Sarah's & Cynde's Blog - Page 4 of 23 -

Jiggery-pokery and Elections and 2.0 US Fluid Ounce Pours

July 18th, 2016Sarah Lovett0 Comments

It’s been a dark week, a dark month, a dark year for news. Countless writers are covering current stories—some with intelligence and sensitivity, many without—and after I absorb what I can, my eyes wander and my mind leaps at the chance to follow. While perusing news-lite this morning I came across the word “rejiggering”—think it was in the Huff Post—and that made me think of jiggering, meaning a person or thing that jigs, and before you picture someone dancing wildly, remember that to jig means to manipulate or alter something in order to get things done (often illegally). I’m still not …

Bring Your Story to Life

July 3rd, 2016Sarah Lovett0 Comments

Gift your characters and their worlds and their journeys of dilemma, conflict, and transformation generously.

Emphasis on transformation.

Of course well-told stories have the power to simply entertain us. But the best stories also have the power to transform by offering new vision, new insight and awareness. They wake us up. And yes that is a tall order.

I watched two films at the Regal 14 with my ten-year-old daughter this summer. Both were major studio productions with big budgets.

The first, a very recent box office hit—a save-the-universe archetypal saga—featured a reluctant, off-beat hero and his vagabond “knights”, one of whom was female, with green skin and a fighting spirit. Make no mistake, she could kick ass with the best and the worst of the guys. The film was loud, action-packed, entertaining and the same ole’, same ole’ story. My daughter loved it! (more…)

Free Your Creativity

June 30th, 2016Sarah Lovett0 Comments

If you’re one of those people who ask how, when, where writers get their ideas, it might be hard for you to imagine the need to get a handle on Idea Overwhelm. But when it comes to generating ideas, many Creatives struggle with too much, too many, too fast! The ability to sift, hone and focus ideas and material is crucial to every writer’s success. Here are 10 ways to begin to get a handle on your wealth of creative material: Go for your hot spot! Write your passion! Life is too short to choose tepid subjects. You will only …

Help, I’m stuck on the page! — 10 Tips to Get Your Pen Moving Again~

April 24th, 2016Sarah Lovett2 Comments

1) Breathe! Slowly, deeply, it’s all okay and normal and you will be fine, truly. (And repeat.) 2) Put the story structure info away—in a drawer, in a trash can, in a virtual trash can—and don’t look at it again. When it causes anxiety it is no longer useful. Shred any piece of paper that tells you that there are rules for writing a novel. 3) Know that finishing is difficult for your creative self (and mine and everyone’s!). Resistance can swell a bit when the end of a draft (or even “almost-draft”) nears. 4) Know that you are the …

Tuesday’s Writing Tip: Put Words on Paper & Give it Up

March 22nd, 2016Sarah Lovett1 Comment

Put words on paper, forget whether the putting is easy or hard, and don’t believe the voice judging shitty or brilliant, give it up and stay curious around what happens—we writers are never really in charge, we are channels for flow.

Writing Without a Net: It’s Worth the Risk

March 13th, 2016Sarah Lovett1 Comment

“Growth demands a temporary surrender of security.” ~ Gail Sheehy We are always writing our story. At our core we write to understand, to change, to evolve. When it comes to creativity and writing, there are no guarantees that we will become rich, famous, or even remotely well-read. We can use our fears to stop us from taking creative risks; or we can use our fears to connect us to our characters and our story. That is our choice. Wishing you creative risk~S

Inspiration to Write & a Smile from Robert Benchley~

March 6th, 2016Sarah Lovett0 Comments

“It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by then I was too famous.” ~Robert Benchley

Writing Wisdom from the Miraculous Mary Karr

February 27th, 2016Sarah Lovett0 Comments

“Don’t approach your history as something to be shaken for its cautionary fruit…Tell your stories, and your story will be revealed…Don’t be afraid of appearing angry, small-minded, obtuse, mean, immoral, amoral, calculating, or anything else. Take no care for your dignity…” ~Mary Karr

Inspiration from M. Csiksgentmihalyi~

February 25th, 2016Sarah Lovett0 Comments

Some years ago I participated in Dr. Martin Seligman’s first international Authentic Happiness program and it included conversations in real time with positive psychology pioneers. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi spoke engagingly about creativity and I was inspired to read his book FLOW: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Today I’m sharing a quote from his book CREATIVITY: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention. “Creative individuals are remarkable for their ability to adapt to almost any situation and to make do with whatever is at hand to reach their goals.” Aha! Sounds like resiliency! P.S. In order to pronounce his name with …

Today’s Creative Wisdom from Camus

February 2nd, 2016Sarah Lovett0 Comments

“All great works and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning. Great works are often born on a street corner or in a restaurant’s revolving door.” ~Albert Camus