Feeling stuck? Need some inspiration? Check out a nearly 400-year-old artist's statement by Japanese haiku master Matsuo Bashō and some reflections on how uplifting his thoughts and words are.
Tag: inspiration
What I Learned from My First NaNoWriMo
November is gone. I have to take a moment, to lift my head from the laptop, to let my eyes adjust to the sunlight, to start breathing again. 50,011 words. National Novel Writing Month is over. I did it. None of it feels real. I wonder if this has to do with John Gardner's idea… Continue reading What I Learned from My First NaNoWriMo
Write Like a Child
Recently, I taught haiku to a group of elementary students. I started the lesson on the defensive, expecting groans, complaints, poetry bashing, and a general unwillingness to participate. I tried to counter some of that up front by telling the students I loved haiku and that I expected them to be respectful of that. I… Continue reading Write Like a Child
Ways to Spend Your Writing Time That Aren’t Writing
Almost every writer successful enough to gain a platform to talk about such things prescribes setting a consistent writing time. So, desiring to be a successful writer yourself, and maybe even a good one, you set aside a block of time to write. You look forward to it. You have visions of filling up all… Continue reading Ways to Spend Your Writing Time That Aren’t Writing
Frank Zappa, Art, and The Frame
I was talking with a friend about Frank Zappa's view of Art, and started listening to his band, The Mothers of Invention. I'd heard them before, but just little snippets of songs. Today, I listened straight through the first two albums in a kind of wondrous, outraged, joyful daze. It's totally weird. Stream of consciousness.… Continue reading Frank Zappa, Art, and The Frame
the value of story
Confession: I've been dealing with some artistic jealousy lately. I started watching the Netflix series Chef's Table, which provides documentary-like looks into the lives and philosophies of the world's most successful chefs. The culinary arts are fascinating to me. They're also always in high demand. Because, well, we all have to eat. Between jobs, I've… Continue reading the value of story
3 Books to Inspire Your Writing Life
The writing life is often an isolated one. Writing groups are few and far between. The internet alleviates this somewhat, but is an imperfect replacement for real fellowship. All of us live with and through books. That's part of the reason we got into this writing business in the first place. So why not look… Continue reading 3 Books to Inspire Your Writing Life
Allison Wall 