My Experiments in the Practice of Everyday Life

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Tag Archives: "creativity"



“Them Stories Just Gone and Shown You How Some Folks Would Do.”

“I lent some stories to a country lady who lives down the road from me, and when she returned them, she said, “Well, them stories just gone and shown you how some folks would do,” and I thought to myself that that was right; when you write stories, you have to be content to start exactly there—showing how some specific …


My Imagination and My Reality Don’t Match Up.

This morning, I had a very strong yet puzzling emotional experience, and I realized that I’ve felt before. I wish there were some wonderful term for this (perhaps there is, in German or Japanese). I was reading a description of someone, and it said, “He lives with his wife and children on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.” As I …


Try These 6 Quick Story Exercises to Spark Your Creativity.

At the recommendation of a friend, I read Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting That You’ll Ever Need. She told me that while she wasn’t writing a screenplay, the book was extremely helpful for writing any kind of story. She’s right, it’s a fascinating look at storytelling, and it also includes some terrific exercises to foster …


“People Say ‘I Can’t’ Too Much.”

Happiness interview: C.C. Chapman. How did I first learned about C.C. Chapman? I can’t remember; it’ s lost in the sands of time. Somewhere in the wilds of the internet. He’s a writer, photographer, speaker, and creativity and social media guru, so there are a lot of ways I could have encountered him. We finally met in real life at …


14 Writing Tips from Anne Lamott.

Every Wednesday is Tip Day. This Wednesday: 14 writing tips from Anne Lamott. Tomorrow night, I’ll interview writer Anne Lamott at Symphony Space here in New York City. I’m a longtime fan of her work, so am looking forward to hearing her speak about her writing and her process. It’s especially gratifying for me to do this interview, because years …