by Mary Carroll Moore

Books often start with a simple yearning to explore new territory: fascinating topics, characters who won’t leave you alone, a good story. Writing at this level is sheer fun. It’s a great way to find out what you believe and who you are, to listen to yourself on paper and make sense of what you hear.

Writing a book is one of the most far-reaching journeys a person can take. But because your book doesn’t always provide road signs, often you don’t know if you are getting anywhere at all. It’s easy to get lost along the way. You may have experienced the excitement of starting a book. You may have also experienced the frustration of stalling out midway through a manuscript because you didn’t know where to go next.

by Shawn Lawrence Otto

In my jeans I carry a pewter keychain. It is one of my most prized possessions, not because of the key it carries, but because of the words carved into it. It’s a saying by Jack London, and it is the truest statement I have ever found about writing:

You can’t wait for inspiration; you have to go after it with a club.

by Kevin Freidberg

I was getting ready to go on a month long silent meditation retreat when the editor of this magazine asked me to write an article about the holidays. This was late October which meant I’d be returning home in late November. Just in time to visit my family for Thanksgiving. Now, if you’re a writer, which I pretend to be from time to time, you know that this is what writers kill for. Conflict. The lifeblood of great stories and compelling characters. I’d be coming off a month of peace, equanimity, and mindfulness only to run headlong into a buzzsaw of family dysfunction. A virtual goldmine, right? Even though the deadline was tight, I agreed to do the article, knowing the story would practically write itself.

A View From The Loft interview with Ann Rosenquist Fee and Catherine Lundoff

Love is in the air at this time of year. Love of all varieties. So the View team gleaned the inside scoop on how to write well about sensuality, romantic love, and sex. Two Loft teaching artists, Ann Rosenquist Fee and Catherine Lundoff, teach the art of erotica. Here are some of their insights.