Everyone has pet peeves. Little, innocuous offenses that immediately annoy us or, in some cases, unholy rage. The range of offenses is wide, from bad drivers to slow walkers to open-mouthed chewing (I feel like I might be triggering some ambient rage just from mentioning some of these). Whatever your pet peeves are, they…
New writers are inundated with advice. Whether you’re in a workshop, discussing ideas with a friend, or watching an interview with a famous author, everyone wants to tell you how to write well. Even I, your friendly neighborhood hobbyist, am sitting here tapping away on my keyboard to put my writing opinions into the world.…
Every book is a journey, from the copyright pages to the acknowledgments. It could be a literal journey, a fictional hero traveling great distances to accomplish their goal like Frodo or Odysseus. Others are more cerebral, characters going on an internal journey of self-reflection and discovery. Nonfiction can take us on real, historical journeys or…
There’s a special kind of dread that comes with finishing a second or third draft. Every rewrite sits in front of you looking like a finished piece. And, to some extent, it is: it’s as finished as you, alone, can make it. Months spent in the belly of the beast have eroded your ability to…
Artists of all stripes have a difficult time describing where their motivation to create comes from. Some chalk it up to inspiration (a famously fickle mistress); others, to hard work and rigid schedules. I’m of the personal opinion that the creative drive is in all of us and it just takes some learning and routine…
Every art piece starts with an idea. There’s usually a gathering of materials, some excited muttering, and a vague plan for execution formed. Then the artist will sit down in front of their blank canvas, fingers buzzing with potential, maybe even inspiration. Getting started on something new is the most fun a creative can have.…
As someone who enjoys making things, I’ve found that the word “hobby” does a lot of heavy lifting. Most hobbies are creative, usually involving the physical creation of something from a set of tools and raw materials. For instance, woodworking: you have your tools, the saws, hammers, nails, screws; and you have the raw materials,…
Hi there! Welcome to Tea Reads: a blog about reading, writing, and drinking unholy amounts of tea. As this is the inaugural post and I, quite frankly, am quaking in my metaphorical boots, I’ll do my best to keep it short and sweet. My name is Cyndy and this is my first blog. Here’s the…
Tea Reads 