Anne Rice’s advise to young writers. By Elizabeth Cutright “You have to ignore critics. Critics are a dime a dozen. Writers are unique.” Anne Rice I was not yet 21 when Anne Rice made a book-signing appearance at our local bookstore the Earthling (moment of silence, please, in memory of great urban bookstore lost to […]
Read more "Interview With a Vampire-Maker"What to do when the well runs dry. By Elizabeth Cutright © 2012 The Daily Creative Writer “One must accept that one has ‘uncreative’ moments. The more honestly one can accept that, the quicker these moments will pass. One must have the courage to call a halt, to feel empty and discouraged.” Etty Hillesum In […]
Read more "Creative Droughts"Writing tips and tools from GRR Martin By Elizabeth Cutright © 2012 The Daily Creative Writer Fantasy and Science Fiction are two of my favorite genres to read, but not something I’d ever really attempt to write myself. All that world building, all those completely new tools, trades, and tricks to create, all those different […]
Read more "From Sagas to Short Stories"Feed Your Artist’s Soul By Elizabeth Cutright © 2012 The Daily Creative Writer “We are traditionally rather proud of ourselves for having slipped creative work in there between the domestic chores and obligations. I’m not so sure we deserve such be A-pluses for that.” Toni Morrison Last night, just as I was dozing off to […]
Read more "Do What You Want, Do What You Can, Just Do…"What do you do when “okay” is good enough? By Elizabeth Cutright © 2012 The Daily Creative Writer As a once aspiring screenwriter, I full enjoyed Stephen Harrigan’s fun piece in today’s Slate detailing the highs and lows of a mediocre career as a Movie-of-the-Week screenwriter. In his confessional essay “I Was an A-List Writer […]
Read more "Successful Screenplays and the Art of Mediocrity"Casting a Net By Elizabeth Cutright © 2012 The Daily Creative Writer What do you do when you don’t want to do anything at all? I don’t know about you, but lethargy is my Achilles heel – it’s the obstacle that’s so difficult to overcome in part because you can’t even muster enthusiasm for the […]
Read more "Battling Demons, Doldrums and Doubt"Plunging into the Past By Elizabeth Cutright © 2012 The Daily Creative Writer In addition to the morning pages – which I’ve talked about at length in previous posts – another writing tool suggested by Julia Cameron is the Narrative Timeline. The idea is to write out the story of your life, in five-year […]
Read more "Narrative Timelines"