This year’s spring cleaning rituals included a deep dive into my desk drawers and writing files. My version of organizing over-flowing drawers and shelves is to review every single piece of paper, create many ‘keep’ piles and file very little under ‘trash’. The piles are more orderly for the moment and the bonus is that I could not help but get inspired.
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ONE OF THE BIG THINGS about creative writing is how much a part of one’s self shows up in the work, even when the theme is something completely fabricated.
I liken writing to a piecework quilt: beyond the grammar and words one selects to stitch everything together (although that can colour everything), in most of what we write, what we design – plot, theme, characters – everything originates as a pastiche of everything we have lived and learned. Just like those quilts that use symbols of colour and form to send a message, our minds gather up all those elements that we have to hand from our experiences and knowledge, even when we’re creating something uniquely from our imagination. Read more
In today’s digital age, everything from baby’s first steps to loved ones’ last breaths are easily documented and shared through social media with as wide a circle as one wishes. Technology is a great aid to writing families’ stories and histories, making it easier in many ways. I like to think there is room to expand the practice of documenting and recollecting to share with family and friends.
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Yesterday, on Sunday, March 17th, many people celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by wearing clothing in the symbolic colour green, chugging green beer, and telling dirty Irish limerick jokes around the supper table. I’m lucky to have some Irish blood running through me on my mother’s and father’s sides of the family, so I have a few sweary tales that would make you laugh.
However, I want to share three facts that might blow your mind about St. Patrick’s Day:
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As I write this, World Book Day was just celebrated three days ago. What a great idea!
I love books. I love reading books with facts and I love books with stories. We talk here mostly of stories we as writers create. But do you ever wonder why stories are so important to us? Read more
For someone who claims to love writing, I sure can find every excuse NOT to write. Here I am… on a dedicated writing retreat. A clean house, with big inviting windows, open wide to the creativity. The quiet that only a place away from home can provide; with no chores, no dishes, no laundry, no pets… only the sun streaming in and the trees waving their wishes to the wind. The house hums… hums with electricity, heating and… potential.
That’s it. Potential.
I make a coffee. For once, with no rush of the day, no next thing, no must be on time. I’m able to stir. Listen to the tin, tin as the metal spoon strikes and scrapes the sides to lift and mix my sugar, like I’m mixing my thoughts.
Starting, for me, is sometimes the hardest part.
Then… it’s about sticking to it and meeting my potential. That word again. Potential.
After a week away, dedicated to drafting, I need to find the fortitude to continue. This post is a pep talk for my writerly self. I hope you will find a nugget to polish into a gem. Read more
There is absolutely no excuse for me not finding time to write. I am newly retired, living with just hubby and our Springer Spaniel, with enough space to spread out and resources at the ready. You get the picture.
Yet, distractions pop up. Sometimes I actually invite interruptions that slow down the grind of getting words on paper, so to speak.
A retreat can be the perfect motivation to focus and make some progress on your writing projects. Imagine escaping to a beautiful location, for days at a time, with the sole purpose of writing to your heart’s content. This past week, The Modern Schoolhouse was the perfect venue for a local group of writers gathering to do just that.
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“Fact and fiction are so intermingled in my work that now, looking back on it, I can hardly distinguish one from the other.” – Somerset Maugham