Author Archives: Steph Nickel
Give Your Writing a Vacation by Violet Nesdoly
Are you going on vacation this summer? Are you taking your writing with you? Even asking such a question says something about the vocation, or avocation, that we love. For what nurse, accountant, librarian, or barista takes work with them on vacation? Yet as writers we do this all the time—or feel guilty if we… Read more »
12 Reasons to Attend a Writers’ Conference by Steph Beth Nickel
Although I was only able to attend the Saturday sessions of Write Canada this year, as always, I was abundantly blessed. Here are a dozen benefits of attending a conference or even a one-day workshop: Focus exclusively on writing and related topics. Especially if you write from home, there are many day-to-day things that distract from… Read more »
“Summertime, and the living is easy …” by Janice L. Dick
Ha! Obviously, George Gershwin had a different perspective of summer than I do. Summertime living is busy and enjoyable, but not necessarily easy. There is yard work to do, added to the usual routine. When the living is busy, our writing can sometimes reach an impasse. Not that we’re blocked by lack of ideas. Often… Read more »
Hump Day by Brenda J Wood
“It’s Hump Day,” cries the radio announcer. “Today is Wednesday! We’ve almost made it to the weekend. Rest, relaxation, and good times lie ahead.” I don’t know what twilight zone he lives in, but this is not a description of my weekends or for that matter, my hump day. It must depend on who you… Read more »
I Can Doesn’t Mean I Should by Steph Beth Nickel
The original version of this post appeared last month on Janet Sketchley’s blog, “Tenacity.” Oo, shiny! That’s how I often feel when I hear of a new opportunity. You too? I have what I refer to as the Butterfly Syndrome. I love to flit from one thing to the next to the next and then… Read more »
Use Mentor Poems to Grow as a Poet by Violet Nesdoly
If you’re a crafter you may have gone to a craft fair, admired items on display, picked up one or two that especially appealed to you, and examined them closely. Why? Chances are you were trying to figure out how they were made and whether you could make something similar. Growth in any skill is… Read more »
11 Ways Writing Has Helped Me Grow by Pamela Mytroen
1. I learned that sometimes you don’t go anywhere as a writer until you take a risk. I got hired as a correspondent because I took a risk and pitched an editorial the day after 9/11. 2. I learned that 100-year-old women do not handle long interviews well. They tend to fall asleep. 3. In… Read more »
Seven Ways to Grow Your Writing by Janice L. Dick
Writing involves not only good technique but also personal investment. It involves practice and learning. An acquaintance said recently that practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect. In other words, if we continue to repeat our mistakes, we are not getting any closer to perfection. Michael J. Fox said he doesn’t aim for… Read more »
The Importance of Downtime by Steph Beth Nickel
This post first appeared on Janet Sketchley’s blog, Tenacity, and subsequently, on This & That for Writers. I’m filling in for our church administrator while she’s on maternity leave. For 30 hours each week, I can’t work uninterrupted on writing or editing. I can’t tend to my volunteer responsibilities. I can’t work around the house—Wait! Scratch that…. Read more »
Mrs. K’s Rules of Comedy by Tracy Krauss
Break the Tension Humour goes a long way in writing and in life. There is nothing like it to break tension and make people feel comfortable. However, we’ve probably all been witness to a joke gone bad. Either the punch line wasn’t delivered correctly, the timing was wrong, or it was inappropriate for the setting…. Read more »