Q & A with Author and Book Mentor Carolyn Flynn
For how long have you been writing? I’ve been a writer since I was eight years old. It feels like a creative inheritance. A birthright. What I was meant to do on this planet. I […]
S & S Romance and Cookbook Writer Sherrie Hansen in Explore Big Sky!
Writers Sherrie Hansen and her husband Mark Decker have joined us in Italy and Montana for the Stories & Songs Writing Retreat. Sherrie, as author of 22 books and counting, brings quick whit, cheeky humor, […]
Writer Refuge
Free virtual writing events for writers and songwriters. Silent time, time to share, Q & A. Prompts provided if needed. Next up: 3/31/25. More details here…
Karen Leslie Interview on Process
[The following first appeared in the December 2024 newsletter of Author’s Note newsletter.] Where are you from, what do you do, and fun fact about yourself! I grew up in small town Pennsylvania with the […]
If I Had to Do It Over: Reflections of A Pro Songwriter
Looking back there are a few things I wish I had done differently. Each day we try to do something to help another not make the same mistakes we made when we were coming up through […]
The Scent of Rain + Fast-write Exercise
Lately, when I catch the scent of rain and earth rising up, I am ten again. It’s Easter morning, the forsythia just blooming, and I sense my Mother moving somewhere nearby. I am innocent. Today, […]
Are Reading And Writing Basic Necessities of Life? Fast-Write Exercise
byline Karen Leslie “Après les choses qui sont de première nécessité pour la vie, rien n’est plus précieux que les livres.” Pierre Simon Fournier, Typography Manual, 1764 Translation: “After all the basic necessities of life, there […]
Heart vs. Head: How To Write Your Best Songs
Songwriting is beautifully complex and yet simple…
Name It: A Writing Exercise for Travelers
I’m perched on Elk Rock — or Moonlight Ledge, depending on the position of the sun, circa 2005. We’ve climbed the mountainside behind my dear friend’s hand-built cabin in Evergreen, Colorado, where a bookshelf hugs the ceiling […]
The Creative River: What’s Stopping You?
I remember sitting in a Mexican restaurant a few years ago with the late songwriter Tim Johnson. We were preparing to play a benefit that evening for a local high school. “What’s stopping you?” Tim […]
