Even when life is going well, the writing pressures, the marketing, the waiting, and the deadlines can make you dream of taking a writing retreat. Add in too many volunteer activities, caring for a baby, taking elderly parents to all their doctors’ appointments, and some days you want to run away. Last week I mentioned […]
Month: April 2014
"They Say…" Writing Advice
I hope you new writers question everything “they say” you have to do to succeed. That includes any advice I might give on this blog. Thirty years ago “they said” a new writer had to find a way to get to New York and meet the editors face to face if she wanted to sell […]
Retreat Time: Is It Possible?
While recovering from an illness I picked up simply (I believe) from being exhausted, I was going through my favorite writing books. One caught my eye and created an instant longing: The Writer’s Retreat Kit: A Guide for Creative Exploration and Personal Expression by Judy Reeves. It’s like a writer’s retreat in a box, with […]
Cures for Procrastinators in One Minute Flat
Why is getting started often the hardest problem that writers face? Today, I piddled around with journaling, reading blogs, watering flowers, some marketing…all the while “getting ready” to write. But by noon, I hadn’t written Word One. There was no real reason for me to be unfocused. I felt fine, ate a healthy breakfast, had […]
Getting Your Ducks in a Row: Organization or Procrastination?
Some time ago one of Suzanne Lieurance’s email “Morning Nudges” hit me between the eyes, and I printed it out as a reminder. I see this week that I need the same nudge again. Maybe you do too. Ducks on Parade “People will tell you that before you start on any new venture it’s a good idea to get all […]
Five Stages of Procrastination
How is procrastination like a bridge you set on fire yourself? According to Neil Fiore in The Now Habit, it’s similar to a situation where we scare ourselves into being frozen. Fiore says to imagine a very long flat board on the ground in front of you, and then imagine walking on it to the […]
Finding Writing Freedom
Within the last month, I’ve switched over from XP to a Windows 8 laptop with wireless Internet. It has been a wonderful, eye-opening change! YouTube videos and movies no longer stick, break up, or freeze. I can access the Internet in any room of the house—or even when away on trips. I can check frequently […]
Writers: Practice What You Preach
I got home late last night from the Highlights Foundation’s “Sharing Our Hope” workshop, where I did a lot of preaching about the importance of self-care for writers and how absolutely critical it is to our writing lives. We had a marvelous time together and forged new friendships. Even so, after “giving out” for several […]