I often hear or read authors and other creatives offering encouragement to those who are not (yet) actively creating. "Try!" they conclude, "Or you'll never know if you can." It's well meaning, but it's useless. When you fear to try, "...not knowing if you can..." is your current state. A person stuck in their current state is, at some level, more comfortable with their current state than with the risks needed to change it. As an exhortation to action, "Try, or you'll never

All my best writing sessions have one thing in common – I recited these little pieces before diving in: Dante Alighieri, in Canto II of The Inferno (Anthony Esolen translation, 2002): O Muses, O high genius, aid me now! O memory that engraved the things I saw, Here shall your worth be manifest to all! Homer, in Book I of The Odyssey (Robert Fagles translation, 1996) Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns… William Shakespeare, Act 1, Prologue of Henry V: O fo

I love’s me some non-fiction. These are a few books that rocked me world. I thought you might enjoy them as well. As you can see, most focus on material that might interest aspiring fantasy authors. Cohen, Richard. By the Sword : A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions. Modern Library, 2003. Colum, Padraic. Nordic Gods and Heroes. Dover Publications, 1996. Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York

How to Be Creative is inspirational, motivational, and free (Hugh MaCleod, the fellow who made it, wants to share). Send it to all your friends (better yet, send all your friends here) who need to hear “the Word”. As long as you change nothing, you are not violating Hugh’s copyrights. That said, if you take the time to download this, watch it and reflect on it, then I do not think you will be quite the same person afterwards. Your energy levels, your excitement, and your c

Creative Activation Cameron, Julia. The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life. New York, NY: Tarcher/Putnam, 1999. Cameron, Julia. The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. New York, NY: Tarcher/Putnam, 2002. Gawain, Shakti. Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life. Novato, california: Nataraj Publishing, 2002. Grammar Shertzer, Margaret. The Elements of Grammar. Longman, 1996.