on the writer’s life – Page 20

The End of a Decade: Glancing Back, Racing Forward

December 16, 2019December 16, 2019 Lori Twining 4 Comments

It is hard to believe, but another decade is ending in 16 sleeps!

Glancing back over the last 3, 650 days, I wonder what the hell I have been doing with my life? How did ten years just disappear in a blink?

Sure, as a mother, I’ve raised three wonderful children and sent them off to University: one is married and has a job, one is almost married and has a job, and my baby is currently wading through a whole bunch of biomedical science jargon that I can’t even begin to understand and always has a summer job. Obviously, education and jobs are important in this household. All three kids are smarter and more respectful than their mother and can handle the world without me. What more can a mom ask for? Seriously, that means I did my job as a mother.

But, as a writer… hmmm, that is a completely different story.

Resource This

October 28, 2019October 29, 2019 Kelly Babcock Leave a comment

As a writer, I spend a lot of time … not writing. If you don’t believe me, just ask our blog wrangler, the inimitable Lori Twining, she’s always trying to get me to write my blog post. The funny thing is that blog writing is half of what I do for a living. Ha ha …

… oh, Lori doesn’t think that’s as funny as I do …

But I have a life. I have a lot of things going on in that life. The website I work for locally was recently hacked and it’s one of my jobs to see that that doesn’t happen again.

How am I supposed to write while the bad people are trying to use our site to get sensitive info from our readers.

My boss asked me recently, “Why don’t you write for our site any more?”

35 Drives on Grey Road 3

October 21, 2019October 21, 2019 Bernice Connell 3 Comments

Damn! The need for radiation therapy was unexpected news for me a few months ago. Treatments were scheduled five days a week for a total of thirty five, in London. It took me a couple of weeks to resolve that it really was the only option in my fight against thyroid cancer.

I decided to drive daily as long as I felt well, anticipating the September and October weather to be perfect. This venture was a means to an end and I would make the most of traveling through pretty, rural Grey County via Grey Road 3.

The drives that were anticipated to be, at the very least, inconvenient, quickly became a comfort – as I was safely ensconced in my trusty Jetta with a world of beauty surrounding me. Turning south on Road 3 every day always brought energy and optimism and this increasingly familiar, quiet country road guided me home again every night.

Thankfulness of a Writer

October 14, 2019October 15, 2019 Lori Twining 2 Comments

A writer’s life is full of many solo hours of rolling around in doubt, heartache, heartbreak… and a few happy aha! moments, that ultimately make us smile and laugh as if we have been riding a standup rollercoaster for three hours straight, jumped off, puked and then screamed, “Let’s do that again!”

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to be reminded of just how thankful I am for being a writer with an active imagination, an anxious heart and a not-so-strong stomach. This kind of up and down rollercoaster feeling happens to me often. Daily, in fact. But without the puking. Mainly this happens because I struggle with the whole concept of “Do I know what I’m doing?” to “Of course, I know what I’m doing, I just sit down and write what I’m thinking, right?” Yeah, that doesn’t always work out as easily as it sounds.

Today is Thanksgiving, so as a writer I am thankful for many things…

Why Write At All?

October 7, 2019October 1, 2019 Joan McAndrew 1 Comment

As the newest member of Ascribe Writers it is my turn (I was coerced) to write about writing. Apparently, I am allowed to focus on anything as long as my musings revolve around the fact that I am a writer.

Well, if that’s true, why is all my written work locked up in legal files that were presented to the courts, insurance companies or employers? Oh right, that’s part of my day job. You know that job… it’s the one we all do so we can do the things we really want to do in our ‘spare time’.

Writer’s Block–Actually Procrastination?

September 16, 2019September 15, 2019 Donna Judy Curtin Leave a comment

What am I going to write about?

What, What, What?

Open Twitter. Find a thread where an unknowing and naïve person says to a writer,

Writing a book must be so easy!

Bark out loud in shock! Cover mouth because I will wake the kids and the husband who is working nights and then they will invade my space and I will get absolutely nothing done. Revel in liking every single response from all the writers who responded back with hilarious, shocked, pissed off gifs. I love twitter. And there goes another half hour.

Not only do I have a novel to complete drafting—I am currently taking a course through the Writer’s Digest University and my next assignment is due in less than 24 hours, my author website needs updating, the bookkeeper is waiting for our farm books, I still haven’t unpacked the kids back packs from summer camp, there are half completed renovations in the back yard, the barn chores need completing, fur balls, laundry heaps and dirty dishes are threatening to mutiny all over my house, bills need paying, I promised myself I was going to submit a blog to Andy Rourke’s website and next weekend is the Muskoka Novel Marathon wrap up and I still haven’t read the books I bought from the other authors this summer and THIS BLOG IS DUE.

How?

How do I waste so much time? I know it’s a talent, but why do I have to be so darn good at it?

Coming Back to the Page

September 9, 2019September 9, 2019 Diane Ferguson Leave a comment

I’m not writing. I’ve been busy. (Aren’t we all?) I’ve taken on a new job of teaching two courses. Preparing to teach was a steep learning curve for me. And I’ve been travelling. Not far–all within a three-hour drive. But enough that it’s disturbed my regular writing practice. And we’ve had company. But that’s summer.

The only antidote to not-writing, is writing. I’m a firm believer in journals and morning pages. I’m a student of the Natalie Goldberg and Julia Cameron method of writing–just getting it on the page. Now that I’m back in my routine, I’ve gone back to my morning pages.

The Two Best Times Of The Year To Write

August 26, 2019October 21, 2019 Kelly Babcock Leave a comment

During any given year, there are two times that come up that are the absolute best times to write if you are a writer.

In fact, even if you’re not a writer but simply aspire to being one, you can take advantage of these two great times when, during the circling calendar the stars align, but more importantly the time is the most opportune for writing.

And lucky you, I, a professional writer, am going to share the secret of these two times with you.

Category: on the writer’s life