Bethany Henry: Writing & Wellness

Here are some quotes about creativity, writing, and wellness for you to be inspired by. Enjoy! 🙂 “A writer, I think, is someone who pays attention to the world.” Susan Sontag “Creativity requires input, and that’s what research is. You’re gathering material with which to build.”  Gene Luen Yang “To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man.” Aristotle “Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.”  Albert Einstein “Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows.” Jim Jarmusch “I think an artist’s responsibility is more complex than people realize.”  Jodie Foster “I don’t think there’s any artist of any value who doesn’t doubt what they’re doing.” Francis Ford Coppola “Always do your best. What you plan...

Today I’m thrilled to be guest posting over at Fiction University. If you aren’t already reading the hugely helpful blog over at Fiction University then you are missing out! It’s a great resource for all things related to writing. My guest post is looking at  the dos and don’ts of writing a good sidekick. Sidekicks sometimes get overlooked but they play a unique and powerful role in a story that no one else can fill, not even The Hero. So check out my  5 Dos and Don’ts of Creating A Good Sidekick ! Originally published November 20, 2020 on Bethany-Henry. com. 

What is something you’re thankful for today? A tiny thing that made you smile? Something that made you happy this week? Practicing thankfulness is not just a cute Thanksgiving activity- it can be a mind-enriching activity that can transform our outlook in life. When we think about what we’re thankful for, we not only take the time to recognize the good that is already in our lives but we also train our minds to look for the good in the future. Here’s my list of some things I’ve been thankful for this month- feel free to share some of your own list below! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, and may we all give thanks every day 🙂 Originally published November 13, 2020 on Bethany-Henry. com.

As writers, finishing projects is a huge deal. Finishing projects is the difference between writing as a now-and-then hobby and writing as a lifestyle that produces results. You may be confused, because recently I talked about why sometimes it might be best to give up on a project. This is true. It is important to recognize when our projects are unhealthy or no longer aligning with our goals. Yet overall, building the practice of finishing our work has several huge payoffs. 5 Reasons to Finish Your Projects 1. We Learn as We Go Sometimes we just don’t know on page 1 (or even on pages 10 or 35) what we really want to say. Often we need to complete that first draft in order to discover what our story is *really* all about or what tone it should take. If we give up on our story mid-way, we may be missing out on its best parts. 2. We Learn By Completing We will never learn how to write a full story arc if we never get past the first five chapters- even if the first five chapters a...