(Both of the short fiction stories mentioned in this blog post are also available in the story collection, The Blues and The Oranges. Check out Eric Sheridan Wyatt's books here.) According to WordPress, it’s been 182 days since I last paid attention to this blog. (If you are an agent looking to represent me, and doing your research on my social media skills, please ignore that sentence…) And, it had been a few more months, before that, when I was last truly active as a regula

When I started thinking about how I would make some changes in my personal and creative life, I started with the first necessary component: scheduling. I knew several things, up front, and I began to plan accordingly. First, making changes in our lives that have measurable, positive effects almost never happen accidentally. Once I came to a point of saying, “Something’s gotta give,” then I needed to be INTENTIONAL about my actions. Further, those actions have to be a part of

To be honest, I’ve been pretty down for the last week or so. As I’ve shared before, I have been teaching Legacy Writing classes via the Lifelong Learning Academy here in Sarasota-Bradenton. It is a great opportunity for me to share some of my knowledge about creative writing and meet some really great people. The most recent academic quarter, I had a class filled with writers who had taken earlier classes with me and were eager to keep their writing momentum moving forward. T

<img class="size-medium wp-image-1415 lazyload" alt="Instagram reawakened my interest in photography." src="https://ericswyatt.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/img_1568.jpg?w=300" width="300" height="300" /> Instagram reawakened my interest in photography. I often talk to other writers about having other artistic outlets. For some of us it may be painting, or dance, or theater, or music. Maybe it is wood working, landscape or garden design, or perhaps cooking. For some of us, we h

Just a quick note today to tell you that if you head over to my friend and fellow-Floridian Marni Mann’s blog, you’ll see info on how you could win a copy of her just-released book, Scars from a Memoir. Scars is the follow-up to her first novel, Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales. (In case you missed it, here was a guest blog post Marni authored here on my blog back in March.) I will be featuring an interview with Marni, right here, on Friday. Stay tuned!! #marnimann #writer #florida

<img class="size-full wp-image-1018 lazyload" title="61uoh0qiIRL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_" src="https://ericswyatt.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/61uoh0qiirl-_bo2204203200_pisitb-sticker-arrow-clicktopright35-76_aa300_sh20_ou01_.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /> Out of Sync, by Belinda Nicoll is available via Amazon. Belinda Nicoll is the author of the new memoir, Out of Sync. Here is the text of the brief review of the

I realize I’ve had several new followers/readers of this blog, lately. Not only do I appreciate you stopping by, reading, and liking my posts, I am thankful that every month more and more of you come along for the ride. It’s a sleepy Saturday here. We have this thing in the Sunshine State, called the Rainy Season. It’s nothing compared to, you know, mid-west winters or anything, but when you’ve become semi-addicted to almost-constant sunshine, these gray, drizzly ones tip you

<img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-903" class="size-full wp-image-903 lazyload" title="ph30" src="https://ericswyatt.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/ph30.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="187" /> A photo taken from the Brush Creek Foundation website. Tuesday morning (very, very early, as Cami will tell you) I will head off to the Brush Creek Ranch, near Saratoga, Wyoming (via Denver and Laramie). I’ll be one of seven or eight other artists (two writers, two musicians, and fo

Ok, so I’ve spent some time this week pondering this blog and various other ways I interact with you via social media. (For instance, I’m active on Twitter and have a Facebook page, if you haven’t already noticed.) I post about a lot of things: the craft of writing fiction, my writing processes, my MFA and post-MFA experiences, social media and platform building, books I’ve read, music or other things that inspire me, projects and publications my writer friends are involved i

The week started well. My story, Most Dead Birds Are Never Found, was featured in Eunoia Review. (A link to the story, along with several others, is below.) The publication of that story marks a sort of milestone. Most Dead Birds… is an excerpt of my novel-in-progress, tentatively titled, I Should Love You Less. Other than my wife, my Queens University classmates and advisors, and a few other special readers, this is the first public appearance of any part of the book. Sharin

I have a very real and tactile memory of a great number of things from my elementary school, Adams Elementary, in Hamilton, Ohio. I can close my eyes, and almost feel myself there. I can feel the texture of the big-brick walls, the wooden bleachers in the gym, the worn carpet in the front lobby area where we sat indian style singing Christmas carols with Mrs. Zigler every December for six years. I could take you to the spot where my friend, Mike Cochran, slid on the tile in t

It is inevitable. Whenever we meet new folks, the question comes up: “So, Eric, what do YOU do for a living?” There’s a long, complicated answer to that question, which for me, boils down to: “Not much of anything.” Over the last two years, we’ve structured our life to allow us to get by on my wife’s salary. A few, occasional odd jobs on my side of the ledger don’t do much to supplement that income, but a few hundred dollars here and there comes in handy when the car breaks d

One of my writer friends commented to me this week: “You are so lucky to be able to write full-time.” I responded: “I’m very blessed…” People who WANT to write, but find themselves with less-than-ideal circumstances have told me how they wish they were in my position, with loads of time for writing. I’ve been there. I get it. Really. Every time I finish another story or edit for hours without interruption, I feel that sense of, “Man, this would not have gotten done for MONTHS

Strategic planning. Sounds stuffy. Like it comes from corporate America. Like something that is the polar opposite of creativity and the freedom to write. Right? Hardly. It seems to me that there are any number of writers (even some I consider friends) who bristle and balk at any mention of structure or planning or even the slightest hint of purposefulness. A practice like “strategic planning” is the antithesis of creativity, they might say. But, I’m not so sure. I’ve done so

Here is a brief discussion of the writing process (mine, specifically) for this installment of The Three Minute Writer. Thanks for watching!! [su_youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAMSDVsI6JY”] #vblog #writer #vlog #writingprocess #threeminutewriter

Belinda Nicoll is a Columbus, Ohio-based (with a globe-trotting background) writer & creativity coach, and she is a lovely, kind, and generous writerly friend. Belinda and I have never worked together, but in our circle of Queens University compatriots, Belinda’s writing and critiques come highly recommended. From our conversations and exchanges, I know that Belinda is one of the folks I’d enjoy working with. If I was stuck, and looking for some editorial assistance, Belinda

I first read a Pinckney Benedict story before I realized who Pinckney was, and before I realized I would be studying in a program where he is a member of the instructional staff. About a year before I decided to apply to the Queens University MFA program, I purchased a copy of the anthology, New Stories from the South, 2008, edited by ZZ Packer. Somehow, I think of my self as a Southern writer, even though I’ve spent most of my life in Ohio and Indiana. There is something tha