Tag Archives: ideas

I Say To Myself “Be Sensible”

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Lida Bushloper

The ME in my head: Be sensible. You don’t need to lie awake all night, thinking up titles and working out plot points in your mind. Get some sleep. Be sensible. You can’t keep up with your email as it … Continue reading →

Posted in publishing, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged advice, authors, creativity, ideas, performance, self-talk, the writing life, writers, writing | 2 Comments

Less Than I Thought

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Lida Bushloper

What do you need to write? Ideas? A certain space? A block of time? Quiet? Solitude? Physical comfort? An Internet connection? A writing group? An MFA? What if you don’t have what you think is essential? Are you dead in … Continue reading →

Posted in publishing, writing | Tagged advice, authors, creativity, encouragement, getting started, ideas, performance, productivity, publishing, success, the writing life, writers, writing | Leave a comment

Roughing It

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Lida Bushloper

In my last post, I talked a bit about how we get ideas. But getting the idea is worthless if we immediately lose its essence. We have to capture not just the idea, but its context. Many writers talk about … Continue reading →

Posted in publishing, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged advice, authors, creativity, ideas, the writing life, writers, writing | 2 Comments

Stray Cats

Posted on November 27, 2019 by Lida Bushloper

Ideas, it seems to me, are like stray cats. First of all, they’re everywhere, even when you can’t see them. Sometimes, especially when you can’t see them. Sometimes you see them, try to approach them, and they dart away. Feral, … Continue reading →

Posted in publishing, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged cats, ideas, stray cats, the writing life, writers, writing | 3 Comments

The Least I Can Do

Posted on November 16, 2019 by Lida Bushloper

Writing can be overwhelming. It’s like any other huge job. Getting a college or advanced degree. Cleaning out the garage. Getting your affairs in order, for when you die. All the advice books tell you to break it all down … Continue reading →

Posted in publishing, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged advice, authors, blog posts, blogging, creativity, essays, getting started, ideas, novels, productivity, short stories, the writing life, writers, writing | 6 Comments

Process: The Short Story

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Lida Bushloper

I can only speak about how it works for me. I am impelled to start a story in several ways. The first way is that a story just springs to mind, something I have to write, or perhaps a character … Continue reading →

Posted in publishing, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged anthologies, authors, creativity, getting started, ideas, process, productivity, publishing, resources, short stories, the writing life, writers, writing, writing the first draft | 8 Comments

Note to Self: Stop Talking

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Lida Bushloper

To myself, I mean. Or rather, more specifically, stop the mental negative self-talk that doesn’t help and only makes me miserable. Stop saying I have no ideas. Stop saying I have no time. Stop saying my work is too quirky to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, writing | Tagged advice, authors, creativity, getting started, ideas, negative thoughts, performance, positive thinking, productivity, self-talk, the writing life, writers, writing | 11 Comments

The Simplest Cure

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Lida Bushloper

Yesterday my life was awful. I felt discouraged, stuck, overwhelmed and unlovable. Yet, nothing had changed from the day before, when everything was fine. Today, I’m upbeat, tackling chores and creative projects with verve, hope and confidence. Nothing in my … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, writing | Tagged advice, authors, creativity, ideas, productivity, publishing, the writing life, writing | 4 Comments

A Clean Slate

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Lida Bushloper

I got my last rejection of the year a few days ago. It was kind of refreshing. Everything else I had submitted had either been rejected or accepted. Now I can start a fresh batch of submissions from scratch. Sort … Continue reading →

Posted in publishing, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged authors, creativity, ideas, New Year, the writing life, writing | 6 Comments

Pain

Posted on November 28, 2018 by Lida Bushloper

Everyone who lives suffers, physically, emotionally, mentally. At least at some point in his or her life. But artists suffer pain that’s unique to us. If we are not creating, we are hurting. If we are not creating, it feels like … Continue reading →