Category: Writing

LK Lohan

Musing on Muses

Where do ideas come from? Is it the Muses? I’m sure there are nearly as many theories as there are ideas. Why do they sometimes flow like a meltwater torrent, sometimes stagnate like a murky pond, and sometimes dry up like a seasonal flow, leaving nothing but cracked, parched soil behind? Frankly, I don’t have the slightest idea (pun fully intended). If I did, it would make things much easier. I’d just provide the input, and the output would flow as neatly and predictably as through a canal. But there’s a reason why a meandering river is so much richer Read More …

LK Lohan

Are You a Plotter or Are You a Pantser?

Are you a plotter, or are you a pantser? As much as I resist being categorized, this one’s an exception. I fit squarely into the pantsing box. Actually, I prefer to call myself a “discovery writer”*. In my ongoing quest of learning the craft of writing, I’ve devoured a large number of books (yes, it’s a pattern). Most of the instruction came squarely down on the plotting side. Three-act structure. Hero’s journey. Plot points to be checked off somewhere between page 50 and 60. Hey, what’s the matter? That’s a whole TEN PAGES of leeway. I tried. I really did, Read More …

LK Lohan

Resistance

A few years ago, a little book fell into my hands. Steven Pressfield’s “Do the Work!“. A quick, easy read with gimmicky formatting (at least the version I have), and yet the contents hit me like an axe between the shoulderblades. It boils down to this: Resistance is the universal enemy, an unthinking force of nature that pushes us to act against our self-interest, our values, and our better judgement. It’s an ever-present threat that’s hard to recognize because internally it shows up in so many ways: Discomfort. Confusion. Laziness. Inertia. Preoccupation. Rationalization. The outward reactions it triggers are just Read More …

LK Lohan

The Story behind the Stories

I’ve been writing for a long time. A much longer time, in fact, than I’m willing to admit. For most of that time, publication wasn’t even a smudge on the horizon. All I wanted was to see what might happen to those really cool characters who just stood in the doorway of my mind one day and demanded to be given life. I wrote hundreds of thousands of words worth of vignettes; just occurrences in the characters’ lives. Imagine the worst of purple prose, stacked upon melodrama. A plot? A story arc? A character arc? WTF? And that was fine. Read More …

LK Lohan

Reading Too Much

I just finished reading my thirty-first book for the year. It’s mid-May. Unlike the more common New Year’s resolution, mine was to read less. Well, unless I drastically change my trajectory, this is one resolution I’m not going to keep. Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with reading. As a writer, reading is what I do for knowledge and inspiration, for learning about the craft, and for keeping up with new trends. It’s also one of my main sources of entertainment — not to mention a major source of procrastination. When I’m reading, I can always tell myself that Read More …