Novelist Notions: Writing, Creativity, and Personal Growth

How Reclaiming My Reading Habit Enriched My Words and My Well-being Introduction I do a lot of writing, including articles such as this one where I talk about writing, books, and how those things interact to create a positive effect on my mental health. Though it is widely talked about in the writing community, I still think the relationship between reading and writing is underrated, underappreciated, and underutilized. In a world dominated by screens and instantaneous connection, the genuine cozy feeling of sitting back in a comfortable chair and sinking your mind into a well-crafted novel or a thought-provoking essay feels like a lost art. Yet, as I’ve recently rediscovered, renewing the long-lost love of reading to which we writers are often predisposed can spark some profound changes not just in our writing but also our thinking and our approach to life’s nuances.  In today’s installment, I’ll take you through the multifaceted importance of reading. I’ll place a particular focu...

Balancing Privacy and Visibility in the Digital Age For many writers—including this one—the act of writing is as much an intimate and private act as it is expressive. We are observant, quiet thinkers. Stephen King once referred to writers as the “secret agents of the arts.” While some people like being among other people, and sometimes the center of attention, we feel most comfortable working behind closed doors and away from all the noise of the outside world. In today’s digital climate, however, that is becoming more difficult to do. As much as we’d rather avoid it, social media has slowly become a tool we can’t succeed without. As much as we’d rather avoid it, social media, when used correctly, can empower and expose us as writers, offering opportunities which were previously unheard of. With this opportunity, however, comes exposure and a level of public engagement that for some, like myself, can feel uncomfortable or even overwhelming. Social Media: The Necessary Evil It’s no secr...