Writers attending conferences - like last week's The Muse & The Marketplace 2021 - tend to react to the experience in one of two ways: despair or elation.

 

Camp #1 is overwhelmed with information. Too much of the advice they absorbed seemed contradictory or overly complicated. They’re not sure they even like agents and editors anymore. And dammit, if all those other attendees are trying to get published, how do they stand a chance? 

Are you finding it hard to write? We live in deeply unsettling times, and it's easy to get distracted by all that's going on in the world. Here's a brief list of ideas to jumpstart your writing and help you get out of your own head for a moment:

 

1) Apply to a writing contest. Years and years ago, I won a local short story prize, and it gave me the confidence I needed to keep plugging away at my writing

During this time when our normal writing routines (alongside most other routines!) have been disrupted, we’re sharing short videos designed to help us all get unstuck, move forward, or find a new direction for our writing projects.

In Episode 3 of our "Write On Prompts" video series, GrubStreet Instructor Crystal King shares a prompt about character complaints to help get you unstuck.

Do you work downtown and want to fit some writing into your day? Or do you have a schedule that gives you free afternoons instead of evenings? Join our FREE Brown Bag Lunch Writing Series.

Bring your lunch and come on over to GrubStreet on Wednesday, December 11th from 12:30pm-1:15pm. For 45 minutes, you’ll meet fellow writers and get your creative juices flowing with some cool writing exercises

If your New Year's resolution is to write a lot more than you did this year, then don't miss out on these January 3-hour seminars and 6-hour weekend workshops:

 

Friday, 1/10 & Saturday, 1/11

• Personal Stories for Public Change: Election Year
• Touchy Feely: How to Get Emotional Without Making a Mess
• So You Want to Be a Writer in 2020? Section A
• Overcoming Writer's Block

Friday, 1/17 & Saturday, 1/18

• Interior Landscapes: Creating Depth in Fiction
• Novel Essentials: Pacing
• Building a World from the Ground Up
• The Mechanics of Powerful Prose
• Jumpstart Your Writing
• Transgender Character Bootcamp

Wednesday, …