Ink Dance: Essays on the Writing Life
A cup of inspiration, a dash of understanding, a bouquet of wisdom for writers new and old. From the desk of writer and editor Deborah J. Ross comes a collection of warm, insightful essays on “the writing life” – from getting started, negotiating with the Idea Fairy and creating memorable characters, to writing queries, surviving bad reviews, dealing with life’s interruptions and creative jealousy, to nourishing yourself and your creative muse. With space for personal notes.
This collection of my blog posts over a number of years ranges in topic from writing craft to daily rhythms and self-care to staying motivated over the long haul of a career. A number of readers asked for a print version so they could jot down their own notes. It's available now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local bookstore through Ingram (ISBN 978-1-61138-757-5)
To whet your appetite, here's an excerpt from the introduction by Mary Rosenblum, and table of contents:
This collection of essays guides you through the craft and career of writing with all the useful information of a shelf full of ‘how to’ books, but offered with the warm personal energy of a conversation across the kitchen table.
From her advice on how to actually get started, her craft and career tips, to her really excellent counsel on how to survive writing in real life and still nourish yourself and your spirit, this collection offers an in depth look at what it means to be a writer.
Every day. All the time.
While Deborah’s career has been New York oriented, most of what she has to say works for today’s author going the small press or Indie route as well. She speaks of the things that helped her succeed or got in her way with a refreshing personal honesty that invites us to examine our own behaviors. There’s a lot here for any aspiring writer who takes his or her craft seriously. No matter what you write or how you publish.
Read it, learn, and enjoy! You’ll come away nourished.
Just You and a Blank Page
Getting Started in Writing
Negotiating with the Idea Fairy
Warm Ups
Open Here
More On Story Beginnings
Structure, Shape, and Interest
Do You Outline Your Novel? Should You?
Dream A Little Dream
It’s Only Fiction
Not Just Another Funny Forehead: Creating Alien Characters
Villains, Evil, and Otherness
Revenge and Retaliation
First Person Perils
Why Write Short?
Why Write Long?
Sexuality in Fiction
The Magic Notebook
Focus
Write It Again, Sam
More Thoughts on Revision
Critiquing Vs. Editing
Strategies for Dealing With Writer’s Block
Overcoming the Inertial Hump
Sam In Spades: Why Not to Revise
Career and Survival
Queries, Synopses, Pitches and Other Uneasy Friends
Pitches and Why I Should Care
Book Promotion Rehabilitation
Non Obnoxious Book Promotion, Part 2
Gate-Keeping in the World of Ebooks
Story And Self
Stages in a Writer’s Development
Blackberry Writing
When A Story Isn’t Ready
Series as Career Killer
How Gossip Can Trash Your Writing Career
Reviews: The Good, the Bad, and the Ignorable
Inner Voices
Surviving Dry Spells
The Magic Phone Call
Letting Go, Moving On
The Writer’s Life
Where Do You Write?
Writing Without Electricity
Interruptions
When Writing Friends Aren’t
Creative Jealousy
Encountering Wannabee Writers
The Lady (and Honorary) Writers Lunch
Mentoring
Exercise and the Older Writer
Listening
When Is It Enough?
Nourishing Yourself
Survival as a Writer (or Artist, or Musician)
Defining Writing Success as Publishing
Would You Write Anyway?
Zen Yoga Writing Practice
Nothing Creative is Ever Wasted
'Tis the Season To Get Crazy
Pacing
Community and Solitude
Cross-Training for Writers
On Writing and Healing
Writing Fears
Goals vs. Wishes
Settling In Meditation and Writing
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