Nancy Christie's Blog, page 6

Literacy Organizations That Need Your Help

During this season of giving, consider donating your time or money to a literacy organization.

Literacy—being able to read and write—can spell the difference between having a secure future and achieving stable employment.

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

More than that, it fosters a sense of pride, allows people to communicate with others and to understand everything from simple directions to complex philosophies.

According to the National Council of Teachers of English, “High literacy rates h...

Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 11.27.24

Words for writers from Stephen King

 

 

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Update on MOVING MAGGIE—And other writing stuff

It’s been awhile since I posted about MOVING MAGGIE (aka Midlife Moxie novel #3)
MOVING MAGGIE (aka Midlife Moxie novel #3), so I thought I’d bring you up to date on where the book stands.

Originally I had kicked Alan, a character from Maggie’s past, out of the book. But just like in the story, Alan came back. After I made substantial edits to the storyline, including changing a relationship that Maggie had with her soon-to-be ex’s new girlfriend and eliminating the post-heart attack caregiving role she assumed after her ex’s heart attack (and that was really not Maggie’s style, anyway!), I was able to bring Alan back in because he did serve a useful role.

Not only did he provide a bit of tension as Maggie’s relationship with her landlord developed, he also led Maggie to think back to the person she had been in college: her singlemindedness and her willingness to choose her career over love.

So, Alan came back, and while he didn’t last clear through to the end, he was in it long enough to motivate Maggie to think about who she was and who she wanted to be, and how she wanted to navigate a possible (and very unexpected) romantic relationship going forward.

Now the manuscript has gone south to Florida for final edits with Ann Henry, and I’m back on TRANSFORMING TESSA. This is the part I most enjoy: the first drafts where synchronicities appear out of nowhere and new characters come into the story without me even planning for them. (Kind of like houseguests who show up on your doorstep without warning but far more welcome!)

Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 11.20.24

Words for writers from Leigh Brackett

 

 

 

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Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 11.13.24

Words for writers from George V. Higgins

 

 

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Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 11.6.24

Words for writers from Alice Walker

 

 

The post Wednesday Writing Inspiration for 11.6.24 appeared first on The Writer's Place.

Thoughts on writing and life for November 2024

Why we need to take time just to breathe for creativity’s sake.

This is an edited excerpt from my November 2024 newsletter, The Writing Life. (Subscribe here.)

You can also listen to it on my Living the Writing Life podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash

By now you’ve probably changed all your clocks back an hour, given that Daily Saving Time ended on Sunday. And I hope you used those 60 minutes you gained to relax, refresh and “de-load”—in other wo...

Wednesday Writing Inspiration for10.30.24

Words for writers from Richard Russo

The post Wednesday Writing Inspiration for10.30.24 appeared first on The Writer's Place.

Wednesday Writing Inspiration for10.23.24

Words for writers from John Updike

The post Wednesday Writing Inspiration for10.23.24 appeared first on The Writer's Place.

Thoughts on writing and life for October 2024

How to keep our confidence in our creative abilities alive with positive memories.

This is an edited excerpt from my October 2024 newsletter, The Writing Life. (Subscribe here.)

You can also listen to it on my Living the Writing Life podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

Photo by Nik on Unsplash

Writing and passion—the two are inextricably linked, and yet, for many of us, keeping the passion alive can be a challenge.

Not because we don’t like to write or because we don’t want to write, but...