Writing or creativity of any kind is a mysterious process, a journey into deep and unchartered waters. What you need is a compass… the Tarot.
Three weeks on the road—or in the air. And now I am home. Home, where I sleep in my own bed, eat the food I’ve prepared, and greet the daylilies still blooming in the yard. I can enjoy the view from the chaise in our bedroom while I write and
A journy is best measured in friends rather than miles. Tim Cahill Events like the writers conference this past weekend remind me how important it is to get out of the office/studio and connect with people. Writers and other creatives spend a lot of time working in isolation in a
One evening, Bob and I were on our way into town for a rare dinner out on a major two-lane state road. Spring driving here in the Northeast often means the asphalt version of corduroy, or a deteriorated and crumbled version of sinkholes. Bob, ever the skilled driver, approached these
I like writing to be more portable and flexible. I like writing to be something that fits into cracks and crannies. I don’t like it to dominate my life. I like it to fill my life. There is a big difference. ~ Julia Cameron, The Right to Write I do
Believe in your own identity and your own opinions. Writing is an act of ego, and you might as well admit it. ~ William Zinsser Author William Zinsser died last week. He wrote the book On Writing Well. I love the idea that to be a writer, I must first
This is my tenth post in this special series by Beth Barany and I on Travel and Writing. In this post, we talk about the value of those nighttime experiences for your stories. Also, get information on our retreats, Beth’s in Paris, and my VIW (Very Important Writer) retreats here
For this post in this special series by Beth Barany and I on Travel and Writing, we share about the importance of following the bread crumbs of curiosity when you travel in order to discover new stories, settings and information. Look for more posts from us every other Wednesday. And
Bob and I live out in the country on a wooded five acres. The only Starbucks is about 20+ miles into Albany or its suburbs. When Bob and I travel, one of our traveling treats is to stop at a Starbucks for his coffee and my chai latte. Oh, and
For this seventh post in this special series by Beth Barany and me on Travel and Writing, we share our personal experiences with how body language can communicate culture and country, and how you can use your experience of it to add dimension and detail to characters and setting. Look
Welcome to the sixth installment in this special series by Beth Barany and I on Travel and Writing. We are offering information, tips, techniques and tools for writers who are traveling for business, pleasure or on retreat. Look for more posts from us every other Wednesday. And get information on
Part of the holiday season usually involves travel, to family and friends or on a getaway, which makes this the perfect time for the fifth installment of this series by Beth Barany and I on Travel and Writing. Whatever you write, we offer information, tips, techniques and tools for writing
In this series, Beth Barany and I continue to share with you the magic of travel and writing. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, novels, short stories, personal essays or keep journals, we offer information, tips, techniques and tools for making the most of your travel for your writing. Look
In this series, Beth Barany and I continue to share with you the magic of travel and writing. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, novels, short stories, personal essays or keep journals, we offer information, tips, techniques and tools for making the most of your travel for your writing. Look
Join Beth Barany and I as we share with you the magic of travel and writing. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, novels, short stories, personal essays or keep journals, we offer information, tips, techniques and tools for using travel to inspire, inform, enrich and empower your writing. Look for
For the next 24 weeks, you are invited to join Beth Barany and I as we share with you about the magic of travel and writing. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, novels, short stories, personal essays or keep journals, we will offer information, tips, techniques and tools for using
After nine years, our reliable Chrysler Town and Country van is giving up the ghost. Although the engine is still solid, the body is rusting and other maladies afflict it. We are so ready for a new car. Still, I’ll be sad to see the van go. That van was
When Bob and I committed to traveling this spring to Tuscany, I knew from friends and reading I’d done that we would do a lot of walking. I just didn’t imagine how much. At a rough guess, we walked between 5 and 10 miles a day. All that walking burned
I know I’ve emphasized many times here how important making time to get away is for your life and especially for your creativity. But sometimes time, money, family and health prevent traveling to idyllic locales such as the one here in the Catskills where I am holding my retreat. So,
This week is a magical week for me. And I don’t even have to wave a magical wand. Instead, I am waving my purple pen, the color of ink I use when I am writing my book. See, I am on a writer’s retreat in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts