Welcome! Thanks for dropping by.
My name is Chelsea Pennington. I currently live in Boulder, CO, but I was born and raised in Texas. I have a B.A. in English from Samford University in Alabama, and a Master’s in Museum Studies from Syracuse University in New York, so I’ve sort of lived all over.
I’ve been writing stories since at least kindergarten, and have always been an avid reader. One of my favorite quotes is “Give me pen and a piece of paper, and I can change the world,” by Friedrich Nietzsche. I think it encapsulates why I love writing and reading, and why I decided to start this blog to help others create and discover life-changing stories. You can expect two posts a month, focused on writing in some way: practical craft tips, advice for a sustainable writing life, interviews with other writers, and more.
A lot of these lessons I learned through publishing my own book: The Mistletoe Connection. It’s a sweet romance book about a group of people snowed in at the airport on Christmas Eve, perfect for fans of Love, Actually and Let It Snow. Buy it from Independent bookstores, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.
I believe that our lives are the greatest stories there are, and that God is their storyteller. I’m trying to navigate my way through the wacky characters and unexpected plot twists like anybody else, but I choose to believe the writer has a plan, and I live my life by His grace. This blog doesn’t directly focus on my faith, but I consider my writing passion and skill as gifts from God, and I’d always love to talk about it more with you.
I would love your feedback, both on my writing and on what you like/don’t like about the blog, so feel free to leave a comment or use the contact form below. You can also find me on Twitter and Instagram @_chelseawrites, or Pinterest. I love hearing about what inspires you, so feel free to reach out just to chat!
Look around, read some posts and some stories, and let me know what you think. If you like what you see, you can sign up for my email list to get my monthly newsletter and subscribe with your email to receive notifications for new posts (yes, you should do both!).
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Not sure where to start? Check out some of my most popular posts:
10 Podcasts to Make You a Better Writer
Dialogue Tags: What they are and how to use them
Einstein’s Trick to Become a Better Writer
Why Self-forgiveness is Crucial to Writing
If you have a question, inspiration, or want to work with me, fill in the form below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
land acknowledgement
I acknowledge that the land I currently live on is the traditional and ancestral home of the Arapaho (Hinono’ei), Cheyenne (Tsitsista), and Ute (Nuciu) Nations and peoples, and was guaranteed to them by the U.S. Government in the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie–which was subsequently broken by the U.S. to allow white people to seek gold and take the land. This was also a site of trade, gathering, and healing for numerous other Native tribes. I recognize the Indigenous peoples as original stewards of this land–the mountains that take my breath away, the waters that I dip my feet into in the summer, the grass I lay on in the sun to read. I honor their relationship to the land, how they cared for it and welcomed others to this area.
Despite the genocide and forced removal of Native tribes from this area, Native people live in Boulder and the Front Range area, many returning to the land of their ancestors despite the invasion of white people. I give honor and gratitude to all the work they are doing, to how they continue to defy the racist intentions of my ancestors who sought to drive them out and steal their land.
I recognize that, as someone who works at a history museum, who is a leader in my church, who writes fiction, I participate in systems that have a long history of not only ignoring Native peoples, but also actively harming them. I commit to changing these systems through my own actions and by supporting Native people who are doing hard, good work in these areas. I have started to do so by educating myself about the history of these institutions and by financially supporting Native-led organizations, and I encourage you to do the same for your own spheres of influence.