Nicole Bianchi

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5 Famous Authors’ Strategies for Conquering Writer’s Block

Published February 5, 2016 | Last Updated May 21, 2020 By Nicole Bianchi 21 Comments

open notebook on table next to cup of coffee

Has this ever happened to you?

You sit down at your computer to begin writing, but instead you find yourself having a stare down with the blank screen.

You may type a few lines, but after several minutes you delete everything. You just can’t seem to find the right words to continue.

It’s as if your inspiration inkwell has suddenly dried up.

If you are suffering from writer’s block (or have suffered in the past), you are not alone!

Even famous writers have struggled with creative blocks at some point in their careers. Thankfully, many of these writers have also shared their methods for how they overcame these dry periods and became successful writers.

Read on for the different strategies five famous authors have used to overcome writer’s block and keep typing away. [Read more…]

Filed Under: creativity, inspiration, writing

Ernest Hemingway on What to Do When You Feel Like Giving Up on Writing

Published January 14, 2016 | Last Updated May 21, 2020 By Nicole Bianchi 36 Comments

open notebook with blank pages and pencil resting on top of it
Photo by Jan Kahánek on Unsplash

It was 1922, and a 23-year-old Ernest Hemingway had just experienced one of the most devastating blows to his writing career.

A blow so devastating that he did not think he could ever write fiction again.

In fact, he seriously considered giving up on his dreams of becoming a famous novelist.

But eventually something within him drove him back to his typewriter.

He kept writing.

Four years later, he had completed The Sun Also Rises, and over thirty years later, he had won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Are there obstacles, interruptions, and distractions threatening to sabotage your writing goals in the New Year? Here’s what Hemingway can teach us about remaining dedicated to our craft even when life seems set on undermining our plans. [Read more…]

Filed Under: inspiration, motivation, writing

Are You the Greatest Enemy of Your Creative Success?

Published January 2, 2016 | Last Updated September 16, 2020 By Nicole Bianchi 18 Comments

Book Illustration Depicting Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in a Train Cabin
Arthur Conan Doyle disliked writing detective stories so much that he killed off Sherlock Holmes. | Illustration by Sidney Paget

Have you ever started writing a story or a blog post and felt like it wasn’t turning out the way you had envisioned it in your head?

The words aren’t flowing quite the way you would like. Yet, you spent so much time working on it, that you decide to hit publish.

And your audience loves it.

In fact, they love it even more than anything else you have written. They demand more of the same.

What are you to do? Is your writing really as bad as you think?

Something similar happened to Arthur Conan Doyle. [Read more…]

Filed Under: inspiration, motivation, writing

5 Steps to Creating an Inspiring Writing Workspace: A Peek into the Studies of Famous Writers

Published December 28, 2015 | Last Updated May 21, 2020 By Nicole Bianchi 27 Comments

Photo of Faulkner's writing desk with typewriter | 5 Steps to Creating an Inspiring Writing Workspace: A Peek into the Studies of Famous Writers
William Faulkner’s Writing Desk | Photo by Gary Bridgman, southsideartgallery.com

Does your writing workspace inspire you?

Is it a tranquil and comfortable place where you can shut out all distractions? A private laboratory to experiment with new ideas and plan out new projects?

The other day I was looking through the photos of the workplaces of a number of famous authors. They were all unique: some were large and sprawling while others were cramped and disorderly.

But all of them shared five important characteristics that seemed essential when creating an inspiring workspace. Read on to discover these five important traits and how you too can create your own writing laboratory.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: creativity, productivity

How to Have an Unforgettable Night at the Metropolitan Opera

Published October 27, 2015 | Last Updated May 21, 2020 By Nicole Bianchi 3 Comments

photo of Lincoln Center plaza at night with crowds walking in front of Met Opera House

Two exciting things happened in New York this past Wednesday: the Mets won the National League pennant, and I saw my first performance at the Metropolitan Opera. Yes, that’s right. I missed seeing the Mets claim their first World Series spot in fifteen years, but it was worth it. Puccini’s Tosca was absolutely breathtaking. [Read more…]

Filed Under: New York City

5 Steps to Escaping the Trap of Perfectionism

Published August 20, 2015 | Last Updated May 21, 2020 By Nicole Bianchi 2 Comments

still life of an end table with assorted school supplies: open notebook with pen, inkwell, cup holding pencils, book, clock, leather briefcase
(Photo from Pixabay)

Recently, I have started listening to podcasts rather than music while working out. I have found this to be a wonderful way to take full advantage of those thirty minutes and learn something new. Though I’ve only listened to a handful of episodes so far, I have been greatly enjoying Michael Hyatt’s weekly podcast This is Your Life. It may all be down to his excellent episode on perfectionism that has completely transformed the way I have been approaching various projects. [Read more…]

Filed Under: creativity, productivity

John Singer Sargent’s Friends at the Met

Published August 15, 2015 | Last Updated October 22, 2015 By Nicole Bianchi Leave a Comment

MET_-_The_Great_Hall_-_Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art,_New_York,_NY,_USA_-_2012
(Photo by wiki)

Several weeks ago my friend Rebecca and I were caught in a rainstorm while strolling through Central Park. Naturally, we made a mad dash for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We had no umbrellas and so arrived soaking wet, but we were not the least bit disappointed by this unexpected turn our day had taken. No matter how many times I visit the museum, those wide echoing halls and long corridors always hold something new to see.

On this particular afternoon, Rebecca and I headed to a special exhibit on the American painter John Singer Sargent (1856–1925). He is known as the leading portrait painter of his generation, producing some 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors in his lifetime. The exhibit in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery in London displayed just 90 of them: gallery after gallery of some of the wealthiest and most brilliant minds of the Edwardian era. [Read more…]

Filed Under: creativity, inspiration, New York City

Why I Wear Orange Glasses at Night

Published August 7, 2015 | Last Updated May 21, 2020 By Nicole Bianchi 4 Comments

pair of black glasses with orange lensesFor the past several weeks, I’ve been donning a pair of funky, orange-tinted glasses while using my computer in the evening. This is far from a fashion statement, even if they do make me look like a hipster-wannabe.

Rather, I am wearing the glasses to prevent eyestrain and to help me sleep better at night.

Here’s how sleep works: during the day, the pineal gland in the brain is inactive. However, as the day grows darker and night falls, the pineal gland is activated.

It begins secreting the sleep-hormone melatonin into the blood. That’s what makes us begin to feel tired and want to head to bed. Computers, smartphones, and similar electronics, however, emit a blue light that disrupts this entire process.

When these electronics are used at night, they trick the brain into thinking it is daytime. Subsequently, melatonin production is slowed which makes it difficult to fall asleep.

Enter orange glasses.

Their orange tint helps protect the eyes by effectively blocking this blue light. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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Hi, I’m Nicole! I help creatives, business owners, and writers take their writing and copywriting to the next level and grow their online audience. I’m also a published writer of essays and short stories. As a Christian, I seek to follow in the tradition of artists like Johann Sebastian Bach, dedicating all my work Soli Deo gloria.
Find out more about me here.
•••
“My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.”
– Psalm 45:1

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