Tag: writing

The Tortoise and the Hare for Writers

Diane Ferguson 3 Comments
Photo by Ryan Grewell on Unsplash

As a novel writer, I move at a tortoise’s pace, working over my words with a fine tooth comb, re-reading to make sure everything flows as it should, reviewing beginnings and endings…you get the point, it’s never ending. As a first-time novel writer, I have the luxury of time.

But the newspaper and magazine world are all about timeliness. I’ve had a taste of this as I used to write-in to the local newspaper fairly frequently, responding to the current issues of the day. When you need speed, you lose some perfectionism, or at least you have to let some of it go. It feels antithetical to novel writing.

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Why Walking More Impacts a Writer’s Brain

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.

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How to Boost Your Creativity

Seana Moorhead 2 Comments
Photo Credit, Syaibatulhamdi on Pixabay

I know you are anxiously awaiting the results of my pseudo-science experiment from my last blog. I had pondered the question of the effect of physical space on creativity: Do You Have Enough Space for Creative Thought?

Do you have enough space for creative thought?

In my previous blog, I wondered if writing in a high ceiling location or better yet, in the wide open space of the outside, would produce more creative writing than writing in a low ceiling room or smaller space. I designed my experiment as follows:

I wrote for 15 minutes on a new writing project (yes, I did use a timer). I wrote short scenes (or what I could produce in 15 minutes) on a completely new story idea. I wrote in different locations from outside, to a high ceiling room, to a basement room with one small window, to my tiny trailer with room height of less than 6 feet (my small space). I kept track of how many words I wrote in each location and scored the work on my non-scientific and completely subjective “creativity” scale. 

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7 Tips on “Putting Yourself Out There” at Writing Conferences

Lori Twining 4 Comments
#5amwritersclub at Thrillerfest ~ Christine Clemetson, Ralph Walker & Lori Twining

In June, I had the opportunity to attend the Thrillerfest Conference in New York City for the first time in three years. At this point in the pandemic game, I don’t have to tell you that booking the hotel and airfare were scary enough, but traveling via plane and subway with thousands of other people rubbing up against your ribs would be a nightmare. So, I will skip the conversation about risking my health and tell you that it was time to be brave. With three vaccinations in my arm and over a dozen N95 masks in my book bag, I knew I would be well protected while traveling to the U.S. conference for a week.

I, like most writers, am considered an introvert. So, attending a writing conference to start conversations with strangers face-to-face is not only intimidating but also terrifying. So, to appear like the extrovert that I wanted to be, I decided to take it easy, relax and be stress-free. I only concentrated on one goal for the conference: To make new friends and connect again with my old ones.

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Vacation Writing

Bernice Connell 2 Comments

Life has been too hectic lately and as often happens, writing has taken a back seat to work and all kinds of busy-ness.

So, for the next three weeks, it is vacation time as hubby and I hit the road for beautiful Rainy Lake on the border of Ontario and Minnesota. 

As excited as I am to see friends and to celebrate a wedding, I am really looking forward to having lots of distraction-free time to write as well. Relaxed writing, that is. The meditative, restorative, not worrying whether it is good or not, writing.

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Do you have enough space for creative thought?

Seana Moorhead 2 Comments

From Pixabay, StockSnap

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!

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