We’ve finished reorganizing our space in the basement and it feels so good to have it set for our future. For the other members of my family, that future is, for the most part, a known quantity. I’ve settled into my space with a clear understanding that what is to come in my immediate future... Continue Reading →
A Year in Review, 4th Edition
It’s been four years since I started sharing about my writing journey. There isn’t much about my writing that has gone exactly as I’d planned and, with all of the ups and downs, I’m grateful for that. I started sharing about my writing because I wanted to read about and see what a writer really... Continue Reading →
Rearranging Our Space
It’s not usually an easy process to rearrange space. Start to finish there are things that need to be moved, things that need to be let go of, and things that need a special new space to occupy. Beginning that process in our office area last week was no different. I spent the whole of... Continue Reading →
Critiques, Conversations and Archiving Feedback
After I spent time last week digging through paper and digital files, looking through notebooks and papers, I realized I needed to be smarter about how I was archiving feedback. I paused from my revisions to work on an archiving system I hope to really lean into and follow moving forward. Not only did I... Continue Reading →
Critiques, Reviewing Feedback
One of the most helpful things when I am revising is looking back over the feedback I’ve received on previous drafts of the piece. The challenge I always find myself battling when I get there though, is finding it and the process of reviewing it in a way that helps me during the project. As... Continue Reading →
Revising, Confronting Old Setbacks Anew
Last week as I was revising, I felt the familiar hesitation creeping into my writing space. I sighed, knowing exactly what it was, and kept working. At some point though the feeling started filling the space and I knew I needed to confront it. There is always a moment (usually several) during a writing project... Continue Reading →
Revising, Returning to the Story
Last week I went back to my desk, opened my story notes binder, and returned to my story. It felt like letting out a long sigh and a tension I didn't know I'd been holding released from my shoulders. My characters were waiting for me and together we waded into the words. There is a... Continue Reading →
Planning, Tools and Change
I love a good planner. I love working in a system that supports what I am trying to accomplish and where I am trying to go. While I stick to a specific goal planning process, I always allow for the planning tools I use to change. While I give myself permission to move from one... Continue Reading →
Revising, Characters
Writing a multiple POV (point-of-view) story is an eye-opening experience. There are things I thought I knew, things I didn't, and things that are taking me completely by surprise. Last week as I worked through the first chapter with my second POV character in the narrator's seat, I found that moving into her perspective gave... Continue Reading →
Writing, Creating Functional Space
The places I write vary depending on the week, time of day, season of life I'm in, etc. Knowing this, I try to be flexible about my spaces and how they work for me. Sometimes though, I have to step back from the writing and address whatever place I've landed in to create a more... Continue Reading →