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Award-winning, Nashville-based writer, editor and journalist Katie Lewis talks about the creative community, being a freelancer, setting deadlines and remaining healthy and inspired.
A fellow writer doing the hard work of slogging away to fill in the blank page emailed me a question that gave me pause: how in the world does one write an entire book?
This one had me scratching my head: How do we fill a novel? How do we sustain a story across hundreds of pages and thousands of words? My goodness, it looks like Mount Everest. But I have some ideas to share.
Read moreFor a variety of reasons, 2018 was not a strong year of writing for me. But I never stopped cooking.
Read moreThe end of a year is full of actions you're meant to take, from setting earnest health goals to making amends with friends. December is a grand rush to tie up loose ends and skate into the new year fresh and apple-cheeked.
What we have in common, my friends, is that we want to write well, and we want to do it year-round, not just in January. So let's talk about the self-care work you'll want to do before you even start writing that outline.
Read moreCrafting an outline for your writing project is one tool you can use to reach that ever-exciting The End. But there are no grade-school flashbacks here and certainly no wooden ruler crackdowns. Here's one way you might go about creating your book's outline and several reasons why you should.
Read moreThere's an old proverb that says to never let the truth get in the way of a good story. But what about when it's your job to lie in order to tell a story?
Ghostwriting for clients was the catalyst to help this writer find her truth again and recapture her unique creative voice.
Read moreJournalists report stories using the tried-and-true questions who, what, where, when, why and how. This way, they're sure to cover their story's basics so readers aren't left in confusion. The same journalistic questions can get you out of a writing rut by helping foster the right atmosphere for writing.
Read moreThere were many, many years in your favorite writer's life when she didn't have any books published. She just had a collection of ideas, like you. Like all of us who want to become better at our vocation.
What feels like the biggest hurdle for you right now? Are you too busy trying to survive it with the tools you already have to put a name to it, break it down and tackle it?
Read moreWhat's keeping you away from doing the hard work of staring down the blank page? It only helps to better understand how our minds work, where we find energy and inspiration. Let's start with a list.
Read moreYesterday, I did something I never could have anticipated. When I hit a point in my current writing project where I felt stuck and stilted, I dug out a piece I put to bed a few weeks ago. I reread it.
It bolstered me. I felt awe in the creative process and appreciation in my ability to write what I meant to write. And then I wrote, wrote, wrote fueled by the proof that yes, I can do this. I've done it before. I'll do it again, and now.
Read moreWhen you sit down to write, it could all go south. OR. Or. It could be amazing. You get to choose where fear lands, and let's just agree right now that your writing is more important. Push fear off a cliff, friend.
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