It occurs to me that as I have mused over the pitfalls and joys of first drafts this week that I have not taken into account the thing that actually brings a first draft to completion: discipline. Discipline is not a sexy word. It is not an exciting concept. It isn’t romantic or swashbuckling or …
The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. ~Sylvia Plath I love this quote. I think it applies to every aspect of the work: the first time I get an idea, while I’m writing, while I’m trying to sell what I write. Self-doubt is one of the roads that can lead me away from the work …
As I sit alone in the Cave, banging away at my first draft, I find myself tempted to edit as I go. This temptation, I know from past novels, is a siren song. The urge to edit what I have already written calls to me, but that urge only leads to wreckage on a rocky …
I have been batting around the idea for this blog post for the past few days as I hunker down and indulge myself in the writing of a first draft. It occurred to me that it is not enough to simply sit down and write. Time must be made for this work, time actually must …
A lot of my friends online and elsewhere have asked me: what do I mean by living in the Cave? Obviously I don’t actually live in the woods, or even within a hundred miles of an actual cave. So am I on a writing retreat? Have I become a hermit? The answer is yes and …
I know I have written on this subject before, but right now, as I work on my latest draft, I really feel the support of my fellow writers through our online community, both on Facebook and on Twitter. When I am able to look up from my WIP, it is wonderful to see what others …