Have I made a mistake with my writing? Should I have paid more attention to what readers want? Should I have followed a formula and used tropes? I'm not a genre-specific author. The one genre I loved when I was younger was romance. I read novels in other genres, but wanted to be a … Continue reading I’m not Joan Wilder
writing life
It’s NaNoWriMo time!
It's that time of the year! It's NaNoWriMo time! For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Anyone can sign up for this challenge to write 50,000 words during the month of November. I've completed seven projects since 2012 and I've signed up again this year. … Continue reading It’s NaNoWriMo time!
Writing Poetry with Maria
I was looking through old notebooks and journals, and I came across an old black spiral notebook filled with old writing stuff. There were ideas for children's stories (for a class I was taking), random journal entries and the best thing ever--poems I wrote with my old coworker Maria. 🙂 Why would I … Continue reading Writing Poetry with Maria
My most memorable NaNoWriMo
I've participated in NaNoWriMo seven times. I reached the 50K goal every time, but it wasn't easy. Each time was stressful and hard. But I know who I am, and I know that as soon as I sign up for this personal competition, there's no other choice for me but to succeed. I'd tear myself … Continue reading My most memorable NaNoWriMo
Remembering a beautiful soul
I started writing this article months ago. But the only part I didn't delete was the short piece I wrote during NaNoWriMo last year. I wrote a series of non-fiction/memoir pieces covering a wide range of memories and events from my life. I always come back to the goodbye essays, the ones where I remember … Continue reading Remembering a beautiful soul
Where is your soul sleeping?
What's life without writing? Words create a mood, initiate feelings and sometimes lead to healing. I've been writing my entire life to feel something other than the turmoil, fear and pain that follows close to me nearly every day. Poetry, stories, novellas, articles and lately, memoir. I've always loved memoir and nonfiction, but over the … Continue reading Where is your soul sleeping?
Old Journals, New Inspiration
I think we can all agree it's been a strange and difficult year. For a highly sensitive person and INFJ like me, there were times when I wondered if I'd get through it. And it's not over yet. But I think that what I once considered my flaws are now my strengths. It surprises me … Continue reading Old Journals, New Inspiration
Releasing your writing and yourself
On September 9, I wrote this tweet: So I'm getting ready to hit the publish button on my second novella. And I'm frozen. What is wrong with me? I received a lot of reaction from this simple and honest tweet. Writer friends understood and offered support and encouragement. Some told me it was a natural … Continue reading Releasing your writing and yourself
My Summer Writing Life
I've been avoiding this blank space for too long. But I haven't avoided all writing--and editing, revision, researching and reading. No, just this site. My personal site. Why? Why do writers sometimes avoid a project they usually enjoy and know they should continue? And when a lot of time passes, it becomes both easier … Continue reading My Summer Writing Life
Structured Writing Sucks (for me)
In recent months, I've been doing a lot of work on myself. I've been stuck in a terrible procrastination loop for too many months, and I've been crushed with anxiety, depression and fear. I just couldn't finish the editing of my latest novel and I hated myself. I was so close but … Continue reading Structured Writing Sucks (for me)
Patricia Kirsch 