Calling All Writers!! 20 Podcasts About Writing!!

Are you a writer in need of creative inspiration or need other writing advice while penning your novel, but don't have the time or money to attend a writer's workshop? 

Then checkout a fabulous article I came across on Bustle's website titled, 20 Podcasts About Writing That Will Have You Penning A Bestselling Novel In No Time by E. Ce Miller. In the article, E. Ce Miller writes the following:

Writers get their inspiration from all sorts of places — real life, current events, favorite books, other writers, their own imagination, and more recently: podcasts. Podcasts about writing have been around practically as long as podcasts themselves have been, (with the longest-running writing podcast on this list airing for the first time in 2005!) and they’re the perfect dose of advice, inspiration, and motivation — especially for working writers on the go. Because let’s face it: while most of us aspiring and/or working writers would love to pause our daily lives in favor of losing ourselves in a writers’ workshop for weeks, months, or even years at a time, for many writers that’s not so realistic. These podcasts — as helpful as a creative writing workshop itself, in many ways — might be the next best thing. (With the added bonus of not having to worry about your GPA and your muse showing up in a timely manner.)

Best of luck to you in writing that best selling novel. Good luck! 

Would You Want to Be 'A Writer in Residence' For the Mall of America?

I discovered an interesting article online from the Star Tribune titled, You could be 'writer in residence' for the Mall of America by Lauire Hertzel. In the article, Laurie Hertzel wrote the following:

Universities have writers-in-residence. As do libraries. As does Amtrak. So why not a shopping mall?

In honor of its 25th anniversary, the Mall of America is looking for a writer to be in residence for five days, to write about a week in the life of the nation’s largest mall.

Before you scoff, think of the possibilities: the workers, the shoppers, the diners, the strollers, the teenagers, the visitors from abroad. The possibilities are rich indeed.

The chosen writer will be flown in (if not local) and housed for four nights at a nearby hotel and given a $400 gift card for food and drink. He or she will also receive a $2,500 honorarium.

“Our goal is to come away from this project with an evocative story about Mall of America that represents the contemporary guest experience after 25 years of evolution as a leading retail and entertainment establishment,” the MOA said in a news release.

Sounds like a great opportunity for writers if you ask me! Click on the above link to find out more information.

Are You In A Relationship With A Writer?

Then there are some suggestions on how to survive a relationship with a writer! Earlier this week, I came across another interesting article on Bustle's website titled 10 Ways To Survive A Relationship With A Writer by Dina Gachman. In her article, Dina Gachman writes the following:

Not that all writers are crazy. At least, not all of the time. Sure, T.S. Eliot supposedly wore green face powder and lipstick when he wrote, and Nabokov wrote novels on index cards (hey, whatever works), but most writers are sane, disciplined, rational human beings. It’s the profession that makes us crazy. Sitting alone all day, trying to create earth-shattering things out of thin air, getting paid peanuts, baring your soul, and dealing with rejection after baring that soul could turn even the most stoic chemical engineers into Scarlett O’Hara before Tara burned down and taught her a lesson. But boohoo, right? It’s pretty great work, if you can get it.

If you are dating a writer, there are a few things you can do to make the ride a little less… challenging. And if you’re the writer in the relationship, share these tips with your engineer/doctor/mathematician/lawyer honey to help them understand that the whirlwind of emotions you experience during any given day (or hour) isn’t anything to be scared of. It’s just life. And if both people in the relationship are writers? I wish you all the understanding, patience, and fortitude in the world.

Click on the above link to read the ten tips provided by the writer, Dina Gachman. 

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Survey Uncovers the Sex Secrets of Erotic Romance Authors

recently read an article online titled Erotica Authors Lead Hotter Sex Lives Than Most Americans, Says Survey on the Digital Book World Book website. In the above mentioned article, I discovered the following information:

The Fussy Librarian discovers erotic writers really do have steamier sex lives.

According to a new survey by The Fussy Librarian, a site that recommends ebooks in 40 genres to readers, the authors who write steamy erotic novels also heat up the bedroom — and just about everywhere else: church basements, on stacks of drywall, on stage at a concert, on horseback, in canoes, in elevators, at museums, and on playground slides and Disney World rides.

The Fussy Librarian surveyed 103 erotic romance authors between May 9-19 to learn whether their sex lives were spicier than the typical American, or if they just had more active imaginations.

Click on top link to discover the five findings learned through The Fussy Librarian survey!

Think Like A Writer!!

I came across an article on the Huffington Post titled How to Think Like A Writer by Carolyn Gregoire. In the article, Gregoire writes:

Writing isn't easy. In fact, it can be painfully difficult. Why? Because it's thinking, but on paper. "To write well is to think clearly. That's why it's so hard," said Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author David McCullough 

Many great writers, including Joan Didion and Don DeLillo, have said that their purpose for putting words on paper is to find clarity with their thoughts, and have described the process of writing as one of becoming familiar with their own minds. 

“I find that by putting things in writing I can understand them and see them a little more objectively," Hunter S. Thompson wrote in a 1958 letter. "For words are merely tools and if you use the right ones you can actually put even your life in order." 

If you're a writer, then you're likely both devoted to your craft and eternally frustrated by it -- and even the most talented writers could use guidance from the greats on how to hone their powers of thinking and get those creative juices flowing. Take a cue from the likes of Henry Miller, Zadie Smith and William Faulkner to get into your "writer's mind" and produce your best work.

Click on above link to read the tips on how to think like a writer! 

13 Literary Power Couples

As always, I find interesting article through the Huffington Post website and 13 Kickass Literary Couples is no exception! In the article, I read the following:

It’s common to think of great writers as congenital loners -- the iconic isolated genius too egotistical or socially inept to have fulfilling personal relationships. If a writer does have a spouse or partner, we imagine they would choose someone wholly different from themselves, preferably someone entirely uninterested in writing so that the genius can work undisturbed.

Yet, as The Guardian observed in 2007, despite the competitiveness and jealousy that may arise when two writers fall in love, literary-minded people tend to be drawn to each other. Whether it’s two brilliant authors or an author and an insightful editor/advisor, astute literary minds have always found ways to each other, and these pairings aren’t always disastrous. In fact, sometimes these partnerships result in even greater artistic productivity.

And yes, I've been guilty of thinking great writers are loners or at the very least not interested in marrying another writer! 

I was surprised by some of the literary couples mentioned and yet a couple of them seemed like obvious choices. Click on the above link to discover which kickass literary couples made the list.