I wrote a long reflection post about my time in South Africa. But I deleted it. I felt censored. I felt afraid to say the truth of my experience. I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, even though my feelings were hurt many times on and around the trip. It’s lead me to writing this… Continue reading Self-Censorship
Tag: advice
Tired of the battle with myself (journal entry)
Why are we so hard on ourselves? As if life isn’t hard enough as it is! We cut ourselves down with a sharpened scythe, hoping to fit in with people and places that don’t value us. We try so hard, gasping and screaming and gripping with blistered fingers at the edges of what we think… Continue reading Tired of the battle with myself (journal entry)
How to create natural tension and conflict in your narrative
Tension and suspense are key to gripping your reader. Conflict is what makes a story interesting but there is boring conflict and then there is natural and tense conflict! You want the latter if you can! I will be talking today about natural conflict and tension using the latest Planet of the Apes franchise to… Continue reading How to create natural tension and conflict in your narrative
What’s truly scary (motivation for the last 2 months of the year)
You know what’s scarier than getting on the plane? Never having left your hometown and widened your perspective. To stay small and inexperienced, not understanding, on a deeper personal level, the other cultures and beauties in this world. That’s terrifying. You know what’s scarier than publishing a book and being judged? Not publishing and bearing… Continue reading What’s truly scary (motivation for the last 2 months of the year)
What to do about creative confusion
Many creators talk about writers block or feeling creatively stuck but what about feeling confusion in your creativity? When you have a lot of ideas and feel confused and unsure about where to go with them. This is how I feel at the moment. I started writing a semi-autobiographical story. It felt like a really… Continue reading What to do about creative confusion
There’s more to you than you think
Sometimes we don’t realise how deep our personality and interests go. Just as a fun exercise, I have written the things I like/about me down below. If you’re nosy, have a nose! But I encourage you to do the same when you feel a little disconnected from yourself. Remind yourself who you are and how… Continue reading There’s more to you than you think
I want stories to tell
I realised today that I am not a writer. Yes, I write. Yes, I can write well at times. But I am not a writer. A writer, to me, sounds like someone who is an expert; or enjoys it; or is well-practiced in the wielding of words. Words are their tools. They’re a wordsmith. Maybe… Continue reading I want stories to tell
Careful with complacency and fixed ideas
I’m re-realising that I need to be careful with the stories I tell myself about myself, other people, life, and the world. This narrative I’m creating about who I am and what I want. The lies. The fears that speak so confidently that I think they’re true. That I’m a weak person. I can't handle… Continue reading Careful with complacency and fixed ideas
The formula for an easy life
The older I get, the more I realise that to have an easy life, you need to do two things: Work hard on creating the right systems and want less. Easy. Done! Not quite. In order to get to a place where your life feels "easy", you need to work incredibly hard to make it… Continue reading The formula for an easy life
Pep Talk and Tips for Writers With Low Self Esteem
I’ve been hearing a phrase that I don’t like lately and I think it’s even more horrible coming from a writer’s mouth. “I need…” Why do I hate this? Because it sounds like desperation. I sounds like a task or a chore. Writing shouldn’t feel that way. Not at first, especially. You don’t need to… Continue reading Pep Talk and Tips for Writers With Low Self Esteem
S. R. Crawford 