The Writing Life Archives - Page 2 of 12

The John B. Sails: From Bahamian Folk Song to Beach Boys Classic

August 10, 2026 By Linda K Sienkiewicz

All in a day of doing writer's research What writer hasn't fallen down a rabbit hole of research? This one started innocently with song lyrics from Sloop John B, used in my novel Love and Other … Continue reading >>

My husband doesn’t read my books—and why it doesn’t matter

August 3, 2026 By Linda K Sienkiewicz

Confession: I don't ask my husband to read my books. They aren’t the kind of books he enjoys. Loving me doesn’t require loving my sentences. I’ve learned reading isn’t the only proof of support. … Continue reading >>

When a Word Makes You Notice the Writer

July 20, 2026 By Linda K Sienkiewicz

girl looks up from reading a book in a library

I discovered a book club group discussion on Facebook about the phrases and words readers notice, and how those words then seem to appear in every book. It made me realize that readers are pattern … Continue reading >>

When Kacey Musgraves accidentally wrote the theme song for my novel’s heroine

July 13, 2026 By Linda K Sienkiewicz

Serenity's Anthem: Kacey Musgraves' "Dry Spell" Writers believe we make deliberate choices about our characters, but then a song comes on the radio and we suddenly recognize something we'd written … Continue reading >>

To Name or Not to Name: Writing Fiction in a Real Place

June 15, 2026 By Linda K Sienkiewicz

When Fiction Meets a Real Place Anne Tyler amazes me with how she writes about real places, Baltimore, especially, and yet somehow makes them entirely her own. Her fictional neighborhoods feel … Continue reading >>

The Unexpected Comfort of a Spreadsheet: Trying New Things

June 8, 2026 By Linda K Sienkiewicz

What We Resist Until We Don’t For years my husband has been extolling the virtues of spreadsheets. Whenever I felt overwhelmed with tasks, he’d calmly say, “Why don’t you make a spreadsheet?” I’d … Continue reading >>

Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line