An important component for any fiction writer is the ability to tap into his or her creativity. I ran across an interesting item in my kitchen. See the photos below. Imagine you’re a young woman who received this item as a wedding gift. How might you respond in a thank you note: Dear. . […]
Creativity in Fiction and Nonfiction
As both a fiction and a nonfiction writer, I’ve given the two kinds of writing much thought. For some writers who create memoirs there is a murky line between writing fiction and nonfiction. For me, the writer of mysteries (pure fiction) and business books (pure nonfiction), the line is clearer. Indeed, as a nonfiction writer, […]
A Writer’s Dream
Last night I dreamed I was tucked away in the hills of Tuscany, far from Internet connections and traffic sounds. I looked out the window from the small tiled-roofed house where I sat amongst soft chairs and an ancient typewriter. Outside, I breathed in the smells of honeysuckle and lilac. Beautiful Bouganvilla draped over the […]
How about that Perfect First Draft?
When writers tell me that they hardly edit their work, I cringe. Before I knew more about the creative process, I thought I was the only one who had to work and work to get my drafts decent enough to send out. Now I know that few people, even the best writers, write a first […]
Time and Creativity
Today I listened to one of my favorite PRI programs, To the Best of Our Knowledge. This program was about how we change over time. The first segment dealt with slowing things down. Carl Honore, the founder of “slowing life down,” wrote the book, In Praise of Slowness in which he discusses slow travel, slow […]
Creativity versus or not versus Editing
When does the creative edge fall by the wayside to that little editor’s voice in your head? One of my biggest writing problems is that I love to just let it flow. Often the characters develop minds of their own and go off on tangents to suit themselves (not my plan or plot). At times […]
