Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

Break Writer’s Block: 5 Ways Reading Can Rekindle Creativity

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What are your writing goals for 2025? If you're feeling mired in winter blues or post-holiday blahs, maybe you're finding it hard to get back into your groove. Whenever I struggle with my writing, I read. Immersive reading can be a powerful tool to combat writer’s block by stimulating creativity and breaking those mental barriers. Here’s how it works: 1. Reading Expands Your … [Read more...]

Books! 2024 Wrap-up from favorites to the ho-hum

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My wrap-up includes literary fiction, memoir and historical fiction Top favorites include Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe: Witty, unexpected, engaging, and so entertaining; Bonnie Jo Campbell's The Waters: A brutal and compelling novel of three generations of strong women living in rural Michigan; and Susan E. Wadds' What the Living Do, with a tough but flawed narrator who … [Read more...]

The story of a ten-year-old girl who got a real hippopotamus for Christmas

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Forget Holly Jolly My dentist is somewhere in her thirties, expecting her third child. I recently had a crown replaced and was forced to listen to boring Christmas songs while she drilled out the old porcelain crown. Between swishing and holding my mouth open, I told her it's a shame "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" isn't 'played more often. She had never heard of the song! This makes … [Read more...]

What That AARP “Guide to Become a 60-Something Debut Novelist” Got Wrong

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Is it really that easy? Kudos to author Anastasia Rubis on the success of her recent novel. But lest you think her AARP guide to becoming a debut novelist seems easy, keep in mind Rubis is no slouch. She's quite an accomplished writer. That goes a long way toward knowing how to write well and edit. Rubis’ writing has appeared in the New York Times, Huffington Post, New … [Read more...]

From Practice to Mastery: 10 Quick Insights for Writers

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Notes from a novel writing workshop: 1. Writing is a practice. Do it every day. 2. Writing is failure and rejections. It can be a painful dig to find what glimmers. 3. Writing is endurance. It is a beloved commitment. It means saying, "Yes, I'm still writing." 4. Writing is personal. You have questions you are trying to answer. 5. Writing is reading to become fluent. 6. Writing … [Read more...]