Writing on the Pages of Life

Exploring, creating and celebrating the writing life

Menu
Search
  • Home
  • Writing
  • Life
  • Spirituality
Close Menu
What I've written on these pages
Close Contents

Years

  • 2018
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2015
  • 2014
  • 2013

Authors

  • Rosanna

Filter by Month

  • April 2018
  • December 2017
  • July 2017
  • January 2017
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • April 2013

Filter by Categories

  • Art
  • Life
  • Life Times
  • Memoir
  • Spirituality
  • Spirituality: Recent Highlights
  • Trending
  • Writing
  • Writing the First Draft

Filter by Tags

advice for writers / blogging / blogging challenges / BlogHer / christmas / creative writing / daily writing / description / early morning writing / Eric Maisel / free online writing courses / haibun / haiku / how to find your writing niche / journaling / journals / love for writing / mark matousek / Memoir / NaBloPoMo / notebooks / Philippines / quotations / quotes on writing / rebecca mcClanahan / spirituality / spirituality and writing / spiritual writing / taking notes / the magic of words / typhoon Haiyan / typhoons / wordcount blogathon 2013 / writer's block / writers / Writing / writing a book / writing exercises / writing lessons / writing niche / writing tips / writing tools / yeah write / yeah write's 31dbbb
  • The First Draft: fodder for the writing process

    by Rosanna

    “Make writing your practice. If you commit to it, writing will take you as deep as Zen.” Katagiri Roshi   It’s been a very long while – several months- since my last blog post. Although I had not blogged, I had been actively creating word art and exploring many writing avenues.  Writing the first draft of my memoir was a very therapeutic and eye-opening...

    January 20, 2017
    Comments 15
    Writing, Writing the First Draft
  • How to Find Your Writing Niche (1)

    by Rosanna

    It seems so basic, but the most logical thing to do when you’re looking for something is to have a good idea of what you are looking for. What is a “writing niche?” You could surf the web for the meaning. But what you read from someone else’s blog is someone else’s definition of the phrase. I could define it here, and that would...

    July 9, 2015
    Comments 12
    Writing
  • How to Write Crisp, Evocative Descriptions (1)

    by Rosanna

    “If description is the flowering, it is also the root and stem of effective writing,” wrote Rebecca McClanahan in her book, Word Painting, A Guide to Writing More Descriptively. I’m reading this book because I meet my Waterloo every time I have to describe something in writing. I honestly feel this makes my writing flowerless. This is such a good book and I highly recommend...

    March 19, 2015
    Comments 3
    Writing
  • Where to Get Photos for Your Blog Posts

    by Rosanna

    Here’s an update on sites that provide domain-free images which you can use on your blog posts and other projects. There are many other sites, but these are the ones that are absolutely free and user friendly: Registration is not necessary and no payments are required; easy and hassle-free downloading. However, even if they’re free to use, it would be nice of you to attribute! Here...

    October 30, 2014
    Comments 8
    Writing
  • Writers and Their Journals

    by Rosanna

    There are various ways to keep a journal, and a variety of reasons why a writer must keep one. Poet, essayist and playwright Shiela Bender poignantly remembers a day during Ron Carlson’s writer’s workshop in the summer of 1994. It was the day when Carlson went around the room and asked each person to describe the his/her writing journal. On her turn, Bender had...

    September 17, 2014
    Comments 16
    Writing

EXPLORING AND CELEBRATING THE CRAFT OF WRITING

This blog is a chronicle of my journey into the amazing world of creative non-fiction writing. Through this site, I hope to share stories and lessons learned as I navigate my way through this dynamic genre. I hope that you will join me in exploring and celebrating the writing life!

Project Memoir

The First Draft: Lessons learned (1)

by Rosanna

Initial drafts are an adventure. That first gesture of catching an idea and wrapping it in language is awe inspiring. Mystery draws us forward: Why do I tremble at this memory? What will this character say next? What do I really think about this subject? Writers bring to the blank page an idea—some motivating spark—but we don’t know its form, we don’t know half...

April 19, 2018
Comment 1
Memoir, Writing

Revising the First Draft

by Rosanna

    At its most basic, revision is seeing anew. Revision is the complicated, profound work of creation— an act that simultaneously creates within and through the creator. Revision changes the writer, deepens the writer’s work, and infuses that work with the potential to move readers. Revision addresses our innermost longings. At its core, revision is the spiritual practice of transformation— of seeing text,...

April 6, 2018
Comments 3
Memoir, Writing

From First Draft to Second Draft – and the huge gap in between

by Rosanna

“Writing is not measured in page counts, I now believe, any more than a writer is defined by publication credits. To be a writer is to make a commitment to the long haul, as one does (especially as one gets older) to keeping fit and healthy for as long a run as possible.”   – Bill Hayes   Once again,  I’m back after a lengthy...

July 20, 2017
Comments 7
Memoir, Writing, Writing the First Draft

"Writing is a process, a journey into memory and the soul."

Isabel Allende

On Writing

The Benefits of Journaling

by Rosanna

As best as I can remember, I’ve been writing on a journal since I was a teenager. The notebook and pen became two of my very best friends on the journey through the hormone-saturated teenage years. I lost touch with these two friends for a few years when I explored the corporate jungle. The hectic lifestyle simply did not support nor provide moments for quiet...

August 29, 2016
Comments 0
Trending, Writing

Discover Your Writing Self

by Rosanna

Andi Cumbo-Floyd, author of Steele Secrets and The Slaves Have Names, is offering a free course for writers. “Join me on a journey to discover who you are as a writer in the world,” writes Andi. The free writing course will run from August 1-31, 2016. Participants will receive 31 email notes featuring questions that will prompt writers to discover their place in this world. Andi...

July 26, 2016
Comment 1
Trending, Writing

Adventures in Journaling

by Rosanna

My journal is my place to let go of formal constraints, to be crazy and creative, to take off my masks, to be me, to find me.  -Lynn G. Nelson I’ve been writing on journals since I was a teenager, and if anything, it is the one thing in my writing life that has remained constant. But after one has spent decades writing on journals, there’s a...

June 7, 2016
Comments 10
Trending, Writing

Exploring the craft of writing

April 19, 2018

The First Draft: Lessons learned (1)

April 6, 2018

Revising the First Draft

July 20, 2017

From First Draft to Second Draft – and the huge gap in...

January 20, 2017

The First Draft: fodder for the writing process

August 29, 2016

The Benefits of Journaling

August 5, 2016

Musings from Memoirland

July 26, 2016

Discover Your Writing Self

June 12, 2016

June 7, 2016

Adventures in Journaling

May 13, 2016

Drafting and Crafting: tools for every writer

April 20, 2016

What You Have to Do to Be a Writer

April 8, 2016

The Long and Lonely Road to Writing a First Draft

March 26, 2016

Prayers for Writers

March 22, 2016

The Zen of Writing (A Haibun)

March 7, 2016

When Life Interrupts

February 19, 2016

How’s Your Verisimilitude?

January 29, 2016

Slow-cooking a First Draft

January 12, 2016

From Blogging to Writing a First Draft

November 26, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 25, 2015

To Memoir or Not to Memoir

September 22, 2015

Crossing the Threshold: Embracing My Writing Niche

September 9, 2015

Pico Iyer on Writing

August 7, 2015

Stumped? Use An Epigraph

July 29, 2015

Waking Up the Senses

July 27, 2015

The Origins of the Term “Creative Nonfiction”

July 24, 2015

Friday Web Finds

July 23, 2015

How to Find Your Writing Niche (5/5)

July 22, 2015

How to Mix Things Up

July 21, 2015

How to Find Your Niche (4)

July 20, 2015

Let’s Write!

July 18, 2015

Kimberly Snow on Writing

July 17, 2015

Friday Web Finds: More Free Online Writing Courses

July 16, 2015

How to Find Your Writing Niche (3)

July 15, 2015

When the Muse is Absent

July 14, 2015

How to Find Your Writing Niche (2)

July 11, 2015

Oliver Sacks: Why I Write Journals

July 10, 2015

Friday Web Finds

July 9, 2015

How to Find Your Writing Niche (1)

July 7, 2015

How to Find Your Writing Niche

July 6, 2015

Favorite Books on Writing

July 4, 2015

This 4th of July

July 3, 2015

Friday Web Finds

July 2, 2015

Blogging Daily for Six Months – the Statistics

July 1, 2015

Discoveries along the Daily Blogging Path

June 27, 2015

William Zinsser on Writing Well

June 26, 2015

Friday Web Finds

June 25, 2015

Free Writing in Different Genres

June 23, 2015

Unblocking

June 20, 2015

The Journal as a Valuable Tool in Writing a Book

June 19, 2015

Friday Web Finds

June 18, 2015

Time is My Friend (a Haibun)

June 17, 2015

How I Found My Niche

June 16, 2015

Writing from the Silence

June 15, 2015

Writer as Witness

June 13, 2015

Show Up

June 12, 2015

Friday Web Finds

June 11, 2015

Mary Oliver on Listening to the World

June 9, 2015

A Page from My Journal: Poetry

June 8, 2015

James Patterson’s Master Class

June 7, 2015

Journaling as Spiritual Practice

June 6, 2015

Eric Maisel on Writing Spaces

June 5, 2015

Friday Web Finds

June 4, 2015

How Writing Affects the Brain

June 3, 2015

Writing from a Different Perspective

June 2, 2015

Writing Prompts from Everywhere

May 30, 2015

Why Writers Keep Journals

May 29, 2015

Friday Web Finds

May 28, 2015

From OWN: 3 Rules Every Aspiring Writer Should Follow

May 27, 2015

Oh, those Filtering Devices!

May 26, 2015

Writing Prompts from Life

May 22, 2015

Friday Web Finds

May 21, 2015

Poem-Making as Play

May 20, 2015

A page from My Journal: Mind Play

May 19, 2015

A Page from My Journal: A Haibun

May 18, 2015

A Space to Write

May 16, 2015

What Writers Should Look for

May 13, 2015

A Writing App Named after Hemingway

May 9, 2015

Mark Matousek on the Situation and the Story

May 8, 2015

Friday Web Finds

May 7, 2015

Showing Up

May 6, 2015

A Visit from a Muse

May 5, 2015

Helpful Apps for Bloggers

May 1, 2015

Friday Web Finds

April 30, 2015

Writer or Author?

April 29, 2015

Writing as Spiritual Practice

April 28, 2015

Back on Track

April 27, 2015

Age Makes You Wiser, But Is Time Running Out? On Writing and...

April 25, 2015

Eudora Welty: On Listening

April 24, 2015

Friday Web Finds: The Writer’s Voice

April 23, 2015

On a Clear Day You Can Create Your Writing Commandments

April 22, 2015

Redefining the Word “Writer”

April 21, 2015

How to Make Sure Your Blog is Ready for Google’s Big...

April 18, 2015

Writers on Writing

April 17, 2015

Friday Web Finds

April 16, 2015

How to Write Crisp, Evocative Descriptions: Allow the Dream...

April 15, 2015

How to Write Crisp, Evocative Descriptions: Regain the Child&...

April 14, 2015

How to Write Crisp, Evocative Descriptions: Move to Inspire...

April 13, 2015

My Monastic Writing Experience in Orvieto, Italy

April 11, 2015

Eric Maisel on Honoring Your Writing Space

April 10, 2015

Friday Web Finds

April 9, 2015

How to Write Crisp, Evocative Descriptions: Keep Your Vision...

April 8, 2015

How to Write Crisp, Evocative Descriptions: Engage the All...

April 7, 2015

How to Write Crisp, Evocative Descriptions: Grow Your Third...

April 6, 2015

How We Spend Our Days: Katrina Kenison

April 4, 2015

Holy Saturday Reflection for Writers

April 2, 2015

A Maundy Thursday Reflection for Writers

April 1, 2015

Of Anniveraries, Super Typhoons and blogging

March 31, 2015

How to Write Crisp, Evocative Descriptions: The Eye of Memory...

March 28, 2015

Brenda Ueland Explores the Craft of Writing

March 27, 2015

Friday Web Finds: Writing as a Form of Prayer

March 26, 2015

How to Write Crisp, Evocative Descriptions: An Exercise in...

March 25, 2015

How to Write Crisp, Evocative Descriptions: The Different &...

March 24, 2015

How to Write Crisp, Evocative Descriptions: Key Ingredients...

March 23, 2015

World without Writers & Living without Writing

March 21, 2015

Encouraging Words from a Writer: Susan Tiberghien on ...

March 20, 2015

Writing and Silence

March 19, 2015

How to Write Crisp, Evocative Descriptions (1)

March 17, 2015

Pssssst! Do You Want to Receive Free Author Coaching for One...

March 16, 2015

Finding the Small Beauties ~ hedgerow, a journal of small ...

March 14, 2015

On Writing: Quotes from Parker Palmer

March 13, 2015

From My Journal: Trading the Camera for Pen and Notebook

March 12, 2015

Writing Away from the Keyboard

March 11, 2015

The Changing Seasons of a Writing Life

March 10, 2015

Words of Wisdom from a Writer: Connecting with our inner and...

March 9, 2015

How Submittable Works

March 6, 2015

Friday Web Finds

March 5, 2015

Dancing a Slow Dance

March 4, 2015

When the Muse is Nowhere to Be Found

March 3, 2015

Musings: On Revising

March 2, 2015

Doll God by Luanne Castle

February 28, 2015

Writers on Writing: What It Takes to Write

February 27, 2015

Some Web Finds

February 26, 2015

On Listening

February 26, 2015

A Passive Stretch to Ease a Writer’s Aching Body

February 24, 2015

Introducing…the Judge

February 23, 2015

Permission to Fail

February 21, 2015

Notes on Observing

February 20, 2015

How to Avoid Clutter

February 19, 2015

Words of Wisdom from a Writer: What is Journal Writing?

February 18, 2015

The Need for Study

February 17, 2015

A Bio that Reads Like Fiction

February 16, 2015

Granta Open for Unsolicited Submissions

February 14, 2015

February 13, 2015

Routines that Help Sustain Creativity

February 12, 2015

Finding My Own Rhythm

February 11, 2015

Establishing a Daily Writing Routine

February 10, 2015

Writing as a Healing Tool

February 9, 2015

It’s a Privilege

February 8, 2015

Writing is an Act of Joy and Celebration

February 7, 2015

The Writer’s Voice

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,685 other followers

©Rosanna C. Rogacion
  • Exploring and Celebrating the Craft of Writing
  • These Pages Rock!
  • Drop Me a Line

Writing to Wake the Soul

The larger story of the universe is still being written, and each of us has a part to play in how that story ultimately turns out.

Karen Hering

Life

December 9, 2017

SIMPLICITY: On Traveling Light by Philip Harnden — The Value of Sparrows

It’s been a while since my last post. Finishing the first draft of my memoir was life-changing and I...

by Rosanna
March 26, 2016

Prayers for Writers

  Prayer of a Writer  Lord of all things, whose wondrous gifts to man Include the shining symbols known...

by Rosanna
Comments 5
June 18, 2015

Time is My Friend (a Haibun)

In the past I viewed time from the same perspective as the rest of the world. I saw time...

by Rosanna
Comments 8
May 12, 2015

At a Turtle’s Pace

I’m making slow progress in rebuilding a writer’s life. I’m going at a turtle’s pace, so different from last...

by Rosanna
Comments 10
March 18, 2015

Fun Time!

I wanted to have some fun today and surfed the web… and discovered Storybird!  It’s a great visual community...

by Rosanna
Comments 4
February 26, 2015

A Passive Stretch to Ease a Writer’s Aching Body

    Last week was an extremely busy one for me, mainly because I committed to submit ten articles...

by Rosanna
Comment 1

Stories Matter

Stories are our prayers. Write and edit them with due reverence, even when the stories themselves are irreverent.

Jacqui Banaszynski

Spirituality

Spirituality, Spirituality: Recent Highlights

Embracing the Shadows

“St. Teresa of Avila wrote: ‘All difficulties in prayer can be traced to one cause: praying as if God were absent.’ This is the conviction that we bring with...

June 14, 2015
Comments 0
Spirituality: Recent Highlights

Paths Along the Journey

Life presents us with many paths along our journey. Sometimes the pathways are lovely and make us feel good. Some paths are rugged and look hard to traverse; while...

April 12, 2015
Comments 6
Life, Spirituality: Recent Highlights

A Listening Walk

    This morning I took a Listening Walk. I love to take walks but this is the first time I paid attention to the sounds as I walked....

March 29, 2015
Comments 6
Spirituality: Recent Highlights, Writing

Writing and Silence

In a previous post I wrote, “The changing seasons seem to mirror the changes in my writing life. I am neither here nor there.There is a seeming tug of war...

March 20, 2015
Comments 2
Spirituality: Recent Highlights

BEing

Far from the turmoil that now hounds the earth is a state of BEing – a peaceful place available to everyone. It is far because people have distanced themselves...

March 15, 2015
Comments 5
Life, Spirituality: Recent Highlights, Writing

Dancing a Slow Dance

I feel like I’m dancing a slow dance. Priorities fall away one by one and I am left with one task at hand, and then another, and another. No...

March 5, 2015
Comment 1
Life, Spirituality: Recent Highlights

Turning Aside

All monastic life centers around silence and solitude. These twin blessings are also the essence of a writer’s life. Writers need silence and solitude in huge chunks.  However, in...

January 11, 2015
Comment 1
Life, Spirituality, Spirituality: Recent Highlights

Simply Blossom

  The small, fragrant white blossom is the national flower of the Philippines. The sampaguita (jasminum sambac) is a hardy shrub with a multitude of blossoms at any given...

November 11, 2014
Comments 2
Life, Spirituality: Recent Highlights

Meditation, Life and Tea

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, As if it is the axis on which the whole world revolves — Slowly, evenly, without rushing to the future. Live the actual...

November 2, 2014
Comments 0
Life, Spirituality: Recent Highlights

Possibilities Often Missed

I almost missed seeing these fruits on a tree. I was walking a path that led to a tourist facility, and like everyone else, was focused on getting there....

October 19, 2014
Comments 0

Write to make the great escape, to save yourself.

Lynn G. Nelson

Exploring, creating and celebrating the writing life

Follow Us

  • Portfolio
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.
Cancel
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy