The Story Factory

  • The Importance of a Good Soundtrack

    One of my favorite things to find out about successful writers is what they listen to when they write. A range of options are popular, from the ambient noise of a coffee shop (sadly not available during the pandemic) to specific playlists with anything from hard rock to movie soundtracks. But there is some magic…

    Read more →

  • Wednesday Weekly Production Report

    Here at the Story Factory, we value quantity over quality.  It’s a lesson that comes from Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland, the story of the pottery class (although I have read the same tale with a photography class.) The class is divided into two groups. One group is assigned to throw as…

    Read more →

  • The Blank Page

    The blank page.  It can be something to fear, or something to embrace.  For me, it can be absolutely paralyzing. I think that is why I am forcing myself to do a daily blog post. To daily face the blank page. Not every blog post has to be perfect, although I would prefer all the…

    Read more →

  • Plan your work, work your plan.

    Because nothing says “Monday Morning” like a trite saying about planning, right? Trite maybe, but there is a simplicity about it. I spent many years making elaborate plans not to actually do anything about them, mostly because the act of planning was so satisfying, why did I need to? But I have been ruminating on…

    Read more →

  • It’s Story Sunday!!!

    Here is this week’s story, first of 52 bad stories. The Time Ranger’s Apprentice “What is this stuff?” Joshua looked into the large white soaker tub, which was half full of a green, jello-like goo. He thought he could smell just the hint of coconut, like the aroma of Coppertone lotion at the beach.  “Wibbly-Wobbly…

    Read more →

  • Little kids like gaudy stuff…

    In week 11 of the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, Julia talks about building an Artist’s Altar, as a “reminder and an acknowlegement that the creator unfolds our creativity.” She then writes, “Remember, the artist child speaks the language of the soul: music, dance, scent, shells…your artist’s altar should be fun to look at, even…

    Read more →

  • Okay 2021, It’s ON!

    Let’s be honest, I think I wanted this new year to begin more than I ever anticipated Christmas morning. Spent some time reading Jeff Goin’s 17 New Year’s Resolutions for Writers and while 17 is an entirely weird and unwieldy number for resolutions, let’s face it, number 12 is break a rule, so he is…

    Read more →

  • A Deep Dive into my 2021 Goals

    My BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) of 2021 is to spend 2,021 hours creating. Some of those hours I will spend following the advice of one of my favorites, Ray Bradbury. His advice is also part of the foundation for the DiY MFA site, DiYMFA.com, which I highly recommend if, like me, you are too…

    Read more →

  • It’s the end of the longest year…

    Hey, 2020, don’t let the door hit you on the way out. We had gone camping for Spring Break in March, and when we left for a week in the state park, the corona virus was in the news, but it wasn’t that big a deal. We came back and suddenly, the students at our…

    Read more →

  • Why wait for January 1st?

    A new year is looming, and I, being the planner that I am, have already plotted my year ahead, at least the COVID-proof plans. One of my goals, just for January, is to do a blog post every morning, and an Instagram post each evening. But after an inspiring walk yesterday, why wait? Why not…

    Read more →

Instagram / TikTok / X

Designed with WordPress