Karen Desrosiers' Blog - Archives
Living the Artist's Life
If You're Going to be a Writer...
If you're going to be a writer you have write. It's common-sense wisdom that is echoed time and again by writers who have "made it." Write every day, they advise. But, HOW? I want to ask. How do you write every day, when life is constantly in the way?I made it a point, years ago, to work at my writing every day. But that doesn't mean I'm physically writing every day. As long as I've done something to further my writing, something to make the next step in my quest to be a successful, well-published, full-time writer, I feel good. And if I get a page or two or more actually written in the process, all the better.So, what qualifies as "working toward my writing"?- Mental writing, day-dreaming, and fantasizing - Writing is about story telling. Sometimes the best I can do toward my writing is to develop my stories, so I allow them to play out in my mind while I'm doing other things, preferably things that don't require my total focus.
- Research - A lot of writing, fiction and non-fiction, requires research, whether it's some time on the Internet searching out the slag of the 1970s, talking to people who were in Vietnam, or trying an activity that a character enjoys.
- Reading - Not just reading for enjoyment (which is always good), but also reading to learn the craft of writing, reading books that successfully accomplish some of the techniques or craft elements I'm working on, be it voice or point of view or a particular theme.
- The business of writing - Some days I spend on the business of writing, searching out calls for submissions, working on query letters, catching up on the state of publishing, or attending workshops.
Posted by Karen at 8:15pm November 25, 2009 {0 Comments}
Surrounded by art... What a way to spend the day
I'm always amazed at the talent of others and the beauty that artists can create. I spent the weekend at the ECCA 3rd Annual Fine Art Show, in the Exeter Town Hall Gallery. Bliss and joy. Posted by Karen at 10:30am November 22, 2009 {0 Comments}
November 2009
