The Writing Life - Lacey Louwagie

My Reading Life: Bleaker House by Nell Stevens

Ah, the lure of “If Only …” to writers. If only I could quit my job, then I could really focus on my writing. If only I was independently wealthy. If only my kids were older. If only I had my own writing space. If only I could get an MFA.

Blogging

Meander North Today

Earlier this fall, I had the honor of being one of the final pre-publication readers of my friend Marie Zhuikov’s new book, Meander North, which is on sale now! Although Marie is a member of my writer’s group, this was my first time reading Meander North. The book

The Writing Life

Writing is Not a Solitary Pursuit

Recently, a member of my writer’s group died. It was unexpected, and the three of us who remain don’t know very much about it. He lived alone, and another member raised the alarm when he didn’t respond to the emails about an upcoming meeting in his usual

motherhood

Writers of the Future Honorable Mention

I found out a couple weeks ago that a short story I entered into the Writers of the Future contest received an honorable mention. According to the judges, that means it held their interest enough to read the entire thing — which is a compliment, considering that the story was about

covid-19

Notes From My Isolation

(At the end of this post, I have some suggestions for creativity and self development during isolation. If you are not interested in my own experiences/reflections, please feel free to skip straight there.) Like many of you, I am self-isolating. As a freelancer and stay-at-home mom, my work life

Fairy Tales

Young Writers Conference: Retold Fairy Tales

This week I gave three presentations on retold fairy tales to elementary and middle-school students at the Conference for Young Writers at SMSU in Marshall, Minnesota. I have very fond memories of this conference, so it’s fun to be able to “give back.” It was the CYW I attended

grants

My Writing Resolutions: 2020 Edition

It’s been a bit of a tradition for me since I was a teenager to make “writing resolutions” every year. This year, I have two. 1. To submit my middle-grade novel taking place during the 2008 recession to at least 10 places — presses and/or agents. 2. To apply

appearances

My Appearance at Books on Third

The Marshall Area Fine Arts Council (MAFAC) recently opened/rebranded Books on Third, a gift shop that sells awesome artwork, jewelry, and BOOKS by local and regional authors. I was honored to be one of the authors invited to attend the grand opening. I went through the store’s stock

identity

Finding My Writer's Identity Post-Baby

Last week, I had my writers group meeting in Arizona. This may not seem unusual, unless you know that two members of my writers group live in Minnesota and that I live in South Dakota. The fourth member retired to Arizona, and we’ve always talked about having one of

books

How Early Motherhood Has Changed My Reading Life

Ten days ago, I became a mother when my son was lifted out of my abdomen behind a curtain, his cries filling the room and my heart welling up with relief. It was a long labor — 30 hours by the time he arrived — fraught with run-of-the-mill complications — meconium in the

artist dates

Interactive Fiction: Is it Real Literature?

Last weekend was South Dakota’s annual Festival of Books, a free event that draws together authors and readers from across the state and beyond. There are always plenty of sessions that are of use to writers, and a bunch that are like crack to readers, and I always walk

The Writing Life

Need a Writing Boost? Shake Up Your Schedule

I haven’t blogged here in a long time, and usually that means I’ve been having trouble finding enough time for writing, period. Happily, that has not been the case these last few weeks. Instead, I have been enjoying the forward momentum that comes from getting in a little

The Writing Life

Doing Away with Writer's Guilt

Last week, I spent all of 15 minutes revising the novel that I’m supposed to be moving through at a rate of one chapter a week. (It was supposed to be half an hour, but I got a work call that truncated it.) Last week was a terrible one

The Writing Life

Keep the Writing Connections Alive

Usually, I begin each day by writing in my journal for half an hour. This allows me to sort of “declutter” my mind before moving forward into the day ahead, and it also prompts me to record more of my life than I would if I was only writing when

Book Reviews

Retelling Book Review: Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Guess what I did over the weekend? I started ACTUALLY WRITING on one of my novels again. It felt so good, and I’m so happy to be working on a long-term fiction project again. Cobbling together lots of smaller projects during my writing time makes me feel a little

The Writing Life

My Writing "Retreat"

Today I did not have to go to work for my “primary” job (yay government holidays), and yet it’s still taken me almost all day to come here and write. Once upon a time I had this great idea that every time I had a “bonus” day off from

Blogging

2016 - A New Year For Writing

It’s a new year, which means a new writing resolution. This year, I have only one: to put my middle-grade novel through another rigorous revision and submit it to an editor who has given me permission to do so. It also marks the end of last year’s writing

NaNoWriMo

Resisting the Siren Song of NaNoWriMo

So, it’s that time of year again. The time to start thinking about writing novels in November. Even though I do not do NaNoWriMo every year, not a single November has passed since I first participated in 2005 that I haven’t thought about it. This year I told

The Writing Life

Finding "Space" to Write, Refilling the Well, and Cheating: Balancing the Need to Create with Everything Else

This past weekend, despite still recovering from a nasty cold, my husband and I drove six hours across the state to Hill City for a writer’s workshop. I’ve returned more tired than I ought to be after a weekend, but also recommitted to my writing, reassured that I’