“No More ‘I Love You’s'” by The Lover Speaks

"No More 'I Love You's'" by The Lover Speaks Record Sleeve

Most people are unaware that Annie Lennox’s 1995 recording of “No More ‘I Love You’s'” is a cover. The song was originally written and recorded by The Lover Speaks, a band consisting of vocalist David Freeman and arranger/composer Joseph Hughes. The duo took their name from the Roland Barthes book A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments.

Read More ...

How to Use Both Sides of Your Brain to Get to Know Your Characters

Beareded Man Drinking Coffee While Working on His Laptop Computer

Human beings have two sides to the brain, which control the opposite side of the body. In addition, the left side performs tasks that have to do with logic, while the right side handles creative endeavors.  Most of the time, my characters reveal themselves to me as I begin to write a story. Occasionally, though,…

Read More ...

Get to Know Your Characters at the Grocery Store

Woman Pushing Cart in Produce Section of Grocery Store

I’m always thinking about my characters and my story. It’s not an obsession; I’m just efficient at finding the time I can work on my writing when I’m unable to actually write. One way I do that is to take my characters along when I have to run errands—especially when I must shop for groceries.…

Read More ...

How to Break Through Writer’s Block by Turning Within

Pen Laying on an Open Journal Page

Sometimes when we sit down to write, our muse eludes us. Perhaps we’re tired. Maybe we feel overwhelmed or don’t know where to start. Instead of looking outside ourselves to begin the writing process, we can also turn within ourselves. If you find that you can not seem to get started with your writing, open…

Read More ...

How to Solve Story Problems While You Sleep

Cat Sleeping in Widow Sill Next Vase of Sunflowers

I’m fortunate that storytelling comes easily to me. When I sit down to write, I seem to open a creative channel to my muse, listen, and transcribe what I hear. In doing so, I often slip into a meditative state where an hour passes in what feels like only a few minutes. When I read…

Read More ...

How Writing Is Like an Artist’s Palette

Artist's Palette

Writing is like an artist’s palette; only instead of mixing paint, we blend words. A blank page or screen can be as intimidating to a writer as a bare canvas. Don’t think of it as something sacred. A writer cannot afford the luxury of that way of thinking because it keeps him stuck. He fears…

Read More ...

How Bad Ideas Create Good Stories

"Ideas" Written on a Pad of Paper

Sometimes writing can be like dating: the grass always seems to be greener at another table with a fatter wallet or bigger boobage. One of the biggest fears at the beginning of a writing project is whether or not a story idea is any good. Sure, the flash of inspiration you experienced last night while…

Read More ...

How to Write When You Have No Ideas

Buddha Statue

Writing is a bit like meditation in that we often make it harder than it needs to be. We sit down to write and expect magic to immediately happen in the way we often expect to turn our minds off when we try to clear them. To add insult to injury, the harder we try…

Read More ...