Archive for the ‘I’m just an amateur.’ Category

What to Do with the Novel in Your Head

I can’t count the number of times someone has told me they have a novel in their head. But this time, it was different.

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5 Good Reasons Parents Should Make Art

When I was pregnant with my first child, a close friend and fellow writer said to me, “Just be prepared to give up yourself and your dreams for eighteen years.” I was horrified. I vowed that that wouldn’t be me. It’s been difficult, and it’s happened in fits and starts, but I’ve managed to stay [...]

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Posted on August 27, 2010 at 9:43 pm by starkravingmuse · Permalink · One Comment
In: I don't have time., I'm a parent., I'm just an amateur. · Tagged with: , ,

The Artist Is Not Something You Become

I’m working these days on two separate essays, one on summer in the suburbs and the other on making a cake — the most special cake I’ve ever made in my life. At least that’s what they’re about on the surface. My intent (and my style) is to go much deeper with them. I excerpted [...]

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Stark Raving Monday v4: Questioning Self-Doubt

It’s something I always do: I get all gung-ho about a project, dive right in — and then choke. I question my motives, my commitment, and most of all my qualifications and credibility, my ability to compete with the big boys and girls. I’m almost 41, and many days I still feel like I’m 12. [...]

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Anatomy of the Muse: Where Art Comes From, Really

Ah, the Greeks. There’s so much they got right. I’m reading these days about their ideas of the Muse: first, that there were three, and then later, I believe (though it’s not quite clear, the dating on this stuff), that there were nine. Disney numbered them five much, much, much later (this dating I am [...]

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