Writing is a Gift, and Don’t You Forget It!
I’ve always adopted a philosophy of looking for the silver lining. One of my favorite quotes is from Shakespeare: “There is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so.” I believe this, but I also get...
View ArticleFocus: An Experiment
You may have noticed (but probably didn’t) that I completely forgot to write a post last time it was my turn. Thursday. Two weeks ago. And I very nearly forgot about it again this week. The truth is, I...
View ArticleDOUBT
Today’s assignment is this. Look around you for a minute and pick out a writer you know, either online or in the real world. Somebody you respect, and maybe sometimes feel a teensy little twinge of...
View ArticleI’m Calm. Yep.
Y’all, I am on a crazy deadline and this says it all. (This is only one of the evil demotivators from despair.com. If you are not familiar with this website, what kind of evil person are you??? Check...
View ArticleThe Name Game
I can’t remember which poet it was who said a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. I’m not sure he was right about that one, honestly. I mean, yes, the rose probably would smell the same. It’s...
View ArticleBeyond Outrage – Use Your Words For Good
I’m outraged. It’s early, and I’m not sure about what yet, but the interwebz will tell me shortly. By then I’ll be caffeinated and capable of summoning up whatever ire is called for. So far the best...
View ArticleHow Revising is Like Buying New Furniture
Last Saturday, as the Viking and I were driving into town to do the usual weekend errands, he said, “I feel the Red Barn calling me.” “Cool!” said I. “Let’s go!” I love the Red Barn. No, it’s not a …...
View ArticleTaking Back Twitter
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, Twitter was a place of whimsy, fun, and discovery. I looked forward to checking my feed and interacted regularly with a group of interesting, motivating,...
View ArticleNanowrimo: Guts and Glory
I am a fan of NaNoWriMo. How could I not be? It led me to my first writer’s group. It taught me how to carve writing time out of a busy day. And it taught me that I – undisciplined and scattered …...
View ArticleTaming the Writer WannaBe
The scariest creature in the Writer’s Bestiary is the WannaBe. It haunts writer’s conferences and #amwriting hashtags, lurks on blogs and writing sites. It wears a hundred-thousand different skins...
View ArticleOn the Care and Feeding of Words
I love words. The shape and size of them. The way they roll off my tongue, the way they look on the page. Rotund Ubiquitous Scurrilous Gloaming. When I was young, I was nerd enough to read the...
View ArticleNever Give Up
Sometimes the writing life feels like slogging through four feet of snow. Barefoot. Naked. After one hour of sleep and NO COFFEE. I know. The horror of not having coffee makes me shudder. If you’re on...
View ArticleHonor Your Own Process
It’s the time of year when you don’t have time to read blogs and I don’t have time to write one. Wait – that’s not seasonal. That’s normal. And doesn’t really change anything, because what I was...
View ArticleA Woman of a Certain Age
I was recently shocked and appalled to discover that America actually cares enough how Carrie Fisher has aged to make this a topic of conversation and debate. This goes to show that I am, after all...
View ArticleSurviving Book Launch
I like to think of myself as a reasonably well balanced person. I’ve got a master’s degree in counseling, which should mean something, right? I practice mindfulness. I do yoga. I journal – not as much...
View ArticleThe Divided Self
I’m a little crazy these days. Not that there’s anything unusual about that, I’ll freely admit. But I’m just a little crazier than usual. When my publisher suggested (okay, sort of mandated) that I...
View ArticleGuess What? You ARE a Special Snowflake After All
Number of ideas I have right now for novels: Number of ideas I have right now for blog posts about writing: Which is sort of a problem, and not one I’m sure I have an answer for. When I have … Continue...
View ArticleHappy Hour for Ideas: aka A Pantsing Primer
Here’s the thing about ideas: they like to hang out. Given the opportunity, they’ll mix and mingle and sort themselves into compatible groups with the same finesse as college kids at a bar during happy...
View ArticleShow me the Blood
I juggle a lot of hats. I have a house in the big woods to run, and four fur babies to take care of. The human kids are (mostly) out of the house, but don’t think for a minute that … Continue reading →
View ArticleReview Magic
Bless me, father, for I have sinned. I have not followed the path of the Evil Writer, helping and building up my fellow writers to the best of my ability. I am guilty of a sin of omission. I can’t …...
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