It's Mercury Retrograde until November 10th–that wonderful time when computers and phones go wacky, travel plans go awry, and the technology gods sit back and laugh at us. And yet, it is also a time for re-orienting yourself, when any and everything that starts with the prefix "re" is good to focus on. So, reconnecting […]
Scenario #One: Life is going well. Really well. Your relationships are all in great shape, you're healthy, you eat right and exercise regularly. Your like your job, you have a great place to live, you love your pets, the sun is shining. However, your writing sucks. Nothing that you write works. You can't get […]
Yesterday, all writing and other activities came to a screeching halt. This happened suddenly. One minute I was in the middle of a writing session. The next minute I was paralyzed. I realized that everything I had written was complete and total crap. And that there was no use writing anymore, ever, for the rest […]
Attention, please. The following are no longer allowed during a writing session: 1. Whining 2. Worrying about the quality of your work 3. Obsessing over the odds for getting your work published 4. Wondering what others will think of your writing 5. Deciding that writing is a colossal waste of your time, because, really, what […]
First there was the story I read online about how the Northwest, including Portland, could expect a major earthquake of the sort that just decimated Chile sometime in the next 50 years. I hate earthquakes. I expect the earth beneath my feet to stay steady, thank you very much. Then I watched a little bit […]
The traditional writing life: you write a novel, submit it to an agent, it gets sold to a good publishing house and they do a lot of work to market you. Ads in print publications, a book tour, readings and signings galore. If you are a literary type, you might take a job teaching writing […]
In writing, nothing is ever wasted. I'm forever saying this to clients, and, well, just about everybody I meet, and it is true. Your words are never wasted because if they need to be cut from one project, they might become useful in another. Doesn't matter if you have a bad experience, because, at least […]
Yesterday, I wrote about watching the Winter Olympics and how Bode Miller winning gold inspired thoughts about stepping up to the plate. Today the subject is story. My daughter and I were watching the men's ski cross races on Sunday night. This is a relatively new sport, and, correct me if I'm wrong, but I […]
Stop the presses for this news flash. I've been watching TV. Specifically, the Olympics. I often write about what a time waster watching TV is and I truly don't watch much of it myself, except, for reasons inexplicable to me, American Idol. But one thing I love is the Olympics, specifically, the winter Olympics. So […]
I'm struggling. I'm having a hard time writing my next novel. There, I've admitted it. I, the one who constantly harangues you to write every day, to keep the momentum going by checking into your project on a daily basis, I, that very same person, am having a hell of a time working on my […]
