Inspiration – Page 2 – Ascribe Writers

Spring is in the Air

March 6, 2023March 5, 2023 Bernice Connell Leave a comment

This year, more than usual, I am desperate for spring’s arrival.

A cluster of personal and professional situations has really sent me into a tailspin in recent weeks. It has been impossible to bounce back easily and quickly as I normally do. The hours spent working and worrying are seriously disproportionate to time spent having fun. I am rarely reading these days and writing has come to a full stop. Even recognizing the possibility that what I’m experiencing right now may be helpful to a future character, there is no energy for writing daily pages.

A New Year: time for new writing goals and charting a path to success

January 9, 2023January 9, 2023 Seana Moorhead 1 Comment

It’s a new year and a perfect time to think about writing goals for 2023. There are four approaches to setting new years’ goals:

1. Set multiple goals but break them within minutes, hours or days because we never had any true intention. This is more a “wish” list of wants / desires rather than a true goal setting.

2 . Set one or two goals and managed to keep it until around Ground Hog’s day and then give up because honestly, keeping to your goals is hard work.

3. Refuse to set goals at New Years because either we know there’s no point (because we won’t keep to them), feel it is too cliche or we are completely content with our present life so we need no goals.

4. Set actual achievable goals and keep to it, even if the the goal is not ultimately achieved, the steps and habits get developed over the year.

How do we get to number 4?

Call Me the GRINCH

December 5, 2022December 5, 2022 Donna Judy Curtin Leave a comment

Tis the season of stress. The season of hunting for that perfect precious gift while you get your elbows up to wrestle for that last sale item on your list. Not only do you need to tackle your regular laundry, dusting, vacuuming, dog walking, work and dishes… but now you need to clean your house before you can hang up those pesky decorations and Christmas lights (fit in the marital spat over the lights, apologize and then make up for your poor behaviour), drag out and dust off the ol’ Christmas tree, and then somehow remember to move the freakin’ Christmas Elf every night before bed. Read more

Keeping the Magic Going

October 17, 2022October 17, 2022 Seana Moorhead 1 Comment

I love writing retreats. In my busy life with my work, home, dogs, garden, more dogs, canning and preserving, kayaking, building, wood spilting, and spending time with friends and family, it can be hard to find dedicated extended periods of time to work on my novel.

Spending a week with writing friends and getting up early every morning to write all day and into the evening feels like stepping into a different world. Not to mention, talking and brainstorming ideas with people who are also passionate about writing and want to help each other write the best possible story. Returning home can feel a little like leaving the magical world of Oz.

How can you keep the magic flowing for your writing? Or maybe you haven’t had the opportunity for a writing retreat and want to find a way to inspire you to write more consistently. How can you get that magic flowing?

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.

A Writer’s Hike

September 19, 2022September 19, 2022 Bernice Connell 1 Comment

A new friend of mine is currently walking the Bruce Trail and writing about her adventure.

Elisha and I met in May on a virtual forum; a national summit on social activism and advocacy. Biographies were shared among the registrants and we connected over a shared love of writing.

She recently received a Canada Council of the Arts grant to walk the Bruce Trail end to end together with her mother, Donna. Her goal is to publish a collection of poetry, prose and photography exploring their relationship and documenting their journey hiking the Trail.

What’s Inside and Outside Your Metaphorical Wheelhouse?

August 15, 2022August 15, 2022 Lori Twining 1 Comment

Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay

While attending the Thrillerfest conference in June, I couldn’t help but notice the frequent use of the word “wheelhouse” in conversations about reading and writing books. The word became the newest buzzword of the year. It is a term that has slowly made its way into many writers’ vocabulary, including my own.

Do you have enough space for creative thought?

June 13, 2022June 13, 2022 Seana Moorhead 2 Comments

I caught three minutes of a radio documentary exploring the concept that to foster creativity, a person needs both time space and physical space. The time space seems obvious – the freedom to allow a mind to wander and explore— would help any creative spirit. Who doesn’t need more time to allow themself to write, paint or basketweave with pine needles?

But in the few minutes I heard of the documentary, it also discussed the idea that a person would be more creative working in an open air or high vaulted room. Is this true?

Time for research!

Tag: Inspiration