There's a point in most hero tales where the hero (or heroine) has to face a death -- either real or metaphoric. It's only after this death that the hero can reach his or her potential -- can become truly a hero.
Lev Raphael | Posted 05.01.2012
When writers say they have writer's block, a normal, unremarkable part of the writing process becomes debilitating.
Holly Robinson | Posted 04.30.2012
No matter how long you've been writing, you've probably experienced that panic-induced paralysis known as writer's block. If you want to tame the symptoms of this debilitating condition, here are some home remedies to try.
Debra Weiner | Posted 04.30.2012
I really, really want to make parmesan black pepper biscotti. But I also want to write more. My blog is seriously envying the amount of attention I am paying to my kitchen.
Jeffrey Shaffer | Posted 04.13.2012
Something has to happen here. The blank page is mocking me. Okay, I'm typing. The opening sentence starts right now. "It was a brutally hot morning." There we go. Hot and happening.
Posted 04.13.2012
The Coppolas are hardly new to the fashion film scene (isn't Marie Antoinette just a feature-length version of a fashion film?), but Sofia's niece Gia...
Rex Pickett | Posted 05.26.2012
I had never experienced "writer's block" in my entire life. If an idea -- screenplay or novel -- wasn't working, I just abandoned it and started on something else.
Andromeda Romano-Lax | Posted 05.22.2012
Between my debut and this book, an entirely different novel and a few other partial manuscripts had languished: unfinished, unloved. No wonder I've always been drawn to stories of other novelists with unpublished or simply abandoned novels.
Posted 01.17.2012
Filmmaker-painter-designer Julian Schnabel has revealed his secret to getting out of creative ruts, and it's pretty simple: Get back to work. In th...
Nina Lassam | Posted 01.22.2012
In December, when there are no more NaNoWriMo hashtags popping up on Twitter and bloggers have moved onto more topical news, you can still keep the camaraderie and motivation alive to take your story to the next level.
Nikki Luongo | Posted 01.14.2012
Have you ever had a dream that was actually on the verge of coming true when you began to have doubts? If so, did you stop before it came true?
Claudia Ricci | Posted 01.08.2012
I wouldn't dream of stripping my clothes off in public. So why in God's name would I let my as-yet-unfinished novel, Sister Mysteries, dance naked in public?
Jeff Klima | Posted 12.06.2011
Look, I'll be honest. This writing thing is hard, competitive work with a zero sum gain. For me to win in this business, you must lose, and I'll be damned if I just handfeed you piranhas a pound of my sweet, buttery flesh.
Judith Johnson | Posted 09.24.2011
To say "I have writer's block" is to judge a temporary or permanent absence of writing momentum and productivity as wrong and therefore to see oneself as a failure in some way.
Laura Cococcia | Posted 09.21.2011
What can be more discouraging than feeling like you have absolutely nothing to say? The longer it goes on, the worse it gets. For any kind of writer -- even those writing business e-mails -- writer's block is inevitable.
Ruth Gerson | Posted 09.07.2011
From: San Francisco Vocal Coaching's "Singing, Songwriting and Performance" Class (I've also taught it at Princeton University.) How To Write A Song,...
Caroline Hagood | Posted 06.26.2011
If you feel like your creative life is a song you just want to keep turning up, you have come to the right place. Welcome. I admire and pity you becau...
Katherine Dunn | Posted 05.25.2011
When you sit down and begin talking to a puppet, it's a clean slate, much like a blank canvas. Puppets can teach, share love and fear, entertain or amuse, and sing out of key.
The Huffington Post | Posted 05.25.2011
Writers block, oh, writers block ...please go away! Even though it's the bane of all writers' existence, there are a bevy of ways to bypass the darn...
Holly Robinson | Posted 05.25.2011
I never thought I'd take one of these classes, because who doesn't look stupid in padded bike shorts indoors? Then I discovered that I can solve any thorny writing problem in spin class.
Hillary Rettig | Posted 05.25.2011
Make no mistake: labels create a powerful expectation. Only use those that support your success -- and feel free to use them abundantly.
Marshall Fine | Posted 05.25.2011
She speaks truth to power - or at least to silly pretension - with aplomb and fearlessness. Mice, however, are another matter for Fran Lebowitz. It'...
Patricia Benesh | Posted 05.25.2011
How to get your novel moving again? Experts recommend breaking the problem into smaller pieces -- and tackling a small bit at a time.
Jennie Nash | Posted 05.25.2011
When you're writing a long story, you often labor for a long time in the dark. You're not exactly sure where you're going and you're not exactly sure how you are going to get there.
Hillary Rettig | Posted 05.25.2011
A writing MacGuffin seems like the most important thing in the world, but it is a meaningless distraction from the real issue: fear.
David Kudler | Posted 05.25.2012