I stumbled across an article this past week about a new Manuscript Writing Cafe in Tokyo that sounds fantastic. Unlike your usual cafes where writers have to contend with distractions like loud conversations and the constant traffic of non-writers, this new endeavor strives to make it easier for wordsmiths to meet their daily writing goals….
Category: Poetry
A Cut Up Poem [Poetry]
The Beat Generation writer, Williams S. Burroughs, was known for his experimentation with text. One of his more interesting exercises was creating cut-up prose and poetry. Basically, he would take a page of text, cut it up with scissors, then rearrange it into something new. On the surface it looks like a simple repurposing of…
Another Way To Look At Mistakes [Creativity]
I don’t make mistakes when I write. I make spontaneous creative decisions. At least, that’s what I like to tell myself. We all make mistakes when we write or work on a creative project. Typos, grammatical errors, mistyping a character’s name, or even letting the narrative wander off into the weeds. My question is: are…
Productive Procrastination [Creativity]
I recently stumbled upon a term I hadn’t heard before: Productive Procrastination. The basic definition is when someone is productive as a way to avoid doing some other productive endeavor. Weird, right? But I get it. I know I’m guilty of it myself. I’ve caught myself working on a blog post instead of editing a…
Bradbury Challenge Update 5 [Writing]
I’m a bit late on this update, but I’ve been churning out words. The challenge has been going well and I think I’m at the point where I need to switch to editing mode. I’ve written five stories over ten weeks. That makes me happy, gives me a sense of accomplishment. I could keep going,…
Bradbury Challenge Update 4 [Writing]
I’m still going strong with my personal challenge. I’ve written four short story drafts in nine weeks. Not bad. At this rate, I’ll have my next short story collection written much quicker than I expected. This most recent story, “Alone in the City”, was another one that started in a dream. In fact, when I…
Banned Books Week [Books]
The last week of September is Banned Books Week here in the U.S. Sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA), the purpose is to draw attention to censorship and to celebrate the freedom to read. From September 26th through October 2nd, the ALA sponsors events at libraries and schools around the country. There are talks…
Bradbury Challenge Update 3 [Writing]
My third two-week period of this challenge was productive. I completed another short story draft, did a lot of reading, and felt like it all put me in a good mental state. In other words, being productive releases endorphins. At least, it does for me. Sort of like a what happens when I enjoy a…
Bradbury Challenge – Update 2 [Writing]
So far, so good. I’ve read another book, Packing for Mars, and been working my way through Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. The latter is for my ‘poem a day’. I’ve read Leaves of Grass many, many times over the years. It’s one of the greatest poetry collections, so raw and pure, and I find…
The Bradbury Challenge [Writing]
It’s no secret that Ray Bradbury was a prolific author. By the time he passed in 2012, he had written over six-hundred short stories, twenty-seven books, plus essays, criticisms, screenplays, and poems. The man was a writing machine. Luckily, he was open about his creative process and how he was able to accomplish so much…