Melanie Lamaga, Writer, Editor, Photographer
Fiction on the Border Between the Real and Unreal
Stoke Your Creative Fire with Visual Cartwheels, Mood Altering Sounds, and More Brain Candy Get High Now (Without Drugs), by James Nestor is a reference book of techniques for shifting your consciousness. Some are more advisable than others (you won’t catch me staring at the vomit vectors), but I applaud the range of options offered. […] Read more »
Learning to Love (and Leave) Deadlines Many creatives and entrepreneurs, especially in the early part of their careers, are working for themselves, in every sense. They are working without the benefit of anyone else’s expectations; they are working without the benefit of pay; they are working for their future or for love for the craft. […] Read more »
Ahh, Labor Day, the day where we do as little as possible. Grilling food, drinking beer, playing frisbee, hanging out… Is that all we strive for the other 250-260 working days per year? As the decades pass, do we comfort ourselves with the vision of retirement, when presumably every day will be like Labor Day? […] Read more »
An Elegant Explosion of Repressed Creativity and Desire This is beautifully written, Romantic (in the 18th century sense, not the Danielle Steele sense) novella about soul mates, forbidden love, and being a magical child in a family that’s lost its mojo. It’s also about talent, both the kind that emerges full-blown and the kind that […] Read more »
How to Get the First Draft Done. Hemingway famously said “The first draft of anything is shit.” So what do think when you hear about people writing novels in a couple of months or even weeks? Hmm. Well, to be fair, maybe they’ve been thinking about it a really long time… or maybe they are […] Read more »
Where Sexy Genius Meets Muse If you’re a writer or an artist, you probably have an office, studio or a favorite spot where you sit down and make magic. But if you don’t (or if your space is less than inspiring) it’s time to make some changes. Macho or girly, practical or romantic, hippie or […] Read more »
A Simple Strategy for Getting Your Dream Project Done Many people have jobs and families and all the minutia of life to take care of before they can get around to working on their art or business idea. I don’t know about you, but most times if something isn’t in the top three of my […] Read more »
To Get a Different Result, Be a Different Person (plus disclaimer and 1970s movie references) This series has been about gaining greater control over your life through subtle shifts in attitude and perception. However, I don’t want to seem like I’m blowing sunshine where the sun don’t shine. So first, a disclaimer. My suggestions do […] Read more »
“I Want to Write, But Can’t Find Time!” This is a common sentiment. In fact, if there is one thing more plentiful than writers, it’s would-be writers. Nothing wrong with that, but sorry to say, it’s unlikely that Time is going to find you. Sure, you might get lucky and get laid off, but eventually […] Read more »
Attitude Check I just came across a post about best-selling author Robert Goolrick. This man’s childhood was like something out of a horror movie, but that’s just the back story. It’s what Goolrick’s accomplished since then that got me thinking about some big lies we tell ourselves – and how they can greatly undermine our […] Read more »