Charlotte Rains Dixon

On Beginning Again, A Love Letter (+ November Round-up

I’m two weeks out from my hip replacement surgery, and, as noted last week, I’m doing well. I jokingly tell people I’m a little disappointed—I thought I was going to have at least a month to laze about, reading and recovering. And now I feel like doing all the things! Including writing. Sort of. Because, […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 7 years ago12/01/2018

Love letters

Coming Out the Other Side + Holiday Special (A Love Letter)

Years ago I read a science fiction novel, the name and author of which is long lost in the mists of time and my brain. A female scientist (I think), living on another planet (of course), was studying an alien life form that appeared in the form of lights in a lake. The lights blinked […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 7 years ago11/24/2018

Love letters

On Taking Time Off (A Love Letter)

One of my favorite images on Instagram is one that reads, being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life. Because, it is, isn’t it? This is not necessarily a bad thing. I was always the nerd kid that loved homework and writing reports. But it can be a […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 7 years ago11/10/2018

Love letters

On Deep Inner Magic (A Love Letter)

An email came into my inbox this week with the subject Deep Inner Magic. Being a sucker for such things, I clicked. It was a promo for a webinar that didn’t interest me much, but the phrase stuck with me. As I pondered why, I realized it’s because deep inner magic is what I believe […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 7 years ago11/04/2018

Love letters

The Scourge of Not-Enoughness (A Love Letter)

I have it. You do too. But the funny thing is, most of the time I look at you and think you don’t have it. And you most likely look at me and feel the same. But every human being on the planet, except for maybe Queen Elizabeth or Elon Musk or Gwyneth Paltrow, has […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 7 years ago10/28/2018

Love letters

Don’t Give Up On Your Creative Practice (A Love Letter)

This has been a crazy week. Besides the usual round of appointments and teaching commitments (which I love), my daughter had hand surgery after slicing a tendon and a couple of nerves in her thumb. Thus, I’ve been tending small children even more than usual. I know, you’ve probably had a crazy week, too. And […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 7 years ago10/19/2018

Love letters

The Delicious Effort of Story (A Love Letter)

Story takes effort. Sometimes at night I sit in front of the TV and I don’t have the energy to watch anything more than a thirty-minute sitcom, or a singing reality show, which I can digest in small bites and turn off when I get bored. Because the mental effort of engaging with a longer […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 7 years ago10/12/2018

Character

Make the Reader Feel Emotion

The other night, over a writer’s dinner, my friend Angie mentioned a writing tidbit she’d received from a class she’d taken with James N. Frey, of How to Write a Damn Good Novel fame. (Not the James Frey of A Million Little Pieces fame.) It was this: make your reader feel the emotion, not just your […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 7 years ago

Uncategorized

What to Do When You Hit a Creative Wall

Last weekend, I hit a creative wall. It wasn’t full-blown writer’s block, mind you, but a wall. Maybe a half-wall. I’d been working steadily and strongly all week on a couple of chapters and finished them. That got me to a natural stopping place before the next action began. Only problem was, I wasn’t sure […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 7 years ago

Love letters

Changing Things Up (A Love Letter)

If there’s one thing I know about writing, it’s that not all techniques work for every writer. Not only that, but what works for one writer one time may not work the next time. The system you use to write your novel the first time out just doesn’t fit the next time out. The way […]

Charlotte Rains Dixon 7 years ago10/06/2018

Looking for a Great Read? Look No Further!