Bethany Henry: Writing & Wellness

It’s been a crazy few weeks! Like something out of a book or a board game but definitely not something we expect to ever experience in real life. And for us writers it raises the question of what does creativity during coronavirus look like? First things first- I hope everyone is staying safe and being careful out there. Wash your hands. Practice social distancing. Follow the  advice of the CDC , even if it’s not easy. Ask for help. Help others. We may be needing to distance ourselves physically but that doesn’t mean we can’t all be uniting together in the face of adversity. Let’s help each other be well! And let’s be well ourselves both physically and mentally. So amidst this global coronavirus pandemic, where does creativity fit in? Today we’re looking at why creativity during coronavirus is important, what time management looks like during uncertain times, and tips on nurturing creativity. 3 Reasons Why Creativity is Still Important during Coronavirus 1: Times like the...

Slow writing versus fast writing is an interesting comparison. Some authors write  famously (and ridiculously) fast , writing books in a matter of days or weeks. And others take years and years (I’m looking at you, George R. R. Martin) to complete their work. So which is better? Should we push ourselves to write our novels quickly or be taking our time to labor over each word as we go? As with many things, there is no easy or “right” answer. Each writer, story, and situation is different. But just because neither is “best” doesn’t mean we should consider the question. There are some definite pros and cons to writing quickly versus writing slowly so we’re going to break some of those down here. Take a look and see where you think you may fall along the way! Slow Writing Versus Fast Writing Full disclaimer, currently I fall into the “fast writing” category for the most part. I try to write my first drafts as quickly as possible (yay  nanowrimo !) and I generally push myself to k...

So last month I took on a new challenge– I signed up for February Album Writing Month ( FAWM ) and committed to writing 14 songs in 29 days. It was a whirlwind month with its ups and downs, complete with school vacation for my kindergartner which made things extra exciting. Some days were good writing days, others were not. Overall? I’m 100% glad I jumped at this chance to try something new. It definitely pushed me to do something I wouldn’t have done otherwise. Over the month I wrote 10 songs and wrote partial lyrics for around 8 more. (I even like a few of the songs, which is something!) In the spirit of letting you all learn from my experience, here is a glimpse into my month of songwriting! 27 Lessons Learned from a Month of Songwriting (by a non-songwriter) 1. People are friendly! The FAWM community welcomed me to their midst with encouragement and friendly hellos within a few hours of me signing up. (Including a shout out from Finland, where I have family, so that made my day...