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Category Archives: Journaling
Letter to Self
Dear Nancy, What can I tell you that, deep inside, you already know? The world is a rough place. Find the beauty. It is what will save you. The fear you feel at the publication of a new book is … Continue reading
Posted in comfort, Community; Genorosity, Day by day, Decisions, depression, emotion, Energy, Gratitude, Grief, Journaling, Magic, Pain, positivity; grace; light, privacy, Publishing, silence, Society, soul, spaciousness, spirit, Strength, survival, the world, Uncategorized, Wildness, women, work
Tagged dread, fear, giving up, grief, magic, priorities, process, promotion, public, renewal, spaciousness, support, working
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Timidity and Standing Fierce
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
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A Day Without Devices
On my walk this morning I found a nub of purple chalk a child had used to scribble on the pavement. I picked it up, an opportunity in my hand. What would I write? I thought hard about it, and … Continue reading
Posted in creativity, Day by day, Energy, fiction, fun with what we do, Gratitude, happiness, home, Journaling, Magic, Maintenance, privacy, Process, Self-worth, spaciousness, Story, Uncategorized, voice, what artists need
Tagged character, creative life, life of a writer, love, magic, not writing, physical world, priorities, process, productivity, renewal, spaciousness, Voices, working, writing life
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Letting the Work Breathe
As soon as the contract for Persimmon Wilson was signed I started work on another novel. I knew I had just a slim window of time before the revision edits for Persy arrived in my inbox, and that once that … Continue reading
Posted in Completing a novel, creativity, Day by day, Decisions, Drafts, emotion, Energy, Exploration, fiction, Journaling, Magic, Play, Process, Publishing, Reading, research, spaciousness, Starting a new work, Starting over, Story, Uncategorized, vacation, what artists need
Tagged character, creative life, giving up, life of a writer, love, magic, priorities, process, productivity, spaciousness, Starting a new work, storytelling, The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson, working, writing life
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Writing Fiction
Writing fiction is always about relationship, and the first relationship that must be established is between the author and the main character. There’s got to be a certain intimacy in order to proceed. I can’t just write. I don’t just … Continue reading
Posted in Comparison, Competition, Completing a novel, creativity, Day by day, Decisions, Drafts, emotion, Energy, Exploration, failure, fiction, Journaling, Magic, Process, Public appearances, Publishing, Starting a new work, Story, Visibilty, voice, Wildness
Tagged character, creative life, dread, fear, future, life of a writer, priorities, process, productivity, public, working, writing life
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The Mother Ship of Writing
On Saturday I taught my once-a-month, free-to-all Prompt Writing class. One of the prompts was “What I need for my writing.” I don’t usually give a writing prompt about writing, but when I do it’s almost always profound. I find … Continue reading
Posted in comfort, creativity, Day by day, Energy, Exploration, fun with what we do, Journaling, Play, Process, Reading, spaciousness, The Writer's Life
Tagged creative life, life of a writer, working, writing life
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The Daily Swath
Dear Abigail, Your letter reminded me of once sitting in a coffee shop with a baby in my lap. The baby was not mine (I have no babies). She was the daughter of my friend, who was at this time … Continue reading
Posted in comfort, creativity, Day by day, Energy, fiction, fun with what we do, Journaling, Magic, Play, Process, silence, spaciousness, The Muse, Uncategorized, what artists need
Tagged character, creative life, life of a writer, magic, not writing, priorities, process, productivity, spaciousness, working, writing life
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Eavesdropping and Solitude
Dear Nancy, Just now I’m sitting at an iron table outside a coffee place in Jamaica Plain. I had looked forward to a cigarette with my coffee, but there’s a big NO SMOKING sign and I obey. I’m wide awake. … Continue reading
The Value of Play
Dear Nancy Your pre-writing walks along the river sound glorious, and so does your description of your childhood “moodling” time in the woods. As a child, I also walked in the woods. It was a great solace to me, and … Continue reading
Posted in Competition, Completing a novel, creativity, Day by day, fantasy, fiction, fun with what we do, Gratitude, happiness, Journaling, marketing, Play, posterity, Process, Self-worth, The Writer's Life, violence, Visibilty, Writing career
Tagged art and profits, creative life, life of a writer, literary world, not writing, physical world, praise; accolades; worth; words and value, process, productivity, promotion, self-worth, success, working, writing life
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Procrastination, An Old Friend
Dear Nancy– Thanks for asking me to write a post for your blog–Marginalia has truly been an inspiration to me, and I am honored to be able to join the conversation! But as excited as I was, just as I … Continue reading
