Years ago, a journalist friend in Seattle came over to my apartment. She’d just returned from Afghanistan, where she was responsible for setting up a newsroom and training local journalists. When she arrived, she was so exhausted and drained to her very core, she could barely walk or talk. I knew the feeling. I’d given […]
Diary of a Psychic Artist
7 a.m. Dreams swirl around me as I roll out of bed. My dreams are a pivotal part of my creative life, informing my art, novel writing, coaching. They sink in and come out of my hands or through my voice in mysterious ways. For me, the night time is as rich as anything I […]
Rejection? Don’t “get over it”, get “into it”
Artists and writers face a lot of rejection. People will tell you to “get over it.” They’ll say: “Who the hell cares what other people think?” I say: Don’t get over it, get into it. I’ve spent my life peeling back the layers to find my authentic creative voice. As a journalist in Tokyo, London, […]
The Elemental Journey Series
CarolineAllen.com
Swimming in the Waters of Soul
The Use of Archetypes in my novel Water Water, my fourth novel, opens with a dark night of the soul. The protagonist, Pearl, is 28 years old and has just repatriated to the States from living abroad. The relentless capitalistic, pragmatic nature of the U.S. has plunged her into despair. She feels desperate for soul. […]
Little Woman
Originally Published in Blue Lyra Review, Feb. 2015 The greatest gift I ever received was a book I never read. The winter I turned eleven, I sat at the desk in the dormer window, waiting. We got the desk at a yard sale, and it was supposed to be for all seven of us kids, […]
Art is our Activism
Why not just postpone the novel launch? It’s a legitimate question. Why not wait until the fires were over, until I was home (unless, of course, my house had burned down, which I didn’t know for a long time during evacuation)? Why not get settled, then publish your novel? My answer: We have no time to wait! It’s now or never. We have to step up.
Writing is my activism. I’m also a visual artist. Art is my activism. It isn’t something you put off. It’s what makes the difference in a world out of balance.
Diary of a Wildfire Evacuee
I run around the house. I need to take something with me, but what? Sweatpants? A sweater? Dog treats? My passport? My sleeping bag? These are the only things I can think of.
Unpacking the Emotional Blocks to Writing
The Heart of the Writer Understanding your emotions on your literary journey is just as important as knowing how to write In ninth grade, one of my teachers, Mrs. Hentges, came up to me and told me that she was entering me in a statewide fiction writing contest. Only one person from each school was allowed […]
