Writing Unleashed with Laura M. Harkins

conorbirney.com kwik- ˈsä-tik The adjective quixotic derives from the novel Don Quixote . It describes an impulsive, unpredictable, idealistic, extravagantly chivalrous person. For the life of me, I couldn’t think of how I would approach this topic today. Then, yesterday morning, an idea rushed into my head leaving me mentally occupied all day, ignoring all of my writing class obligations. (The process of balancing work, creation and a TV addiction takes longer than expected. Moving on…) The personality appealed to me, and I couldn’t wait to attach it to a new character. My idea involves developing a female amateur sleuth with a quixotic personality living in Philadelphia. I’m still improving my characterization and story development, so an earlier post of mine discussing the infusion of a borrowed idea with my own experiences and perspectives lead me to make the connection with Don Quixote . I plan to read the novel and loosely base the personalities and characters on thos...

No, no I am not planning on bedding agents and editors in exchange for publication.   No sexual impropriety here.   Sorry to disappoint.   I’m employing my dreams as a muse and mentor.   Growing up discussing my dreams with my family was commonplace, and as an adult, the tradition continues.    It’s a conversation with my unconscious, and one of the few times I’ll take my own advice.       Last night, I dreamt I was on a boat in the ocean.   The waves tossed me and the boat all over the place.   I remember struggling not to fall over.   As the dream progressed, the boat found calmer water.   When I woke up, I reached for my dream dictionary to find out what it meant and scribbled everything down in my journal.      Let's take a deeper look at my dream.   Deconstructing a dream helps you understand the different parts at work, and, eventually, determine what your unconscious is telling you.  Wa...