Category Archives: editors

Timidity and Standing Fierce

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Nancy

As a child I was timid. I learned early on that my opinions did not matter. If they were heard at all, they were argued with or denied. I did not excel in school. I kept to myself mostly. I … Continue reading →

Posted in creativity, Day by day, editors, Energy, fiction, Gratitude, Journaling, Self-worth, silence, Strength, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized | Tagged autonomy, Fierceness, life of a writer, priorities, process, self-worth, success, Timidity, writing life | 1 Comment

Writers and Editors

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Nancy

Editors work with energy. Writers also work with energy. But the energy is different. For a writer it’s deeper, it’s more personal, it’s intimate. This is not to say that what editors do is unimportant, only that writers have relationships … Continue reading →

Posted in Completing a novel, editors, emotion, Energy, fiction, Philosophy, Process, Publishing, research, Revision, Story, Uncategorized | Tagged advice, character, creative life, life of a writer, literary world, process, storytelling, writing life | Leave a comment

On Becoming a Writer

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Nancy

Once I’d made my mind up to it, becoming a writer was fairly simple. I committed myself to it. I studied it. I read a lot of books. I attended a lot of readings. I attended as many workshops as … Continue reading →

Posted in comfort, Comparison, Competition, Completing a novel, creativity, Day by day, Decisions, editors, emotion, failure, fiction, marketing, Play, privacy, Publishing, Self-worth, Starting a new work, Starting over, success, The market, Uncategorized, what artists need, Writing career | Tagged art and profits, creative life, dread, giving up, life of a writer, literary world, not writing, process, productivity, promotion, public, self esteem, success | Leave a comment

Thick Skin vs. Self Knowledge

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Nancy

I am often asked about the ethics of memoir. Specifically, is it ethical to write about another person? Can I be sued? Should I use real names? My answers are, respectively: Yes and no, maybe, and definitely not. There. Now … Continue reading →

Posted in class, Competition, creativity, critique, Drafts, editors, emotion, fiction, Revision, Self-worth, Uncategorized | Tagged character, creative life, praise; accolades; worth; words and value, process, productivity, public, self esteem, self-worth, support, working, writing life | 4 Comments

Reading and Intellectual Wandering

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Nancy

Dear Karen, I am reading again. I know it is terrible to think of a writer who does not read, but I have been one for some time now. Well, I read, but not regularly. Not closing one book and … Continue reading →

Posted in creativity, Day by day, editors, emotion, fiction, fun with what we do, Reading, silence, Story, Uncategorized, what artists need | Tagged character, creative life, intellectual wandering, life of a writer, literary world, priorities, process, public, reading, Starting a new work, working, writing life | 4 Comments

Thick Skin, Tender Heart

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Nancy

Dear Lisa, Last week I received the revision letter for a novel that will be published in 2016. The notes are far more extensive than I expected. As I scrolled through initially I panicked. It seemed too much to absorb, … Continue reading →