Inspiration – Aly Writes

Yet More #30Words30Days

She’s got a hoar-frost vibe and a forced smile that feels like sleet driven horizontally by an east wind. You might be the guest, but she didn’t extend the invitation.

30 Words, 30 Days – Week 3

Can it be called support when, in fact, we’re just two eroded monoliths propping one another up by mere fluke of simultaneous collapse, our mutual decline serving an accidental stopgap?

AlyWrites is on a hiatus of sorts this week. Working three jobs in an already busy season is not conducive to doing much writing. Instead of a brilliant new piece of flash, I offer my dear readers four tiny stories in 30 words. In a delightful Twitter challenge from Sumitra, a super talented writer IContinue reading “A Cheat’s Post”

2023: A Plan

The best way to start any plan is at the end. Where do you want to be? What do you want to have accomplished? Once you know what you’re aiming for, you can chart the path that will lead you there.

What is Your Definition of Success as a Writer?

So write for yourself. Write for the love of words and stories. Write to process your feelings, to entertain, to leave a legacy. Write for any reason but what capitalism calls success, and see if, as a by-product, something you can call success will find you along the way.

I Choose the Lonely Road

It’s overcast and gloomy, and the tin shacks sprinkled alongside the road look somber, as if they’re depressed too when the sun’s not out.

A General Feeling of Vague Writerly Dissatisfaction

Perhaps that is just what the increasingly heavy state of the world does to us. It seems an insurmountable challenge to be joyfully creative when there are much weightier issues to be concerned with.

Writing People with Depth

Above all else, the real key to writing people with depth is to persevere. Hone your craft by reading widely and becoming a keen observer of people. Write your people into scenes and scenarios you concoct, and let them reveal their character to you. It feels like a lot of work, but that’s what writing is . . .

How to Recharge Your Creativity

The whole point is to remind yourself that you enjoy writing. If you’re feeling uninspired, don’t focus on churning out words. Focus on finding joy in the act of writing, and soon the words will flow. Let go of the self-imposed pressure and give yourself the time to recharge.