Today, I am answering another Burning Question. Jessica asked about finding the balance between going back to old work or letting it go. She had read an author state that old work is the work of a younger you and you should move on from it. On the other hand, she'd also read interviews with […]
Since I seem to have been writing a lot lately about fear, and how to keep it at bay while you write, I thought it might be time for a little practical exercise. This is one I present in my Writing Abundance workshop. I did it for the first time years ago and have found […]
How do you stay true to the pure heart of what you are writing? The other day, in my Burning Questions post, I invited people to leave their burning questions.* Yesterday's post came from one question. Today I'm going to answer another one, this one from Patty, who has a thoughtful blog you should check […]
Consider two writers: Writer A, is unbelievably talented. She writes prose so gorgeous and true and deeply felt it makes your hear break. Not only that, she has that ineffable trait called a voice. You'd recognize her writing anywhere and drop everything to read it. In short, Writer A has talent. Scads of it. But […]
I'm reading Crush It, by Gary Vaynerchuk. In case you haven't heard of him, he's the marketing genius who built his father's liquor business from four million in sales to fifty million in sales in just eight years. How did he do it? Mainly through video blogging, with his show, Wine Library TV, and the […]
Years ago, in a critique group I was a part of, we used to talk about Burning Questions. It began when I was working on a novel and got stuck halfway through. I didn't know where I was going and couldn't see my way to the end, so I sat down and wrote a series […]
I have been a walker for years. For the past twenty years, maybe more, I've walked three times a week with my friend Sharon. We met when our kids, then wee, were in a cooking class together, started walking, and kept up the habit ever since. We were a familiar sight on our route around […]
Yesterday I had jury duty. I resisted, mightily. Perhaps it is because I'm called to serve on jury duty more than anybody else on this planet. This was my third time, and I've gotten excused from service several times before, when my children were little. I know people who have never gotten a summons, ever. […]
I noticed something this morning when I was in the middle of writing an email. The words were flowing as smooth as a glass of fine wine. I started paying more attention. And realized that I was allowing myself to go a bit deeper emotionally in my response. So I stopped and thought for a […]
Last weekend, I left home for a night to head south to Eugene, home of my alma mater, the University of Oregon (Go, Ducks!). This may shock you–it shocked me–but I didn't even turn on my computer the entire time I was gone. And I had a blast. We ate at Rennie's and the Glenwood, […]
