The Opportunities Behind the Fall of Those in Power

I was a journalist in London in the 1990s, when I felt the call to give it all up and follow my soul’s path to find my voice. I remember walking like a zombie around the Financial Times, where I worked as a sub-editor, asking myself, “What am I doing here? What does this job […]

“Who Do You Think You Are?” The Top 5 Blocks For Writers

The book coaching process, especially at the beginning, can be a very safe space. The coach is there to nurture the new writer, to allow experimentation, offer inspiration, provide support, and pass on constructive advice. We aim to OPEN the writer, and that only happens with unconditional love for the person and the creative process. […]

A Revolution of Voice

What do the Arab Spring, recent protests in Turkey, Egypt and Brazil and the Occupy movement have to do with you as a writer?  What significance do these revolutionary waves of protests across the globe have to the basics of storytelling in the world? Writ large on the world stage is the voice of change, […]

How to get an agent: Take All of Me

Chicken, Old McDonald series, house paint and acrylic on board. http://www.carolineallen.com I’m a visual artist and novelist. I’ve also been an international psychic. For more than a decade, I made a living as a psychic in Seattle, channeling messages for people all over the world. For years, I’ve kept the writing coaching side and journalist […]

Walking in the Worlds of my Fantasy

Please welcome guest blogger and new Art of Storytelling intern Acea Spades Black.  In this blog, the 21-year old Portland native explores his childhood love of LORD OF THE RINGS and the power of fantasy. Acea is serving a 3-month sentence as AofS’s intern, and is already helping put us on the map with press […]

Everyone Knows The Alphabet: Thoughts on Screenwriting

Former NYC agent and current AofS coach Jon Sternfeld discusses screenwriting in Art of Storytelling’s ongoing series of guest blogs on the writing process. Jon has worked under the VP of Development at a major independent production company, Good Machine Inc. (The Ice Storm, In the Bedroom, Happiness) under writer/producer James Schamus. In charge of […]

Writing a Novel, English as a Second Language

In Art of Storytelling’s ongoing series of essays by guest bloggers, Russian novelist Nadia Clifford explores writing a novel in English when English is your second language. Nadia, who is working on her first novel, grew up in Moscow and now lives in the Boston area. Art of Storytelling is offering an E-Course entitled International Novel/Memoir: […]

Owning the Ugly, Part 2

Running in circles, http://www.carolineallen.com I was listening to NPR the other day to an interview with Eve Ensler who in 1996 wrote the Vagina Monologues. The monologues led to the development of V-Day, a global non-profit movement that has raised millions for women’s anti-violence groups around the world. Ensler was being interviewed on On Point, […]

Workshop: Writing and Shamanism Revisited

Harold’s boat, digital photography, http://www.carolineallen.com Because of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and other disturbing weather patterns, I’m holding a Writing and Shamanism workshop dedicated to our role as writer in helping heal the earth in early August in Seattle. The workshop has been developed to help a range of writers, from the new […]

The PC Trap

Self portrait, the inner anorexic, http://www.carolineallen.com I knew an artist who after having an abortion used dolls for an art project — she ripped off their arms, blackened their faces and hung them by their necks from the rafters. Too gruesome? I certainly hope so. The single greatest oppression to the artist spirit is political […]