Author: Cassandra Chandler

  • Art Feeds Art

    I have more hobbies than anyone I’ve ever met. Sewing? Of course! Clothes, quilts, curtains, even puppets. Music? I can make passable sounds from half a dozen instruments or more. Sports? Okay, not so much, unless you count yoga and Tai Chi… and walking. I could name dozens of other hobbies I pursue, things that…

  • Writers Helping Writers

    Authors with a passion for words will hone their craft; whether they use research, workshops, critique groups, or the most important means – practice! There are many tools for becoming a better wordsmith. One of the most important methods for me has been helping and receiving help from other writers. Maybe one writer I know…

  • Permission to Explore

    There are many sketchbooks in my house that are filled with doodles, quick sketches, kernels of ideas, and occasional notes in the margins. Some pages are littered with drawings of ladybugs, and I recall one page with a giant praying mantis, complete with cartoon speech-bubble saying, “Hello” (I was up too late on a Summer…

  • The Critic

    I’m going to give my inner critic a name. It will be a ridiculous name, because my inner critic is ridiculous. At the moment, I’m leaning toward Wafflenose. Or perhaps, Lady Wafflenose (my critic does deserve some respect – especially during editing time – but should never be taken too seriously). Yesterday, I wrote drafts…

  • Stories

    Recently, I noticed that most of my friends are radically different people. They have different hobbies, different beliefs, different backgrounds, different values, even. But when they get together in a room, everyone is kind to each other beyond simple manners. I’ve often wondered what it is that makes them gel, and finally think I’ve found…

  • Why Write

    When I’m looking at a blank page, my inner critic likes to remind me that I haven’t published yet, and there’s every chance no one will ever see the words I’m about to put on the page. Writing is hard work, especially when I’m going through the entire process of finishing a novel, editing it,…