This morning I was working with a writer who felt uninspired by something he was writing.
“It sounds like ChatGPT wrote it,” he said, and read a bit aloud: “It starts, ‘Exciting news!’ – there’s even an exclamation mark.”
What would happen, I asked, if he changed the emotion? What if, without changing the news you are delivering, you begin by describing it as “dreadful” instead?
Something in his face changed, and he started speaking out loud: “Terrible news,” he began. “Your day has been ruined.”
He had begun to relish writing again.
If you feel uninspired, change the emotion and see what happens.
If you want more personal help with your writing, you know where I am.
Short Stories by Women
Today is International Women’s Day. I thought I might share with you some books of short stories by women. I just love short stories.
I don’t know why they got piled up in that particular order. There’s no significance to it. But here are the names: Elise Valmorbida, Natalia Ginzburg, Muriel Spark, Alice Jolly, Lorrie Moore, Katherine Mansfield, Angela Carter, Tove Janson, Alice Munro, Flannery O’Connor, Grace Paley, Lore Segal, Lydia Davis, Claire Keegan.
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