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Recently, I had the great pleasure to speak with Literary Titan about my writing path, what inspired me to write my latest poetry book, what I hope readers will take away from my work, and what I’m most recently working on.
Path of Discovery Interview at Literary Titan Clickety-Click!
Looking for a riveting read and a great holiday gift for the readers in your life? Copies of Does It Look Like Her? are available now at Amazon or for signed copies, check out my Write Path Productions Etsy page.
Happy weekend, everyone!
Two quick updates: one, I’m delighted that more of my very fun conversation with talented poet and artist @gilliancourtneypoetry about my poetry and writing experiences was featured this week at @theporchswingpoetry on Instagram. Stop by to peruse and like the posts.
Subscribe to read more amazing content by talented authors (and some fresh poems from yours truly) in the near future! 🍂
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Check out my latest poetry book, Does It Look Like Her? Available now at Amazon or for signed copies, check out my Write Path Productions Etsy page.
I also wrote an amazing craft book called Poetry Power with tons of exercises and inspiration to keep your poetry pens moving; available through my awesome publisher, Vine Leaves Press.
#writeeveryday #ThePorchSwing #WomenPoets #PoetryCommunity #WomensVoices #CreativeExpression #SupportWomenWriters #PoetryJournal #Inspiration #WomenInArt #PoetryLove #WriteHer #FemaleVoices #CateAlicePoetry #IndiePoetry #poetryislife #poetryislove❤️❤️❤️ #poetryislove
So pleased to announce that I was recently interviewed by super talented @gilliancourtneypoetry about my poetry and writing experiences and will be featured this week, along with poetry, at @theporchswingpoetry on Instagram!
Check out the first part of our interview today and return later this week for poems by yours truly. 😊
Read more work at this amazing new poetry venue and return often for inspiring poems, interviews, and posts by many talented poets. 🍁
Excited to share this interview with Bold Journey! A bit about the magazine: “Bold Journey is a space to share stories and learn from each other's experiences.”
Melanie, we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?
I’m a professor, tutor, freelance editor, and writer. I absolutely love being surrounded by motivated writers through my teaching and freelancing.
I’m also an introvert. A big part of being verbally connective for hours at a time and sharing what I know in support of others’ writing journeys is also maintaining ways to care for myself to ensure that I bring my best to personalize my responses to students and writers and to connect with my students, friends, and family in meaningful ways.
One of my doodles—another way I rejuvenate. ✍️
A big part of my self-care routine in the past four years has been to support myself in taking breaks. Freelancers tend to work morning, noon, and evening, so I make a point most days to take at least two small breaks. Making mint tea (my favorite), reading a novel, sending my sister a funny meme or gif, or watching a few minutes of a streaming show or movie are all good, quick rejuvenators mid-day or at day’s end.
I’m certainly not perfect, and some days I only get one break…or none at all. I had a day this week with no break. In that case, the next day, I take a whole hour or two off (in the morning or early afternoon, to ensure that I work it into the day) to doodle, write, read, or take a nap to make sure I don’t burn out. The times I’ve gotten very close to burn-out have been disconcerting enough that I want to do all I can to ensure that I have the energy to support my own well-being so that I can give more support to others as well.
I’ve also gotten better over the years at telling myself what I would tell a friend, “You’ll actually have more energy and focus if you give yourself this break. Go for it!” 99% of the time, I’m amazed that, returning from even a 10- or 20-minute break, my thinking is clearer and my outlook is refreshed.
Taking walks, listening to music, and my writing practice are also huge parts of my self-care routine.
A shadow self-portrait I took one day for the fun of making something new. 📸
So is something like painting my nails a bright color or taking my camera out to capture some photos. As an introvert who is also communicative, these little, personal breaks to create something (which gives me renewed energy) often act as springboards to work I wish to share later. There are other times when I write or draw or photograph something just for the sheer joy of expression. Sometimes, I think we put too much pressure on being good at an art rather than practicing it just for our own fulfillment, and I want to tell everyone who is reading this that learning an art or a craft or a sport you always wanted to learn can be a great part of self-care and encourage your path–as well as a lot of fun.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I have been a published author and an educator for over 20 years, and I’ve been a writer since I was a child. I love to challenge and motivate myself to try various forms of creative expression, from writing narrative poems to autofiction and a Regency novella to film photography and drawing.
My most recent meaningful adventure was learning how to design my own book cover and self-publish my latest collection of poetry, called Does It Look Like Her?, about a painter, her teaching journey, and her son. I also love writing craft books about various writing topics, from writing flash fiction and poetry to the publishing process and photography, and Vine Leaves Press has published six of my craft books where I share tips and anecdotes of my writing journey with fellow writers. Motivating and supporting others in their path to creativity and personal expression has been an important part of my journey as a teacher, artist, writer, and friend, and I value and appreciate the writers I get a chance to meet and to share this writing path with as I develop my own art.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
As a writer, perseverance, hope, and determination keep me rolling ever onward on my path. A sense of humor and the camaraderie of fellow authors certainly help as well.
Developing a support network as you practice an art, launch a small business, change careers, or any other venture in life is very helpful and often sustains our creative work as well as a feeling of connection in the literary community. Being a supportive, listening ear to others is also meaningful and a wonderful way to develop as an artist, writer, friend, and/or educator.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
The number one obstacle I face and which my fellow writers and students often mention is time. Our lives are so packed with activities that having empty pockets of time has become a luxury. At the same time, to make art or a good novel draft or other worthwhile parts of life, we need time to daydream, to dawdle, to plan, and to relax. It’s a real challenge and something that doesn’t seem to get easier to solve over time. Squeezing those self-care breaks into each day or a few times a week seems to work best. So does trying new hobbies or even new foods. Reading a book about something new energizes me as well, even if I can only dip into a few pages each day.
Stopping to have gratitude for the small moment and the little things we appreciate each day is also an energizer and helps to combat the frustration of our overly packed schedules.
In which our author couldn’t resist posing with these wintry, rectangular beams of sudden sunlight.
One more week of enjoyable stops on my book-blog tour; thanks for all of your messages, positive feedback, and support during this tour.
Kickstarting this week with a fun interview. Stay tuned for some info-packed craft articles/guest posts ahead about beta readers and the art of not taking on too much!
It was a real joy to chat with Jill Sheets recently about the art of pacing, not giving up too soon, photography, forthcoming writing classes, my lack of athletic prowess, and From Promising to Published, among other topics.
Many thanks to Jill Sheets. Check out more of her awesome interviews with writers and blog-tour posts at: clickety-click.
So pleased to have this interview as my blog-tour stop today. It was a pleasure to talk to Lisa about many facets of the writing life, such as finding time to write, as well as a few other topics, like when I first called myself a writer, what I’m working on currently, and both the Space Race and space diapers! Also, a sneak peek into my chapter, “Celebration Station.”
Intrigued?
Here’s an excerpt from the interview:
“What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I alternate projects, so some of my projects sit on the backburner for months or even well over a year before the muse strikes to get back to them again. I work on projects intuitively, so I’ll write a chapter or a handful of poems or an article or two at a time and then either start a new project or rotate back to an already-started one that feels ready to work on again. Last weekend, I worked on two chapters of a project I hadn’t worked on since May.”
Read on: clickety-click!
Many thanks to Lisa Haselton for the insightful and fun questions. If you’re in the market for an editor for your writing project, please check out her editing services, her resources pages, as well as her blog for more wonderful interviews with authors.
Super excited to launch my WOW! blog tour today for From Promising to Published! 💗
To get us started, I had the great joy of being interviewed by talented Nicole Pyles at Women on Writing. We dished about many writing topics, including submitting writing more than 1,300 times (aka: perseverance and keeping work in rotation), why I love teaching creative writing and what I’ve learned from my students, and the road to claiming the title of “writer.” Read on!
Check it out here: The Muffin interview clickety-click.
Also, after reading the interview, be sure to enter for your chance to win a free copy of my book (entries taken through December 18th) by filling out the Rafflecopter form located after the interview. Good luck! 🎊🍀
There’s also a copy up for grabs at The Mommies Reviews between now and December 10th . 📚
Giveaway: The Mommies Reviews clickety-click!
I’m super excited to announce a project I’ve been working on for a bit now: starting this Monday, December 5th (through January 7th, 2023), my latest book, From Promising to Published, will kickstart a WOW! blog tour!
Join us at the following amazing blogs for craft articles, some interviews about the book and writing, reviews, and more! Ta-da! 🥳📚
Special shout-out to fellow writers and book promoters extraordinaire Nicole Pyles at Women on Writing for championing my book and for super helpful answers to all of my questions and Angela Mackintosh for the fabulous tour banner and wonderful camaraderie! Many thanks to each of the generous book bloggers and reviewers as well! ⭐😊 I couldn’t have launched this tour without all of your support and kindness. Much appreciated!
I highly recommend WOW!’s book promotion services for fellow authors looking to expand their readership and market their books with the help of friendly, informed, enthusiastic book promoters and bloggers.
Photo by Worachat Sodsri on Unsplash
A true delight to get to participate in Bait/Switch, an innovative, inspiring “call and response art publication” where creatives are given a piece of art as a prompt to then create a new piece of art.
I had the best time creating my cyanotype, “On the Move,” and had a blast talking art, letter-writing, and more with multitalented editor and executive director Lu Valena. Check out the latest/fall 2022 issue for the work of wonderful creatives here: clickety.
Extra props and a very special shout-out to powerhouse of art and dear friend Christine Tierney. Many thanks for your encouragement to submit to Bait/Switch and for the marvelous poetry and life conversations. Such a joy to be publication twins with you, and kudos on your group show! 🥳Check out Christine’s gorgeous collage art and interview in the issue as well as her fabulous poetry book, chicken+lowercase=fleur .
To continued artistic inspiration!
