I do not miss 2018. Yes, we're only eight days into the new year, but as time ticked us toward 2019, I was so ready to give 2018 the boot. Looking back, I want to say that everything that could go wrong, DID go wrong--personally, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, financially ... even literarily. Here at The Blood-Red Pencil, we have articles on writer's block and how to jumpstart your creativity and find inspiration . I've even written a few of them. Yet even having this place of wonderful information didn't keep me from plunging into the darkness of the Creative Void. I started and stopped more projects than I can count. I prayed for inklings of inspiration to initiate writing. I, in a lackluster fashion, played with my photography and doodling and writing dreams in the hopes of lighting a fire under me. I questioned whether creativity still dwelled within me. And then ... two amazing things happened toward the end of 2018 that would lead me to a bright...

I have a confession to make. I am a writer. Well, I was before life stepped in. Well, I was before I let life step into my home and make itself comfortable while my writing wilted in the back of a stuffed closet. And, yes, I write here for Blood-Red Pencil, I write in preparation for teaching, I write in my journal, but you all know what I mean, write, er, right? I'm talking about the writing that transports you into a new world that you create, a world full of angsty characters and obstacles and drama and love and hate …and all the other wonderful components that go into making a story. THAT's the writing I HAVEN'T been doing. And when you are a creative at heart, this is painful. When you have characters and ideas taking up space in your mind, but your heart isn't moved to write, this can be extraordinarily painful. Right now, I'm at an impasse. There has been NO progress in my writing life, and there will be no progress until I stand and make a ...

I've heard a lot of great ideas for stories from people over the years. The problem? They describe a situation, not a story. Writer: "This girl is in this really unhappy relationship. I mean the guy is an obvious psycho, but she just can't leave him." Me: "So it's a woman in peril story. She has to escape the psycho boyfriend?" Writer: "No. It isn't that kind of story." Me: "So what kind of story is it?" Writer: "It's about abusive relationships." Me: "So what does your character do about it? What makes her realize the danger? How does she get away?" Writer: "She can't leave. That's the point. Women get trapped in these things and they can't get out. There's no one that really helps them." Me: "True. So what happens in this story?" Writer: "This woman lives with his horrible guy. And he does (fill in list of awful things)." Me: "And sh...

Every year at this time, people resolve all kinds of things. I notice this at the exercise classes I attend. The first week in January, the rooms are packed. By March, things are pretty much back to the way they were the previous October. Most of these people have probably (I haven't surveyed them, so I can't be positive) decided they want to "lose weight" or "get in shape" and figure a workout at the gym, or a yoga class, or whatever they've chosen, is the way to go. Some may drop out because they're not a good fit for the exercise routine, which is certainly acceptable. The others probably drop out because they're not seeing the results they expected. But what were those expected results? Resolutions are lofty dreams. "I will make the NYT Best-Seller List." Or "I will make enough money writing to quit my day job." Or even, "I will finish three books this year." What people need to do is set goals. Around my h...

I hereby commit to writing ten pages today. What about you? Make a commitment in the comments and then stop by at the end of the day and let us know how many pages you managed to write. Dani Greer is founding member of this blog, plays daily in her character gene pool moving body parts around in a steamy romance, while listening to smoky blues and sipping Laphroig. Okay, green tea. 

I first discovered Eric Maisel’s creativity books about ten years ago, as I stood at the threshold of a creative career change. I’d worked as a professional painter for more than ten years with my artist husband, and found myself yearning to write. So I switched careers and over the past ten years, added blogging, social marketing, and editing to my professional hat rack. I’m happy to report I’ve made a living at it and earned a good deal of satisfaction in the process. That doesn’t mean my life is perfect. Often it's like riding a roller coaster. Maisel understands the ups and downs of the creative life and building a career, and that’s what Making Your Creative Mark is about. From the book cover: Writers, painters, singers, filmmakers, musicians, craftspeople, and actors confront daunting challenges every day. It is hard to produce new work, find success in the marketplace, manage relationships, and keep spirits up… Intended for professional artists and those aspiri...

The New Year is usually a time for reflection on the year past and making resolutions for the future. I don’t normally make resolutions (weight loss, be a better person, etc.) because I know I’ll break them immediately! However, setting writing goals is something I’ve been doing for several years and although I don’t always meet them, it’s fun to look back and see how many I actually did get to. That helps make me feel better when I’m thinking I didn’t have a good writing year. So, my challenge to you all is to set goals for 2011. Be specific and set dates. For example, my goals for this year: 1. Clean and organize my office first week of January 2. Plan Virtual Book Tour for February 10-20 3. Plan “reality tour” in Montana June 15-30 4. Finish first draft of WIP by August 1 5. Revise manuscript for submission by December 1 Some other suggestions might be: 1. Set a time for writing every day 2. Write 1,000 words a day (or five pages, or whatever is doable for you) 3. Fi...

Sit and think about your dream writing life. What does it entail? Do you spend vast parts of your days writing and taking trips and spending time in the library to research and experience the world to which you will write about? Are you a novelist? An essayist? A poet? A screenwriter? A playwright? All of the above? What do you SEE? And just as important: what do you WANT? It's not good enough to simply have these visions and wants locked inside your mind. You need to DECLARE them - to yourself and to others. When we declare, we 1. make known or state clearly, esp. in explicit or formal terms; 2. announce officially; proclaim: to declare a state of emergency; 3. state emphatically: He declared that the allegation was a lie; 4. manifest; reveal; show ("Declare" - dictionary.com) Take out a sheet of paper, and number it from 1 to 5 for starters (you may have more than five declarations, but let's start here.) After each number, write "I". E...

A number of years ago I belonged to a writers' group that was a wonderful source of good critiques and strong support. It was a mix of published and unpublished writers, but no matter what side of the fence any one stood on, the dedication to writing was the same. One of the things we always did at our annual Holiday party was to write down three writing-related goals for the coming year. The goals had to be specific and significant, like finishing a work in progress, acquiring an agent, or selling a book. We would all write down our goals, then put the papers in an envelope that was sealed to be opened the following year. Then we would open the envelope from the year before. It was always interesting and enlightening to read what we had written and report on how well we had achieved those goals. Some of us did much better than others, but I found that writing the goals down, knowing they would be shared in 12 months, made me work harder toward achieving them. I haven't d...