Does “wanderlust” have an expiration date? Does that itch to get up and just go fade away as time goes by? Or is it something that we seek within ourselves and actively hone and hear out?

I don’t actually know, to be honest. But I like to think it’s the latter. However, this pesky thing called life can and tends to get in the way of plans to set sail for Hawaii on a whim or to go live abroad for six months in the south of France. The grand plans of seeing the world may not apply to everybody, but I have my list at the ready, set to cross off far-away lands as I can.

But as I near my 30th birthday, I feel like the window on the freedom to travel at my own pleasure is coming to a close. Society tells me that I should be looking for a husband and wanting to settle down, buy a house, have some kids, get the token designer dog, build the constructed image that nets us the positive end of the neighbourhood gossip. While I am, yes, looking for a partner in crime to ride my days out with and raise some babies with, I’m not sure about the rest of it, and I can feel myself starting rail against it harder and harder. In a city like Victoria where the price of a single-family home is essentially unattainable for the average middle-class family, I have asked myself on more than one occasion: why? Is it a requirement that I own a piece of property and shoulder the responsibility of mortgage payments and taxes and utility bills? Is that the only way that I’ll be considered successful in the eyes my peers? Does that social acceptance even really matter to me?

I’m starting to think maybe there is another way. I know I’m not buying a house any time soon, and I’m not so sure I want to buy a condo, so where does that leave me?

With a whole lot of potential savings that is begging to be used.

Last September, I went to London, England and Amsterdam, Netherlands with my mom. I spent every dime of savings I had for our two weeks abroad, exploring with one of my favourite people in my favourite city and a new-found city. And I’m not sure I’ll ever get a chance to experience that again. My mom is struggling with some pretty serious health issues right now, and the trip itself held some trials for her. l can see her worsening, and I know in my heart that I may not get the chance again to show her Westminster Abbey or watch her swoon over the exceptionally good looking actor playing Macbeth at the Globe Theatre. (Seriously, though, what a hunk!) I may not get to see her sip her cappuccinos overlooking the Herengracht canal, wondering if her dad can see what she’s doing now, whether he’s proud of her. Those memories with my mom are priceless, and I can’t imagine still having the savings in the bank and never going on the trip. Doing the “financially responsible” thing and continuing to save for that down payment or whatever it might be wasn’t an option, so is it financially irresponsible if I just spent the money differently than what is expected?

Life is fragile and time is not guaranteed. We aren’t promised our tomorrows and every morning that we do in fact rise with sun is a gift, however cliche that might sound. I know with incredible clarity the way life takes a hard right turn and suddenly that bill payment you were worried about no longer matters. Life is a master of reminding you of the important things in ways that make sure you won’t forget. Life changes you, and for the better, I think. You learn to live again and appreciate the things in life that you simply took for granted.

In this moment, I am a healthy, hard-working, smart, 29-year-old writer. I certainly won’t stay 29 for ever, and I may not always be healthy, so I better take the chances that I do have to see what I want to see, in case tomorrow doesn’t happen. I can always make more money, but I may not be able to board a plane to sit on a houseboat in Amsterdam, I may not be able to see the Northern Lights in Iceland, I may never feel the beaches of Vietnam. I may not be able to hop in the car and simply drive away on the next roadtrip.

Go while you can, guys. Time waits for no one, no matter how hard we try to make sure it does. So, go. The rest will wait; the adventure may not.

– kw.

I was on a date last night–second date, to be exact–and the conversation started to take a more philosophical, deep direction. (One of my favourite things.)

“Why do you write?” he asked.

I sipped my Caesar, somewhat caught off-guard by the question. In all my years wearing the “writer” crown, I have never been asked this simple, direct question. I’ve been asked variations of it, like “what’s your favourite thing to write,” or “have you had anything published,” but never has anybody gone right to the core of it all.

“I have to,” I replied. Perhaps a simplistic reply, but it’s the truth.

I have to write. Somewhere in me, there is a compulsion to sit down with a blank page and a need to try to make sense of this world I live in. Is it how I relate to the world? Probably. Is it how I process events? Absolutely.

I think of the days after my dad had walked out and my maternal grandfather suddenly passed away. I was lost. I had no grip on reality and my entire foundation was in shambles. My boyfriend at the time didn’t know how to help me, so he walked out of the situation to sit on the sidelines. Those three months set me to sea on a jagged piece of waterlogged plywood with no makings of a sail or paddle. I was adrift. I know I’ve blocked out entire days through that time. My mom and brother talk about some family meal or visit, and I have zero recollection of it. None. It’s all black.

The only thing that kept me remotely connected to the world was writing. I’d write on anything I could find: napkins, envelopes, my computer if I had it, looseleaf, anything. In the end, the pain stumbled out of me and I had a poem to read at my grandfather’s funeral, that harnessed the ache, the loss, the darkness. I vaguely remember delievering it at the podium in front of an overflowing church, but I don’t remember much else from that day.

I was so angry and writing was the only thing that kept me sane, kept me human. I think art, whatever the medium, is the thing that humanizes us. We create these beautiful, one-of-a-kind works that are extensions of who we are and offer them to the world. They help guide us through our own messed-up existences and the act of creating brings us together, finds us in this little community where other people understand the sleepless nights of the placement of a quote, or the angst of a misplaced brushstroke, or the nervousness of a misintonated line on stage. We come together and step away in our art, and it’s something that is simply a part of who we are as artists.

The Golden Globes aired last night, and, topically, during her acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement, Meryl Streep quoted her good friend Carrie Fisher, saying, “Take your broken heart, and turn it into art.”

And maybe that’s where the compulsion comes from, the need to sort through the shattered pieces of your heart, your soul, your being, and turn into something that makes sense.

For me, it’s the only way out.

-kw.

I think we can all agree that 2016 was not the best of years. It was tumultuous to say the least, and I fully admit to putting off this project for most of the year. The inspiration simply wasn’t there. It didn’t exist in me, it didn’t exist in my world.

But we’re into a brand new year, and I’m not about to let 2016 have an encore performance. Nothing changes if nothing changes, right?

So here we are. Welcome to pinksemicolons.com, or I suppose welcome back to some of you. About six months ago, I decided to pursue this with a more dedicated and convicted focus, and I’ve spent the last few months doing back-end changes as I had the time. But I got stuck on what the first blog post should be. I got stuck in general, let’s be honest.

And the biggest hangup? Fear. I’ve been terrified of making the leap back onto the page and especially a page that is an extension of myself. This is me. This is my work, and this is where I plan on spending time in 2017. But I had a hard time getting started. Every time I opened up a new page on my computer or flipped to a new page in my Moleskin, I stopped. The idea was there, but I couldn’t get it out. (I know this isn’t new for me, but I’ve wondered if all creatives don’t struggle with this.)

“What if nobody reads your work? What if you say the wrong thing? Oh, my god, what if you just never write again?” shouted the voice in my head. She’s got power, that voice, and the fear grew steadily for weeks until I was utterly terrorized of following through with my plan. I seriously considered packing things in before I even set up shop.

But then my heart piped up: “So what?”

The words came at about 2:37 a.m. on an arbitrary night of not sleeping, and with that smallest of whispers, I started to calm down. So what, I thought. I might as well take a risk and see what happens instead of wondering what if. I only have one life to live and I want to write. I need to write. And it’s about time I stop denying that part of myself because, let’s face it, this world needs more full humans.

So, here it is. The result of putting the fear aside for a few minutes, just long enough to see what might be on the other side of it.

I look forward to adding more to this page and expanding it as I go, and I look forward to sharing it with all of you.

Thanks for being here.
-kw.

Originally posted here: https://writelydesigned.com/semicolon-isnt-really-scary/

Semicolons, in my humble opinion, are the best punctuation mark in a writer’s arsenal. Okay, maybe that’s bold, but it is my favorite. Something feels so good when I create the perfect sentence for a semicolon, not quite cutting off that first thought, but letting the second one stand on its own, too. Like the exclamation point, the semicolon is best used sparingly, but even with all of its redeeming qualities, I find people still don’t use them often. Maybe it’s because they don’t really know how to use it, or they think it’s too antiquated.

But come on, guys. It’s such a good mark.

I find that I use the semicolon when I really want to draw attention to what I’m saying. I want the heft of the words to weigh down the whole sentence. I want you, the reader, to feel what this sentence is carrying, the weight of the message it is trying to share with you.

So, after that, when exactly do you use a semicolon?

Two independent clauses

The semicolon links two related but independent clauses. Both have importance, but you don’t want to split them up into their own separate sentences or use a conjunction to soften them. For a simple example, you could say, “I like cats; my boyfriend likes dogs.” Related, but separate.

With “However”

Anytime you use “however” as a conjunctive adverb, it needs to be preceded by a semicolon. It drives me insane when I see, “I like kittens, however, I don’t like puppies.” No, that is not right. If you want to use “however” like that, then the thought needs to be rewritten in its entirety: “I like kittens. I don’t, however, like puppies.”

Lists

No, it never introduces a list, but it can help you separate out your thoughts if you’ve got a rather lengthy list or internal punctuation in that list.

You would never say, “Of all the cities I have been to, my favorites are; Los Angeles, California, New York, New York, and Portland, Oregon.”

Typically if you’re listing things off, if they’re complex clauses or already contain internal punctuation, a semicolon can help to distinguish the items in the list (“Of all the cities I have been to, my favorites are: Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; and Portland, Oregon.) You’ll probably see this more in academic writing than in creative writing, but sometimes you just end up with an unruly list in a creative piece.

Guys, don’t be scared of the semicolon; she won’t bite. In fact, she only wants to help you push your sentence further. Don’t cop out with an 18th comma if a semicolon would work perfectly. We overuse the “…, but…” structure, so why not try switching out one of those for a semicolon next time?

Originally posted here: https://writelydesigned.com/15-writing-quotes-inspire/

At their most fundamental level, words, written or spoken, allow us to communicate with each other, whether it’s as simple as “Go,” or something more profound, like “I love you.” We connect to words, with words, and they help us define the world around us. We can relate to each other based on what we say or don’t say, find understanding in somebody else’s words or have somebody reach out because of ours.

So, in the spirit of fostering a warm, welcoming community of wordsmiths, I have compiled fifteen of my favorite “writing quotes” in the hopes that they touch you or inspire you the way they do for me. We each bring something profound to the table, something worth saying. Don’t forget that.

Enjoy.

“Creativity takes courage.”—Henri Mattisse

“Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic.”—Albus Dumbledore

“Write drunk, edit sober.”—Ernest Hemingway

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”—Stephen King

“To begin, begin.”—William Wordsworth

“If it can be destroyed by the truth, it deserves to be destroyed by the truth.”—Carl Sagan

“Write what should not be forgotten.”—Isabel Allende

“Put your ear down close to your soul and listen.”—Anne Sexton

“I write only because there is a voice within me that will not be still.”—Sylvia Plath

“You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.”
—Anne Lamot

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”—Ernest Hemingway

“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I’m afraid of.”
—Joss Whedon

“A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.”—Thomas Mann

“If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.”—Margaret Atwood

“When we read, we start at the beginning and continue until we reach the end. When we write, we start in the middle and fight our way out.”
—Vickie Karp

What’s your favorite writer quote?

Originally posted here: https://writelydesigned.com/writers-block-ten-prompts-kick-curb/

I don’t know about you, but I find that I get stuck inside my own head when I’m trying to settle into a writing session. Even if I stack the odds in my favour (read: favorite Starbucks, favorite drink, headphones in, let’s go), sometimes I dance in circles, constantly deleting the words I throw down on the page. Write, backspace, Write. Man, this is junk.

So, if you’re like me and need help breaking that vicious cycle, I’ve compiled some of my favorite writing prompts with some newly discovered ones in the hopes that you trigger the creative burst you’re seeking to start that next great piece or push your masterpiece into its next evolution.

Enjoy, and good luck.

1. Write a text (at least one page) with each line filling in the blanks of “I used to be —, but now I am —.”
2. Employ what is known as “freeflow writing.” Take a blank piece of paper or open a new document on your computer, let everything from your day go, and just let the words come. Don’t think, just write. It’s not meant to be linear or connected. It’s not meant to be pretty or polished. It’s just meant to be an intrinsic tie between you, your words and what it is you really have to say. You’ll be surprised by the gems you’ll uncover.
3. “He took the key from his pocket, slipped it into the lock and, to his shock…”
4. Think on your favorite memory. You know it inside-out. Now, reimagine it from a different perspective. Like from the rooftop, or the bird’s nest in the backyard. The car driving by. Whatever the original perspective, tell the story from somewhere completely different.
5. Make a list of your favorite nouns and verbs, maybe say ten of each. Now write a piece using a combination of each noun and verb for each of the sentences.
6. Pick the closest book to you. Flip to five random pages and pick a word from each, crafting a sentence (i.e. pick a subject, verb, object). Keep it easy in the beginning. Now let that be your jumping off point and have at it.
7. Pick a news article from your local newspaper that speaks to you. Imagine a scene that the story doesn’t cover. For example, a car accident claims the life of a man. Write the scene just after the family has been notified.
8. From creative-writing-now.com, the “three elements” trick: take three seemingly arbitrary and unrelated things and spin a story that somehow ties them all together. 
For example, a broken wristwatch, peppermints, and a hug that goes too far.
9. You’re set to give a speech at your best friend’s wedding and it is a supremely proper event, but you’re feeling rebellious and decide to buck tradition. What do you write instead? What advice do you give? What reactions do you receive?
10. Your lead character is hitting the road, hitchhiking his or her way to a destination. What story does your character use with other travellers? Is it true, or does it change just a little bit every time it is told? Where is he or she going? Describe the landscape from the side of the road, from the back of a truck bed, from the backseat of a car, from the passenger seat. Describe the scenario from the driver who picks up your hitchhiker.
11. You find yourself zoned out and in those split seconds before coming back to reality, if you’re anything like me, eight million thoughts pile through like an open freeway. Pull one out and focus on it, even if it’s as trivial as “I left the grocery list on the counter.” Elaborate on that. What did you have on that list? Imagine a character leaving it somewhere other than the counter. Perhaps the child seat of the shopping cart. You get my drift. Take something whirling in your mind, nail it down and start building up from there.