where the writers are

getting started writing

  • Ten More Shining Inspirational Exercises Or, Thirty Shots at Creative Inspiration, Part Three

    December 20, 2008

    • You could be writing, right now. I remember spending a strange evening in a hotel room with a somewhat famous poet. She read me Gertrude Stein and made me want to write. I guess people don’t usually take you up to their hotel rooms because they want to make you want to write. She wasn’t inspired to write with me, and I ended up leaving shortly thereafter to drive the long, dark highways of ...
  • Overcoming the Overwhelm of Becoming a First-Time Author

    November 14, 2008

    • I often find myself struggling with simply getting started on a book project of my own. I can dig into the editing of someone else's manuscript with no problem; after all, they've already overcome their own overwhelm and written the whole book.  Plus, I'm still struggling with the idea of self-publishing my work. I'm a traditional publishing hold out, which explains why I have at least three ...