Stuck in the middle
At some point in your writing journey, you may experience getting stuck in the middle of your story. It feels slow. It feels like you are walking through the heavy waters of the ocean. Remember it’s only temporary.
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National Day of Encouragement
National Day of Encouragement is a day to uplift, inspire, or give confidence to others. What will you do today to help someone else?
Read MoreIn honor of MLK Day
“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. Whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Whatever it is that you want to see changed in yourself or the world, YOU have the power to make a positive difference. […]
Read MoreJust a quick word…
I want to keep this short as most people are feeling burnt out, exhausted, or are in some sort of phase of COVID. My thoughts are with you. My gratitude is with you. Thank you. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your understanding as I switched careers this last year and neglected this […]
Read MoreHappy birthday, America!
Much like stories, America was nothing more than an idea that became a longer narrative that continues to be revised.
Read MoreDo you take your own advice?
In my classroom, disagreements come with rules because for them, it needs to be a place of trust. After all, they are still learning, despite them thinking they don’t English classes in high school. It’s a promise I make to them on day 1 of school and it takes time to build the trust but when it’s there, students trust me to keep debates and disagreements free from judgement, free from name calling, free from bullying, free from all the nastiness. At the end of those discussions I remind them that this rarely happens online. It’s not meant to be a scare tactic, it’s meant to protect them from the lawlessness of the online world.
It’s advice that I should have taken.
Read MoreFeeling like a static character?
The number one way readers judge characters is by how much they change. Do they change, or are they static? Most characters must change, especially the main character, but what about others characters in a story? Do they all change? No matter how slight of a shift, all characters should change. If they don’t, they risk not being in the story.
Static characters got me thinking about writing and writing habits. Has your writing changed over these last few years? Have your habits remained static? Is the thought of writing word after word too heavy? If so, how do we push or pull ourselves out of this rut? We must start by being honest.
Read MorePurpose over passion
Every quarter I ask my students an essential question. This question guides the purpose for the materials we read and the discussions we have as well what we journal about. I decided to apply this method to the writer side of me and ask myself an essential question. This question had to be one that […]
Read MoreBreaking in the Creative Process
Know yourself, then you’ll know what you have to give. Breaking in the Creative Process
Read MoreFeature Friday: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
Welcome to the second Feature Friday – the last Friday of the month, when I chat about books on the craft of writing. This month I am working through the chapters of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. I have many other books on the craft that I’m excited to share with […]
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Denise Hartzler 