At the end of 2024, I set a goal to finish a “shitty first draft” of my book in 2025. Now, as the first month of 2026 comes to a close, I’m here to announce I failed to meet that goal. Here’s what that meant for me and what I learned about myself in the process.
Read More“Courage, Merry. Courage for our friends.”
courage(n.)
c. 1300, corage, "heart (as the seat of emotions)," hence "spirit, temperament, state or frame of mind," from Old French corage "heart, innermost feelings; temper" (12c., Modern French courage), from Vulgar Latin coraticum (source of Italian coraggio, Spanish coraje), from Latin cor "heart" (from PIE root kerd- "heart")
Read MoreEarlier this year, in June or July, my writing partner Jordan Bianchi and I made the joint decision to pause work on our fiction podcast, which we had been developing together for the past four years. We both realized that, while we were still making slow progress on the script and outline for the podcast, our hearts weren’t fully in it anymore: we needed a break. We wanted to come back to this project when we were refreshed, energized, and ready to finally bring this fantastically wild and complex fantasy story to life for all to hear. With no daily page goals to make, no weekly calls to show up for, and no research rabbit holes to dive down, I found myself with a lot of newly freed up time to work on my novel.
Read MoreIn Episode 21 of Aurora Airwaves, we’re excited to welcome mixed media artist Peter Hanley and writer Amanda Bintz! 🎨🖋️ Peter Hanley, known for his experimental mixed media contributions to the Philadelphia street art scene, discusses his latest project, “We Are Friends! Yes!” We dive into his creative process and explore his ventures into integrating creative writing with different mediums. Peter and Amanda, who are newly engaged, also share their experiences of living together while working on creative projects. They offer a candid look at how they balance their artistic endeavors while supporting each other’s work, including writing stories and workshopping ideas.
Read MoreAmanda Bintz on episode 17 of "Aurora Airwaves," a podcast about creative well-being and artistic discovery hosted by Jordan Bianchi, a writer, filmmaker, and professional content creator. Jordan interviews Amanda about her recently published beginner's guide for submitting to literary magazines: a free, no-nonsense resource for any writer looking to get their work published.
Read MoreAmanda Bintz on episode 14 of "Aurora Airwaves," a podcast about creative well-being and artistic discovery hosted by Jordan Bianchi, a writer, filmmaker, and professional content creator. Together, Jordan and Amanda delve into creating the ideal writing environment, balancing discipline with rest, and the transformative power of vulnerability in storytelling.
Read MoreOn a rainy Thursday morning, I finished my first morning pages notebook.
”Morning pages” is a practice for artists recommended in The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (available on Amazon). I have my writing partner Jordan Bianchi to thank for turning me on to The Artist’s Way, which is a self-guided course for artists to reconnect with their creativity while healing their inner artist/child. Morning pages is one of the two main tools recommended in the course.
Since I started submitting my writing to literary magazines a couple of years back, I’ve had several fellow writers express a desire to understand how submitting works, exactly. I do not gatekeep, so whenever the question comes up I immediately gush everything I have learned thus far, but I realize it’s a lot to take in over one phone call or a round of drinks. Hence, this guide. It includes all the information I would have wanted to know before I started submitting. If you want to start submitting, start here.
Read More“Princess Mononoke” was the first movie by legendary storyteller Hayao Miyazaki I ever saw. I watched it as a pre-teen girl on VHS, on a tiny TV with a built-in VCR in my childhood bedroom. After I saw the forest die the first time, I cried for hours—for the Earth, for humans, for the trees and the kodama. I’ve seen it dozens of times in the two decades since. After every viewing I come away with this: What an absolute epic.
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