Category: Creativity (Page 17 of 19)

Little Changes in Little Spaces

September 14, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

I don’t particularly love my house or my yard. They’re not terrible, but there are a lto of big things I would change if I had the means (or perhaps I would move!). So I’m always trying to create spaces that inspire me give me a sense of peace. As a writer and a parent, the inspiration part is a little easier than the peace part.

I’ve always put lots of love into my gardens (both flower and veggie), but lately I’ve been making small changes in other way. They have begun to add up to make a better yard, one that I find myself wanting to be in more often and engages lots of my senses.

Here are my little yard spaces in pictures (and the two little guys in the last picture always spruce up the place!):

Working–Too Busy to Blog

July 27, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

Between family times these last few weeks and deadlines for my freelance writing, I’ve been too busy to write. But I’m back at it this morning with some edits on my WIP, getting it ready to submit to Pitch Wars. Wish me luck!

My actual work space this morning. What are you up to on this hump day?

Finding Inspiration from New Perspectives #InkRipples

July 7, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

For July #InkRipples, we’re talking about inspiration. Since there are so many things that inspire me, not only in my writing but also in my life, I decided to post something new each week. Since two of my writing friends have new books out next week, I’m all booked up with guest posts, so you’re getting two #InkRipples this week. (Lucky you!)

I love when I come across something that makes me think about the world in a different way. Science often gives me a new perspective on the world. I could probably write a bunch of posts about how science inspires me, and I might be coming back to that later this month. Language also has the power to change the way you experience something. It can be a turn of phrase, a metaphor, a way to use a word you haven’t seen before, an emotion evoked simply from the words on a page–so many aspects of language can open your eyes to something new.

The moment when you come across something, and say, “I’ve never thought of that before” or “how come I never thought of that before” or “I never would have thought of that, but this is really amazing,” those are moments of inspiration. When I came across the headline “What Do Tree Rings Sound Like When Played Like A Record?” (granted this isn’t a brand-new story, but I hadn’t seen it until recently), I was like, “What?” And then I listened, and I was like, “Wow!”

YEARS from Bartholomäus Traubeck on Vimeo.

July #InkRipples: A Dose of Musical Inspiration

July 4, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

I’m an ideas person. There are so many things out in the world and in my own private world that inspire me. But instead of inundating you with a huge, random list of things that I’m currently feeling inspired by, I thought I’d drop one little ripple of inspiration in the inkwell each week in the month of July.

This a song that my whole family is loving right now called “Ophelia” by The Lumineers. The Prince makes requests for it, and I even overhead him singing it to himself in bed one night. “O-o-phelia…” The Boy claims he’s getting sick of it, but I think he still enjoys it. They both like to point out how in the video the guy dances in the street and that’s not safe!

It’s inspired a really solid story idea for a future novel. It’s a retelling of a very famous work. There will be a hurricane and mental illness and doomed love. I think. I may never write it. I get ideas all the time and whether or not I write it depends on how long it sticks around. So far this one seems to be sticking. Only time will tell, I suppose.

Anyone else digging this song? What’s been inspiring you lately?

#InkRipples is a monthly meme created by Katie L. Carroll, Mary Waibel, and Kai Strand. We pick a topic (July is all about inspiration), drop a ripple in the inkwell (i.e. write about it on our blogs), and see where the conversation goes. Be sure to check out Kai’s and Mary’s posts this month. We’d love to have you join in the conversation on your own blogs or on your social media page. Full details and each month’s topic can be found on my #InkRipples page.

Barnes & Noble Teen Book Festival Wrap-Up

June 15, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

The Barnes & Noble B-Fest Teen Book Festival this past weekend was such a great event! So many authors I know and many of my favorites who I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting in person participated in B&N locations all across the country. I was lucky enough to be a part of the event on Sunday at the North Haven store.

The staff totally made me feel like a rock star. They were super accommodating, supportive, and helpful. My day started at noon with a book talk about ELIXIR BOUND. Anyone who knows anything about how I got started writing knows it’s a sad story about the death of my sister Kylene.

To counterbalance the sad part of my writing journey, I brought along some of my old writings (and illustrations). They included a series of picture books inspired by IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE by Laura Joffe Numeroff and illusatrated by Felicia Bond, a short novel I wrote in elementary school, a saucy journal from high school filled with stories of old boyfriends (though I didn’t share any of those stories directly!), a high school newspaper that I both wrote for and edited, and a feature from a stint working for a regional newspaper while in college.

After my talk and book signing, I had a little downtime. But I had a few friends and family that stopped by to say “Hi,” so that kept me busy while I signed stock for the store. If anyone in the area is looking for signed copies of ELIXIR BOUND, the North Haven, CT Barnes & Noble has some!

Then it was time for Tara Sullivan, author of GOLDEN BOY and THE BITTER SIDE OF SWEET, to talk about her books and writing process, which was like listening to a fascinating civics lesson on albinism and the dark truth of where chocolate comes from. Tara and I met at the NESCBWI conference earlier this spring, and it was really nice catching up with her and hearing about her books.

Finally it was time for the B-Creative event Barnes & Noble set up, which was a writing workshop about creating log lines and pitches. It was geared towards teens, but we had a few great adult participants as well. And I’m pretty sure everyone went home with a prize!

Overall a hugely successful event all around. I’m excited about doing future books events here. Did anyone else participate in the B-Fest? I’d love to hear how it went!