The start of a new year always comes with a sense of new beginnings and a refreshed attitude. Making resolutions to write more and finish that novel go hand-in-hand with renewed energy. The problem is making that energy last beyond the second week. Sticking to those resolutions until they are fulfilled or underway and part of a new routine.
Gift ideas for the writer and reader in your life, even if that’s you. Here is the 2021 holiday gift guide from Figments & Fables.
We are halfway through November, which means, if you are doing NaNoWriMo (writing a novel during the National Novel Writing Month of November), you should have at least 25,000 words on the page by now. How are you doing? Ahead of schedule? Behind? Hopelessly flailing or flying along?
Does it matter whether you fill your head with the classics or modern books? Manga or SciFi/Fantasy? Romance or nonfiction? The top 100 books by NPR or the Rory Gilmore Challenge? Does what you read matter as much as the fact that you are reading?
Summer is fading, even if the heat persists. It’s back-to-school time and the sales of pens, paper, and notebooks are calling to me as they always do.
Lots of people talk about writing and being a writer. They dream about book signings and being famous, the photo on the back of the cover, the money. What few do is embrace what it takes to get there. The hard days/nights of work and the roller coaster of emotions that are inevitable. Even fewer actually sit down and write.
If you want to be one of this small group, ask yourself these three questions:
Studying is an eternal state of being for writers. It’s our lifeblood–how we hone our craft and add depth to our work. As Gary Paulson says, “If you want to be a good writer, you’ve got to read like a wolf eats.” I believe that applies to studying too.
There are many habits a writer should develop. These are just a few. Let’s call them my top 15.
This past year has been a tough one for everyone. The lockdowns have torn up our economy and caused many creatives to lose their livelihoods. Contracts dried up, assignments faltered, and paychecks disappeared. But there is hope.
Life as a freelancer has its challenges, now more than ever, which is why it helps to be creative in finding solutions. Now is not the time to stick to the usual.
Work is out there. Here are a dozen places to try to find it:
There are conversations in life that we expect. Ubiquitous questions we all encounter from “What’s your name?” to “Where are you from?” and “What do you do for a living?”
While, being a military brat, I struggle with the second question, it is that last question that gives me pause. What do I do? Do I cop to it or play it down? The first thing that pops in my brain is “What should I say?”
It’s a new year, finally, and, despite coming off a rocky year, there is room for hope and anticipation for the year ahead. This pandemic will pass and life will resume. It always does. Eventually.
Work will resume too. I know many of us (me included) took a beating last year, losing contracts, work, and facing grim prospects. But this too will change. All you need is patience and some preparation so you’re ready to grab opportunities as they appear. And they will appear. Trust me.
There is no question this has been a tough year for us all. The pandemic. The riots. The unrest. The economic uncertainty. The losses. There have been so many pressures and demands with little relief in sight.