Category Archives: Wildness

The Art of Listening

If you are a writer, you must listen. You must listen to your instincts. You must listen to the world. You must listen to the things that lack conventional voice. You must listen to the trees, the river, the deer, … Continue reading

Posted in Advice, comfort, Consumerism, creativity, Day by day, education, Elitism, emotion, Energy, Exploration, fun with what we do, intuition, Magic, Philosophy, Play, privacy, silence, spaciousness, spirit, Uncategorized, Wildness | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Free Advice

When you’re a writer, you receive a lot of free advice. A good deal of it (most, I’d say) comes from people who do not write. I’ve been told I have to learn Latin (which I have nothing against, but … Continue reading

Posted in Advice, Community; Genorosity, creativity, Day by day, Decisions, Elitism, Energy, fiction, happiness, Magic, Play, Process, spirit, success, survival, The Writer's Life, Uncategorized, Wildness | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chasing Poetry

Every day the poems slip away, as indifferent as cats. They slink behind trees and clouds. The burble beneath the swamp. I glimpse them floating downstream as I am walking up. But they are not just in the woods. They … Continue reading

Posted in creativity, Elitism, Energy, intuition, Play, Poetry, Prompts, soul, spirit, Story, The Muse, Uncategorized, Wildness | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Resisting the Bullshit

When they say upgrade, go outside and chop some wood. When they say new and improved, tell them you like the old ways better. When they say get fit and fabulous, tell them you’re misfit and fabulous. When they say … Continue reading

Posted in Comparison, Competition, Consumerism, Decisions, economics, failure, Society, the world, Uncategorized, Wildness | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bosoms

What I remember: Mother’s Day in Alabama. I am three. A blue dress in a box with tissue. The dress has bosoms, like my mother. My father picked it out for her, but it’s from all of us: the two … Continue reading

Posted in Motherhood, Play, Prompts, Strength, Wildness, women | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wild Jesus

This morning I felt something break inside my chest. It was not a bone or an artery or my heart, but it was physical. It felt like a thin glossy sheet of bitter candy, the last vestiges of something that … Continue reading

Posted in comfort, Day by day, Decisions, depression, emotion, Energy, Gratitude, happiness, Magic, Self-worth, spaciousness, Uncategorized, Wildness | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

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 , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Are You Reading This Blog?

Hello. You again. At the risk of breaking all the rules of blogdom, I have to ask, why are you here? What do you hope to gain? Is there some grain of wisdom you seek that has not shown itself … Continue reading

Posted in creativity, Day by day, Energy, fun with what we do, Magic, Philosophy, Play, positivity; grace; light, spaciousness, The Muse, Uncategorized, what artists need, Wildness | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Coyote

In the town I live in there is a river. I often walk it in the mornings, and sit on a rock beside a beaver pond. The bank on the other side has a very steep grade leading up a … Continue reading

Posted in creativity, Energy, fiction, silence, spaciousness, Starting a new work, Uncategorized, Wildness | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment