Alice Orr's Blog

Have You Lost Your Mind? Not another argument. Please. Raised voices. Angry faces. Nothing gained. We have been here before. My husband Jonathan and me, toe to toe, like the roosters in the painting that flared from our living room wall before we boxed up everything we own to move west.

The Enterprise we were Contemplating was Absurd. Relocation from New York City, where we had first relocated forty-five years before, to the west coast. At our age? Jonathan was seventy-six. I was about to turn eighty-five. What were we thinking?

“Have You Lost Your Mind? Why are You Doing This?” Many of our friends had come close to asking the same thing. This one didn’t bother being subtle about it. “Because it will be good for Jonathan,” I answered. Jonathan had been diagnosed with dementia, an early stage of the disease, but nonetheless an arbiter of our future life trajectory.

“What Do I Do?” After the diagnosis, I asked this of another friend who had gone through something similar with her partner. Her response was immediate and adamant. “Get help!” This particular woman is not given to overstatement. I understood that and began my search the next day.

I Found No Help in our Immediate Vicinity. Folks were caring and concerned and compassionate. I deeply appreciated that. But, no one said what I needed to hear. No one offered day-to-day, active, physical assistance. That was what I would require as Jonathan’s condition progressed.

I Explored Public Program Possibilities. I assumed there would be some form of practical relief available there, Instead, I was told we’d have to be reduced to $2500 in assets before we qualified for help. In other words, we would have to be pretty much destitute to be eligible.

 The Assets We Did Possess Were Insufficient. We would eventually need to hire home healthcare aides. We could not afford to do that very often for very long. We had fallen into the crack all of us of average means dread. The pressure stressed us both to distraction. Have You Lost Your Mind?

Then – A Miracle Happened. I consider it a miracle anyway. Another friend piped up from the opposite side of the continent. “Come out here,” she said. “I can help.” Our turn toward possibility began with those words. I will not pretend it has been an easy passage – especially for me.

New York City Became my Dream Town when I was Fifteen. That dream had not diminished in wattage since it first captured my imagination all those years past. I had lived elsewhere but was never similarly enraptured. I was a New Yorker to my core.

This was Less True for Jonathan. He envisioned the west as an opportunity to be productive again for as long as was feasible. Retirement had been a mixed bag for him. Lots of leisure, but not enough structure, not enough purpose. Not enough challenged him where we were. He wanted to move on.

Still – for Both of Us – There was the Immensity of the Thing. Uprooting from our comfortable apartment in Astoria, New York. Plopped down into a land far far away. My granddaughter has told me that saying “OMG” is as juvenile as using three exclamation points. All the same – “OMG!!!”

Many Toe-to-Toe ShoutUps Ensued. The move was off. The move was on. Our worst duster was about my motivation. I said would go only because it was good for Jonathan. He could not accept that. We were now a week short of our planned departure. Somebody’s acceptance was imperative.

For a New York Minute I Considered a Solo Sayonara. I could take off on my own into the whirl of the universe. Throw my hands up and walk away from the argument. Ignore my responsibility to fifty-three years of marriage? Others have done so, haven’t they? I could escape.

Except for One Thing. All those fifty-three years ago I had fallen in love with Jonathan. I am still singing that song. No real choice existed for me, last-minute or any time. Land far far away, here we come. . But the question persists. Have You Lost Your Mind?

Tell Your Own Mind-Loss Story. Have you ever done something someone else considered crazy? What was their argument for the insanity of your intention? What was your response? When and where did this happen? Describe your adversary. Why did this person care so much about what you might do?

What, specifically, occurred in this situation? How did you feel back then, while it was happening? How do you feel about it now? Write your story. All of it. Straight from your heart.

Tell Your Brave Leap Story. Recall actually taking this bold risk. What prompted you to do such a thing? What did you need/want to get away from? What did you hope to find elsewhere? How, specifically, did you muster the courage to go through with it? You are the hero of your life story.  Write it that way. But tell me – Have You Lost Your Mind?

You Possess Storytelling Magic. Keep on Writing whatever may occur. Alice Orr. http://www.aliceorrbooks.com

Alice Orr. Teacher. Storyteller. Former Editor and Literary Agent. Author of 15 novels, 2 novellas, a memoir, and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells.

Read Alice’s Memoir. Lifted to the Light: A Story of Struggle and Kindness. At the beating heart of this moving story a woman fights to survive. All her life she has taken care of herself. Now she faces an adversary too formidable to battle alone. Available HERE.

Praise for Lifted to the Light: A Story of Struggle and Kindness. “I was lifted. I highly recommend this book as a can’t-put-down roadmap for anyone.” “Very, very well written. Alice Orr is an amazing author.” “Honest, funny, and consoling.” “I have read other books by Ms. Orr and am glad I haven’t missed this one.” “Couldn’t put it down.”

Experience Alice’s Suspense Novel Series. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. Five intense stories of love, death and intrigue. Available HERE.

Praise for Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. “Romance and suspense at its best.” “I highly recommend this page-turner series.” “Twists and turns, strong characters, suspense and passionate love.” “The writing is exquisite.”

Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know about telling your own real-life stories? Ask your question(s) as a Comment following this post.

http://facebook.com/aliceorrwriter/
http://twitter.com/AliceOrrBooks/

https://bsky.app/profile/aliceorr.bsky.social/
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The post Have You Lost Your Mind? appeared first on Alice Orr Books.

Welcome to “Grandma and Grandpa Go West” – My Name is Alice. In 1854, Horace Greeley said, “Go west, young man, and grow up with the country.” In 2025, my husband Jonathan and I heard, “Go west, decidedly mature couple, and see what happens.”

Going On Two Years Ago, Jonathan was Diagnosed with Dementia. He is at an early stage of the disease. Even so, it was a shock to say the least. We were living in New York City at the time – Astoria, Queens to be exact. We understood right off that this home place might not work for our new circumstances. We needed to make a move. But where would that move be?

Back in the Aughts We Went West to Help Raise Our Grandkids. We stayed for ten years on Vashon Island in Washington State. We loved it there but never intended that relocation to be permanent. We were New Yorkers after all, which is a state of mind as well as a state of place.

Now We Were Searching for a New Place. This time, that venue would most likely be permanent. Our first thought was of Vashon. Unfortunately, the island has become quite pricey, with few housing opportunities at any expense level. A knotty dilemma indeed – especially for me, the caregiver.

“Go West, You Two” was Lodged in Our Imaginations. To be totally honest, I was worried. We needed a specific destination – soon. When the possibility of an Idaho venue arose, we agreed, even though it was not our dream place. Welcome to “Grandma and Grandpa Go West” – My Name is Alice.

Then, a Mini-Miracle Occurred. Actually a maxi-miracle for us. A long-time Vashon friend invited us to share her house – a charming blue cottage in need of an upgrade. The perfect project for Jonathan, the upgrade king. She has also been increasingly isolated since her husband passed. This arrangement could work out well for all of us.

So – Here I am, Sharing Our Story. For many years, I have encouraged and taught others to share their real-life stories. To conjure them up and write it all down. Now I shall attempt to take my own advice. Welcome to “Grandma and Grandpa Go West” – My Name is Alice.

Tell Your Own Life Challenge Story. Have you ever confronted a situation that required making a risky change in your life? What was the toughest part of that challenge? When and where did it happen? Who was involved? What, specifically, occurred? How did you feel then? How do you feel about it now? Write your story. Straight from your heart.

Tell Your Own Heroic Story. Recall a time when you turned a dark moment to light in your life. What was the darkness? How did you bring light to the situation? Take pride in your accomplishment. You are the hero of this inspiring story. Portray yourself as such.

You are the Hero of Your Life Story. You experience difficulties. You persevere. You try your best to shield yourself and those you care about from harm. That is heroic. How does it feel to think of yourself as a hero in your life? Share those feelings in a response to this post. We would love to hear from you. Keep on Writing whatever may occur. Alice Orr. http://www.aliceorrbooks.com

Alice Orr. Teacher. Storyteller. Former Editor and Literary Agent. Author of 15 novels, 2 novellas, a memoir, and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells.

Read Alice’s Memoir. Lifted to the Light: A Story of Struggle and Kindness. At the beating heart of this moving story a woman fights to survive. All her life she has taken care of herself. Now she faces an adversary too formidable to battle alone. Available HERE.

Praise for Lifted to the Light: A Story of Struggle and Kindness: “I was lifted. I highly recommend this book as a can’t-put-down roadmap for anyone.” “Very, very well written. Alice Orr is an amazing author.” “Honest, funny, and consoling.” “I have read other books by Ms. Orr and am glad I haven’t missed this one.” “Couldn’t put it down.”

Experience Alice’s Suspense Novel Series. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. Five intense stories of love, death and intrigue. Available HERE.

Praise for Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. “Romance and suspense at its best.” “I highly recommend this page-turner series.” “Twists and turns, strong characters, suspense and passionate love.” “The writing is exquisite.”

Follow Alice on Substack — https://aliceorr.substack.com/

Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know about telling your own real-life stories? Ask your question(s) as a Comment following this post.

http://facebook.com/aliceorrwriter/
http://twitter.com/AliceOrrBooks/

https://bsky.app/profile/aliceorr.bsky.social/
http://goodreads.com/aliceorr/
http://pinterest.com/aliceorrwriter/

 

The post appeared first on Alice Orr Books.

You Are the Hero of Your Writer’s Life Story. Stories give shape and form to life. Stories lend wholeness to your imperfect vision of your experience. Telling your writer’s life story will do all of that for you. The tale of your emotional writing journey deserves to be told – first to yourself.

Begin Your Writer’s Life Story. Get started now. Open a new document. Title it “My Writer’ s Life Story.” Write the first sentence. The rest will follow. We are each of us butterflies with a single wing until we become whole by embracing ourselves – and our stories.

A Powerful Story Begins with a Character We Care About. The character we care about in your writer’s life story is You. This is your personal writer’s narrative. Whatever your challenges may have been – in your writing life and beyond – you are the major reason you are still here and still creating today.

You Struggled to Hang On to Your Creativity. You battled to overcome your challenges. Sometimes you needed help. We all do. Sometimes you got the help you required. But mostly your champion was You. What does that mean? It means You Are the Hero of Your Writer’s Life Story.

Joy Write. What is the toughest challenge you ever faced as a writer? What was the worst part of it? When and where? Who was involved? What happened? How did it make you feel? Write it back to life in your writer’s journal. Emotions may arise. Keep on writing. Straight from your heart.

You May Not Think of Yourself as a Hero. You must change your mind about that. Upgrade your attitude. Tell your writer’s life story. The story with you at its center as your main character. You are the prime mover of your creative destiny.

You May Not Think of Yourself as Luminous. But you are the person in your life – especially your writer’s life – who kindled the spark that set your imagination on fire. That fire blazes still because You did not allow it to die. You are definitely your hero. And this is your heroic writer’s journey.

What Does It Mean to Say You Are Heroic? It means you persevere. Despite the difficulties of your writer’s life – and we all have them – you try your best to shield your creative spark from the storm. Those storms may overwhelm you at times. We all experience that.

What is Your Writer’s Struggle and Triumph Truth? You struggle to beat back the tempest. Sometimes you succeed. Sometimes not. But you keep on trying. You keep on feeding the flame. That is your triumph. Share snippets of your hero’s tale on social media. Use the hashtag #MyWritersStory.

You are a Human Hero Not a Superhero. You would just as soon let the struggles pass on by. But something must be done or your precious writer’s life could be lost. Your creative blaze could be extinguished. So – you respond to the challenge you face. You step up. You act. You employ as much strength as you can muster.

You Do the Best You Can in Your Circumstances. You defend your dream. There is emotional power in that. There is emotional power in writer’s stories. Whatever your outcome may be – You Are the Hero of Your Writer’s Life Story. Say it out loud and proud. Mean it with all your heart.

My Writer’s Life Story is Sometimes a Screwball Comedy. I am the screwball hero. Take for example the time I turned down one of the best literary agents in New York City. She offered to represent me and my entire psyche spun into panic mode. I longed to run away.

Even the Imagined Proximity of Success Terrified Me. “I’m not ready!” I told Ms. Super Agent this at a fancy lunch in a fancy midtown Manhattan restaurant. My sushi went warm while I floundered through a writing identity crisis. Too long later I realized what a fool I was. I had even paid for the lunch.

Yet – I am Still a Writer. Which often bewilders me. The only explanation I can come up with is the grace of God. I staggered from midtown that day to our stoop on West 50th Street and hunkered down there in defeat. Then – Suddenly…. Any anecdote worth telling must have a Suddenly moment.

Suddenly Something Wonderful Happened. He sprinkled grace over me and somehow it turned to resilience. The next morning I got up and continued writing. This is a writer’s redemption story. That next morning – after ignominious defeat – I became the hero of my writer’s life story.

Joy Write. Ignominious means deserving of or causing shame. Have you ever cringed through an embarrassing incident in your writer’s life? Share your story in the Comments section of this post or contact me at aliceorrbooks@gmail.com. Do not forget to include how this episode proves that You Are the Hero of Your Writer’s Life Story

You are the Prime Subject of Your Creative History. Virginia Woolf agrees. “Every secret of a writer’s mind, every experience of her life, every quality of her being, is written large in her heart.” Every experience of our storytelling life is written in your heart and mine and the heart of every writer.

Immortalize Those Scenes on the Page. Make them vivid. The secrets of your adventure in creativity are ready to be revealed. Stop seeing yourself as “just a writer.” You are the main character of an epic adventure. Write with that in mind. You Are the Hero of Your Writer’s Life Story.

Tell Your Writer’s Life Story is a Four-Part Series. This post is Part I – You Are the Hero of Your Writer’s Life Story. Part II – Explode Into Your Writer’s Life Story. Part III – Cast Your Writer’s Life Story. Part IV – Structure Your Writer’s Life Story. Stay Tuned.

FYI – More Joy Write Prompts for You as Hero of Your Writer’s Life Story.

Imagine you are being awarded a commendation for reaching this heroic moment of your writer’s life. Write the speech the presenter will give. Make clear that you deserve this award. Describe specifically how you earned it. Consider writing a short story that dramatizes this event. Feel free to fictionalize if you are inspired to do so.The first Joy Write prompt in the above article was about the toughest challenge you have encountered in your writer’s life story. You persevered beyond that challenge. Tell your writer’s journal what you gained from that perseverance.Recall a time when you turned a dark moment to light in your writer’s life. What was the nature of the darkness? How, specifically, did you bring light to the situation? Write an article that tells this inspiring story. Submit the article to an online writer’s publication or your local writer’s group newsletter. Your writer colleagues need to read such hopeful tales.How does it feel to think of yourself as a hero in your writer’s life? Share those feelings with me in an email to aliceorrbooks@gmail.com . I would love to know about your emotional experience with adopting this empowered point of view. I look forward to hearing from you.Share this post with a writer friend. Encourage her to think of herself as the hero of her writer’s life story. Document your conversation as an audio or video recording. Share that recording with your critique partners or another writers’ group.What wisdom have you gained by recognizing yourself as the hero of your writer’s life story? Brainstorm ways to share that wisdom with other writers and creative people. Which option most appeals to you. Act on it. Email aliceorrbooks@gmail.com . Tell me what happens.

Keep on Writing whatever may occur. Alice Orr. http://www.aliceorrbooks.com

Alice Orr. Teacher. Storyteller. Former Editor and Literary Agent. Author of 15 novels, 2 novellas, a memoir, and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells.

Joy Write with Alice. http://www.aliceorrbooks.com.

Visit Alice’s Substack Page.

Read Alice’s Novel. A Time of Fear & Loving. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 5. Available HERE.

Praise for A Time of Fear & Loving. “Alice Orr is the queen of ramped-up stakes and page-turning suspense.” “Warning. Don’t read before bed. You won’t want to sleep.” “The tension in this novel is through the roof.” “I never want an Alice Orr book to end.” “Budding romance sizzles in the background until it ignites with passion.” “The best one yet!”

Experience Alice’s Suspense Novel Series. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. Five intense stories of love and death and intrigue. Available HERE.

Praise for Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. “Romance and suspense at its best.” “I highly recommend this page-turner series.” “Twists and turns, strong characters, suspense and passionate love.” “The writing is exquisite.”

Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know? About your writer experience. About telling your stories. Ask your question as a comment following this post.

http://facebook.com/aliceorrwriter/
http://twitter.com/AliceOrrBooks/

https://bsky.app/profile/aliceorr.bsky.social/
http://goodreads.com/aliceorr/
http://pinterest.com/aliceorrwriter/

 

 

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The post You Are the Hero of Your Writer’s Life Story appeared first on Alice Orr Books.

What My Mentor Taught Me. The first thing my mentor taught me was to show up. Jean Rikhoff was my writing mentor. “Ninety percent of success is showing up,” she told me. Figure out how to do what needs to be done in your life to get where you want to go. Then show up and do it. Jean talked the talk. But when it came to creative discipline – she was a woman of action first and foremost.

My Mentor Taught Me to Walk the Walk. Jean was a young mother when she began her writing commitment. Home was too hectic to permit the writing consistency she required. So she drove to a local supermarket parking lot very early every morning and wrote her first novel there.

My Mentor Taught Me to Figure Out What I Need. Jean showed up. She did what had to be done – for herself and her dream. Do the same for yourself. What is the biggest challenge that keeps you from showing up for your writing? Share this post with a writer or creative person who needs to hear about the power of showing up consistently for their work.

Joy Write. Who was your first writing mentor? The person who most inspired and encouraged you early in your creativity life. What did they teach you? What was the best piece of advice they ever gave you?

My Mentor Taught Me to Write Regularly. What does it take to show up for your writing every day? Create a writing routine that works. Adopt strong writing habits. No matter what else is going on in your life – develop a writer’s discipline. One page or one hour a day minimum. That was Jean’s rule. Make it yours.

My Mentor Taught Me about My Need to Write. Train your writer psyche to feel out of balance without a daily dose of writing routine. One page or one hour minimum. Make creativity a positive addiction. Set yourself up to crave another dose. Schedule writing time on your calendar for the next week. Make that schedule a vow to your writer self.

My Mentor Taught Me to Mark My Territory. How do you set up your very own writing space at home? Carve out a place for yourself. A writer’s workspace for your writing practice. Virginia Woolf advocated “a room of your own.” Crowded or chaotic circumstances may preclude that – like they did for my mentor. What My Mentor Taught Me.

My Mentor Taught Me that Any Space can be My Territory. Jean wrote her novel in the front seat of a car. Any private corner can suffice.  Gather your precious writing tools. Notebooks. Laptop. Files. Pens. Give them a home in your writer’s workspace. A home for whatever you require to pursue your dream. Write in that home space every day.

Joy Write. Describe your ideal writing and creative space? Have you created that place for yourself yet? If not, why not. Write it into detailed existence on the page.

My Mentor Taught Me to Get Good Gear. What writing equipment do you need? Prepare yourself well to pursue your writer motivation. Buy quality equipment. Cut back spending on other things when necessary. Do you have qualms about doing that? Leave those doubts behind. 

My Mentor Taught Me this Mantra. You deserve what you need to succeed. Make this your mantra from this moment on. Believe every word with all your heart. Repeat it often and enthusiastically. Pledge yourself to show up for yourself. Commit to honoring that vow. List your writing gear essentials. Acquire them asap.

My Mentor Taught Me to Value My Time. How do you find time to work within your busy schedule? Practice writing time management. Control your commitments. Ask yourself. “Can someone else do this? Does it have to be me?” Examine carefully each new request for your valuable time and already overtaxed energy.

My Mentor Taught Me My Creative Work is Crucial. When someone or something asks for your time and energy – ask yourself the following in return. “Will this be the best use of my precious life?” Show up for yourself by prioritizing yourself. Your creative work is crucial. Make time to create. Protect your writing time.

Joy Write. Make a list of your current commitments. Choose one that somebody else could do well enough. Write a scene of yourself backing away from that commitment.

My Mentor Taught Me to Train My Tribe. How do you begin to command respect from others for your writing time? Post your writing work hours. The refrigerator door is a good place in most households. Insist on no interruptions at those times. Tell family and friends how important your writing is to you.

My Mentor Taught Me to Be Open About My Dream. Reveal your creative desires to the people in your life. They may not understand. Make them hear you. Do not back down. They will come around. If they do not – keep on writing whatever may occur. Continue your creative work. Show up and stand up for what you need. Pursue your dream. What My Mentor Taught Me.

My Mentor Taught Me to Train Myself. How do you begin to command respect for your writing time from yourself? Identify your personal time-burners. These activities contribute little to what you really want to accomplish in your creative life. Never ever indulge these activities during your best brain time. You can do better.

My Mentor Taught Me to Use My Online Time Wisely. Limit online play to your dim-bulb hours. Social media activities do not require your best creative abilities. But – you can optimize your online time all the same. Use it to build your public platform visibility. Use it to share your writing work with the world.

Joy Write. What are your peak creativity hours of the day? Write about them, especially what your energy feels like during those times.

My Mentor Taught Me to Show Up for My Story. What will carry you deeper into your writing and keep you there? John Gardner called that deep-down center of your story “the dream of the book.” The true joy of writing happens when you enter that dream and inhabit it completely.

My Mentor Taught Me to Show Up for My Imagination. Move beneath the surface of your mind. Dive into the mysterious and mesmerizing depths of your imagination. Your very best stories await you there. This is the place where the burning heart of your story resides. Go there. Write from there. What My Mentor Taught Me.

My Mentor Taught Me to Show Up for Myself. Life stress can stop you in your tracks. Life stress can kill creativity. Give yourself a break. Give your story a boost. Utilize your stress. That stress is intense. Powerful stories are also intense. Transport your personal stress intensity into your writing work. Feel it. Adapt it. You are the creator. Create.

Joy Write. How do you manage to write regularly no matter what? Write about a current stressor in your life. Transform that reality into a stressful situation for a fictional character, maybe from a story you are now writing. Bring it to life on the page as an intense, dramatic, powerful scene.

My Mentor Taught Me to Show Up for My Writing Tribe. Build a writing tribe that supports you. Support that tribe yourself. Embrace your writer family. Help your writer colleagues. Look around your writing community. You will know where you are needed and by whom. You feel it. Somebody is down. Show up. Lift them up. Let your generosity shine.

Joy Write. Write a dialogue between yourself and your wise mentor, whether that is a real person or one you create for this exercise. What do you most need to hear right now?

My Mentor Taught Me to Be My Own Mentor. Figure out how to make your writing happen. Show up where your creativity needs you to be. My mentors made their creativity happen. Be inspired to do the same. You have what you need. Show up and use it all for your creative self. Become your own mentor in your writer’s life story.

My Mentor Became My Friend. The photo is Jean and me at a writer’s conference long after our relationship began. By then I was a published author, workshop leader and literary agent. She was the wise woman she had always been. Her wisdom brightened my beginnings and lit my path. I am forever grateful for What My Mentor Taught Me.

FYI – Writing Prompts Your Mentor Self Would Like You to Follow.

Someone in your life who was not a writer taught you something crucial about discipline and persistence that has positively influenced your creativity. Tell your writer’s journal about this person and what they did for you. Share your own mentor story as a Comment on this post.Commit to writing a minimum of one page daily for a week. At the end of the week, reflect in your writer’s journal about how this practice affected your relationship with writing.In your writer’s journal, list all of the reasons you use for not writing. Rewrite each excuse as a problem to solve and propose a way to solve it.Track how you spend one day. Ferret out where writing time was hiding in that day, even if it was only a brief period. Record the results in your writer’s journal.Identify what is at the burning heart of a story you are writing, or a story you want to write. Describe that emotional core in vivid detail in your writer’s journal.What is your favorite writing tool? A pen or your laptop or a notebook or whatever. Write about why this particular thing means so much to you. How does it help you and encourage you to create.Make a list of other writers in your life who have lifted you up when you were down or when you were discouraged about your writing. What do you remember most about each of those experiences?Make a list of other writers in your life whom you have lifted up when they were down or discouraged about their writing. What did you give to each of them? What did you receive in return?At the end of every week, note in your writer’s journal how you showed up for yourself during the past seven days. Congratulate yourself for doing so.Remember who you were as a writer before you learned that you should show up for yourself. In your writer’s journal, compare that former you with your current writer self.

Keep on Writing whatever may occur. Alice Orr. http://www.aliceorrbooks.com

Alice Orr. Teacher. Storyteller. Former Editor and Literary Agent. Author of 15 novels, 2 novellas, a memoir, and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells.

Partake of Alice’s Joy Writing Wisdom. http://www.aliceorrbooks.com.

Read Alice’s Novel. A Time of Fear & Loving. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 5. Available HERE.

Praise for A Time of Fear & Loving. “Alice Orr is the queen of ramped-up stakes and page-turning suspense.” “Warning. Don’t read before bed. You won’t want to sleep.” “The tension in this novel is through the roof.” “I never want an Alice Orr book to end.” “Budding romance sizzles in the background until it ignites with passion.” “The best one yet!”

Experience Alice’s Suspense Novel Series. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. Five intense stories of love and death and intrigue. Available HERE.

Praise for Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. “Romance and suspense at its best.” “I highly recommend this page-turner series.” “Twists and turns, strong characters, suspense and passionate love.” “The writing is exquisite.”

Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know? About your writer experience. About telling your stories. Ask your question as a comment following this post.

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Write It Right About Anger – Joy Writing with Alice Orr. Anger is a tricky topic for many people. Anger is a tricky emotion. Writing anger is tricky too. Sometimes damned if you do. Sometimes damned if you don’t. Let’s face off about anger.

When Mornings Start with Emotion. Some days I wake up feeling Anger. I may not remember exactly why. I do remember how it feels to carry that state of mind inside me and may want to erase it immediately. But there are other considerations to consider. Especially for a writer.

Ann Lamott on the Value of Anger. In Grace (Eventually) Ann Lamott says. “It’s fine to know but not to say that anger is good. A bad attitude is excellent and the medicinal powers of shouting and complaining cannot be underestimated.”

The Value of Anger for a Writer. Ann Lamott gets it right – especially the part about it not being fine to express anger. She encourages Writing About Anger. So do I. Not everyone agrees. Not everyone makes it comfortable for the rest of us to agree.

Why We Hide Our Anger. When we are hurting our natural anger is often squelched. Our emotional discomfort meets with disapproval from those around us. Their disapproval admonishes us for Expressing Anger – even in our writing.

The Pressure to Stay Positive. Injured individuals are told they must be upbeat and hopeful at all times. They are told they invite trouble and bad outcomes by allowing their anxiety to show. This kind of repression causes more Emotional Discomfort – including for the characters we create.

Permission to Feel is Legitimately Positive. We must let ourselves and others feel whatever we need to feel. Which sometimes includes a dose of being pissed off. Embracing all emotions is key to embracing emotional health and embodying a healthy brain.

Harness Your Disgruntled Energy. Sometimes an outburst of pissed off energy is exactly the fuel that is needed to get you and your characters through a prickly patch or a bad day. You are Coping with Anger in Difficult Times by putting it to productive use of your own time.

Joy Write. Write about a situation where anger gave you the energy or motivation to get through a difficult experience. What were you able to accomplish with the help of that anger energy?

The Virtues of Positivity are Endlessly Espoused. Cliches abound. Keep your sunny side up. Look for the silver lining. Whistle a happy tune. We all spout versions of them. In my Workshops for Writers I say “Attitude isn’t everything but it affects everything.” Less rainbow-tinted wording but still basically “sunny side” “silver lining” “happy tune.”

Positivity versus Authenticity. Attitude may affect everything. But what about when your smile is a lie? What about when you shine your smile because others like your face better that way? What about when you smile because you feel you have to? Write It Right About Anger – Joy Writing with Alice Orr.

Joy Write. Recall a time when you felt pressured to hide your anger or “keep your sunny side up.” How did that affect you? Did you comply or rebel. Tell the story.

The Challenge of Maintaining Cheerfulness. Anger can gain its own momentum and feed itself. Cheerfulness is harder. You wake up in a good mood that drifts away. You try to keep it going but the effort is too difficult to sustain. Sometimes we sulk however that may be received. We choose between Emotional Discomfort and Disapproval.

Joy Write. Write about a morning when you woke up angry for no clear reason. How did that feeling shape your day? What did you notice about yourself and your interactions with other people? How did they react to your disgruntled self?

Facing Life’s Challenges and Challengers. Somebody says “Let me be perfectly honest with you.” My advice? Head for the hills. I wager they have not brought welcome news. Do not stop running until you are a far distance from unwelcome unsolicited challenges. How properly polite we are to call such presumption a “challenge” in the first place.

Writing as Release. A compensating truth. We are writers. We let it all hang out on the page – including our journal pages. We tell our stories however angry or disgruntled or prickly they may be. We are Expressing Anger in Writing. We are Writing Truthfully about Emotions.

Joy Write. Consider how language shapes our experience. How words like “challenged” and “upset” dilute the true intensity of feeling angry. Write an emotional scene using vivid, technicolor language to recreate the anger your character feels.

A Truth about Our Current World. Life has become a slog for many folks for many reasons. Pretending otherwise disrespects all of us who Live with the Anger. We dance with the devil. We struggle to keep in step. Are you Letting Yourself Feel Anger?

Choose What to Do with Your Truth. Tell your Truth in Writing. Publish your truth tales. Or hide them behind a toilet bowl. Or save that choice for another day. Do not be angry with yourself for your anger. Do not forget that there is Hope After Anger.

The Shifting Circle of Support. Anger and Relationships. Some support may drift away. They may need to nurse their own anger. They may need to rest from anger fatigue. Others will remain stolidly in place. There is hope in that. There is strength in that.

Joy Write. Reflect on the people who have stayed with you through the tough, angry times in your life. Make a list of those people. Choose one and write the story of that person’s support and loyalty to you.

Find Hope in Your Honesty. No matter what – you are still here and you are still you. There is hope in that. There is triumph in that. Keep on Writing Your Truth whatever may occur. Write It Right About Anger – Joy Writing with Alice Orr.

FYI – More Writing Prompts and Exercises that Write It Right About Anger.

List the physical sensations, thoughts and behaviors a person experiences when angry. Write a paragraph using these details in the behavior of a fictional character. Write a paragraph using these details for your own behavior in a memoir piece.Choose a cliché about positivity (e.g. look for the silver lining). Rewrite it from the perspective and attitude of someone who is experiencing a moment or a period of anger. How do the phrase and its meaning change?Write a conversation between two characters. One is angry. The other insists on remaining positive. Let the tension between them play out in their dialogue.Set a timer for ten minutes. Write nonstop about a time you felt that your anger was not allowed or was being dismissed as inappropriate or irrelevant. Do not edit or judge. Just let the words come and write them down.Write two sentences. In one sentence a character tries to suppress their anger. In the other sentence the same character openly expresses their anger. Compare and contrast the two sentences.Describe anger using metaphors and/or similes. A metaphor example – Anger is a storm brewing behind my eyes. A simile example – Anger is like a storm brewing behind my eyes. Let your imagination fly. Do not judge or edit. Just write.Write a letter you will never send to someone or something that made you angry at some time in your life. Let the feelings flow. Do not censor your emotions.Start a Writing Habit. Set aside ten minutes a day to write about whatever emotion is strongest for you at the time – anger or hope or anything in between.

Keep on Writing whatever may occur. Alice Orr. http://www.aliceorrbooks.com

Alice Orr. Teacher. Storyteller. Former Editor and Literary Agent. Author of 15 novels, 2 novellas, a memoir, and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells.

Partake of Alice’s Joy Writing Wisdom at her Blog. http://www.aliceorrbooks.com.

Follow Alice on Substack — https://aliceorr.substack.com/

Read Alice’s Novel. She writes it right about anger in A Time of Fear & Loving. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 5. Available HERE.

Praise for A Time of Fear & Loving. “Alice Orr is the queen of ramped-up stakes and page-turning suspense.” “Warning. Don’t read before bed. You won’t want to sleep.” “The tension in this novel is through the roof.” “I never want an Alice Orr book to end.” “Budding romance sizzles in the background until it ignites with passion.” “The best one yet!”

Experience Alice’s Suspense Novel Series. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. Five intense stories of love and death and intrigue. Available HERE.

Praise for Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. “Romance and suspense at its best.” “I highly recommend this page-turner series.” “Twists and turns, strong characters, suspense and passionate love.” “The writing is exquisite.”

Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know? About your writer experience. About telling your stories. Ask your question as a comment following this post.

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The post Write It Right About Anger – Joy Writing with Alice Orr appeared first on Alice Orr Books.

Seashells to Story Pages – Joy Writing. Make Summertime Writing Time. Summer is collecting season. We collect sea shells at the seashore. We collect bargains at yard sales. We collect flowers in golden fields.

We also Collect Experiences. Each summer experience has a story at its center. Collect summer experiences. Collect Your Summer Stories.

Summer Up Your Imagination. Try this Creative Writing Inspiration. Describe a perfect summer day – sunrise to sunset. Gift your current story hero with this perfect day. She will love you for it.

Brainstorm Ways to Turn her Very Right Day Very Wrong. Struggling heroes make your readers worry about what will happen in your story. Strong storytelling is all about trouble and struggle. Make your hero struggle.

Embrace Your Sultry Summer Side. Summer Storytelling Ideas languish all around you. Sharpen your awareness. Keep Yourself Creative. Keep your stories steamy. Here is a Sultry Summer Creative Writing Exercise.

A Slow, Deep River Slides toward Roaring Rapids. Wild weather threatens. A treacherous storm approaches. Our pulses quicken. We hear the thunder crash. We watch lightning split the darkened sky. Strong storytelling is all about danger.

This Tumult is an Unwelcome Surprise for Your Hero. Her sunny summer mood tangles into dread as the wind thrashes. Her day is drenched and drowned by the downpour and whipped into frenzy by powerful gusts. Like Sally Field in Places in the Heart.

Suddenly Your Hero is in Real Peril. To make matters worse her enemy appears. They clash in their own stormy confrontation. Your hero must save herself. Write a Startling Summer Scene about this confrontation.

Supersize Your  Summer Story Energy. Be resourceful. Turn up the temperature. Then turn it up some more. Give everything a bolder boost. Strong storytelling is all about plunging your hero into hot water.

Her Life Drama is Intensified by Danger. Whatever happens in your hero’s life vaults her threat voltage to maximum amps. What specific events and shocks set her summer simmer blazing?  Seashells to Story Pages – Joy Writing.

Immerse Yourself in Summer Sensations. The sights. The sounds. The scents. This is Writer’s Inspiration Season. Inspire yourself. Splurge your senses. Bring your hero’s most vital self to its most heightened life. Like Scarlett in Gone with the Wind.

Transport Your Hero to a Secret Summer Spot. Something magical happens there. Or something horrible happens there. Kindle your Storytelling Imagination. The flames of story heat mount higher. Write what their glow illuminates for you.

Story Up Some Simple Summer Pleasures. An unexpected event occurs at a summer fair or festival or on what your hero thought would be a quiet day. Her heroic quest in your story is impeded by this event – drastically so.

Maybe Your Hero is Walking along a Deserted Shoreline. She finds a mysterious message in a bottle. What does it say? What does it compel her to do? What peril does it propel her into? You are Collecting Summer Experiences. Collect hers.

Celebrate Your Summer Memories. Summon forth Summer Journal Ideas from your personal past. Luxuriate in Summer Nostalgia Writing. Resurrect a summer friendship that changed your life. How did it begin? Where did it lead?

Lend Your Summer Friendship Memory to Your Story’s Hero. Let it change her life like it changed yours. Or – revisit the most unforgettable thing that ever happened to you in summertime. Visit it upon your hero. She will not forget it either.

Summertime is Company Time – Good Company. Who was your happy summer company? The person you would most like to spend your summer with?

Summertime is Company Time – Bad Company. What was the worst summer encounter you ever endured? Why specifically was it so terrible? Introduce these good and bad visitors to each other.

Your Favorite Summer Friend Becomes Your Story Hero. She meets your terrible summer encounter person. Make this an electrified clash of characters. Capture their powered-up collision in an intense  scene.

Suss Out Some Summer Secrets. Strangers possess strange secrets. Sit yourself down in an outdoor café. Set yourself in nosey parker mode. Ask yourself whom among these people is hiding a sinister secret. What is that secret? What makes it sinister?

Send Your Wicked Imagination Soaring. Observe what happens and Record it in your Writer’s Journal. It’s okay for writers to eavesdrop. You are not being rude. You are Studying People for Your Stories. This is Your Writing Work.

Sizzle Up a Summer Romance. You are still in a public place. Still Observing and Recording. Ask yourself whom among all of this humanity would your story hero fall in love with. Imagine them as summer lovers.

Make Sparks Fly Between Them. Why are they drawn to each other? What could drive them apart? How will they reunite – or not? Summer Romance Writing. Satisfy yourself superbly. You will love writing about love.

Make Summer Writing Your Storytelling Sunshine Time. Some think of summer as a lazy interlude. But you have done good work here. Your imagination has flown and flourished. You have set your story pages on fire with summer heat.

Your Writer’s Journal is Full and Flush. Lots of strong material for future storytelling. You have gathered Summer Story Starters. You have added to your Summer Collection of Story Ideas. You have fed Your Writer Self a fine picnic.

Meanwhile Enjoy the Season. Find a yard sale. Seek out the sea shore. Pick yourself some posies. Relax on a lakeside evening. But never neglect your Storyteller’s Journey. Make summertime writing time. Seashells to Story Pages – Joy Writing.

FYI – More Summer Writing Prompts and Exercises.

Imagine a summer tradition for your hero’s fictional family. An annual gathering event. How does it bring them closer together? How does it drive them apart?Your hero is spending the summer in an unfamiliar place. How does the change affect her? What happens to her there? How does she react to those events?A summer road trip goes terribly wrong, for your hero and others. What challenges do these travelers face? How do they overcome these challenges – or not?Your hero has a summer job or assignment that she hates. What happens? What does she learn from this experience? How does this experience change her life in your story?A summer heat wave leads to unexpected adventures for your hero. What are they? How do they affect her? How do they affect your story?It is a hot, humid summer night, and your hero cannot sleep. When she gets up to seek some relief, something dramatic happens. Tell the story of that happening.Your heroine jumps into cold water on a very hot day. When she does that, something startling happens. What is this startling occurrence? What happens to her after that?Your hero attends an elegant and special summer meal. What makes this meal so special? What food is served? Who is there? How does your hero interact with the other guests?Invent a legend or ghost story. Have your hero tell it on a stormy summer night. What happens after that? How does what happens relate to the story your hero told?Create a summer writing prompt or exercise of your own. Send it to me in the Comments section following this post. I cannot wait to read it, write it, share it.

Keep on Writing Whatever May Occur.  http://www.aliceorrbooks.com

Alice Orr. Teacher. Storyteller. Former Editor and Literary Agent. Author of 15 novels, 2 novellas, a memoir, and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells.

Experience Joy Writing. Alice shows you how at http://www.aliceorrbooks.com.

Follow Alice’s Substack at https://aliceorr.substack.com/

Experience Joy Reading. Alice’s Summer Novel. A Year of Summer Shadows. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 2. Available HERE.

Praise for A Year of Summer Shadows. “A must-read for lovers of romantic suspense.”
“Alice keeps you wanting to read faster, then when you finish the last page, you want more.” “Another fast-paced Alice Orr thriller involving murder, family secrets, friendships and plot twists against the backdrop of a slow-building yet intense love story.” “Orr’s characters come alive on the page.” “A Year of Summer Shadows is of my favorite books.”

Alice’s Suspense Novel Series. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. Five intense stories of love and death and intrigue. Available HERE.

Praise for Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. “Romance and suspense at its best.” “I highly recommend this page-turner series.” “Twists and turns, strong characters, suspense and passionate love.” “The writing is exquisite.”

Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know? About your writer experience. About telling your stories. Ask your question as a comment following this post.

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Seashells to Story Pages – Make Summertime Writing Time. Summer is collecting season. We collect sea shells at the seashore. We collect bargains at yard sales. We collect flowers in golden fields.

We also Collect Experiences. Each summer experience has a story at its center. Collect summer experiences. Collect Your Summer Stories.

Summer Up Your Imagination. Try this Creative Writing Inspiration. Describe a perfect summer day – sunrise to sunset. Gift your current story hero with this perfect day. She will love you for it.

Brainstorm Ways to Turn her Very Right Day Very Wrong. Struggling heroes make your readers worry about what will happen in your story. Strong storytelling is all about trouble and struggle. Make your hero struggle.

Embrace Your Sultry Summer Side. Summer Storytelling Ideas languish all around you. Sharpen your awareness. Keep Yourself Creative. Keep your stories steamy. Here is a Sultry Summer Creative Writing Exercise.

A Slow, Deep River Slides toward Roaring Rapids. Wild weather threatens. A treacherous storm approaches. Our pulses quicken. We hear the thunder crash. We watch lightning split the darkened sky. Stong storytelling is all about danger.

This Tumult is an Unwelcome Surprise for Your Hero. Her sunny summer mood tangles into dread as the wind thrashes. Her day is drenched and drowned by the downpour and whipped into frenzy by powerful gusts. Like Sally Field in Places in the Heart.

Suddenly Your Hero is in Real Peril. To make matters worse her enemy appears. They clash in their own stormy confrontation. Your hero must save herself. Write a Startling Summer Scene about this confrontation.

Supersize Your  Summer Story Energy. Be resourceful. Turn up the temperature. Then turn it up some more. Give everything a bolder boost. Strong storytelling is all about plunging your hero into hot water.

Her Life Drama is Intensified by Danger. Whatever happens in your hero’s life vaults her threat voltage to maximum amps. What specific events and shocks set her summer simmer blazing?  Seashells to Story Pages – Make Summertime Writing Time.

Immerse Yourself in Summer Sensations. The sights. The sounds. The scents. This is Writer’s Inspiration Season. Inspire yourself. Splurge your senses. Bring your hero’s most vital self to its most heightened life. Like Scarlett in Gone with the Wind.

Transport Your Hero to a Secret Summer Spot. Something magical happens there. Or something horrible happens there. Kindle your Storytelling Imagination. The flames of story heat mount higher. Write what their glow illuminates for you.

Story Up Some Simple Summer Pleasures. An unexpected event occurs at a summer fair or festival or on what your hero thought would be a quiet day. Her heroic quest in your story is impeded by this event – drastically so.

Maybe Your Hero is Walking along a Deserted Shoreline. She finds a mysterious message in a bottle. What does it say? What does it compel her to do? What peril does it propel her into? You are Collecting Summer Experiences. Collect hers.

Celebrate Your Summer Memories. Summon forth Summer Journal Ideas from your personal past. Luxuriate in Summer Nostalgia Writing. Resurrect a summer friendship that changed your life. How did it begin? Where did it lead?

Lend Your Summer Friendship Memory to Your Story’s Hero. Let it change her life like it changed yours. Or – revisit the most unforgettable thing that ever happened to you in summertime. Visit it upon your hero. She will not forget it either.

Summertime is Company Time – Good Company. Who was your happy summer company? The person you would you most like to spend your summer with?

Summertime is Company Time – Bad Company. What was the worst summer encounter you ever endured? Why specifically was it so terrible? Introduce these good and bad visitors to each other.

Your Favorite Summer Friend Becomes Your Story Hero. She meets your terrible summer encounter person. Make this an electrified clash of characters. Capture their powered-up collision in an intense  scene.

Suss Out Some Summer Secrets. Strangers possess strange secrets. Sit yourself down in an outdoor café. Set yourself in nosey parker mode. Ask yourself whom among these people is hiding a sinister secret. What is that secret? What makes it sinister?

Send Your Wicked Imagination Soaring. Observe what happens and Record it in your Writer’s Journal. It’s okay for writers to eavesdrop. You are not being rude. You are Studying People for Your Stories. This is Your Writing Work.

Sizzle Up a Summer Romance. You are still in a public place. Still Observing and Recording. Ask yourself whom among all of this humanity would your story hero fall in love with. Imagine them as summer lovers.

Make Sparks Fly Between Them. Why are they drawn to each other? What could drive them apart? How will they reunite – or not? Summer Romance Writing. Satisfy yourself superbly. You will love writing about love.

Make Summer Writing Your Storytelling Sunshine Time. Some think of summer as a lazy interlude. But you have done good work. Your imagination has flown and flourished. You have set your story pages on fire with summer heat.

Your Writer’s Journal is Full and Flush. Lots of strong material for future storytelling. You have gathered Summer Story Starters. You have added to your Summer Collection of Story Ideas. You have fed Your Writer Self a fine picnic.

Meanwhile Enjoy the Season. Find a yard sale. Seek out the sea shore. Pick yourself some posies. Relax on a lakeside evening. But never neglect your Storyteller’s Journey. Seashells to Story Pages – Make Summertime Writing Time.

FYI – More Summer Writing Prompts and Exercises.

Imagine a summer tradition for your hero’s fictional family. An annual gathering event. How does it bring them closer together? How does it drive them apart?Your hero is spending the summer in an unfamiliar place. How does the change affect her? What happens to her there? How does she react to those events?A summer road trip goes terribly wrong, for your hero and others. What challenges do these travelers face? How do they overcome these challenges – or not?Your hero has a summer job or assignment that she hates. What happens? What does she learn from this experience? How does this experience change her life in your story?A summer heat wave leads to unexpected adventures for your heroine. What are they? How do they affect her? How do they affect your story?It is a hot, humid summer night, and your hero cannot sleep. When she gets up to seek some relief, something dramatic happens. Tell the story of that happening.Your heroine jumps into cold water on a very hot day. When she does that, something startling happens. What is this startling occurrence? What happens to her after that?Your hero attends an elegant and special summer meal. What makes this meal so special? What food is served? Who is there? How does your hero interact with the other guests?Invent a legend or ghost story. Have your hero tell it on a stormy summer night. What happens after that? How does what happens relate to the story your hero told?Create a summer writing prompt or exercise of your own. Send it to me in the Comments section following this post. I cannot wait to read it, write it, share it.

You possess storytelling magic. Keep on writing whatever may occur.  Alice Orr. http://www.aliceorrbooks.com

Alice Orr. Teacher. Storyteller. Former Editor and Literary Agent. Author of 15 novels, 2 novellas, a memoir, and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells. Follow Alice’s Joy Writing blog at http://www.aliceorrbooks.com.

Alice’s Summer Novel. A Year of Summer Shadows. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 2. Experience Joy Reading. Available HERE.

Praise for A Year of Summer Shadows. “A must-read for lovers of romantic suspense.”
“Alice keeps you wanting to read faster, then when you finish the last page, you want more.” “Another fast-paced Alice Orr thriller involving murder, family secrets, friendships and plot twists against the backdrop of a slow-building yet intense love story.” “Orr’s characters come alive on the page.” “A Year of Summer Shadows is of my favorite books.”

Alice’s Suspense Novel Series. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. Five intense stories of love and death and intrigue. Available HERE.

Praise for Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. “Romance and suspense at its best.” “I highly recommend this page-turner series.” “Twists and turns, strong characters, suspense and passionate love.” “The writing is exquisite.”

Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know? About your writer experience. About telling your stories. Ask your question as a comment following this post.

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Lifelong Creativity – Never Too Late to Write. Martin Scorsese thinks he may be running out of time. “I’m old. I want to tell stories. There’s no more time,” he says in a FanWire interview. Joy Writing with Alice Orr.

Even Master Storytellers Face Creative Fears. Lifelong creativity is something we can all achieve. But even Martin Scorsese dreads the challenge of time and creativity. He worries about Idea Block the same way you do. The same way I do. We can overcome that. We can Overcome idea block and Writer’s Block.

 Why Your Writing Journey Never Has to End. Lifelong creativity is your goal. You want your Writing Journey to go on forever. Longevity is one of your Writing Challenges. Martin Scorsese is right in one respect. No one lives forever. Time is limited. But there is another consideration.

Your Creative Well Never Truly Runs Dry. Imagination is not limited. The light of Artistic Expression burns bright within you always. If you do not believe that – it is Time for a Change of thinking. It is time to think about Creativity at Any Age and Any Stage of Life.

We All Require Encouragement. It is always a good moment for a hopeful change of mind. For you. For me. For all of us. Imagine that you have just met a writer who is discouraged about lifelong creativity. What hopeful story from your own life do you share?

Joy Write. You dropped a writing project once – dropped it for so long you thought it was too late to pick it up again. Then you did pick it up again. What changed your mind? What brought you back to the page? Write the story of that rebirth in your Writer’s Journal.

John Cassavetes on Lifelong Creativity. Another brilliant filmmaker said this. “No matter how old you are, if you keep the desire to be creative, you are keeping the child alive.” John Cassavetes was talking about the Importance of Resilience in Writing.

How to Reignite Your Creative Fire. You may fall off the Motivated to Write path for a while. We all tumble from the crown of the road occasionally. Then we climb back on. Fall Down Seven Times. Get Up Eight. Make this your mantra. Recover your desire to be creative.

Joy Write. A certain quote inspires you to keep writing. You write it down. You post it in your work space. Recall a time when those words inspired you. Share that story with other writers and with us in the Comments section following this post.

Persuade Yourself to Persevere. Take yourself back to the most discouraging period in your writer’s life. If you could write a letter to yourself back then – what would you say? Please allow me to suggest this admonition. Never Stop Writing.

Finding Strength in the Gaps Between Projects. “Are you still writing?” Julia Cameron – author of It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again – gets that question often. “The truth is, I cannot imagine not writing,” she says. “I go from project to project, always frightened by the gap in between.”

Julia Cameron on Beginning Again. Do what she does. She fills the gaps between writing projects with more writing projects. You do the same. Here is what to do when you hit a slump. Find Your Voice again. Begin writing again. Begin Storytelling again. Never Stop writing.

What to Do When Inspiration Feels Lost. You need to get creative and stay creative. You fear the fallow times. This is the remedy for every dry spell you will inevitably encounter. You believe your well of motivation has emptied forever. You cry out “Oh no! What will I do now?” Remain creative anyway. Never Stop writing.

Joy Write. You have experienced this emptied out feeling. No new writing idea was in mind or sight. What did you do to refill your creative well? Tell your Writer’s Journal.

Overcoming Fear. You must overcome fear before fear overcomes you. When you are terrified that your well of creativity may never fill up again you are facing another big Writing Challenge – Fear. What do you do? Go back to the page. Never Stop writing.

We All Experience Creative Fear. You have suffered creative fear in the past. You got through it. What writing fear is most real to you right now? Running out of ideas? Losing your voice? Something else entirely? You will overcome this fear too.

Get Back to Your Writing Practice. You have many New Novels in you – many new stories. Let your imagination fly. Dive in. Make it a deep dive. Plunge into whatever you find there. You are a writer. Writing is a living part of you. You will not lose that. Go back to the page.

Joy Write. You have taken a break from writing at one time or other. Why did you take that break? What brought you back to writing? Write that story – especially the story of your feelings while it was happening.

Writing as Life. Write like your life depends on it because it does. Your writer’s life depends on it. Writing is your access to your fullest life. When you are faced with Overcoming Creativity Challenges – always remember this. You are Joy Writing with Alice Orr. Lifelong Creativity – Never Too Late to Write.

My Journey Back from Creative Silence. This is what happened to me. I published my last New Novel several years ago. A few months later I suffered a heart attack and underwent open heart surgery. Lots of distractions occurred after that. After that I stopped writing novels.

When Fear Threatened to Steal My Voice. Do you remember what I already said about overcoming fear? I hope I did not disregard its difficulty. After my heart attack episode I was afraid my writing mojo had deserted me. Franklin Delano Roosevelt said we have everything to fear from fear itself. I discovered how right he was.

Joy Write. You have suffered self-doubt and fear about your creativity. What caused that to happen? Write about how you overcame doubt and fear and returned to your writing life.

The Value of Hitting Your Wall. I was afraid I could no longer focus sufficiently to build a book. I was afraid I could no longer create the kind of characters that populate and propel a powerful plot. I was afraid I was no longer a Storyteller. I hit my personal confidence wall. That collision was my come-back signal.

Remembering What You Have Already Struggled Through. I had forgotten I was a heart attack survivor. I had forgotten the peril I struggled through. I was blessed to be alive. I should no longer be afraid of anything. I had forgotten what a powerful story that was and still is.

Joy Write. You have experienced difficult times in your personal life that impacted your writing. Remember the worst of those times. How did you nurture your creativity and keep it alive during that period? Tell your Writer’s Journal your moving story.

The Secret Power of Small Creative Acts. I hit my wall and stopped writing fiction. But through the years that followed I picked away at story possibilities. I filled many five-by-eight-inch cards. I took volumes of notes. I annotated articles about everything from everywhere.

Your Creative Journey Happens One Step at a Time. Think of a single small creative act you can commit yourself to this week. Don’t wait for an explosion of inspiration. All you need is a spark. Light it up one page at a time. That is all it takes to make Joy Writing your life.

Persisting on the Page. I scribbled unsatisfying pages. I knew they were unsatisfying. I also knew I had to save my writing life. The secret that saved me was writing things down. It will save you too. Never stop writing something – anything. Get back to the page.

The Power of a New Beginning. I began a new novel. The first book in a new Romantic Suspense Series. I shuffled the notecards. I added to the notebooks. I reread the articles. I stared into space and lost myself in imagining. I wrote satisfying pages. I was Joy Writing again.

Joy Write. You once started something new and unexpected. What surprised you most about doing that? How did it turn out? Share your inspiring story.

You have Everything You Need to Begin Again. I made my miracle happen. My Writer’s Voice told me my pages were satisfying. The editor that lives inside me told me they were good. I wrote myself through creativity challenges. You can do the same. Make your miracle happen.

How We Write through Life’s Challenges. I am a Writer. You are a Writer. Life will always present us with challenges. Meanwhile – you are Motivating Yourself to Write Again. You are Reclaiming Your Creativity. You are Joy Living – Joy Being – Joy Writing. Never Stop Writing.

Joy Write. You do believe in lifelong creativity. You know you have been given a wondrous gift. When and how did you first become aware of that gift? Tell your Writer’s Journal.

The Beautiful Truth About Being a Lifelong Writer A writer never retires. You take a vacation. Maybe even a long one. You return eventually to your pages. Otherwise you feel lost. Otherwise your personal GPS slips out of whack. Otherwise you will not find your destiny –  your writer’s life road.

Your Personal Story of Lifelong Creativity. You are also a veteran of the creativity wars. You have survived your own struggles. Share your story. What does Lifelong Creativity mean to you? Tell us in the Comments section that accompanies this post. Help us be Inspired.

Joy Write. You have struggled through episodes of feeling stuck as a writer. What advice do you have for a writer who is feeling stuck right now? Share it with us. We are your writer friends.

Your Next Chapter is Always Waiting. This is the promise of lifelong creativity. Your right writing road is always around the next bend. Your Writer’s Journey never ends. Your creativity is always with you. Your imagination is always with you. You are Joy Writing with Alice Orr. Lifelong Creativity – Never Too Late to Write.

FYI – Writing Prompts and Exercises that are Never Too Late to Try.

John Cassavetes said, “If you keep the desire to be creative, you are keeping the child alive.” Write a letter to your younger self about the importance of keeping creativity alive at any age.Maybe in the morning, set a timer for ten minutes. Write continuously about anything that comes to mind. Do not edit or judge. Let your thoughts flow. See where creativity leads you.Challenge yourself to write something every day for a week. It can be as simple as a few sentences or a list. At the end of the week, write about how this practice has affected you.Create a character who faces a major setback. Write a scene where they find to strength to keep going.Think about the value of noodling – jotting down ideas, notes, or fragments. Write a short piece inspired by a random note or idea you have saved at one time or other.Write a gratitude list based on your creative life. What are you thankful for as a writer? How does creativity enrich your life?Contemplate the quote, “Fall down seven times – Get up eight.” Write about how it applies to your own writing life.Imagine you have unlimited time and energy. What stories would you write? What creative risks would you take?Write about your personal journey with creativity. How has your relationship with writing changed over the years?Write about what you hope to find “around the next bend” in your writing journey.

Keep on Writing whatever may occur.  Alice Orr. http://www.aliceorrbooks.com

 Alice Orr. Teacher. Storyteller. Former Editor and Literary Agent. Author of 15 novels, 2 novellas, a memoir, and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells.

Partake of Alice’s Joy Writing Wisdom. http://www.aliceorrbooks.com.

Follow Alice’s Substack at https://aliceorr.substack.com/

 Read Alice’s Novel. A Time of Fear & Loving. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 5. Available HERE.

Praise for A Time of Fear & Loving. “Alice Orr is the queen of ramped-up stakes and page-turning suspense.” “Warning. Don’t read before bed. You won’t want to sleep.” “The tension in this novel is through the roof.” “I never want an Alice Orr book to end.” “Budding romance sizzles in the background until it ignites with passion.” “The best one yet!”

 Experience Alice’s Suspense Novel Series. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. Five intense stories of love and death and intrigue. Available HERE.

Praise for Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. “Romance and suspense at its best.” “I highly recommend this page-turner series.” “Twists and turns, strong characters, suspense and passionate love.” “The writing is exquisite.”

 Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know? About your writer experience. About telling your stories. Ask your question as a comment following this post.

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Never Too Late – How to Embrace Lifelong Creativity – Martin Scorsese thinks he is running out of time. “I’m old. I want to tell stories. There’s no more time,” he says in a FanWire interview. Even Martin Scorcese worries about Age and Creativity. He worries about Idea Block the same way you worry about Writer’s Block. Let’s talk about Overcoming Writer’s Block.

Make Lifelong Creativity your Goal. You want your Writing Journey to go on forever. Longevity is one of your Writing Challenges. Martin is right to an extent. Time is limited. But Imagination is not. The light of Artistic Expression burns bright within you always. If you do not believe that – it is Time for a Change. It’s time for a change of mind. It’s time for Creativity at Any Age.

Change Your Mind.  Another famous filmmaker, John Cassavetes, says this. “No matter how old you are, if you keep the desire to be creative, you’re keeping the child alive.” John Cassavetes is talking about the Importance of Resilience in Writing. Nurture your desire to be creative. You may fall off the Motivation to Write path for a moment. But you always climb back on. Follow these Tips for a Lifelong Writer.

Never Stop Writing. “Are you still writing?” Julia Cameron, author of It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again, gets that question often. “The truth is, I cannot imagine not writing,” she says. “I go from project to project, always frightened by the gap in between.” She fills those gaps with more writing. You do the same. Here’s How to Stay Creative. Find Your Voice again. Begin Storytelling again. Never stop.

Get Creative and Stay Creative. This applies to more than just aging. Remaining creative is the remedy for every dry spell you encounter. When your well of creativity and motivation seems to have emptied out. When you are terrified that it may never fill up again. Then you face another Writing Challenge. Overcoming Fear. What do you do then? Get Back to the page.

Get Back to Your Writing Practice. You have many New Novels in you. Let your imagination fly. Dive in. Make it a deep dive. Plunge into whatever you find there. Whatever it may be. You are a writer. Writing is a living part of you. You will not lose that. Writing is your access to your fullest life. You are Overcoming Creativity Challenges. Never Too Late – How to Embrace Lifelong Creativity 

Avoid What Happened to Me. I  published my last New Novel in 2017. A few months later I suffered a heart attack and underwent open heart surgery. After that lots of distractions occurred. After that I stopped writing novels. After that I began to be afraid. Franklin Delano Roosevelt told us – We have everything to fear from fear itself. I discovered how right he was.

Never be Afraid of Hitting Your Wall. I was afraid I could no longer manage enough focus to build a book. I was afraid I could no longer create characters to populate a plot. I was afraid I was no longer a powerful Storyteller. I forgot I was a Heart Attack Survivor. I forgot the significance of what I had struggled through. I forgot I should no longer be afraid of anything.

Never Neglect the Noodling. Nonetheless all through the eight years since then I picked away at a story possibility. I filled many 5 by 8-inch cards. I took volumes of notebook notes. I annotated articles from everywhere. I scribbled unsatisfying pages. The secret that saved me was writing things down. Write something. Write anything.

Begin a New Novel. Now I have begun a new novel. I am writing the first book in a new Suspense Series. I shuffle the notecards. I add to the notebooks. I reread the annotated articles. I write satisfying pages. I Find My Voice. It tells me my pages are not only satisfying. They are good. My editor agrees. I am Writing through Life’s Challenges.

Write through Life’s Challenges. I am a Writer. You are a Writer. Life will always present you with challenges. Meanwhile – you are Motivating Yourself to Write Again. You are Reclaiming Your Creativity. You have your own Inspiring Quotes about Lifelong Creativity. Share them in the Comments section at the end of this post. Help us be Inspired.

Never Retire. A writer never retires. You may take a vacation. Maybe even a long one. You come back eventually. You come back to your pages. Why? Because otherwise you feel lost. Otherwise you feel like your personal GPS is out of whack. Otherwise you cannot find  your meant-to-be writer’s life route.

Write Your Way Back. Your right Writing road is always around the next bend. Your Writing Journey never ends. You know How to Begin a New Novel. Your creativity is always with you. Your imagination is always with you. Keep on writing whatever may occur. Never Too Late – How to Embrace Lifelong Creativity

You possess storytelling magic. Keep on writing whatever may occur.  Alice Orr. http://www.aliceorrbooks.com

Alice Orr. Teacher. Storyteller. Former Editor and Literary Agent. Author of 15 novels, 2 novellas, a memoir, and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells. Follow Alice’s Joy Writing blog at http://www.aliceorrbooks.com.

Alice’s Latest Novel. A Time of Fear & Loving. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 5. Experience Joy Reading. Available HERE.

Praise for A Time of Fear & Loving. “Alice Orr is the queen of ramped-up stakes and page-turning suspense.” “Warning. Don’t read before bed. You won’t want to sleep.” “The tension in this novel is through the roof.” “I never want an Alice Orr book to end.” “Budding romance sizzles in the background until it ignites with passion.” “The best one yet!”

Alice’s Suspense Novel Series. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. Five intense stories of love and death and intrigue. Available HERE.

Praise for Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. “Romance and suspense at its best.” “I highly recommend this page-turner series.” “Twists and turns, strong characters, suspense and passionate love.” “The writing is exquisite.”

Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know? About your writer experience. About telling your stories. Ask your question as a comment following this post.

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http://twitter.com/AliceOrrBooks/

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Never Too Late – Joy Writing – Martin Scorsese thinks he is running out of time. “I’m old. I want to tell stories. There’s no more time,” he says in a FanWire interview article by Anushree Banarjee. He is right to an extent. Time is limited. But Imagination is not. Martin knows this.

Your Imagination is Wide Enough to Hold the World.  Another famous filmmaker, John Cassavetes, agrees. “No matter how old you are, if you keep the desire to be creative, you’re keeping the child alive.” This truth is timeless.

“Are You Still Writing?” Julia Cameron, author of It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again, gets that question often. “The truth is, I cannot imagine not writing,” she says. “I go from project to project, always frightened by the gap in between.” She fills those gaps with more writing.

Get Creative and Stay Creative. This applies not only to aging and/or the fear of it. Remaining creative is the remedy for every dry spell we encounter. When your well of creativity and motivation seems to have emptied out and you are terrified that it may never fill up again. What – in the name of all that matters to you as a writer – do you do then?

Get Back to the Page. Let your imagination fly. Dive in. A deep dive not a shallow one. Plunge into whatever you find there. Whatever!! Otherwise, if you are truly a writer, you are going to feel like you have lost a limb. You are going to feel like you are without access to the avenue that leads you to your truly full life. Never Too Late – Joy Writing 

Indulge Me While I Put My Practice Where My Preaching Is. I have not published a novel since 2017, just before I suffered a heart attack and underwent open heart surgery. As you can no doubt posit, lots of distracting stuff happened after that. And I stopped writing novels.

I Was Afraid I had Hit My Personal Wall. I questioned whether, with a headful of lifelong medications, I could manage sufficient focus to build a narrative. Could I create enough characters to populate a plot? Could I make them act and counteract and conflict with themselves and one another in a powerful and intriguing dance? Was it too late for me to do that?

Never Neglect the Noodling. All through those eight years I was picking away at a story possibility. Filling 5 by 8-inch cards. Taking notebook notes. Underlining relevant articles from everywhere. Scribbling unsatisfying pages. The saving secret was to write something. Anything.

Now I am Past Page Twenty of a New Novel. The first book in a new suspense series. I shuffle the notecards. I add to the notebook. I reread the relevant articles. I write satisfying pages. My writer’s voice tells me they are not just satisfying. They are good. My editor agrees.

A Writer Never Retires. We may take a vacay. Maybe even a long one. We come back again eventually. Why? Because of that lost limb thing. Because of feeling like our GPS is out of whack for finding our meant-to-be writer’s life route. Because around the next bend that right road is always there for us. Our creativity is always there for us. Our imagination is always there for us. Never Too Late – Joy Writing

You possess storytelling magic. Keep on writing whatever may occur.  Alice Orr. http://www.aliceorrbooks.com

Alice Orr. Teacher. Storyteller. Former Editor and Literary Agent. Author of 15 novels, 2 novellas, a memoir, and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells. Follow Alice’s Joy Writing blog at http://www.aliceorrbooks.com.

Alice’s Latest Novel. A Time of Fear & Loving. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 5. Experience Joy Reading. Available HERE.

Praise for A Time of Fear & Loving. “Alice Orr is the queen of ramped-up stakes and page-turning suspense.” “Warning. Don’t read before bed. You won’t want to sleep.” “The tension in this novel is through the roof.” “I never want an Alice Orr book to end.” “Budding romance sizzles in the background until it ignites with passion.” “The best one yet!”

Alice’s Suspense Novel Series. Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. Five intense stories of love and death and intrigue. Available HERE.

Praise for Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. “Romance and suspense at its best.” “I highly recommend this page-turner series.” “Twists and turns, strong characters, suspense and passionate love.” “The writing is exquisite.”

Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know? About your writer experience. About telling your stories. Ask your question as a comment following this post.

http://facebook.com/aliceorrwriter/
http://twitter.com/AliceOrrBooks/

https://bsky.app/profile/aliceorr.bsky.social/
http://goodreads.com/aliceorr/
http://pinterest.com/aliceorrwriter/

 

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