Uncategorized | Tracy Staedter

Struggling with Fight Scenes?

Posted on May 8, 2015 2 Comments

Last night in workshop, we had a nice discussion about fight scenes. They’re difficult to write well because the instinct is to narrate every step in the action in real time, neglecting all else. I offer a few tips.

What Was Any Art

Posted on May 1, 2015 4 Comments

What was any art but an effort to make a sheath, a mold in which to imprison for a moment the shining, elusive element which is life itself — life hurrying past us and running away, too strong to stop, too sweet to lose? — Willa Cather

Reading While Writing

Posted on April 27, 2015 3 Comments

I love to read. It’s why I love to write. At the moment, I have piles of lit journals on my nightstand, collections of short stories and a couple of novels. But I’ve discovered in the last few years that when focussing on my own writing, reading becomes a liability. Too much reading is bad for […]

Writer, What Are You Made Of?

Posted on August 20, 2014 Leave a Comment

I haven’t written a blog post in nearly a year. The reason? I have been writing. Last September, I started a writing workshop via MeetUp in order to connect with local writers. Previous to that, I had been attending workshops through Grub Street and although I admire their programs, the cost is high. As a result of the workshop I […]

Rejection, Let Me Tell You Something

Posted on August 18, 2013 Leave a Comment

“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” Richard Bach Credit: niXerKG / Flickr Creative Commons

Cafe Sounds for Creativity

Posted on August 11, 2013 6 Comments

One of the first posts I wrote here had to do with finding the right place to write. For me, that meant sitting in the library. But after a few months, my creative juices dried up. I think the space was too quiet. So then I got a desk for the bedroom at home and […]

Don’t Be Tone Deaf

Posted on June 1, 2012 Leave a Comment

For years I struggled with the concepts of tone and voice in a story. I didn’t understand the difference. Writing instructors have explained it; I’ve read about it; I’ve talked about it with other writers. But until I read the recent blog post, “Watch Your Tone,” from C. S. Lakin, I didn’t really get it. […]