Month: October 2022

Upcoming Events!

On By Kris FaatzIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

This week I interrupt our Tuesday Creativity series to mention a couple of upcoming events…but the first one is also a creative boost, so that counts. 😉

  1. Free workshop!

Next Monday, October 24, at 6 pm EST, I’m giving a FREE workshop on Zoom: “Writing with Musical Inspiration.” This fun, no-stress workshop uses musical prompts as a springboard for writerly creativity. It also offers a taste of the multi-week workshop I offer in partnership with Tiferet Journal. If you could use a dash of inspiration, this free session is for you! Writers of all experience levels and styles welcome. To sign up and reserve your spot, click here.

2. Book event!

Monday November 14, at 6 pm EST, my friend and colleague Julia Lee Barclay-Morton and I will offer a talk on Zoom: “How Not to Get There Directly,” about our newly-published books and our unusual paths in writing and publication. Join us for readings from Julia’s fascinating collection The Mortality Shot and my brand-new Fourteen Stones, discussion about our unique paths as writers, and a Q & A session. I’ll be posting more about this event and our books as it gets closer. To sign up, click here.

Hope to see you at one or both events! Stop back next Tuesday for another installment of Tuesday Creativity. As always, thank you for visiting the blog!

Tuesday Creativity 4

On By Kris FaatzIn General entriesLeave a comment

A musical prompt for today. This piece is an old favorite of mine that I’ve recently started re-learning (slow process!): Frederic Chopin’s Nocturne in C sharp Minor, Op. 27 no. 1, performed by Artur Rubinstein.

I first learned this piece when I was thirteen. The name “nocturne,” “night music,” gives us a sense of the atmosphere Chopin had in mind when he wrote it. Chopin often delves into storytelling in his solo piano pieces, especially the nocturnes and his four Ballades. Each of them takes the listener on a journey, exploring emotional contrasts and conjuring up all kinds of images and ideas.

I love this particular nocturne because of its excitement and drive, and the arc of tension that gradually builds to a catharsis. When I first learned it, I created my own stories to go with it, imagining that the music was the soundtrack to a movie and thinking about what the action would be.

As you listen to this piece, what does it conjure up for you?

As always, thank you for visiting the blog. See you next time!

Tuesday Creativity 3

On By Kris FaatzIn General entriesLeave a comment

Today’s creative prompt is five words:

Lately, while navigating some life changes, I’ve been thinking a lot about my own sense of what I can and can’t do. Historically, the “can’t” column has always been a lot longer for me than the “can.” I’m cautiously optimistic that the balance is changing a little.

Where might these five words take you?

As always, thanks for visiting the blog. See you next week!