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I went for a run in the cold last night, at dusk. It was amazing – houses framed by Christmas lights, a silent herd of deer, twilight sky with lavender clouds. And I came home with about ten things I wanted to write about. I don’t run to be thin. I run because every time I do, I come home with plenty to write about.

Writing is a lot like turning on faucet, or opening an aqueduct. Before you open it, you feel a pressure of water building in an unseen well that is always there. And for some reason, running is like priming the pump. It always makes the waters flow.

I recently learned there are studies that show that very rhythmic actions in the body help unlock creativity. Before I knew that, I just knew that writing and running in tandem really helped me. I could plot out scenes, get to know characters, reflect on themes. Yoga is another great one that I love and can do easily with little people sleeping. I think hiking and skiing do it too, but the pavement is always there, outside my door, whereas the mountains require a weekend road trip for us in Coastal New Hampshire.

I found both things – running and writing – after having three kids three and under. That, and studying and teaching for my PhD in philosophy. I stayed home with the kids when I had two years left to finish because my husband had a great job, but he had to travel a lot. I could always write at home. So I did. I wrote a novel, started a food blog, had another baby, started another novel. And I discovered that the process of these things – running, writing, mothering – changes us in amazing ways, that the work itself shapes us into something akin to who we were born to be.

When I sat down to write fiction, I discovered this well inside. I think all creative people know what it is like to discover The Well. Endless visions for designing your home, or curating outfits, or making delicious food, or drafting a humor essay about potty training in your head while doing the dishes.

I am amazed at how the Internet has allow people to share their wells. There is no faster way to feel the existence of our own creativity then to be inspired, to have it ignited by someone else.

I think that there is a time to shut off everyone else, too. To let The Well refill. To be quite and still and reflect. To hear our own original voice amidst the noise of our world. To get in touch with our spirit, the one that mirrors the original Creator.

Thomas Aquinas said the best life is one that balances the active and the contemplative. So as we head into the new year, I hope to use this as my model for creativity. Running and writing, priming and pumping, viewing and creating, giving and receiving. All are inspiring, and all help to fill and empty The Well, because for some reason, like our breath, like a river, the waters of creativity always want to flow.

Sol Stein’s definition of being a writer is “someone who cannot not write”. I just love this. I am so enamored with the craft of writing and am hungry to know more all the time. I have also been asked a lot lately about how to get started in writing, and in the beginning I had no clue, I just kept reading books on the craft.

So my first post on this site is dedicated to everyone who wants to write, wants to grow a little bit at a time, who loves the craft of writing for itself.

Here are the books that got me started, my own little education, in the order that I read them. I am sure I will add more.

1. The Writing Life , Annie Dillard // I read this book along time ago, and the image of her writing in her little shed spoke to me like nothing else had.

2. On Writing, Stephen King // I read this when I was a newlywed, while my husband traveled a ton and I was stuck in snowy, upstate New York winters. He recommends to forgo all writing groups, conventions, conferences, and just to sit in a room and write the damn book. He also recommends only one other book and it is:

3. Elements of Style, William Strunk & E.B. White (Of Charlotte’s Web fame) // Take out every unnecessary word is their battle cry. Edit, edit, edit. Not surprisingly, this is a very thin tome. I feel the need to re-read it weekly.

4. 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists, Andrew McAleer // I wouldn’t have written anything without this book. It taught me that a book grows with a commitment to a certain number of words or hours every week. It was filled with the thoughts and insights of other writers that matched my own in the process, and helped me to separate my creative process from my inner critic (who is helpful when editing, but not at all when writing).

5. Word Painting, Rebecca McClanahan // I am inspired to write every time I open this book. I added lots of scenes to my novel very organically by opening this book up and doing the exercises. Really fruitful advice. Made me fall in love with poetry and metaphors, and opened me up to the fact that if I don’t have time to study a whole novel, a short piece or poem or even a good essay can yield powerful examples of good writing.

6. Story Engineering, Larry Brooks // Thank you for writing this book, Larry. You taught me exactly what I wanted to know about plotting. I outlined this book and revisited the outline as I am plotting my second book and it is just so helpful. I find ideas are generated so fast when I read this book I can’t even get them on the page fast enough.

7. Stein on Writing, Sol Stein // A master of his craft, I feel like I am at the knee of a wise teacher when I read this.

8. Working Days, John Steinbeck // I am reading now, it is fascinating to travel along with this master while creating the masterpiece Grapes of Wrath.

I would love to hear about favorite writing books of yours. I hope this is a helpful place to start.

Happy Writing,

Katie