J.G. Chayko

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Short Stories: A Moment in Time

By jgchayko | February 21, 2021

Today I am praising my paper shredder. All hail the paper shredder! Without it, you might find me, weeks later, buried under a pile of balled up paper. For several weeks (okay months) I have been diligently editing and rewriting a short story. I find short stories challenging to write. While novels tend to follow…

The Year of Pandemic Writing

By jgchayko | November 28, 2020

In the spring of 2020, the world was flipped upside down. We never saw it coming. We never could have guessed a virus would alter our lives in the worst kind of story – one without a hero to swoop in and save us from our fate. The change in our world upset our circadian…

Poetry: Breathing New Life

By jgchayko | April 26, 2020

I was a poet once, or at least I wrote poems. I sent them to my grandmother in thank-you cards, I scribbled them in my diary, I wrote them in notebooks to exorcise my adolescent feelings. I wrote poetry to heal, to discover beauty, but mostly I liked to play with words and see what…

A Virtual Reading

By jgchayko | April 19, 2020

I’ve been self-isolating now, as most of us have, for about three weeks. I’m fortunate to be able to work at home and have a beautiful little patio so I don’t feel so boxed into the city apartment my fiancé and I share. I am finding happiness in little things, staying busy, developing my craft…

The New Balance

By jgchayko | April 5, 2020

Writers are known for self-isolation. We have carved out a space in our homes tailored especially for our creative work. Most writers have day jobs in another place and can usually leave the day job behind when they come home, separating it from their creative space. In March 2020 the Covid 19 pandemic shut down…

The Book Launch: Emerge 19

By jgchayko | January 19, 2020

I’ve been away from the desk for a few weeks, first taking a well-deserved break after a long rewarding year with The Writer’s Studio, and then battling a nasty virus in the first couple weeks of 2020 – but now I’m ready to get back to work. I checked my social media and my email…

Nightmares Writers Have

By jgchayko | September 8, 2019

“It’s not good enough” … “No one will read it…” “No one will like it…” “I’m not a real writer…” “Someone walked out in the middle of my reading…” “I got a bad review” … These are the nightmares writers have – the haunting doubts that wake us in the middle of the night, questioning…

Break Your Chains: Write Everywhere

By jgchayko | July 28, 2019

Summer has finally arrived on the west coast – after a stormy beginning, the cool overcast mornings have given way to clear skies and sultry twilights. It’s a time to sit back and breathe, maybe take some vacation time, and slow down from the rush of work and school. After six months of surviving workshops,…

Giving Your Voice to Your Words

By jgchayko | June 30, 2019

The first time reading your work in front of an audience can be both exciting and terrifying. It’s exciting because we get to share our work; it’s terrifying because we are exposing our heart and soul and opening ourselves up to criticism. Writers are not the most social creatures. We spend the better part of…

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About me

J.G. Chayko is a writer, actress, and international arthritis advocate who’s been involved in theatre for more than 30 years and has published poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction.