What makes one a successful writer? I was forced to contemplate that question yesterday morning while having brunch with friends from out of town. One of their daughters is a freshman at a prestigious liberal-arts college. She has no idea what she wishes to major in, but knows she loves to write. So she asked …
Continue reading Three Fundamentals to a Successful Writing Career
It's one of the largest annual gatherings of creative writers, publishers, and educators in the United States--usually well in excess of 10,000 attendees--and the largest such event for literary writers. Once again I'll be attending the AWP Conference & Bookfair, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs' annual extravaganza. This year the hordes will be …
A memoirist always runs the risk of offending the living when capturing them in prose. But he also runs the risk of offending them by omission. In Part One of this series I discussed how I have reduced my manuscript of Committed: A Memoir of the Artist's Road over the course of the last year, in anticipation …
Continue reading Road to Publication: Killing Your Babies Part Two
I'll confess that this post is driven as much by defensiveness as it is a desire to educate. My recent review of the book Creative You and my interview with co-author David B. Goldstein has reminded me of something I've long known from interviews with artists; every creative has his or her own process. That …
MONTPELIER, VERMONT -- Do you write with your eyes or with your ears? I write with my fingers--it's a lot easier to type or grip a pen--but sarcasm aside, I learned a good insight on creative writing in my workshop here at my MFA in Writing residency at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. It …
Continue reading MFA Nugget: Are You an ‘Ear’ or an ‘Eye’ Writer?
Today I'm honored to have as a guest blogger PJ Reece, author and writing craft guru. I first discovered PJ through his comments here on The Artist's Road, which stood out even among the thought-provoking and insightful ones this blog somehow attracts. He is the author of the recently published free e-book Story Structure to …
I am at my core a storyteller, whether working as a journalist, a PR professional, or a creative writer. I know that's true of my readers as well. But we are all storytellers, and telling our own stories well can inspire others. Thanks to the kind invitation of Deborah Connolly of Creative Leadership Coaching, I …
Learn who won The Artist's Road creativity-book drawing at the bottom of this post. "Dare to be boring. Dare to be obvious." That was writing advice I received Sunday from creativity consultant Kat Koppett. Kat led a workshop on improvisation and storytelling at the Creativity in Business Conference October 23rd in Georgetown, D.C, produced by …
Attention, readers: I'm posting updates to this post below. When I learned late last night that Osama bin Laden had been killed, one of my first thoughts was of Paul Tibbets. It's okay if you don't recognize the name. He was the pilot of the bomber plane "Enola Gay" on August 6th, 1945. On that …
"A lot of people say, 'Anyone can tell a story'... Well, I agree with that, that anyone can tell a story, just in the way anyone can provide first aid... but with more training and experience you're better at what you do." The craft of oral storytelling has evolved and grown over the centuries, Kevin …
The Artist's Road 