Have you ever wondered when the tradition of wedding rings began? How they developed in various cultures around the world? To read a fascinating article on the topic, just click on the image below; the article includes images of amazing works of art worn on fingers centuries ago. The image below, by the way, is of my own wedding ring; it’s a runic ring designed by Sheila Fleet in Orkney, Scotland, and it says, “dreams of everlasting love”.
Filed under History, History Undusted, Links to External Articles, Research
For those of you who are interested, I just thought I’d make a shameless plug for one of my husband’s albums: It’s taken us a while to get it up and running due to the complexities of publishing rights and Swiss-pocket-sized publishers, etc., but “Plausch im Räge” is now available on Spotify! It’s a Swiss German kids’ praise album, under the artist’s name of Stef Hüsler. Just click on the cover art below! Even if you don’t understand Swiss German, but are curious to hear the music, or hear my vocals, enjoy – and please pass the word! In the coming weeks, he’ll be getting the other album spotified, so keep your ears open.
Filed under Images, Links to External Articles, Publications
Here’s an excellent article on creativity, and how to stir it up! Enjoy!
As a creative that often works to deadlines I am in the business of using imagination and inspiration as tools, rather than viewing them as the rare and fleeting gifts of fickle muses. I see it as entirely possible to produce inspiration and train the imagination, because I do this on a regular basis, as do all creatives. In this series of articles I intend to demystify the idea of the “creative genius” a bit by offering some concrete things you can actually do to find inspiration.
The number one tip should probably be that you want to be inspired, that you crave that fabulous idea so much that a bit of poking and prodding will convince it to scurry out of hiding and harass you like a hungry cat to make it happen. This should really be obvious, but if you try my suggestions and come up empty I’m…
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Filed under Links to External Articles, Writing Exercise, Writing Prompt
This is a great way to explore other blogs, and get the word out about your own! Let’s have some fun! Put your blog’s URL in a comment below, and then check out each other’s home bases! 🙂
Filed under Links to External Articles
No, this is not an article about the pros and cons of the position you take while writing; but as a writer, I am fully aware that my job is mostly a sitting one… it’s hard to walk around writing or typing and not fall down the stairs. But there are a lot of pseudo-scientific articles circulating recently about how sitting is the worst thing for your body. I have news for you: Stress about worrying if you’re sitting too much is far worse for your body than your actual physical posture. Sit comfortably, sit straight and relaxed, and write creatively; take occasional breaks by getting up, moving around, stretching, and getting a hot cup of tea for the next round of writing! For a good dose of sarcasm on the topic, click on the image below!
Filed under Humor, Links to External Articles
One of the most challenging things as a writer is to remain succinct; “every word counts” needs to be printed on the back of my hands whether I’m working on a book manuscript, writing to a friend, or answering grammar questions on a forum I lead. Occasional ramblings are far more acceptable than chronic ones; everyone has a friend, acquaintance or family member who rambles (or – you know who you are!): I have a neighbour near our building who can turn the reply to a simple, “How are you?” into a 45-minute explanation of how her cousin’s frog’s nephew’s classmate’s teacher’s son’s uncle came by with a blue – or was it green? You know the kind of green that looks like wilting grass, no, that’s too yellow… by the time she takes a breath she’s gone down so many detours I have NO idea what she’s talking about, or even what the original question was. Needless to say, when I’m on a deadline I politely avoid that side of the house.
I’ve come across a website that would be a literal impossibility for that neighbour, and would even be a challenge for many of us who consider ourselves to personify the phrase, “brevity is the soul of wit”: Click on the image below to see “One Sentence – True Stories Told in One Sentence”. Take the challenge – can you write a story in one sentence? And take inspiration from the site as well; there are some great starter-sentences there that could be expanded upon to make a short story, or even a novel.
Note: Since this was originally posted, the site at the link below has gone offline. Instead, just go to Google and search for “one-sentence stories“, and you’ll come across several great options.
Stephanie Huesler 