Category Archives: Creativity

The Angst of the Artist

It really only happens when we’re not working–because we’re stuck or self-doubting or, well, just not working. I am one hell of a crotchety old woman when I’m not writing. And lately that’s been true for a few more days than I’d like. During novel revisions last night, I finally went back to a revisedContinue reading “The Angst of the Artist”

A Friend Asked Me How I Find Time to Write, So Here’s My Answer

Okay, so you asked how I find time to write and publish and wedding plan and work while I’m in grad school full-time. Good question. Well, I’m writing this on my smartphone during my morning commute to work. I take care of all my non-school/work correspondence (including blogging) in the morning before work. If IContinue reading “A Friend Asked Me How I Find Time to Write, So Here’s My Answer”

Listening as Discovery

On any given day, the writing center where I work exudes a cacophony of smells: there is curry–both African and Indian, the honey-musk of perfume, chalky talcum, roasted coffee, rain-steeped leather, and–on occasion–the rank sweat, aged and thick, of students who have not yet learned to wear deodorant in the U.S. To imagine I knowContinue reading “Listening as Discovery”

Lost in the Woods

So I’m at that point in the novel writing process that scares the chewing gum out of me. *hack, spit, cough* I’ve got the plot refined, the beats nailed down, the scene list listed. Life should be great. Right? And it is. Don’t get me wrong. Having the freedom and the time to write daily is aContinue reading “Lost in the Woods”

Passing Your Edge

So I don’t know about all you other writers and creative-types out there, but one question I can’t seem to answer is this: How do you know when to push past your edge–and when to accept this edge as part of who you are? After twenty years of shame and frustration over my introversion, I’ve finally made peace withContinue reading “Passing Your Edge”

A Matter of Belief

On Saturday night, I attended Elliott Bay Book Company’s 40th Anniversary reading. Seattle authors Jim Lynch, Ryan Boudinot, and Maria Semple read from their latest novels, all published within the past year. Bookstore staff sliced cake and passed plates. They poured glasses of wine. And everyone sang the praises of Seattle and its literary culture.Continue reading “A Matter of Belief”

Poetry in the Garden

When I read the world’s first novel The Tale of Genji, I was a skeptic. Characters spoke to one another in lines of poetry. Romantic, sure—but unlikely. Until my stroll through the Seattle Japanese Garden on Sunday. I realized Lady Murasaki knew her stuff, and she was doing a lot more than building literary allusions. Suddenly,Continue reading “Poetry in the Garden”

Getting Back Up Again

“Sometimes it is necessary / to reteach a thing its loveliness, / to put a hand on its brow / of the flower / and retell it in words and in touch / it is lovely.”  I love these lines from Galway Kinnell’s poem “St. Francis and the Sow.” They’re good to keep in your pocket. JustContinue reading “Getting Back Up Again”

What Opens Us Up Makes Us Stronger

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change.” Brene Brown I carry this in my pocket now. A few weeks back, I watched Brown’s TED talk “Listening to Shame.” It’s a good reminder–that playing it safe never gets you anywhere. Those places you resist going, the times you’re most terrified of falling flat onContinue reading “What Opens Us Up Makes Us Stronger”

The Optimism of Cities

People say Seattle once had seven hills. One is now missing: Denny Hill. In 1897, city designers decided they’d had enough. And over the next 14 years, they shoved the whole thing into Elliott Bay. The project passed into history as the Denny Regrade. One hundred years after the first stage was completed, I climbedContinue reading “The Optimism of Cities”