My outdoor writing space It is hot here in Portland, mid to upper 90s all last week and more of the same this week, with temps predicted to reach into the 100s by the weekend. We usually get some hot hot weather during the summer, but this is very early for a heat wave and […]
Sometimes I like to tell myself stories, say, when I'm doing the dishes (which my husband might claim is rare) or putting on my make-up and drying my hair. And it occurred to me recently, that a couple of my favorite stories fell into the category of colleagues doing Stupid Writer Tricks. (Because, in the […]
Just for you, because I love ya, I've invented a new writing machine. Here's what it does: with a long metal robotic arm, it reaches out, grabs paper and pen, and plops it down in front of you. You can also program it to grab your laptop, tablet, or computer keyboard. There's an optional feature […]
(With thanks to the Kath Eats Real Food blog for the inspiration. This is one of an occasional personal post I started doing last year.) Self, this year I would like you to remember: –You really do have time to write Morning Pages every day and they will get ideas flowing and set your day up […]
That title offers a pretty bold promise, huh? But I really do believe that what I'm going to write about today will help you write more than you imagined possible. What might this mystical thing that I'm going to write about be? Are you ready? Wait for it. It is writing practice. Also […]
Funny story: I've had this blog post in mind for the last few days. And then when it was time for me to sit down and write it, my blog host, Typepad, had two DOS (denial of service–I looked it up) attacks, on Thursday night and Friday morning. So I had to give up the […]
I was out of town last week and I didn't do any writing. (Yes, you read blog posts while I was gone. I had them scheduled ahead of time.) I didn't even have my computer with me, which was shocking even to me. I never go anywhere without my computer (except to France, but I […]
It's everyone's goal to gain a little weight, right? Well here's the good news: your writing practice can help you with weight gain. It is so effective that it is akin to a magic pill for weight gain! How can you make the magic happen? Below are some top ideas gleaned from many years of […]
Consistency. Yawn. The word is much like the word discipline in that it elicits yawns and boredom from us. I mean, who ever got excited about the word consistency? And yet, consistency is how writing gets done. When you have a consistent writing practice, books get written. Blog posts get written. Essays get written. I […]
We creative types like freedom. "Don't fence me in!" we cry. We need to be unfettered and unchained in order to do our best work. And this particularly applies to anything so prosaic as schedules and routine, which are the polar opposite to creative passion. Right? That attitude is certainly the romantic vision many of […]
