not break the law for me, no matter how I repaid him. Yeah, he’s one of those no-rule-breaking-kind-of-guys who thinks committing a crime is wrong (unless our mother asks him to do it, then he might consider it).

Novelists and Quiltmakers Bound by Threads

May 8, 2023May 8, 2023 Lori Twining Leave a comment

Often, writers have other creative interests besides writing short stories or novels. There are many pursuits to indulge in, such as painting, clay sculpture, embroidery, knitting, sewing, basket weaving, jewellery, photography, etc. I do many different activities, but this month, I concentrated on creating quilts.

As I pushed a hot iron across a square piece of white cotton material for the next quilt block, I couldn’t help but notice the similarity to a blank white page on my laptop or in my notebook. It struck me how similar being a novelist and a quiltmaker really are for me.

At first glance, a novel is made from words on pages bound together and printed into book form. A quilt is made from scraps of material and sewn together to produce a warm blanket. A book and a blanket are two different items, one hard and one soft, but both are created for you or someone else to enjoy. I thought about the parallels, and I couldn’t help but smile. Check them out below.

Date Night with a Writer

March 13, 2023March 13, 2023 Lori Twining 2 Comments

Over the last few years, Friday nights have become date night for my husband and his favourite writer… That would be me.

We are both book lovers that challenge each other to find books that have been adapted into movies. We read the books, watch the movies, and then we discuss the differences between the literary version versus the cinematic version. We discuss things such as:

In the Event of My Death: Burn Everything… or Steamroll It!

January 30, 2023January 29, 2023 Lori Twining 2 Comments

Over the Christmas holidays, I decided to declutter my basement office. The task had been on my To-Do List for far too long. I procrastinated because it was a BIG job, which ultimately took me seven days to complete. Sad, but true.

While sifting through the stacks of papers, books, and file folders, I found some personal notes full of secret information. Information that I don’t need or want anyone else to know about. What if someone else had seen them? What would they think? What would they say?

Preventing Post-Holiday Writer’s Guilt

December 19, 2022December 18, 2022 Lori Twining 2 Comments

Don’t panic, but there are only six days until Christmas arrives and only 12 days until the year ends. Holidays are approaching fast, and I realized I still haven’t achieved everything I wanted to this year. Now, I am worried about all the things I won’t get done over the holidays.

Instead of stressing about the post-holiday writer’s guilt already, I decided to take a deep breath and plan to keep writing a couple of hours each day despite all the festive Christmas parties littering my calendar with work, family, and friends. My holidays will be packed full, but I have ten days off, and it would be great to make some progress on a writing project or two. Therefore, I need to figure out how to juggle the schedule to make sufficient time for work, family, exercise, writing, and a little bit of sleep.

Connecting with family and friends at this time of year is important, and fitting in the job stuff is required to pay all the bills, which is why making room for writing feels difficult and complicated.

So, if you are reading this and would like to prevent the post-holiday writer’s guilt, then check out my suggestions to help us achieve our writing goals together.

Reasons Why A Writer Might Be Obsessed With Pre-Ordering Certain Authors

November 7, 2022November 7, 2022 Lori Twining 4 Comments

Lately, I have become obsessed with pre-ordering my favourite author’s upcoming releases. I get excited about receiving the book on publication day (or close to it, depending on my delivery choice). There are some authors I love so much that they become an automatic buy for me, which means I pre-order the book the minute I know it is available to do so. It arrives several months later on my doorstep and ends up being a bit of a surprise (because I know it is coming, I just don’t know exactly when it will arrive). This is what makes me happy.

Why Walking More Impacts a Writer’s Brain

September 26, 2022September 26, 2022 Lori Twining 4 Comments

Discovering new places by walking in nature ~ Lori Twining

Last week, I scheduled some time away from work and my every day responsibilities to attend a seven-day writing retreat in the middle of the woods in Haliburton County. I hoped to review and revise my current novel by taking my characters deeper and solving a few lingering issues I had with plot holes.

The weeks leading up to this retreat stressed me out. Lists needed to be made for everything I required to accomplish at work before I could leave. I had lists of food that I must shop for and pack. I also had a weekend wedding in Hamilton to get ready for that followed the writing retreat with only a one-hour break between them. My brain was fried when I finally arrived at the retreat, and I didn’t have a plan of exactly what I would be working on. Poor planning.

Author: Lori Twining