Writing is a solitary experience. You never heard Judy Garland and Micky Rooney saying “Hey kids, let’s all get together in the dad’s barn and sit alone writing in our notebooks!” If they did, it would be a pretty dull movie. That’s why it has been so delightful to meet other writers here at the…
Author: ArtRoot's Writer-In-Residence
The ArtRoot Writer-In-Residence (WIR) project is an initiative founded by ArtRoot, a collaboration of artists and arts advocates who are determined to reinvigorate Racine, WI through the arts. This project is supported by the Racine Literacy Council, and funded through a generous grant from the Osborne & Scekic Family Foundation.
This project seeks to spotlight Racine and Kenosha’s dynamic literary community while encouraging, supporting, and advocating on behalf of writers at all stages of their careers.
When Did You Know?
You’ve been on both ends of the question. You’ve asked and been asked about a lot of different things: “When did you know… “…you loved him? Loved her? “…you were ready to buy a house?” And maybe most famously, for the ladies at least: “When did you know you were pregnant?” I was talking with a…
Blogs on Blogs: Good Representation
Representation matters. I believe one of the most important reasons to tell stories is to connect to people, and everyone deserves to have well rounded, well written characters they can relate to. Our stories can be tragically lacking in good representations of certain groups, though. People of color, people with disabilities, and various members of…
Eat, Drink, and Be Writing
We all have our favorite foods. Food is an important part of life and few places is that more evident than the holidays. Maybe it’s your aunt’s prize winning pumpkin pie, or the cookies you decorate with your kids. You could be drinking sparkling bubbly, warm hot chocolate, or a special tea that help you…
Blogs on Blogs: Pump Up Your Prose
There are a lot of ways to be a writer and a lot of ways to approach the craft of writing. Some people like to pic the process of telling a story apart, examining character arcs and scene beats with a microscope until they give up their secrets. Other people just go about telling a…
You Are Not Your Tools
A few months ago I was watching Brandon Sanderson talk about writing on Youtube. In one of the lectures, he discusses the idea of Architects and Gardener. It wasn’t a new concept for me. In the Nanowrimo community, the delineations is better known as Planner and Pantsers. Whatever names you assign the camps, the ideas…
Things That Will Kill You
Metaphorically, of course. Sorry about that little bit of melodrama. I’d like to talk about the things that will metaphorically kill you and, very non-metaphorically, kill your writing. Things like fear, regret, and, in my personal case at the moment, guilt. Because, as Frank Herbert put it, “fear is the mind-killer.” Writers are some super…
National Novel Writing Month Is Upon Us
As some of you are no doubt aware, November is National Novel Writing Month, often shortened to Nanowrimo. Elkid did a blog post about her Nanowrimo adventures already, but seeing as we’re actually in the thick of it now, I thought I would revisit the subject. Nanowrimo is a pretty big deal in the writing…
The World Needs Your Story
It’s been a heck of a year. It’s hard not to notice when the world is—both figuratively and literally—on fire. Whether you’ve had a loved one in the path of a massive hurricane. Or you watched in horror at the violence in Las Vegas. Or struggled with a more personal trauma. There is really no…
Guest Post: 100 Thousand Poets For Change
I was, unfortunately, not able to attend the recent Bonk! installment, which participated in the world wide program 100 Thousand Poets for Change. Luckily, our lovely Elkid was able to attend and she’s graciously agreed to share her experience with us. Your Friendly neighborhood storyteller, Emily Vakos 100T I have always loved reading poetry. Prose…
ArtRoot Writer-In-Residence 