Tag: creative process
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Lessons Learned While Narrating My First Audiobook
Honest to goodness, I considered the project several times and told myself outright, “I can’t do that.” I was aware of telling myself, “I can’t do that,” which I don’t like to do. It’s such a self-defeating thing to say. And yet, I did it anyway. I told myself I couldn’t narrate an audiobook. To…
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On Rest and Enough: Books I’ve Spent Time With Lately
How much effort is enough? How much attention? How much “success”? Leading up to the publication of my recent novel, Kohelette, I couldn’t help but be aware of all the publishing professionals said a successful author should do to launch a book. The pitches, the marketing, and the business of it all stayed in my mind well…
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Join Me in Celebrating Publication Day
Kohelette: A Novel came out this past Wednesday. I’m beyond thrilled! Advance readers may have had the novel for a while already, but I’ve still relished sending it out into the world more broadly, first with a recent excerpt appearing in The Polk Street Review 2026 and now with this past week’s publication. There may…
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What We Are To Each Other Sticks: On Kohelette and the Power of Memories
What we are to each other doesn’t go away. Our people don’t go away. And that changes everything.
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On Truth in Fiction and “Wicherek Way: A Short Story”
“For better or for worse, she’d never given any hint of discomfort when her dreams had to face reality.” – from “Wicherek Way,” a short story from the world of the forthcoming novel Kohelette I wouldn’t say my fiction is autobiographical, but I do find myself drawing on bits of real-life experience to ground my…
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Spending Time with Creative Block: Reflections on The Joy of a Field
I dread “the block.” It comes in all shapes and sizes for all kinds of creative projects. It frustrates the heck out of people whose well-meaning efforts it stalls. Ever been there? It’s not fun. Unfortunately, my most recent novel, The Joy of a Field, left me spending more time with creative block than either of…
About the author
Callie J. Smith writes about women who, like her, are finding themselves. Her stories and essays explore everyday things like hope, creativity, and grief.
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