You see that up there? White space. Blank, empty, open page. Writers face (and curse) that every day. “What?” The vast white screen chins at us. Aggressive. Challenging. Mocking. What are we going to put on it? What ideas, characters, settings, emotions are we daring to scrawl on that pristine open void? It’s… Continue reading Stoke the Soul Fires
Tag: aikido
Radical Approaches to Writing, Pt. 5
When last I posted on the Radical Approaches to Writing series, I was prepping for my Ikkyu (brown belt) exam in aikido. To pass, I had to master over 140 hand-to-hand combat techniques. Essentially, it’s like a really long kinesthetic multiple choice test. How would you respond if someone attacks you by… grabbing your arm, grabbing… Continue reading Radical Approaches to Writing, Pt. 5
Radical Approaches to Writing Pt. 1
(Migrated post. Content originally published 1/2014 on jennifermichellmason.blogspot.com.) Waaaaayyyy back in November, I promised to write about the kind(s) of writing that can lure the writer down the path of self-defeat. I have returned from the black hole hiatus of holidays to fulfill that vow, like your own knight in shining armor! Actually, like a… Continue reading Radical Approaches to Writing Pt. 1
How to Write with Forks and Spoons
(Migrated post. Content originally published 8/2013 on jennifermichellemason.blogspot.com.) I had a writer’s epiphany. It happened while I was making my usual Wednesday night drive home from the dojo. I’d just spent two hours on the mat practicing Aikido, a martial art founded on principles of ki (energy) rather than combat. Essentially, Aikido teaches its practitioners… Continue reading How to Write with Forks and Spoons
Jenny Mason On Point Writing 