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Where do I get my writing ideas?
Where do you get your ideas? People ask writers that question so often it’s become a cliché, yet it usually elicits interesting answers. So I thought I’d share a little about how I get my weird and wacky story ideas. But first: In case you’re new here, the first Wednesday of every month is Insecure Writers Support Group day, on which we insecure writers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome co-hosts this month are PJ Colando, Kim Lajevardi, Gwen Gardner, Pat Garcia, and Natalie Aguirre. We’re also given an optional question we can answer in our posts. This month’s question is: Where do your writing ideas predominantly come from? The origin stories…
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What if I stopped writing?
If I stopped writing, would I still be a writer? A former writer? A not-writing-right-now-but-plan-to-write-in-the-future writer? A too-busy-with-other-stuff writer? A burned-out writer? These aren’t just rhetorical questions. My current state of non-writing As of the time I’m drafting this post (late May) I haven’t written much this year other than blog posts, and I haven’t written anything other than (very occasional) blog posts in the last month. This is my longest dry spell since I started writing fiction back in 2014, and I’m afraid I’m allowing it to become more than a dry spell. I’m afraid I’m allowing it to become my new normal. I appreciate this month’s optional question…
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On inspiration and perspiration
I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately I am inspired at 9 o’clock every morning. Attributed to William Faulkner People who aren’t writers (a/k/a normal people) like to talk about inspiration. Where do you get your ideas? What inspired that story? A few will ask about writing routines, and I figure they’re aspiring writers looking for some magic formula for finishing the Great American Novel. I’ve been writing fiction for only about 9 years, but already I’ve figured out there’s no magic formula, no combination of creativity exercises + daily routines that will magically put words in a document and turn them into a good story. What does put…
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Taking stock of my writing career
So there I was, minding my own business, when along comes the April IWSG question to make me get all self-reflective. In case you’re new here, the first Wednesday of every month is Insecure Writers Support Group day, on which we insecure writers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome April co-hosts are Jemima Pett, Nancy Gideon, and Natalie Aguirre. We’re also given an optional question we can answer in our posts. This month’s question is: Do you remember writing your first book? What were your thoughts about a career path on writing? Where are you now and how is it working out for you? If you’re at the start of the…
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New year, new writing progress
Welcome to my first IWSG post of 2023! (Because I’m a huge dork who forgot to post in January.) The first Wednesday of every month is Insecure Writers Support Group day, on which we insecure writers share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Our awesome February co-hosts are Jacqui Murray, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, and Gwen Gardner. Please stop by and leave them some comment love. Each month our fearless leaders provide an optional question we can answer in our posts. This month’s question is: If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish trad, how much input do you have about what…
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Long-Suffering Husband catches a backyard serial killer, and I meet some deadlines
It’s been a busy week here at Camp WTF. Long-Suffering Husband caught a serial killer* in the act, and I met a couple of writing deadlines. But before we get to those thrilling tales: Welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer! Grab a treat, pull up a seat, and let’s chat. * Note: a nonstandard definition of, “serial killer,” is used in this post.
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Paying the price for my procrastination
Good morning and happy Friday! June is shaping up to be a hectic month, and it’s all my fault. I have a couple of major deadlines this month, which I’ve known about for many months. But did I get the pieces written ahead of schedule? Nope. Did I even start them at a reasonable time? Also nope. So now here I am, doing the authorial equivalent of writing the term paper the night before it’s due. Why, oh why, do I do this to myself? Because of my sloth–and because it’s been too hot to go outside and take pictures of interesting stuff–this post will be shorter and duller than…
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How to keep writing when the writing gets tough
Writing is tough. Yeah, I know, I spend my writing time in a comfy chair in an air-conditioned room, lifting nothing heavier than a can of Diet Pepsi while other people are working construction in triple-digit heat. Trust me, I know how privileged I am. But while writing isn’t particularly physically demanding, it demands quite a bit of mental and emotional toughness as well as a huge dollop of faith–mostly in yourself. In this post, I take a look at the challenges writing presents and offer a few suggestions for pushing through when every cell in your body is screaming at you to quit.
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Tucson Botanical Gardens + April review + a fresh batch of memes
Good morning and happy Saturday! It’s the last day of April, a good time to look back at the month that was. Also on tap: art and blooms from Tucson Botanical Gardens, memes, and various bits of personal news. But first: welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer! Pull up a seat, grab a drink, and let’s chat.
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My Favorite Writing Tools 2: Writing Trackers
If you haven’t figured out by now that I’m a hopeless nerd, this part of the post ought to clarify that point. I *love* trackers. I find them motivating, and I need all the motivation I can get. I own a FitBit and obsess about my standings in the Workweek Hustle Challenge (I was even more ridiculous about it during quarantine). I track my habits (exercise, personal development, and about six others) in Toodledoo. And of course I track my writing. I’ve tried a few writing trackers and settled on two that I like: Online Writing Log (OWL) OWL lets me track word count and time spent by project, set…
Suspense | Horror | Romance
