Forcing yourself to write a first draft (when you haven’t written in a dreadfully long time) is a lot like being constipated. The crap will come out … if you’d just ease up a bit. They say giving yourself permission to write badly can be liberating. Some writers even claim it’s the best advice they’veContinue reading “6 Tips – How to Write A Garbage First Draft”
Author Archives: Nick Enlowe
Forcing Yourself to Write, Even When You DunWanna
The reason you’re not writing right now is because you’re not writing. But if you do write, you’ll surprise yourself, every time. Thing is, before that cathartic moment of surprise can come, you’ve got to actually open a document and work on it. No two ways about it, I’m afraid. “Writing a book is hard.Continue reading “Forcing Yourself to Write, Even When You DunWanna”
Facing a Blank Page
I’ve explained that I don’t enjoy blank pages. I don’t like writing scenes from scratch. When I write a scene poorly–just to get the first draft down on paper–I have trouble visualizing the next scene. I can’t just move on without doing some serious rewriting and editing. But at least, at that point, there’s somethingContinue reading “Facing a Blank Page”
Tackling a New Short Story: The Machine
After completing Chio Pino: A Reverse Retelling of Pinocchio, I decided that, before moving back to my novel, it would be good to have one more short story under my belt. Like most writers, I have quite a few short story ideas ready to go in an “Ideas” folder, and this particular story pops inContinue reading “Tackling a New Short Story: The Machine”
14 Years of Writing and No Book to Show For It Begs the Question … Am I Lazy?
I must be lazy, right? I mean, it’s been fourteen years. So where’s my debut novel at? It’s stuck at about 33% completion (about 30k words). Act I is complete, and Act II is still in the works. It sure doesn’t feel good getting stuck that long. It’s like there’s been this dam holding meContinue reading “14 Years of Writing and No Book to Show For It Begs the Question … Am I Lazy?”
Why Is Writing So Damn Hard?: My Ongoing Battle With Writer’s Block
By far, the most frustrating thing I’ve ever had to deal with as a writer is figuring out why I’m not writing. When I think about how long some of my writing droughts have been, it makes me want to tear my hair out and cringe. Few people have dealt with writer’s block on theContinue reading “Why Is Writing So Damn Hard?: My Ongoing Battle With Writer’s Block”
What Projects Am I Working On?
We’ve established that I enjoy writing fantasy. So what are some of the projects I’m working on? Chio Pino: A Reverse Retelling of Pinocchio (Novelette/Dark Fairytale) This is a dark retelling of Pinocchio in reverse. Instead of being about a puppet that turns into a real boy, it’s about a girl who turns into aContinue reading “What Projects Am I Working On?”
Why Do We Need Fantasy?
In case it wasn’t clear, fantasy is special to me. I mentioned a few reasons why in the previous post, but there’s so much more to talk about. People, whether they admit it or not, have a deeply ingrained need to see stories that are meaningful, and fantasy is an excellent vehicle to deliver suchContinue reading “Why Do We Need Fantasy?”
Why is Fantasy Special?
Fiction has a burden that non-fiction doesn’t: It has to go the extra mile in order to sell itself. It has to seem real. Fantasy, doubly so. But if fantasy succeeds at this, it has the power to sweep you away to somewhere special. You’ll feel like you’ve visited a land far more fascinating thanContinue reading “Why is Fantasy Special?”
What Do I Write?
We’ve established that I want to write and publish a novel, and that I write fiction. But what kind of fiction? High fantasy. Dark fantasy. Fairytale fantasy as well. Fantasy is where my artistic passion leads me time and time again. I firmly believe there’s not a story out there that can’t be improved withContinue reading “What Do I Write?”
Nick Enlowe 