Julia Cameron advocates “morning pages.” Three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. Every morning. The Artist’s Way. Natalie Goldberg recommends writing daily for at least twenty minutes. Free the writer within. Keep your hand moving, lose control, and don’t think. Writing Down the Bones. Stephen King prescribes the writing routine of butt-in-chair habitually. Set writing goals and write… [Read More]
Filed Under: binge-ang-purge writing, Bird by Bird, Stephen King: On Writing, The Artist's Way, Tracy Chevalier, Writing Down theBones
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In the special part of my brain reserved for book related ephemera is a running list of my all-time favorite novels. I update the list quarterly in the event that I must spend the rest of my life on a remote island and will only be permitted ten books. So when this happens, I’ll be ready. I’ll shrug and say, “Sure, give me a minute…. [Read More]
Filed Under: Annie Lammott, Bird by Bird, book ephemera, Elmore Leonard, On Writing, Rules For Writing, Stephen King
“Every first draft is perfect,” wrote Jane Smiley, “because all a first draft has to do is exist.” Her words soothe like balm on a writer’s spirit. This simple truth about the process of writing a book is that every author starts with a first draft. Smiley’s words carry the weight of wisdom since her best-selling A Thousand Acres received the Pulitizer Prize for Fiction in… [Read More]
Filed Under: 7-step self-editing, A Thousand Acres, Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird, Constance Hale, First draft, Jane Smiley