This is a quick post. A sort of poll question, if you will… What service or resource have you tried to find to help you with your writing, but have been unable to find, either on-line or in person? Or, another way to ask: What is something you’ve said, “If only I could find _x_ it would help me be a better writer!” but have been unable to find? If something comes to mind, feel free to post it below, or send me an email. Ask other writer friends to chime in. I’m curious to hea

Here is installment two (of three) focused on my summer scheduling and my attempts to find greater balance in my creative, spiritual-emotional, and physical lives. #writing #writers #creativerhythm #progress #tracking #schedule

As I mentioned early in the week, I hit a creative wall in the second quarter of 2013. Things weren’t happening, for me, and as the transition into Summer came around, I knew it was time to re-charge the process. We all know, on some level, that if we keep doing things the same way we’ve been doing them, we’ll continue to get the same results. When things are going really well, that’s a good thing. Keep plugging along. Keep drawing on those reserves until they give out. But w

In my Legacy of Words classes, I spend a good amount of time talking about VALUABLE writing. It isn’t a concept that is original with me, and I present it this way: Valuable writing informs the reader, engages the reader, and deepens the reader’s understanding of the story, himself, or the world. Not every sentence must do all three, but good sentences will. Originally, I had used the word “entertain” in this explanation of “valuable” writing, instead of “engage.” Some studen

Choose Your Font Wisely As you can see, based on the story linked here, there is now a computer printing font that is made up of cats, cleverly arranged to mimic letters. Here’s a pro-writer tip: The all-cat font is not an appropriate choice for your manuscript submissions. (Yes, I’m being a little silly…) But, it does serve as a good reminder: Writers should stick to the tried and true, easy to read fonts when sharing their work. I suggest this not only because novelty fonts

I’ve blogged before about my process. It is something that a lot of people find interesting. I know I enjoy discussing process and learning about the creative flow as others experience it, even if it doesn’t apply to the way MY writing gets done. One of the key elements of my work flow seems to be this: I write first drafts long hand, and then transfer the words to the computer at a later date. First, I am a big believer that writing with pen (or, pencil) and paper is one way

I read a blog post earlier today (a guest post by Matt Ragland over at Jeff Goins’ blog) that featured a metaphor for art that captured a little of my creative mood right now. Matt compared writing to that big bully from childhood who would take your hand and cause you to strike yourself in the face, all while saying, “Stop hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself?” In many ways, that’s where I was this morning: my inner critic was alive and much more juiced up on the c

All of the titles mentioned in this blog post (with the exception of out-of-print books) can be found here: http://astore.amazon.com/wileymag – Look under the category, “2012 List” (I know. Some of you don’t like Amazon. That’s fine. You can buy these books anywhere you choose to buy them. Thanks.) * * * It is Christmas Eve Day and if you haven’t finished buying gifts for the special writer in your life (or, yourself) then it’s too late! This isn’t one of those, “Hurry, it’s

No. I’ve not started writing hip-hop lyrics. I did, however, spend most of this week dealing with some computer issues. Thankfully, none of my “real work” was compromised. I did have two external hard drives crash, though, which caused me some logistical headaches, and, some expense of both time and money. <img class="size-full wp-image-1220 lazyload" alt="Backing up your data is important, but the best backup plan is one that you don't have to think about on a regular basis.

Those of you who have been regular, engaged readers of “Stories I Read, Stories I Tell” probably have felt a nagging absence over the last few weeks. I’m not self-centered enough to think you’ve been checking your email daily and–finding no new blog post from me–shaking a fist at the heavens and demanding new words of literary wisdom. But, hopefully, you’ve thought, “Hmm. Maybe Eric’s up to something.” And, while THAT is true (I’ve been working on several “writerly” things, a

It’s been a quiet week, creatively. Starting the middle of last week, I began to battle some serious sleep loss. The first few days, I was able to “push through” and get some writing and editing done. But by the end of last week, I was a bit of a zombie. By Monday, that description would have indicated more a more lively and animated existence than was warranted. Last night was better. I slept a bit more. Felt more refreshed this morning. But, blogging has been the last thing

I used to post, quite often, about the best music deals I found on Amazon. For me, music is a big part of my creative process. I don’t always listen to music as I write (though, sometimes, I create a sort of soundtrack for a story, especially in the editing phases) but music dramatically influences everything I write. The best music moves me emotionally, sonically, and creates a moving picture in my head. Amazon has some great artists featured in their $2.99 MP3 album sale ri

As I was scrolling through my Twitter feed this morning–taking a quick break from a manuscript I’m critiquing–I thought about something that I’ve known for a while: We writers spend a lot of time hawking our books to other writers, or would-be writers. This sort of thing happens in the realm of literary short fiction, a lot. Most of us who write short stories submit them to literary magazines, many of which have several hundred to several thousand readers. And who are those r

A few months ago, I posted a quick, bare-bones tutorial about using the website TweetChat to make the occasional hashtag festival on Twitter easier to navigate. I mentioned, then, that I regularly try to attend a Tuesday night Twitter chat that is anchored on the hashtag #writestuff and it happens (almost) every Tuesday night at 9PM EDT. This particular chat is hosted by the talented writer, teacher, and on-line buddy, Andrea Cumbo. Not only is Andi writing a book I can’t wai

Here’s what I read this month: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins – Yep. I gave in. The book was better than the movie, but I liked the movie pretty well. No. It isn’t a high-level, hyper-literary book. It doesn’t have to be. The plot is straightforward, but interesting. The characters are sympathetic. The world of the novel is full of intrigue. I’ll be reading the other two books of the trilogy in the coming months. (I promised I’d pace myself, not get too wrapped up in th

In 2009, my writer-friend Shawn Smucker found himself in a tough situation. His construction-based small business was in debt and the bursting housing bubble was making recovery from financial distress less and less likely. Shawn and his wife, Maile, decided that they would move their family of six into Shawn’s parent’s basement and attempt to find a way to reset their lives. Shawn and Maile talked it through and decided that since they were in a re-setting mode, they might a

Yes, it’s been a while since I created a new installment of my video blog series, The Three Minute Writer, but if you’ve been thinking to yourself, I really wish I could find all of those video blogs that Eric did in ONE PLACE (besides, you know, YOUTUBE) have I got good news for you: My Thumbtack profile (where I advertise one-on-one and small group writing instruction in the Bradenton/Sarasota/Tampa area) features links to all the Three Minute Writer videos. If you’ve misse

A few months ago, several about-to-be MFA graduates talked about where our post-MFA search for income might lead us. Teaching: Teaching creative writing is something most of us would like to do, including me. I love the idea of passing on some of the knowledge I’ve gained about writing fiction. Teaching in an institutional setting or one-on-one would be great. Publication: This is our goal, obviously, but the financial reality for most of us is that publication, when it does

Jillian Lewis approached me about writing a guest post focused on conferences for writers that are held in beautiful, natural surroundings. I though that was a great idea. Her request came just as I was reading about the Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency, which has an application deadline of May 15th. Attending a retreat, residency, or conference in a beautiful location is the dream of many writers. Enjoy Jillian’s post… Writing Conferences Located in Inspirational Places Eac

<img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-782" class="size-full wp-image-782 lazyload" title="51oyPXsNUAL._SL500_AA300_" src="https://ericswyatt.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/51oypxsnual-_sl500_aa300_.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /> The Paris Review Interviews, collected in four volumes, is a great read for writers, editors, and literature enthusiasts. I’m making my way through the four-volume collection of interviews culled from the pages of The Paris Review. After I f