by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Sep 29, 2011 | Uncategorized
I’ve always believed in monsters. Many think they’re make believe, hiding under beds or in closets or right outside your bedroom window. I had those. I also had real monsters. Like the clown who tells you he is very real and can hurt you. Or the stranger who thinks...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Sep 28, 2011 | Wordlessly Wednesday
Copyright © 2009 D.B. Smyth
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Sep 27, 2011 | TED Talks, The Writing Life
And by shake up your story Raghava KK means shake up your perspective! I love being an artist during a time of so much change. The publishing industry seems to be transforming before our eyes, like a butterfly captured by a slow motion camera. It’s captivating...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Sep 20, 2011 | Beautiful Things, TED Talks, The Writing Life
Writing is work. Hard work. Mentally draining, emotionally exhausting, and physically demanding (the last because we often forget to eat, sleep, and exercise as we craft our stories). We give all we have to the creative process as we “breathe air into the lungs...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Sep 1, 2011 | Uncategorized
I really, really do wish that I was perfect. I keep thinking that if I try hard enough I’ll get there. That if I push myself enough, be self-less enough, get the right schedule setup–that suddenly the heavens will open, angelic choirs will sing and a hot...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Jul 25, 2011 | On Craft, The Writing Life
In his book Stein on Writing, Sol Stein points out that “Readers enjoy dialogue in stories and novels. Those same readers would hate reading court transcripts, even of dramatic confrontations. What makes dialogue interesting and so much actual talk...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Jul 20, 2011 | Beautiful Things, When Life Hurts
It’s going to happen. A crit partner is going to offend you. An agent is going to reject your query. A publisher is going to pass on your story. A reviewer is going to HATE what you wrote. And the nay-sayers in your life are going to shake their heads and give...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Jul 18, 2011 | Uncategorized
You’ve just finished the hardest chapter of your life! You sit back in your broken office chair and stare at the blinking cursor at the bottom of page 14. Wahoo! you think. I’m finally done!Not only are you done but you are excited about the words running...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Jul 15, 2011 | Uncategorized
I think we all want to belong. I love the word. It sounds nice. It feels nice. Belonging—a warm, heavy blanket that wraps around us to keep us safe from the biting cold of winter. Inherently inclusive.And yet, the definition of “belong” feels exclusive. be•long...
by D.B. Smyth | @DB_Smyth | Jul 14, 2011 | The Writing Life
Why am I a writer? Why did I choose this vocation (because it’s way more than a job)?I’ve thought about this before but Robin Sullivan’s seminar on marketing and Sierra Gardner’s post really had me digging deep for the real answer, not the “right” one.I...
