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Challenge your writing mind with free online short story and poetry classes
I’m a learning junkie, so I’m always excited to find new resources. A One Wild Word reader alerted me to Academic Earth, which features a collection of free online courses from top universities,...
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Find writing success in small, daily actions
It is a universal law that you must express your power or the power will turn against you. What do you choose? —Michele Jamal, Shape Shifters: Shaman Women in Contemporary Society The above is one of...
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Do you write in a lab or a factory?
I’ve always called my writing space, my “writing room.” This room is where I have three bookshelves crammed with books, my table with my computer and office supplies, and my chair and file cabinet. But...
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Experience a coffee shop vibe at your desk
Sometimes the world is just too loud. When my blogging partner Carol and I used to meet at various coffee shops to write together, we found that sometimes it worked. Other times, the noise of blenders...
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How to remain an artist once we grow up, part one
All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up – Pablo Picasso This quote by Picasso is touched upon in a delightful Ted Talk given in 2006 by Sir Ken Robinson who...
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Use Camp NaNoWriMo to reach your writing goal this month
Want to write a novel in the month of July? Well, now you can thanks to Camp NaNoWriMo. Based on November’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), Camp NaNoWriMo provides the online support,...
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How to preserve your memories in a travel journal
One of the best things about traveling is the anticipation before the trip. Another is reliving the memories later. If travel is on your agenda this summer (or winter depending on where you live), it’s...
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A tale of a vigilante copy editor
How many times have you seen a sign (or anything for that matter) with punctuation or grammar errors and itched to fix it? In Brooklyn, NY, someone at the sculpture park at the Pratt Institute did just...
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Four questions to help you mine your life for story ideas
Most of my writing is personal. No matter what genre I’m writing in—poetry, creative nonfiction, or fiction—much of what I write about comes from my personal experience. In her post, “What obsessions...
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Recent entries in my commonplace book
I collect words and sentences like some people collect salt and pepper shakers, stamps, or paintings. I love words and sentences for their sounds and ideas. My commonplace books are home to poems,...
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Five tools and tactics to increase writing productivity
Everyone I know seems to suffer from lack of focus these days due to information overload, apps, and gadgets that compete for attention. That’s especially bad news for our brains and our ability to get...
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How a great “voice” can make an opening line
In Joe Fassler’s recent interview with Stephen King in “The Atlantic” we learn what the bestselling author thinks a first line in a novel should accomplish. Besides establishing time and space, and...
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How Stephen King and his wife created a new generation of novelists:...
Earlier this week, the New York Times ran an article by Susan Dominus about novelist Stephen King and his family. In “Stephen King’s Family Business,” I learned that two of King’s three children have...
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Have a writing project to finish this month? Join #ProjectAugust
I attend at least two writing conferences each year—the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Association Conference and the Surrey International Writers’ Conference. Both are fun and offer great courses, events,...
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Six mental tricks to boost writing productivity
My friend Sue has a Jack Russell terrier named Roger who has springs in his feet. Whenever Sue plays a video game, Roger jumps up and down as if he’s playing along. Sometimes I feel like I have a Jack...
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How to create your own “dialogue cue” practice
In an earlier post, I wrote about some of the great tips I learned from writing guru Margie Lawson at the recent Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference. Lawson coined the term “dialogue cues” to...
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How one writer’s self-written obituary leaves a legacy
As a journalist, I had the opportunity to write a number of obituaries, including several for people who had gained notoriety for their standing in the community, accomplishments, or circumstances of...
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Chicago library scene of surprise marriage proposal
You would expect these things to happen at a library: books checked out, classes taught, children’s story hour, and a book sale. But how about a marriage proposal? That’s what Jason Methner did to...
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Try these writing (and reading) exercises to hone your skills
Musicians riff and play scales to practice. Athletes have training routines. Why shouldn’t writers do writing exercises? Sometimes, a writing exercise turns into a poem or short story or becomes the...
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Rented typewriter at a library leads to success for Ray Bradbury
It’s no wonder the late Ray Bradbury was a big supporter of libraries and urged writers to read classics for writing inspiration. Bradbury mixed a regular writing practice with reading classics to fuel...
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