Tag Archives: Starting a new work

The Shame I Feel

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Nancy

I’m stupid. I’m inadequate. I am a failure. This is what I grew up believing about myself, and there was no place that proved these points more often, more relentlessly, and more consistently than school. All day long, five days … Continue reading →

Posted in Book tour, Completing a novel, creativity, Day by day, Decisions, depression, economics, education, emotion, Energy, failure, fiction, History, Listening, Magic, Maintenance, marketing, Pain, Play, privacy, Process, Public appearances, Publishing, research, silence, Society, spaciousness, spirit, Starting a new work, Stillness, Story, Strength, success, survival, The market, the world, Uncategorized, Visibilty, what artists need | Tagged art and profits, character, creative life, life of a writer, literary world, priorities, process, productivity, promotion, public, research, sacred space; writing space; the writer's des, Starting a new work, storytelling, The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson, writing life | 6 Comments

Making Art in the Age of Trump

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Nancy

Writing takes spaciousness. It requires managing time and psychic space. It requires holding part of yourself away from things: reality, jobs, bills, money, even marriage and partnership and family. It requires keeping a large part of your heart and mind … Continue reading →

Posted in Book tour, comfort, Community; Genorosity, Completing a novel, creativity, Day by day, Decisions, depression, economics, emotion, Energy, failure, fiction, Grief, Listening, marketing, privacy, Process, Public appearances, Publishing, research, silence, Society, spaciousness, Starting a new work, Stillness, Story, Strength, survival, Uncategorized, Visibilty, what artists need | Tagged advice, character, creative life, fear, giving up, life of a writer, priorities, process, productivity, promotion, public, renewal, research, spaciousness, Starting a new work, working, writing life | 2 Comments

Free Advice

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Nancy

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 advice, character, creative life, fantasy, fear, giving up, life of a writer, process, Starting a new work | 4 Comments

Letting the Work Breathe

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Nancy

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 | Leave a comment

I Quit

Posted on November 15, 2015 by Nancy

I quit. I quit on average about three times a month. Sometimes I stay quit for months. Sometimes I stay quit for only hours. Sometimes I quit a particular project and sometimes I quit the whole gig. The last time … Continue reading →

Posted in creativity, Day by day, Decisions, emotion, Energy, Exploration, fiction, Process, silence, Starting over, Story, Uncategorized | Tagged character, creative life, giving up, life of a writer, process, quitting, Starting a new work, writing life | Leave a comment

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

Whose Story Matters?

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Nancy

Dear Karen, During my first book tour I gave a reading at a conference held in the auditorium of a university. I was terrified of public speaking, and to make it worse, I was completely intimidated by the people I … Continue reading →

Posted in creativity, Day by day, Elitism, Passion, Public appearances, Self-worth, Uncategorized, violence, Visibilty, voice | Tagged creative life, giving up, life of a writer, literary world, magic, praise; accolades; worth; words and value, self-worth, Starting a new work | 6 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 →

Posted in Completing a novel, creativity, critique, Day by day, depression, Drafts, editors, Energy, fiction, Play, Process, Publishing, research, Revision, Starting a new work, Story, The Muse, Uncategorized, what artists need | Tagged character, dread, giving up, Jigsaw puzzle, life of a writer, not writing, priorities, research, Starting a new work, The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson, working | 3 Comments

Spear Fishing

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Nancy

Dear Karen, Good lord, yes! The modern world is an anxious place. Every person I know swims in this sea, and as you say about art, art is anxiety in and of itself. I wish this were not so. Or … Continue reading →

Posted in comfort, Completing a novel, creativity, Day by day, Decisions, Drafts, Energy, fiction, fun with what we do, happiness, Maintenance, Play, Process, Revision, Starting over, Story, Uncategorized | Tagged creative life, giving up, Jigsaw puzzle, life of a writer, Starting a new work, Starting over, working, writing life | Leave a comment

Jigsaw Puzzle

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Nancy

Dear Karen, After a week off work, with no schedule and plenty of walks along the river, writing, good times with family and at home, reading, working jigsaw puzzles, dancing to The Staple Singers, and watching movies with Ben, I … Continue reading →