When imbalanced brain chemicals send me into an anxious, self-doubting spiral, my beau generally says to me something along the lines of: “You have worlds inside you.” It’s his way of reminding me, when my brain is trying to tell vicious and defeating lies, that I am creative and passionate — and perhaps more importantly, that I have the ability to communicate those worlds to others. I think those worlds…
I’ve had this blog post sitting on my desktop — unwritten aside from title — for two days now. The original title? CREATIVITY. Pretty creative, eh? Because here’s the thing about creativity…at least MY creativity…it’s usually flowing strong but not always in the direction it needs to be going. As I write this I have a magazine article, a magazine pitch, two book synopses, and revisions for book 2 sitting…
This week on the Deb Ball we’re talking music, specifically what we listen to when we’re writing. I’m in the ‘need music to write’ camp … with one key stipulation: when I’m drafting, I listen to one song — and one song only – on repeat, sometimes for hours at a time. Music helps me tune out distractions – it quiets the part of my brain that needs quieting so…
Every story my 6-year-old daughter tells us starts with this line: “Once upon a time…” I’m not sure if I’m responsible for that, or if school is, or if it came from one of the shows she likes to watch, or the books we read together…but while it might just be the most recognized writing cliché there is, it does exactly what a great first line is supposed to do:…
I’ve always heard of this legend, the solitary writer, head down at her desk, never looking for the light or sharing her words. And I have to say, that was never me. From the start, to me, writing was a collaborative craft. I remember sharing stories with my kid sister across our bunk beds — about frogs and princesses, our favorite Bollywood stars, and eventually even New Kids On the…
I was not one of those kids who wanted to be a writer when she grew up. I wanted to be a famous singing act with my sister (neither of us can hold a tune, by the way), then a vet, an orthopedic surgeon (did I mention I sucked at math and science?), until I finally settled in my teens on what I considered the perfect career — a news…
For the every class of Debs, it’s always about firsts. The year ahead of us is filled with them. But we’ve known a few firsts in our day, already. Like that first day—remember when you walked into a situation completely unsure and looking for the exit? Yeah, that’s this week: Our first days. It’s been a while since I’ve had a first day at a new job, or a first…
Here’s the thing about inspiration: as a writer, you need it, but you can’t depend on it. Let me explain. In my case, I drew inspiration for my book from food and cooking blogs and an article I read in a newspaper about underground supper clubs. That’s what sparked the idea for my novel and kept me awake night, mulling over how the story would unfold. Without that initial spark,…
Given last week’s post, I’m guessing most of you have figured out that I love food. If I’m not cooking it, I’m eating it, and if I’m not eating it, I’m thinking about it, and if I’m not thinking about it…no, scratch that, I’m pretty much always thinking about food. I love to dream up what I’m going to make for dinner tonight or have for breakfast tomorrow, and there’s…
Thanks to everyone who entered our Query Critique Contest! The contest is now over, but stay tuned each day this week to see who our winners are (remember-we said we were giving away 5 critiques!). Today`s winner is Amy Giuffrida! Congratulations, Amy! We`ll get in touch with you soon, but in the interim, get polishing that query! On Monday, Deb Rachel and I both taught writing classes at StoryStudio…
